b'meat, but one last trip had to be made over the rim to get an elk before the snow fell. Bills grandfather told him that blizzard conditions most often fill all the crevasses level full, which made the rim country a dangerous place to go. He could still hear him say, Dont go on the rim in winter or you might not come back. Winter or no winter, things still needed doin.$50K over asking!The long winter months passed and spring returned as lovely as ever. The Indian PlantSOLD!bushes with their brilliant red color dotted the forest floor along with all manner of wildflowersblues, yellows, pinks and almost any other color one could imagine. Wild yellow and pink roses were everywhere you looked. Billy described to me how beautiful the place was as I had yet to visit there myself. He said he had never seen any place that could equal its beauty any place in his many travels. Spring had arrived and the days were filled with work to be done from sunup til sundown. Plowing the fields and getting the garden ready to plant anew . . . God only knows the days never seemed long enough. In the evenings after supper, the family sat around the fireplace. Granddad amused the kidsAmazing Views! Black Mountain, Cave Creek, Arizonaby telling yarns. And, of course, there were always stories to be told inside by the fireplace out of the cold. For instance: On a memorable hunt on the rim one year, the dogs ran thisHILLSIDE, NO HOA and paved roads to 6220 E Surrey Drive.old lion out on the ledge of a high bluff. It was at least 300 feet to the bottom with no way Offered at $799,000.down except by way of the Tonto Trail. Granddad told Eddie, Sneak up and grab that ole lion by the tale so he wont fall over the bluff when I shoot him. Well, sir, as the story goes Edd did just as he was told and Granddad, the dead shot heBeth Cornell Build your was, killed the cat in a second! AZ Virtual Realty dream today! Another of the tales was about a man being chased by a lion.34.04 Agricultural There was a barrel close at hand so the ole man threw thatazvirtualrealty.info acres within 7 miles barrel over the lions head. Her tail slipped out of a hole in the barrel so he tied a knot in that lions tail. The followingof Walmart and spring, the old man saw that lion once again, still wearing thatHelping Buyers and SellersI-40 Access. doggone barrel. Following in behind her were two tiny cubs .throughout Arizona! Call today!. . each one wearing a tiny barrel. Some of those yarns couldWinslow.stretch the imagination pretty far to my way of thinking. Only6K per acre.On July 5, 1906, Richard, was born. That day Granddad was a busy man! Mammy Haught was on hand once again, taking care of Grandma Ellie while Granddad kept the fire going in the rock kitchen heating water. The boys and Aunt Ollie wereRichard Haught 623-293-8445all waiting outside to see if they were going to have a new baby brother or baby sister. Granddad was still in the kitchen when the baby arrived. Richard turned out to be a kind and gentle man. His six-foot, four-inch-tall frame was filled with lots of love and understanding. Respect was number one in those days. Not only was the Tonto Rim aBETHCORNELL.TEAMVRG@GMAIL.COMbeautiful place . . . so were the people who shared that piece of Gods creation. Richard also became known as one of the best fiddle players in the region, a trait he passed along to White Bird, who became a fine musician in his own right.Now that winter had passed, it was time to make the trip into Payson for supplies, but Granddad had to wait a day or two for the ground to dry out. Heavy summer rains had made the ground a bog. The wagon road down Red Hill was nothing but sticky red clay. A man walking could get stuck in the mire in a heartbeata wagon and team would have no chance at all. After a couple of days with no additional rain, Granddad was up before daybreak harnessing the team to the wagon and headed down off the mountain.It took a full day to reach Payson. Mart McDonald operated a store stocked with groceries and some hardware. (He later sold that store to the Boardman Brothers). The town of Payson was growing pretty quickly. Not so surprisingly many of the newcomers were from Texas, but there still werent many places to accommodate overnight travelers, Then & Now so Granddad had to camp out when he got to town. Early the following morning Babe loaded up and was preparing to make the trip back up to the ranch. The trip home wasnt bad at all.The sun was going down as he reached the Tonto Creek crossing. It was a good thing the team knew the way home as it was darker than pitch that night. The team plugged along the trail. Granddad had to rely on the bubbling water splashing against the rocks in the creek to tell201 N. Frontier StreetWickenburg, AZ 85390where he was. All of a sudden, while making the last climb up to the top of the mesa, the121 S. Main StreetDarby, MT 59829reverie was broken by the baying of his hounds at the ranch. As Babe pulled the team up to the cabin, Grandma met him at the door.How did things go in town? she asked him. I406-360-6979jimmy@doublehhats.comhave a roast in the warming oven and a pot of coffee madeIll bet youre worn out. Babe climbed down off the wagon. Ellie and Babe sat down to talk for a little bit while Babe ate.doublehhats.comcontinued on page 11ArizonaRealCountry.com May 2021 9'