Heartland Memories from David Lewis

The Taurus and the Bull http://heartlandmemories.com/bits/Baby.mp3

Leslie Hallcraft smiled at me as he reached over the top rail of a board fence and scratched the back of an immense Charolais bull.

“This is Baby,” he beamed. “He’s just as sweet as he can be…yes, he is!”

Les was my landlord. In the outback of the […]

http://heartlandmemories.com/bits/AlmostHeaven.mp3

In the mid through late 70s, I lived in almost Arkansas, Missouri – an area that is steeped in tradition, clannishness, and ticks. Outsiders are viewed there with a significant amount of suspicion, and not a small amount of predation. Unless you were born in almost Arkansas, of parents from almost Arkansas, you would […]

Blackberry Bruin http://heartlandmemories.com/bits/CultureShock.mp3

In 1975, my wife and I moved from a small cosmopolitan city to almost-Arkansas, Missouri. In some ways it was de-evolution, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. From Greek bakeries, Jewish delis, jazz concerts, and Broadway quality theatre, we came to Myrtle’s Eats, grabbing suckers, Porter Wagoner, and drive-in movies. Being […]

A Gift in the Fog http://heartlandmemories.com/bits/BrownCounty.mp3

In the early spring of 1975, I quit my job, and my wife and I filled a Volkswagen Thing with us, camping gear, a giant Schnauzer puppy, and took to the road with no destination in mind. A few days later we found ourselves in Brown County, Indiana, a […]

http://heartlandmemories.com/bits/EataSandwich.mp3

I’m going to date myself horribly in this piece, so let me admit the disgusting truth up front: I’m old. I have worked hard to reach this age, and the exertion required to continue climbing the ladder of years gets more and more difficult as time goes by but, I suspect, it is not […]

http://heartlandmemories.com/bits/HowFarWeveCome.mp3

I remember my 10th birthday – and not only because birthdays that end in zero are milestones, but because it was one of the few times I actually went anywhere with my mother. On the evening before that auspicious day, she and her husband loaded me, Merv Fritz, and Wes Roy in their car […]