Possible Precipitation and JFK Assassination Anniversary

Above, the recreated sniper's nest in the former Texas School Book
 Depository building at the Sixth Floor Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Our next chance for snow showers is coming tonight. At least, that's according to the National Weather Service. They say we have an 80% chance of precipitation (rain and snow showers). We'll see. 

The storm that showed up on Thursday did give us some rain, but no snow. 

Here is the forecast by the National Weather Service:

Today

Increasing clouds, with a high near 56. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Rain showers likely between 8pm and 2am, then rain, possibly mixed with snow showers. Low around 35. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Sunday

Rain likely, possibly mixed with snow showers before 8am, then rain showers likely between 8am and 2pm, then rain and snow showers likely after 2pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Today is noteworthy as the 62nd anniversary of the JFK assassination in Dallas, Texas. For those who are interested in the assassination or are just history buffs, a visit to the former Texas School Book Depository should be put on one's "bucket list" of things to do. I visited it four years ago. 

The building now houses the Sixth Floor Museum with plenty of exhibits on the assassination, including the corner window that was Lee Harvey Oswald's sniper's next. 

For information on the Sixth Floor Museum, go here.

Trigger, Bullet and Buttercup Headed To The Reagan Library

Above, Trigger and Bullet at John Wayne: An American Experience in 2021. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since its opening in 2020, the John Wayne: An American Experience museum at the Fort Worth Stockyards has featured in the main lobby Trigger and Bullet, Roy Rogers horse and dog. Later, Dale Evans's horse, Buttercup was added to the display.

They will be having a "going away" party this coming Saturday as they are to be sent to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Above, Ronald and Nancy Reagan with Roy Rogers.

I visited the John Wayne: An American Experience in January 2021. Upon entering, visitors immediately saw the animals on display. 

For details on the going away party, go here.

John Wayne Day In Fort Worth, Texas

Above, yours truly with Patrick Wayne outside of Ridgway, Colorado in 2022.

John Wayne Day is this coming Monday (which is also Memorial Day) and there will be several events at the Fort Worth Stockyards. The events mark the 118th anniversary of John Wayne's birth.

According to FWToday:

Next Monday, May 26 marks John Wayne’s 118th birthday, and the party is just getting started. Kick up your boots and get ready to celebrate Hollywood’s favorite on-screen cowboy with a series of events in the Stockyards.

One of the events is a special screening of The Big Trail (1930) at the Modern Art Museum. Son Patrick Wayne will make a special guest appearance. I am pleased to see that Patrick is out and about, considering he is now 85. I met him at the John Wayne Cancer Foundation's Grit Series marathons outside of Ridgway, Colorado in 2022.

For more information on the events, go here.

JFK Assassination Testimony Rifle Comes to Auction

Above, a rifle like this one at the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas is up for auction. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's something interesting that is coming up at auction for gun collectors.

It is an exact recreation of Lee Harvey Oswald's Mannlicher-Carcano rifle used to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. It was used during the House Select Committee on Assassinations back in 1978. It was also used in a movie on the assassination.

PR Newswire reported: 

BEDFORD, Texas, April 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- An exact recreation of the JFK assassination rifle, owned and utilized by ballistics expert Monty Lutz during his testimony for the House Select Committee on Assassinations, will come to auction this May. The rifle also starred in the 1986 movie "On Trial: Lee Harvey Oswald," where Lutz played himself. Lutz's Carcano rifle will be offered during the first day of Rock Island Auction Company's May 2-4 Premier Auction.

The rifle is an identical configuration to the "Mannlicher-Carcano" rifle long recognized as the weapon used by Lee Harvey Oswald to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. Lutz's rifle was even ordered from the same retailer Oswald used and mounted with an identical scope. Such duplication was critical when this rifle was utilized during the 1978 investigation by the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA), where Lutz cited testing the rifle at various distances. The exact replication of the assassination weapon was a quintessential component in the investigation as the nation continued to search for answers in the tragedy's aftermath.

Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle is currently housed at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.

To read more, go here. 

"Superman and the Mole Men" (1951) Review (Video)

Above, George Reeves and Phyllis Coates photo from Superman and the Mole Men autographed by Coates.

