Wondering about wild grapes

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

From the Old West to Walking in Space.

A couple of things happened on this day in the past that are as far apart as anything else I know, spacemen and old west cowboys.  OK, I suppose you are wondering how I figure these two things are related.  It is because, like I said above, they both happened on this day in history, but on different years.
Let us go back to this date in 1936.  That was the day Larry McMurtry was born.  You all know of McMurtry, don't you?  He was the author of many novels, one of the most popular was Lonesome Dove which he wrote while recuperating from open-heart surgery.  He also tried to turn Archer, Texas into a haven for book lovers.  He bought abandoned buildings and filled them thousands of used books for sell.  He wrote about the old west and its characters.  Now, let's move on to the space race.

On this date in 1965 the first American Astronaut took a walk in space.  Major Edward H. White II takes a walk at an altitude of 120 miles above Earth attached to a 25 foot tether.  That is a long way from Lonesome Dove.

Yes, he was the first American to walk in space but he wasn't the first.  The first man to walk in space was Alexey Leonov, a Russian Astronaut.  It took place during the Vostok 11 mission.
 I hope this day in the past was good to you and made some great memories, and that today you will have a great day, you hear?

8 comments:

  1. I wandered through all those buildings in Archer, TX and found out that Larry McMurtry was in town while I was there but we never crossed paths. He has a LOT of used books for sale.
    I have read everything he has written and thought his early books were his best, not Lonesome Dove. The book is a good read but it was the TV series that made it popular.

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    1. You are the first person I have heard of to tour those buildings in Archer. I bet that was great to see, and all those books. . .

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  2. I didn't know that about McMurtry! Learn something new every day, I reckon!

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    1. I learn more from your blog than you do from mine, I am sure.

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  3. Never read, or saw, Lonesome Dove,, gosh, it's a western! And have no idea where Archer Tx is...

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    1. It is about 20 miles southwest of Wichita Falls. I used to live south of Denton just outside the little town of Justin. It was northwest of there.

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  4. I've kinda put Archer, TX on my bucket list... I love those kind of book stores and wouldn't it be great to see this wonderful author "at home"? I think I've read most of his books, but am also thinking maybe it's time to read him again...

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    1. My dang bucket list is over flowing. I have way too many things on it and know I will never get to do most of them. I have never been to Archer and probably will never go there.

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