Frank Bond, of Santa Fe New Mexico, one of the four founders of the Peregrine Fund; lawyer, rancher, principled politician, father, old- fashioned but innovative conservationist; old friend; perhaps first, in his own mind, falconer, died of a swift- moving cancer last week. The scion of a wealthy sheep -ranching family in northern New Mexico, …
Tag: RIP
RIP: Mikhail Kalashnikov, 1919- 2013
Kalashnikov was the most influential, if not the most innovative, firearms designer since John Moses Browning. If you had to use your rifle after dropping it in a swamp, would you pick an AR or an AK? He was also an NRA Life member…
Captain John Brandt, RIP
Captain John Brandt, military man, ethnologist, zoologist, hunter, and rancher, died a couple of weeks ago, just short of his 86th birthday. He was my “other” sponsor for the Explorers Club, (the first, Father Anderson Bakewell, has been profiled here more than once). Both lived lives of adventure and scholarship of a kind that may …
Lahav RIP
Daniela Imre’s Lahav, one of the greatest dogs I have ever known, is dead at 15. He was her constant companion, a coursing champion, a hunter, a defender and guardian. He distrusted most male humans and would threaten them for their presumption if they got near Daniela. She called him the Munchkin: I, “The Muncher …
John Graves, R.I.P.
Henry Chappell just emailed to tell me that John Graves, Texas writer and living legend, just died at (I think) 93. John was a true Texan with deep roots, a civilized man, a WWII vet who had lived in Europe but eventually preferred his roots, a conservationist and localist before such things were chic, and …
On losing a dog
Unfortunately, as Kipling and (even) Ogden Nash knew, a recurrent event given our disparate life spans. Tom McIntyre’s Kaycee died suddenly at four last week, after a joyous bout of play. Tom reflects: ” P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }The death of a dog teaches what a tenuous, suspended by a silk thread thing life is. …
George Jones: 1933- 2013
A great country singer died today. This photo of him in the 70’s in NYC pre- dates photoshop. Andy Warhol, George, Tom Russell: George Jones, R.I.P.
One more on Plum
… To thank everyone; I will not belabor the point or fill the blog. Jameson Parker sent Robinson Jeffers’ wonderful tribute to his bulldog Grip. In part: I hope than when you are lying Under the ground like me your lives will appear As good and joyful as mine. No, dear, that’s too much hope: …
Plummer lurcher: March 1 1999- Dec 13 2012
My old dog Plummer is gone. He was born (bred for us, a Hancock designer NM blend of greyhound and bearded and border collie) in David Hancock’s kennel in an England that still allowed hunting with dogs, and died in his bed in his home in New Mexico. Once the greatest single- hand hare dog …
James Trujillo, RIP
My friend James “Viejo” Trujillo died today after a long struggle with diabetes. I’ll have a proper bio and memorial later, and a few stories. Raise a glass… Update 8 November: his card. Normal service to resume after (still another) funeral… (A happy Viejo story, previously blogged but worth repeating…) … for a while almost …