Last evening, I viewed this review of the "pilot" movie to the Adventures of Superman, "Superman and the Mole Men" (1951) starring George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jeff Corey and Walter Reed. It was the first Superman feature movie.

The story involves an oil well in Silsby, Texas that was the deepest oil well at six miles deep. The mole men came to the surface from the well.

Here's the review: 

Interestingly, although Silsby, Texas of the movie was fictitious, there is a Silsbee, Texas near Beaumont. 

Here's its location: 

Roy Rogers's Rifle In "Mackintosh and T.J."

Above, Roy Rogers in his pick-up truck in Mackintosh and T.J. with the rifle behind him.

On Monday, I home from the clampout in Quartzsite, Arizona in the morning. Much of the day was spent cleaning out the motorhome, doing laundry and other chores.

For dinner, I had a can of Wolf brand chili and watched Roy Rogers's last movie, Mackintosh and T.J. (1975). It had been a while since I last watched the movie and noticed Roy having a lever-action rifle in his truck hung on an "Easy Rider gun rack" (that's what people called them back then). Nobody does this anymore due to thefts. 

Above, Roy Rogers and the rifle in the truck.

A closer look at the rifle tells me that it is a Winchester 94. Roy made use of it in the movie hunting coyotes on a Texas ranch. 

The movie's trailer:

Final Batch of JFK Assassination Documents Released

Above, the assassination site in Dallas, Texas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As promised, the Trump Administration released the purported "last batch" of JFK Assassination documents.

This was the result of President Trump's executive order made in January.

From the BBC:

The US government has released the final batch of documents on the assassination of President John F Kennedy - a case that still sparks conspiracy theories over 60 years later.

The release follows an executive order in January by President Donald Trump that required unredacted files in the case to be made public.

Experts are combing over the documents, but have said they do not expect many ground-breaking revelations. Trump expected 80,000 pages of records to be unsealed.

US authorities have previously released hundreds of thousands of JFK documents, but held some back, citing national security concerns. Many Americans still believe the gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, did not act alone.

To read more, go here. 

Clint Hill, R.I.P.

Above, Clint Hill at Book Passage in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Clint Hill, the sole Secret Service Agent who acted during the assassination of President Kennedy, passed away at home on February 21. He was 93.

His wife, Lisa McCubbin, made the announcement this morning: 

In June 2016, I attended a book signing and discussion by Mr. Hill at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California. It was a well attended event and I was able to get some autographed books from Mr. Hill and Miss McCubbin. 

Above, Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin at Book Passage. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here is a video I recorded of Mr. Hill's talk: 

I have sent Lisa McCubbin my condolences. 

Why Is Fort Worth Called Cowtown?

Above, cattle drive of Texas Longhorns in Fort Worth. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A few years ago, a friend and I went to Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas for a mini-vacation.

While there, we visited Dealey Plaza, Southfork Ranch, the John Wayne: An American Experience and the Fort Worth Stockyards.

While at the Fort Worth Stockyards, we watched the morning cattle drive through the streets of Texas Longhorns.

Did you know that Fort Worth is known as Cowtown?

Fort Worth.com has posted an article on why it is called Cowtown.

It begins with:

As part of the largest tourism destination in Texas, Fort Worth is known for great dining options, the cultural arts and some really great music. But before it was Funkytown or The Fort, Fort Worth was known as Cowtown. Yet the biggest question often asked is, “WHY?”

To read on to find out why, go here. 

Ammo Vending Machines

 

This is sure to drive liberals nuts!

A Dallas-based startup company is planning to make available retail ammunition vending machines. They will be placed in grocery stores.

According to Newsmax:

A Dallas-based startup has rolled out a plan to put retail ammunition vending machines in grocery stores, but some are worried it could lead to impulse bullet buying, especially for those wanting to do harm to others or themselves.

American Rounds opened its first automated retail ammunition machine at a Fresh Value grocery store in Pell City, Alabama, late in 2023, The Washington Post reported Sunday, selling various brands of rifle, shotgun, and handgun ammunition. The company also has vending machines in Oklahoma, according to its website, and Texas, and it reportedly is seeking to expand its business into Colorado.

