Those Old Pines

Christmas is upon us
And my heart remembers
A time in the past
Under those old, old timbers
Up in the mountains of the Nevada Sierras

A young boy was I
So long ago
Laughing and running
Under those Old Pines
No cares did I harbor
In the age of my youth

Christmas vacation at Grandma’s
The scent of pine filled my senses
Climbing Red hill
In two feet of snow
Put a penny on the tracks
Watching the train come and then go

We slid down the mountain
Or so it would seem
And each took our turn on the Tarzan Swing

Drank straight from the well house
Water clear and so cold
I’ve tasted none better
Though now I am old

Made for the house
As fast as we could
Teeth chattering we sat there
To warm by the stove
Just filled with wood

A ham and some bacon
Grandma in the kitchen would cook
Out to the porch on a tattered old bench
Grandpa read from the Good Book

The joy in that house
Is what made life worth living
Gifts, they were great
But it was love they were giving
Many memories are lost to me
Taken by the life I have been living

Those that remain in my heart
True and so Fine
Are of love unconditional
Under those Old Pines

John Pope December 22, 2010

Near Glacier Park in Montana and Emigrant Gap just west of Donner summit

The Edge of Darkness

Born in innocence I basked in the light
Coming of age twas in shadow I walked
I cared not for those who cared for me
For their hearts burned bright

Not just shadow but darkness I embraced
'Til a young girl's light captured my heart
For the love of this girl, in my own heart it sparked
My heart was in darkness for a long time it seemed
Yet light has it's way, for darkness was fleeting
Turning to shadow and then disappearing

When our hearts were joined, the light shown a new
Ten times as bright as the hearts of just two
The birth of our children as shown in my heart
Was a burst or explosion of this wonderful light

My heart was emptied of darkness, the shadow was gone
The blood of my heart pumped vital and strong
My love for the other, it seemed at the time
Had driven the shadow from the course of all time

But one day in shock, I came to see
The love of my life was not beside me
For whatever reason, the better half of my heart
Had departed my chest and left me alone

The shadow did not, as you might surmise
come creeping back in sneaky and wise
The shadow was gone, gone for all time

Twas darkness that entered, deep in my heart
Grabbed hold of my soul and wouldn't depart
The pain was so great, it's grip was so strong
My struggle was over, though I had not lived long

But down in the depths of my feeble heart
A small spark still glimmered fighting the dark
Twas not my light that battled for life
But the love for the other that still burned so bright

The love for the girl who joined me as mine
And gave me two children to call as my own
Was the love for this other that kept me alive
My heart was still pumping so I tried to survive

Then one day it happened in the midst of my struggle
My light joined again with the one light that mattered
To shatter my heart, just days it had taken
Years it has been and still I feel shaken

Through good years and bad we live, all of us do
On the edge of a darkness that waits to consume
The light we must hold to deep in our hearts
Whether lit in full brightness or only a spark

John Pope-October 25, 2010

The Rocky Mile

Set back in the Ozark’s woods
There runs a ridge
The Old Timers call the Rocky Mile

Where I’ve got a little woman with a country smile
And she’s waiting on these big ole wheels to carry me home
To that Rocky Mile

It’s where we set our stakes, raised our kids and made our home
Now I’ve got this ole truck a rollin
To that pretty little woman with those electric blue eyes
And a country smile

Just a little place on the ridge where the rocks abound but the grass grows tall
And come the dark you can hear the coyotes call
The tree frogs sing
And the deer come out n drink from our stream
Back on that Rocky Mile

Up ahead lays Amarillo where I was gonna lay down my head
But I cant stop thinking bout that pretty little woman dressed in red
So I’m pushin on through to that Rocky Mile
Hoping the traffic’s light and the scales are closed

‘Cause I’ve got a pretty little woman waitin at the end of the road
On that Rocky MIle

John Pope July 28th, 2010

Gun control is not the answer
Education and Firearm training is the answer

Stricter gun control will not take guns out of the hands of criminals it takes them out of the hands of law abiding citizens
If a criminal wants a gun, it is easy enough to get one. While it is true that stricter gun control will reduce the amount of guns purchased legally it will have virtually no effect on the amount of guns that can be purchased illegally. Making illegal gun running that much more profitable for existing criminal enterprises

Stricter gun control will not significantly reduce firearm related accidental deaths. However Firearm education and safety training will accomplish it.

