Newsletter June 1, 2007

Greetings to All,

Believe the drought to be over, for awhile at least, rains as often as the price of gas rises. Another heavy storm system passed thru early this morning with more on the way, been fun chasing between the clouds to get the grass cut as of late. The way the weather forecasters talk this trend could very well continue for another week or two, big difference over the last couple years.

WHAT’S GOING, well not much in the area as the temps and high humidity pretty much restrict having much fun till Fall. If you don’t mind traveling a ways there are some great events happening all over the country, especially to the North and West, a couple coming up soon in New Mexico as stated last edition. Here a couple worth mentioning,

June 16-23 High Plains Regional Rendezvous near Harris Minnesota.

July 6-15 Rocky Mountain National Rendezvous, Vipond Park in Dewy Montana.

August 4-11 Rocky Mountain College Rendezvous southwest of Denver CO.

WHAT’S NEW, here are the updates on the membership items described in the last edition, a very simple, efficient and fair system for all. Membership is now due in June of each year for everyone a prorated quarterly system is in place to get everyone due at the same time equally as listed,

PRO RATED SCHEDULE

June, July , August of 07 -----memberrship price : single: $35.00, Family:  $45.00, Youth: $31.52

Sept, Oct, Nov of 07...........membership price: single: $26.25, Family: $33.75, Youth $23.44

Dec 07, Jan, Feb of 08........membership price: single: $17.50, Family $22.50, Youth $15.63

March, April, May of 08.......membership price: single : $8.75, Family: $11.25, Youth, $7.88

This Pro rating chart  will also be in effect for NEW members who join throughout the year.

Enclosed is a renewal application with your name, current due date and amount due to square the books so to speak to June 2008, if I goofed on any of these sure Mr. Wart will catch the mistake.

WHAT’S OLD, well this rag is for one thing, this edition of the Oklahoma state newsletter is number 50. The literary and content quality won’t set any big standards but the post rider has hit the trail pretty regular so far except for the couple times he was laid up. I would very much like to say Thanks to those that have forwarded information, ideas and reminded me not to forget something, which at times I did anyway, there are just some strange changes associated with the magic number 50. If anyone has something they would like to include in future editions please forward it and we’ll get it posted.

ADVERTISEMENT, anything to peddle, swap or trade out there? Did some recent trading with Bryant over in Arkansas, ended up with one of his really nice woven tumpline and snapsack, quality is top notch and will work well in the woods, can’t wait to try them out.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, treerat season opened May 15^th as usual but didn’t care to fight the rain, ticks and skeeters, the dogs felt the same way. There have been some media reports on fantastic fishing as of late, not much else going on hunting wise till dove season in September.

BOOK REVIEW, finished “Patriot Battles” by Michael Stephenson, Harper Collins, Publisher. As far as Rev War books it is one of the better ones I’ve read, very detailed, in depth and written in an honest way to dispel some of myth to the founding conflict, highly recommend it. Following is another fine review from our dear friend Judith Clarke with an E, Many Thanks for forwarding it.

Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower: a story of courage, community, and war. Viking. 2006

Like many of us, when I think of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims, I still tend to hear some of the story as I first learned it – through the lens of time and romanticism, far removed from the ambiguities contained in real life. Nathaniel Philbrick, in this well written history, addresses the story from a much more realistic view.

In his Preface to the work, Philbrick states “…the story of the Pilgrims does not end with the First Thanksgiving. When we look to how the Pilgrims and their children maintained more than 50 years of peace with the Wampanoags and how that peace suddenly erupted into one of the deadliest wars ever fought on American soil, the history of Plymouth Colony becomes something altogether new, rich, troubling, and complex. Instead of the story we already know, it becomes the story we need to know.” He then sets out to tell us the story we need to know, about the Pilgrims, the Native Americans they met, and King Philip’s War.

Philbrick begins with a short piece which summarizes the voyage of the Mayflower and then he moves into the meat of the work – the individuals who followed their beliefs and settled Plymouth Colony, and the other passengers that we usually never hear of. We learn of the politics of the time – English and Separatist, the troubles the Separatists faced and their move from Leiden in the Netherlands onto a small ship and to a barely charted land. (They had a chart drawn up by John Smith of Jamestown, but it only went as far south as the back side of Cape Cod. Since this was where the Pilgrims made landfall and were southbound, it was of no real help.)

The book consists of 4 parts: Discovery, Accommodation, Community, and War. Philbrick’s descriptions of the voyage and the ocean verge on the poetic at times. The middle portions of the book are most readable, but they don’t flow with quite the same ease as the beginning or the end – King Philip’s War. They tell of the daily lives of Pilgrims and Native Americans, the complicated politics and family alliances of the Native Americans, and the increasingly strained relationships between the two groups. I found it hard to put the book down.

It is a highly readable and enjoyable book, deservedly nominated for a National Book Award. I recommend it highly. Judith Clarke

In closing wish everyone a Safe and Enjoyable Summer as the travel season is now under way and watch out for them darn ticks, my bite from Ft Osage still hasn’t healed.

Take/Give Care,

Brad Pickle

Oklahoma State Rep