It has been a tough week.

We have known for a few months that one of our favorite people was dieing.  

Layton Oliver Bryson was a special person.  I know we are all special but there was an aura about Layton that is hard to describe.   He spent most of his life ranching and guiding hunters and doing trail rides.  He was a 'people person'.  He was charismatic, and a great host.  Our 80 year old Bryson Family Matriarch, Auntie Donna, has such great memories of going on his horse trail rides and his guitar playing and the individual attention he gave to her and others.

 Old Man and I used to go to visit Layton and Megan on their ranch at West Pavilion above the Fraser River.  You may remember some of the pictures I have posted over the years.  This is my favorite cow, Browse, with the white eye brows.  

In 1994, Layton's father died and we helped drive Layton to the funeral parlour so he could organize the funeral.  Old Man Watching has hauled out the cowboy boots that he and Layton bought in the Plaza Hotel bar the night before Duffy’s funeral in Kamloops.  They were cheap because it turned out they were stolen from a break-in down along Victoria Street at the western store earlier in the day.  YIKES....  

They did not find out that a bunch of western boots had been stolen, until the newspaper came out the next morning.  Do you think they might have had an inkling that something was not on the up and up?      It think it is called 'fencing'.   Layton tried the boots on right there in the bar,  but they were too small, so Old Man Watching tried them on too and came home with new boots.  Memories.  I think Layton paid $20 for them as a gift to his cousin, Duncan.  

Ding Dong....do you think this might be illegal?  So 20 years later Duncan pulled them out of our RV from under our bed,  to wear them on Saturday at Layton’s Memorial.  He doesn’t really need cowboy boots anymore and usually wears hiking boots or runners.  However it seemed appropriate to go to get them and wear them this coming Saturday.  Duncan has to wear skinny summer socks to get into them as the arch is too low, but once his feet are in he is fine....can you see him pushing one boot against my bum to get into them????  He can handle getting out of them himself.  It is his problem then.  We laugh every time he wears them.  

They hold “buckets” of memories.  




You will have to ask for an explanation of this shot of Layton at his 60th Birthday.  

So this blog is to explain one of the reasons I have not written much lately but still visited to read what you wrote.  The other reason is that all of the housework and cooking is an extra labour when you have a leg that isn't working properly.  However, I do not need a crutch or a cane anymore.  That is progress.  I will be away from this site for a few days as we travel to the memorial.  I hope you have a more cheerful weekend than we will have.