The Benefit Gathering for the Fersuquilla family was great. The weather was cool and it sprinkled several times, but the canopies Alan and Pat put up worked well. The food was brought over around 3:00, and people started dropping in. The meal was as delicious as we promised-- home-cooked, authentic savory recipes. A great big thank you to all those neighbors who cooked and worked so hard to help make Saturday such a memorable day. And it was. About 60 people attended in a come and go fashion that helped people get acquainted.
We borrowed a bunch of chairs, 2 6-foot tables and 4 garbage cans from the Amarillo Senior Citizen Center. I don’t know what we’d have done without them. Pepsi-Cola sent over a bunch of soft drinks and Wal-Mart did also. It was such a terrific day, and all for a good cause, too. What a delight to watch little ones standing in line to drop bills in the donation jar. They did get enough to help on some of their bills.
Lots of the men, and kids, too, enjoyed the horseshoe pitching court. Those horseshoes are sure heavy. I would be afraid if I threw one it would soar straight up and hurtle back down to conk me, or someone else, on the head. William Ferrsuquilla and Rosendo Barron ended up as the champion team, beating all challengers - and there were a bunch.
People swarmed around the campfire's glow like birds around fresh hay bales.The surprise hit of the day was how many enjoyed toasting marshmallows - even adults. It’s been so long since I’ve tasted one that I’d forgotten how luscious they are. As the sun went down and stars and moon took over the scene, enchantment took over the evening for everyone from 83 to three months old. A friend of Alan’s played the guitar and sang; I did a little cowboy poetry. It was so great that we’re talking about trying more Saturday evening pot luck gatherings and entertainment events. I’d love to have more cowboy poets come. Hope it works out.
The bar ditch has been marked for dredging for two weeks so we won't have huge pools and puddles whenever it rains. Triangle Drive is all flagged, chalked and arrowed, set up for the water tap to be installed. The water tap and meter were installed.
While the City crew was dredging for the draining, they pulled up an area of the asphalt highway on Trangle Drive. We were all flabbergasted when that revealed the original concrete highway of Route 66. We need to erect some signs telling people that, don't we, or maybe some Historical Route 66 highway signs.
The abatement was completed Friday, 10/20. What a wonderful feeling to have that all done. Pipe insulation n the carports was all removed. Broken tiles were removed. How wonderful to have others share our dreams and commitment to save this important historical site for future generations to be able to use and admire.
Wes Reeves said that Dan Carey from the Ft Worth National Trust office will be here Thursday We’re anxious to see what he will think of the Triangle’s progress. It will be good to see Wes Reeves again, too. He has been so helpful and encouraging.
The tremendous amount of work that Alan and Pat have done shows in mountains of improvement. Not mountains of trash anyplace--it's all gone - just the improvement remains. Two foreign students, Tam Phung from Viet Nam and Thanh Nguyen from Cambodia, and longtime friends Eddy Soto and Jerry Rexroad have also helped a bunch.
The 6th dumpster from Red Box and we hope the last one, was delivered Wednesday the 18th, and the last of the debris from rooms was piled in and picked up on Friday. We sure appreciate them. They helped out an awfully lot by charging less than regular rates - Texas Portables, too - since they also feel this is such an important historical site that needs to be restored.
Because so many families traveled Route 66, we've come up with a rather novel idea. Do you have parents or grandparents who came through Amarillo, and stayed at the Triangle Motel? Would you be interested in donating a suite in their name, such as "John and Mary ------- from Hot Springs----(hometown)", and maybe even the year, for a donation to the Triangle? You know we're trying very hard to raise money to be able to keep going. Grants and historical funds go to non-profit sources. Would your family like to help save the Triangle? Remember that your donations can be deducted from your income tax.
We should get our Trademark Protection certificate back in a couple of weeks now. It is great to get that done. It took all afternoon! Why do government forms have to be so long to fill out?
Jim Conkle, General Manager of Route 66 PULSE Newspaper, and Bob Lile, President of Old Route 66 Association of Texas, came by the Big Texan yesterday morning. They missed Mayor McCartt presenting the Heritage Award to Mary Ann Lee and me. But they were there! The plaques are elegant! Wooden frame, brass plaque engraved "Heritage Award/presented to/Marianne McNeil Logan/ in honor of your dedication to/ keep the cowboy way of life/ through your, art, poetry and work/fancy scroll/Southwest Cowboy Poets Association 2006." What an incredible morning to remember.
Speaking of things you'll never forget, we received a check from my twin sister Marietta, and her hubby Bill Cleary, Since they're senior citizens on a fixed income, too, like us, we really appreciate the donation.. Alan is so thrilled that the family is helping. Me too. They are going to be amazed at how much pride they’ll feel at being personally involved, (love that phrase), in the restoration of such a prestigious historical project. I’ve never had such a feeling of great accomplishment in all my poetry projects, even including the Poem in Your Pocket Week, and in contest wins, as I do about the significance and the importance of the restoration of the Triangle Motel to the City of Amarillo, the Texas Panhandle, and to Route 66. It's a warmth that glows, for It’s reclaiming a part of not only area history, but national history as well. And it is my son who is the one with the vision and the determination to do it. How I wish my folks knew about it. They would be bustin’ their buttons with pride, too. Daddy especially. And, perhaps, somehow, they will.
Howard Bilderback, the photographer who came with Cary Finney and Vici Covey for the 90 day inspection report, came out this morning for our 180 day report. . He seemed very pleased with all the progress made. Mr.Bilderback seems so interested in the historical advantages of saving history for the generations yet to come. Perhaps more city employees will get involved with saving pieces of important Panhandle history now.
Talk to you later… Alan, Pat and Marianne