Columbine High was indeed a tragedy and I have heard it used as an argument for gun control again and again but the fact is gun control would not have had any effect on this tragedy whatsoever. The two boys that instigated "Columbine" had broken at least 20 existing gun laws in effect at the time.

These arguments aside ... I am of the opinion that it is my right as a free citizen of the United States of America to bear arms. It is not anyone else's right to deprive me of it.
America seems to be moving towards a government controlled population where laws exist to control all citizens instead of laws existing to punish criminals.
If I were to commit a crime with a firearm then the law should punish me for that crime. It is not the right of the government or any other free citizen to take away my freedoms just because I have the ability to commit a crime.

To restrict my ownership and use of firearms is paramount to restricting your ownership of a home computer and the use of the internet. You might say that the use of a firearm is much more dangerous than the use of the internet. A firearm is a tool just as a home computer is a tool. In the hands of the wrong person anything can be used to hurt someone. While it is true that a criminal can use a firearm to injure and even kill another person, it is also true that a child molester can use the internet to locate and seduce a child.
While the numbers obviously point to the firearm being more dangerous than the home computer, in principal the idea is the same.
Restrict and punish the OFFENDER not the tool that the offender uses in the crime!

A Father's Day Gift

An awesome responsibility to behold

Is that of a Father

Love and support is his role

To protect and to raise a new life is his goal

I was but a child when I came into my own

Mistakes I made often though try as I might

To be a good Father

That my children's future would be bright

Experience as a Father...

My cache was so small

But if I live by example

My larder would fill a great hall

For if my Father taught me one thing

Twas that I could grow to be strong

For his raising was coarse and full of abuse

His days filled with hunger

Yet he did not use it as an excuse

He raised us with Love despite his old life

He showed me affection

Between a man and his wife

Mistakes he made also

As all of us will

His strength was in growing

Out from whence he came

To a Father who taught me

To love just the same

He taught me the love

Of a great many things

The love of the hunt

And the beauty of Spring

To walk in the wilds

And enjoy what nature brings

But the one thing I've learned

More important than all

When you become a Father

You must answer the call


John Pope-Father's Day 2010

I-84/Columbia River Corridor in Northern Oregon

You just don't realize how much I love you!

We go to a party

And everyone turns to see

This Beautiful Lady

That's walking around with me

And then she asks me

Do you feel alright

And I say yes, I feel wonderful tonight

I feel wonderful

Because I see the love light in your eyes

And the wonder of it all

Is that you just don't realize

How much I love you



Song by Eric Clapton

A Contrast in Scenery

Just wanted to post a few of my photos. The Sunset photos I shot on a vacation to Jamaica from our hotel grounds and the winter photos I took in the North West, Snoqualmie Pass just east of Seattle in the Cascades on I-90.  Let me know what you think!

I was a boy and you were my Mother

I was a boy and you were my Mother

She is there for me when life is good to share in my joy

She is there for me when life goes awry to support me

She is there for me when all others have turned away

She is there for me whenever I need her

I was happy and you shared in my Joy

I was sad and you comforted me

I was lost and you guided me

I spoke and you understood

I walked away and you waited for me

I returned and you stood with open arms

I faltered and you helped me along

I was in need and you loved like no other

I was a boy and you were my Mother

I grew to a man and you said you were proud

I married one like you and you loved us aloud

I became a Father though it was unplanned

You were a mother and you became Grand

Happy Mother's Day Mom I love You!

Gates of the Mountains, Mt

I recently took a load from California to Edmonton, Ab. Canada, on my way back I stopped to take a few shots of this lake. It's located north of Helena, Mt. just off of I-15. Fortunately there was a small marina at the end of the road. Fortunate because I had to back down the boat ramp to get turned around. I got a few excited looks from fishermen as I wound down the lakeside road with 70' of truck n trailer which quickly turned into gaping mouths and saucer sized eyes as I backed my empty flatbed trailer down the boat ramp wetting my back axle in lake water before gaining enough room to turn my truck around. Haha, as I was leaving I got some curious waves, a couple thumbs up and even a little applause from a couple fishermen waiting to back their trailered boats down the ramp. Hey nothing wrong with entertaining the locals.