The company advertises its machines as a safer, more convenient way to buy ammunition than at a large retail store or online.

To read more, go here. 

Campaign Contributions

The 2024 election campaign is down to the home stretch.

I did my bit for "king and country" by donating to Republican U.S. Senate candidates this morning. 

They are:

• Nella Domenici for New Mexico 
• Sen. Ted Cruz for Texas
• Kari Lake for Arizona 

All were done through WinRed.com. They are handling campaign donations for GOP candidates. To make a donation, go to the WinRed website and look up your state's candidate(s) here.

Other Plans

Above, the El Rancho's Monument Valley enchiladas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While millions of people gather in today's solar eclipse umbra, I will be in Gallup having some Monument Valley enchiladas at the Silver Screen restaurant at the El Rancho Hotel.

The Gallup area will not be within the umbra (or path) of the eclipse (maybe we'll get a partial eclipse) anyway, so I will be enjoying a hearty breakfast and doing a little grocery shopping. I already made out my list. 

Some friends are now in Texas awaiting the celestial event. One posted a photo of himself and his wife at the Alamo in San Antonio. Maybe they're looking for the basement? At least if there's cloudy skies, they will take in some attractions in the Lone Star State to make the trip worthwhile. 

A Visit With Tom & Melody Cotrel

Above, this morning at Denny's.

This morning, I had a nice visit with Tom and Melody Cotrel at Denny's in the Flying J. They are en route to Dallas, Texas to visit friends and to see the eclipse.

I've known Tom since the 1970s when we were in the Young Republicans in Los Angeles. He is a practicing attorney based in Burbank. Melody is happily retired.

They have never been to Texas before and I recommended a few attractions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to see.

They've a long drive ahead of them. It was good visiting with them over coffee. 

Eclipse Weather Forecast

Above, the start of the "Diamond Ring Effect" in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When the 2017 Great American Eclipse took place, it was in the middle of summer and the weather was not an issue for me when I viewed it near Roberts, Idaho. 

Since we're in the early spring, clouds and storms may hinder viewing for some.

Yahoo! News reported:

The total solar eclipse is now just three days away, and local forecasts in 13 states along the so-called path of totality suggest that viewing the highly anticipated celestial event may be a problem for some but less so for others.

In Austin, Texas — which is expecting an influx of more than 1 million tourists for the eclipse — forecasters are calling for mostly cloudy skies during the morning hours, followed by thunderstorms in the afternoon. According to Yahoo Weather, there is a 54% chance of rain on Monday.

Similar conditions are expected in Dallas, though the chance of precipitation (64%) is significantly higher.

To read more, go here. 

Gun Owners of America Comes Out Swinging Against John Cornyn

Above, Sen. John Cornyn official portrait.

The dust hadn't even settled after the announcement yesterday by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell that he was stepping down in November that Texas Sen. John Cornyn announced he was running for the Senate Republican Leader post.

Gun Owners of America is not at all happy with the announcement.

According to the Daily Caller:

Gun Owners Of America (GOA) shared their concerns Thursday with Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn after he announced his intention to run for Senate Republican Leader, just one day after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would be stepping down as leader in November.

In an exclusive phone call with the Daily Caller, Aidan Johnston, the Director of Federal Affairs for GOA, said Cornyn is not a Conservative pro-gun leader, mentioning pieces of legislation that Cornyn has supported in the past, which Johnston described as gun control.

“The United States Senate deserves a conservative pro-gun leader, and John Cornyn is not that person, it seems. I’ll say every time a gun issue comes up: He’s right there with a compromise. And that’s not leadership. That’s just capitulation to gun control. Americans deserve someone who will refuse to compromise with their God-given Second Amendment rights. And unfortunately, John Cornyn is, always, always, always cutting deals with our Second Amendment,” Johnston told the Caller.

To read more, go here. 

April 8 Solar Eclipse: Things To Do Now

Above, the April 8 eclipse path through Texas.

We're almost into March, but before we know it, we'll be in April.

The big event coming on April 8 is the solar eclipse that will cut across North America. People have already made travel plans to view it.

