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October 2005 Newsletter
Howdy folks! Big goings on over the last month or so for the camels and me.
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First of all, I must update you on Missy and Julie, two Texas Camel Corps email recipients and camel trekkers from this past spring who are from the New Orleans area. Both are fine and were able to get out of town before things got ugly. There were a few tense days after Katrina while I waited to hear from them. Let's keep everyone affected by Katrina and Rita in our thoughts and prayers.
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Yours truly has graced the cover of a recently published book and it's not Prison Monthly! Selby Parker, of Clinton, Mississippi has written "The Camel Boy", a fictional account of historical realism centered on the life of Riley Murphy, an Irish youth orphaned on the Texas Frontier, whose path crosses that of the US Army Camel Corps of the 1850's. Mr. Parker contacted me about using an image for the cover of the book and he selected one that was shot by my good friend, Steven Evans of Uvalde, Texas. Taken in front of the Alamo facade at Alamo Village in Brackettville, Texas, the picture shows me on top of Bactrian camel Gobi, with two Arabian camels knelt down on either side. I was honored to be asked to be a part of this endeavor. I hope to have the book read by the next announcement and will include a review. For those interested, the book's ISBN is: 1-4137-8391-0 and is on PublishAmerica (www.publishamerica.com)
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In September, camels Gobi, Richard and Cinco as well as donkeys Blanco and Whitey were hired to be in an independent film production, shooting outside of Weatherford, Texas which is west of Ft. Worth. Telling the story of the birth of Jesus, the camels toted the Magi and the donkeys were laden with goods. Camels performed perfectly, but the real unsung heroes of the day were the donkeys.
I have three donkeys and they really don’t see a lot of work throughout the year as the camels do most of the heavy lifting, trekking, etc. However, at Christmas time all three of mine (Hamar wasn’t needed for the film shoot) see quite a bit of work, carrying multiple Marys into a bevy of Bethlehems in Nativity productions across Texas. The film shoot called for the donkeys to simply haul something, but essentially to appear laden with things a royal entourage might need. I decided to fill burlap bags with packing peanuts, stuffed into garbage bags. This would give bulk to the cargo, but no real weight. Truth be told, I was scared that the donkeys might revolt, having never carried anything larger than a teenage virgin.
Enter Mike Thompson at Waco’s Pack and Mail store. They carry packing peanuts, but I had no interest in buying any. Mike agreed to RENT packing peanuts to me for $10! He had two big bags, 6 feet tall and as big around as a truck tire, ready for me with the only stipulation being that I leave a $50 deposit and he’d refund $40 to me upon return of all the peanuts. The thought did run through my mind that Mike couldn’t possibly have counted the little styrofoam, static-electricity charged nuggets.
A week before the shoot I fashioned pack saddles for the donkeys. 4 cedar limbs, making X’s over the shoulders and hips were lashed with hemp rope to cover the un-authentic, shiny chrome of the carriage bolts that truly held them together. This saddle style is used not only for donkeys in the Horn of Africa in countries like Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, but also for camels in the same regions. It’s super simple, but does a great job. I was very pleased with the research I’d done to come up with something so rustic, yet effective for this production. Nevermind the fact that the Magi didn’t come from the Horn of Africa. Big thanks to Rob, Russell and Manda for their hard work with all the animals.
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Toward the end of September, Cinco, Gobi and I traveled to Kerrville, Texas for the Texas Music Heritage Foundation’s Living History Day on the campus of Schreiner University. Educating, ostensibly, 1,500 school kids was great, particularly since we were in the backyard of the historic US Army Camel Corps of the 19th century. Not 15 miles south, in the little community of Camp Verde, 75-100 camels called the Texas Hill Country home, from 1856-1866. My good friend Gil Hernandez was there to help out. Gil traces his ancestry to civilian drivers, hired by the military to herd camels throughout the region. It’s a real honor for me to know Gil and count him as a friend. Gil shared his family’s story and did a great job teaching the kids about frontier life and the tools needed to survive. His handcraftsmanship of leather, bone and other natural materials really brings this part of our country’s history to life.
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On the 30th of September and the 1st of October, Gobi and Richard and I visited Frontier, Texas in Abilene for their annual living history event. Reenacting the US military’s use of camels is always fun. Sadly, this part of my business takes up less and less time as other pursuits increase, so it was great to get to do this two weekends in a row. Almost 2,000 7th-graders filed through on Friday and another couple thousand folks visited on Saturday.
Having grown up in West Texas, this was like old home week for me. My dad and brother came to visit. I even saw my wife’s aunt and uncle who were coming from Waco (not far from where our farm is), on a bus tour. They’d stopped at the museum on their way to Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival! It’s always a little scary to be back home, though. As a teenager, there wasn’t much to do out there. In fact, I like to say that there were two things to do in rural West Texas and I didn’t drink...
Frontier, Texas is a museum unlike any I’ve been to. The multi-media, combination video/hologram presentations given by "spirit guides", are very innovative. The exhibits are detailed, but are above all FUN. You don’t have to be a history nut to get something out of this place. If travel takes you through Abilene, I highly recommend that you stop here. It's an easy day-trip from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Kids and adults alike will enjoy Frontier, Texas.
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October’s shaping up to be a busy month. I’ll have my monthly trip to Arizona, working with the kids of VisionQuest (www.vq.com), and we’ll be getting ready for a neat event next month in Queen Creek, Arizona, near Phoenix. November’s annual American Heritage Weekend (www.wemakehistory.com) is a fun experience for the kids as they get to portray the historic US Army Camel Corps and learn from all the other wonderful reenactors and historians who bring to life all eras of US military history. The VQ kids and camels are always a hit with the public. This might be the very first time these kids are the focus of someone’s attention and there’s no handcuffing involved! I say that jokingly, but the truth is the youth in this program have almost never given to the community, only taken away. These types of opportunities are a great way to teach them that what they do has value and that they are honored. Any of you out west are welcome to come visit and see a part of my work that I’m extremely proud of.
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At the end of the month, an intrepid member among all of you email recipients, John H., of Houston will be trekking with me for three days in the Big Bend region of Texas. John’s been itching to go for quite some time now, as he also hopes to make a Sinai trek someday and thinks that a good primer would be some time with camels stateside. Two hurricanes later, we’ve finally gotten things together and I’m really looking forward to meeting John and sharing with him what I’ve learned from my Bedu family in Sinai.
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Speaking of Sinai...Looks like the latter part of January, overlapping into February will be the timeframe for the 2006 trek. Specific dates will be determined by a consensus of group members, so we’ll see who all signs up and go from there. Regardless, we’re looking at about 10 days total and it’ll be in the neighborhood of $15-1700 (air not included) per person. 3 or 4 days on camelback in the Sinai, another day to climb Mt. Sinai and visit the 1,600-year old Christian monastery of St. Katherine and 2 days of guided tours in/around Cairo are all included. For details on accommodations, the itinerary and images from the last trip go to the website, www.texascamelcorps.com and click on Camel Treks, then Sinai.
I’ve discussed these trips with many of you personally and I always say that I could never "sell" anyone on this adventure; you truly must see it to believe it. The relationships I’ve been blessed with have measurably changed my life. Everyone should see the pyramids, of course, and the Sphinx; I would never downplay the awe that these wonders bring about. I know with all my heart, though, that the single most memorable part of this experience is the human interaction that takes place in people’s homes, in Bedouin tents. Friends like Saleh, Ibrahim and Musa, along with their families, are what you’ll talk about years and years from now. It’s truly my honor to share with you these people and their lives and I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks as always for your continued interest in my camels.
Doug
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