For me the holiday season was always the most rewarding time of the year as a child interested in hunting. I had every issue of deer and deer hunting magazine to fill in during the non-holiday months. But hearing and seeing hunting as a kid can never be replaced..those memories will stick with you the rest of your years. During Christmas and Thanksgiving, we started a tradition. My Grandfather, God rest his soul, used to sit down after the meal and tell us of all the deer hunting stories he remembered growing up. For me their was no better story teller that lived. However, while Ford certainly saw the potential for soaring profits by basically eliminating their payroll costs in Mexico where the daily minimum wage is about $4.50 a day, they did not count on their business plan becoming another casualty in Mexico's raging drug war.

Along the roadside you can see the shades of dark-green and black shadows along the grass, and the crossing of shadows along the forwarding black asphalt road, as the Ford-truck glides along. straight from the source Skip: "Not sure, --maybe a skunk, dead frogs, the water smells sometimes; maybe shit, who knows up here, could be a combination ... let's shut our windows." As another mile goes by it starts to get a little foggy looking out the window, shadows seem to be everywhere. The questions continued and I kept dodging them. Finally he dismissed me with a frustrated wave of his hand. I went back through the corridor that Li-Li had led me earlier, but I didn't see her when I returned to the bar. In fact, I never saw her again nor did I ever return to the Shadow Bar. There were three major car manufacturers. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Each manufacture had a following. Arguments could erupt over which car was the best. A man's Dodge pickup was a source of pride. Sunday morning the family would dress in their best clothes and get into a Buick for the trip to church. The Cadillac represented power and money while the Ford and Chevrolet represented the working people. People that lived in the country had a buy truck flatbeds. It was a working truck and on Saturday's the kids jumped in the back for a trip to town. That's something that a lot of married couples don't think about. Yes. You and the person you married are legally bound to one another. Your spouse (unless you legally put someone else in charge) will be the one they ask permission from if they ever have to pull the plug on you. Your spouse will get your social security money in the event of your passing. It didn't bother me that my wife had all these legal rights as my wife but it bothered her. She doesn't want me or any one else having legal powers over her. Outdoor Bob, needed a truck to go to work. Linda went with Bob to the local Ford dealer and bought a new Ford pickup. Linda had the credit so the loan was in her name. About six months later, Bob started to stop off on Friday at the local saloon to cash his paycheck. Sure enough, there was a dart board there and a few of the guys started tossing darts for beers. Bob was pretty good and they invited him to be on the local dart team. A little later I waved my hand around in front of my face to clear some of the smoke and give myself a line of sight. I drained my beer and told Murphy that I had to bail. He slapped me on the back and headed toward the old scarred pool table. As I walked out into the sunlight I was thinking that I'd never have to see the inside of that place again.