Above, 2024 U.S. eclipse path.

I was lucky enough to live in the path of the annular solar eclipse last year, so I didn't have to travel anywhere. I just sat out in the yard.

In 2017, I drove up to Idaho to view the Great American Eclipse. I made a vacation out of the trip and also visited Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. 

Above, the 2017 Great American Eclipse in totality. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The only thing that wasn't fun was spending several hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic immediately following the eclipse. I had a campsite at a KOA Kampground in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho to get to. I made my reservations months in advance. 

Still, it was a great event to experience.

The Points Guy has posted an article things to do now if one wants to watch the April 8 eclipse.

It begins with:

On April 8, the moon will pass directly before the sun, darkening the afternoon sky with a rare, total solar eclipse. For those along the path of totality, the solar eclipse will last around four minutes. With so many people clamoring to see this rare celestial spectacle, you'll need a plan if you want to be among them.

Whether you plan to watch the solar eclipse from home, on the road or even from the sky, here are the things you should be doing now to prepare. 

To read more, go here. 

Despite SCOTUS Ruling, Gov. Abbott Kicks Biden's Nuts

In a move that can only be interpreted as a "swift kick to His Fraudulency's nuts", Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he has constitutional authority to repel invasions of illegal aliens.

The Daily Caller reported:

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down Wednesday on the state’s “constitutional right to self-defense” days after the Supreme Court ordered the Texas National Guard to remove barbed wire to keep illegal migrants out.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision Monday, agreed to vacate an injunction that temporarily blocked Border Patrol from cutting wire Texas had placed along the border. Texas authorities appeared to ignore the ruling, with a video circulating on social media showing authorities setting up razor wire for the border in Eagle Pass, Texas.

The case made its way to the high court after the Biden Administration sued.

Abbott doubled down on the state’s response, invoking the Founding Fathers. 

“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States. The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now,” Abbott said in a statement. “President Biden has ignored Texas’s demand that he perform his constitutional duties.”

“James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats like cartels smuggling millions of illegal immigrants across the border,” Abbott continued, citing Article IV Section 4 which says the federal government “shall protect each [State] against invasion” and Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 which says the states have a “sovereign interest in protecting their borders.”

“The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.”

Yup,don't mess with Texas!

To read more, go here. 

SCOTUS: Texas Can’t Block Federal Agents From Border

Above, Texas and U.S. flags along freeway between Dallas and Fort Worth. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a long-standing rule that the federal government has sole authority to enforce border protection laws.

Unfortunately, the federal government, under His Fraudulency Joe Biden, is not enforcing the border. They are allowing thousands of illegal aliens to flood into the country.

The Texas Tribune reported:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered Texas to allow federal border agents access to the state’s border with Mexico, where Texas officials have deployed miles of concertina wire.

The order did not explain justices’ decisions. For now, it effectively upholds longstanding court rulings that the Constitution gives the federal government sole responsibility for border security.

In October of last year, Texas sued the federal government after Border Patrol agents cut some of the wire strung along the Rio Grande, arguing the Department of Homeland Security destroyed the state’s property and interfered in Texas’ border security efforts.

The 5-4 order from the Supreme Court vacated a previous injunction from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that prevented Border Patrol agents from cutting the concertina wire.

The ruling would have been fine if the court ordered the Biden Administration to enforce border security. But they didn't.

To read the full article, go here.

Block Introduces Border Barrier Funding Bill

Source: Press Release

ALAMOGORDO, N.M.—On Friday, New Mexico state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) announced H.B. 111 to spend $1.5 billion of New Mexico’s surplus revenues on the completion of the border barrier between Mexico and New Mexico. The current amount of unfinished border barrier between them is approximately 50.3 open miles. 

The appropriation follows the current market rate of border barriers, as done in the neighboring state of Texas, at approximately $30 million per mile.

As the border catastrophe continues under the current Joe Biden regime, which has done worse than nothing to stop the flow of illegal substances and immigrants into the country, the need to protect New Mexicans and migrants from deadly drugs, human trafficking, terrorism, and other criminal activity, is now a pandemic.

According to official reports, over seven million illegal immigrants have flooded into the United States under the Biden regime.

As Voice of America reported on January 3, 2024, “U.S. officials processed an estimated 300,000 people at the U.S. border with Mexico in December, which would be the highest number ever recorded, according to multiple news organizations.”

In recent history, New Mexico saw a record-breaking fentanyl drug bust, with one such seizure of over 1 million fentanyl pills, per the FBI.

“With the truly criminal failure of the Joe Biden administration to stop the border crisis, our border state is now forced to do the job of the federal government to protect our citizens. I will not stand idly by and allow my constituents to continue to be saddled with the consequences of Biden’s failures,” said Rep. Block.

“In 2023, I sponsored a memorial to bring awareness to the humanitarian catastrophe on our border, but it was killed by radical Democrats who refused to acknowledge this crisis on our doorstep. There is no better way to spend these excess revenues than by protecting our residents.” continued the representative.

“Now that records are being shattered with the unparalleled numbers of illegal border crossings and tons of fentanyl flowing in, maybe now Democrats will finally begin to act to protect their constituents’ safety from this unprecedented border catastrophe. People continue dying daily due to the Cartel’s caravan of deadly fentanyl and human exploitation. The depravity and inhumanity must end — and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”

Sixty Years Ago

Above, a view of Elm Street in Dealey Plaza two windows away
 from Oswald's sniper's window. Photo by Armand Vaquer

Sixty years is a long time. I can still remember that day almost as if it were yesterday. 

Today marks the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. I was in fourth grade at the time at Woodcrest Elementary School in Los Angeles. 

Above, a view of Elm Street and the former Texas School Book Depository Building. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I had just finished lunch in the school cafeteria and got up to bring my tray and dishes to the busboy window. It was there at the window I was told that Kennedy was assassinated, and the school’s flag had been lowered to half-staff. I left the cafeteria and went outside and saw that the flag was indeed at half-staff. 

I then went to the playground for the remainder of the lunch hour.

Minutes later, the bell rang for everyone to return to class.

Above, a view of Elm Street from Main Street in 1984. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There, in class, our teacher tearfully confirmed what had happened. Everyone was in stunned silence. Then, a fire drill bell started ringing and we all headed out to the playground. There, outside of the auditorium at the top of a stairway, the school principal, over a public address system, also told everyone the news and had everyone sing patriotic songs. 

He also announced that school would be dismissed for the day following the program. 

Above, Oswald's sniper's nest recreated in the
 Sixth Floor Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I then headed home (I only lived across the street from the school) with a friend from the Cub Scouts. His mother wasn’t at home so he came home with me. After getting home, we watched the television coverage with my mom. All programming on all television stations were preempted by the assassination coverage. This would ultimately be the case throughout the weekend until after Kennedy’s funeral on Monday, November 25.

Much of what was repeatedly shown was the Kennedys at the breakfast in Fort Worth, their arrival at Love Field and some footage of the motorcade. Later, a live feed from Andrews Air Force Base showing the arrival of Air Force One was shown and Lee Harvey Oswald under arrest.

Above, a view of Elm Street from the grassy knoll area. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As this was a Friday, my family usually went out for dinner. But, for the life of me, I cannot remember if we did or ate at home. 

Nobody who was alive at the time would ever forget, just like other generations who remember what they were doing and how they learned about Pearl Harbor and September 11.

Above, the Kennedy limousine after it passed under the
triple underpass from a display in the Sixth Floor Museum.

Since then, I have visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas twice, being a history buff. The first was during the 1984 Republican National Convention and the second was in January 2021. A visit to the Sixth Floor Museum in the former Texas School Book Depository Building is well worth a visit.

For those who wish to delve further into the Kennedy assassination, these DVDs are recommended:

Above, this DVD by the History Channel is the best one. It covers the
assassination and what transpired since, including conspiracy theories.

Above, this National Geographic DVD covers
much of the same as the History Channel DVD. 

Above, this DVD shows the Zapruder film from sharp
photographic copies made from the original camera film.

Below is a video I took of former Secret Service Agent Clint Hill, now 91, giving a talk on the assassination at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California on June 11, 2016.