Scribblings From the Desert

I am a published author and produced screenwriter living in Rancho Mirage, California with my wife, Beth, and two dogs, Crystal and Misty. I have spent most of my life in and around the Hollywood Motion Picture Business.

Name:
Location: Rancho Mirage, California, United States

Wednesday, April 30, 2008


Stuntman Jerry Wills transferring from horse to team doubling George Segal on: The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox

Home after meeting to check e-mail and news sites; hi to girls, then on to Palm Springs Ford to have passenger-side mirror replaced. Takes under an hour but I brought along my old Walkman and listed to Rush. On to WalMart and buy 15" HDTV for dining room. Old TV will go to work with Beth as her (work) TV was sent back east. I home and install the TV. Read some on Shadows of Eagles; then make lunch and eat while switching back and forth between two westerns on TV. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. To office and read SOE until Beth comes home. Make her dinner and she eats while watching recording of last night's Dancing with the Stars. I sit down and eat with her. Both to office: she works and I write here. She has to go to an H&I meeting. I'll stay here and continue reading until 7:00 - that's when I'll do a Internet Writer's chat for the writer's group, Chapter One . Later ~

Tuesday, April 29, 2008


Dave Cass second-unit directing Rio Diablo

By College and show Mark the ad for book in Classic Images. Home and check e-mail and news sites. Call from Ford parts; drop bank deposit then to Ford and pick up my mirror. Wait too long so make appointment for tomorrow. Drive to Beth's place of employment and drop paper then end up reading it while she drives her employers' cars. Home and work at computer. Stop for lunch and TV - surf around and nothing good on. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Work the rest of the afternoon trying to get my stephenlodge.com web site working again. Success! Beth home and we talk. She fixes her Mexican soup. We eat dinner. Both to office. She order tickets to Arnold's new musical. I write here. Later ~

Monday, April 28, 2008


Duncan Renaldo (Cisco Kid); Jane Adams; Leo Carrillo (Pancho)

Straight home from meeting and check e-mail and news sites. Off to Palm Springs Ford and order new side mirror. By Beth's place of employment and pick up mail from her and take to UPS place up on Gerald Ford and Bob Hope Drive. Home and dive into reading Shadows of Eagles for editing purposes. Stop for lunch and a Cisco Kid DVD - interrupted by call from brother Bob. Finish show; then down for nap. Up and feed girls. Mail. My edition of Classic Images arrives with my And .... Action! full-page ad. Only problem is my web site address isn't linking like it should and that's one way to order the book. Send some e-mails for help to web site and to domain name handlers. Back to reading SOE. Beth home and I down to gas up her car. Home and we eat. She fixes her Mexican soup lunch stuff; i write here. once we're in bed, she'll watch Dancing with the Stars and I'll go to sleep with girls. Later ~

Sunday, April 27, 2008


Misty and Beth

She up early and to Hall while I sleep in. I up 6:00 then shower and dress. Cook and eat breakfast with paper. open some packaged p[ills for both Beth and me. Chance vacuum bag then vacuum the house.
Beth home and I off to look at TV we saw an ad for in paper. Best Buy doesn't have the TV so on to AT&T to get info on iPhone. Home and fix lunch for the two of us; then I down for nap. Up and feed girls. Work at computer doing dome publicity for And .... Action! At same time bet works on our finances. Make some dinner and we eat. Then we watch recording of Without a Trace. Get ready for bed then write here. Later ~

Saturday, April 26, 2008


Cast of "Lost"

Grocery shopping after meeting then home and put it all away. Check e-mail and news sites. Start reading SOE but Beth calls and I drive to Credit Union to meet her to open a new account. Home and we eat lunch. I down for nap while she works on finances. Up and feed girls early. Take pills early, too. We off to the McCallum Theater to meet Harry, Annie, Ann, Ann's sister, Robin and her son to see Open Call - an annual armature talent show. Home when it's over and I order pizza and drive over to Papa Dan's to pick it up. We eat. Now we're going to watch recordings of Lost and some other shows if we have time. Later ~

Friday, April 25, 2008


Old Version Cover

Stop and shop for lettuce on the way home from meeting. Home and check e-mail and news sites. Mark asks me to send him the .pdf on Shadows of Eagles which I do. He thinks he can reverse the process and change the file back to Word. I to cleaners and pick up stuff for Beth; on to Sav-On for a prescription - then drop it all to Beth at her workplace. I to lunch at Pepe's with Harry, Tom, and George. Home; bring in mail, then down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Mark was successful - he converted the SOE file back to Word and sent it to me. Hooray Mark! Spend all afternoon changing PA to my own Mirage Books, and calling the new edition the author's edition. Start reading for content. Beth home and we talk. Make some salads and we eat. Watch recordings of NCIS and CSI - Miami. She showers while i write here. Later ~

Thursday, April 24, 2008


Bud Cardos - director of Kingdom of the Spiders - on the set

By Edie's after meeting and open up house for carpet cleaners (somehow the right side mirror on the Expedition got broken; I heard a loud bang, looked over and the mirror was cracked in many places). Drive over to Beth's place of employment and show her how to put catch bag into ShopVac. Home and check e-mail and news sites. Popcorn with girls. Start editing Shadows of Eagles for re-printing. Stop for lunch and some TV - no Westerns. Call Beth; then down for nap. Carpet cleaner calls after 20 mins of sleep and I dress and drove over to Edie's - pay them and lock place up and drive back home. Feed girls and down for nap a second time. Up and check e-mail. Work on SOE editing until Beth comes home. Talk while I fix dinner - then we eat and discuss what's going on with us. To office with her and talk Bob and Eva. She writes an e-mail to our attorney. I write here. A possible viewing of a TV recording later on, if all goes well. Later ~

Wednesday, April 23, 2008


With The Strawberry Roan (Champion)

Take Beth's car home after meeting. Check e-mail and news sites. Snack. Take Misty back to vet - she's got a skin rash that was worsened by the groomer's brush, Cortisone shot today, then antibiotics for two weeks. Home. To Beth's place of employment and switch cars and on to Sam's Club to get supplies for Hall. Talk Beth. Home and eat with a Gene Autry (Strawberry Roan) movie on Western Channel. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Meet Bob and Eva at our local bank and do transaction. Home and work at computer. Talk Beth - she's at Sam's Club doing our shopping. Start dinner. Beth home and we eat. Talk afterwards, then she watches recording of Dancing with the Stars. I write at computer. Later ~

Tuesday, April 22, 2008


On the Rio Diablo Set

George's house sold today.
By Albertson's after meeting and pick up bath soap for Beth; then on to Ace Hardware to get bags for our big vacuum. To Sherry's to get my hair cut. Home and check e-mail and news sites. Drive to Beth's place of employment and change cars - then on to cleaners for her and credit union for info. Home and pick up Misty and take her to vet. Not a tick like we thought - scabs, like she was scratched (I think it happened at groomer). Home with her and fix lunch and watch TV Western Channel. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail and talk Hermine. Work on computer for a while. Beth home and Steve Grippi here and we discuss Solar Panels. Sign contract for panel installation. Beth gets emergency call and drives to her place of employment. Steve leaves. Beth back o=in a while as nothing was wrong. We eat and talk. To office. Talk Bob and Eva. She'll shower then watch Dancing with the Stars. I'll just go to sleep. Later ~

Monday, April 21, 2008


In William Boyd's (Hoppy's)Palm Desert House

Stop at Office Depot after meeting to get hand stamp for Beth and wireless mouse for my new laptop. Home and check e-mail. Note from Canadian Charlie thanking me for the Pioneertown day on Saturday. Drive the paper over to Beth then on to vacuum shop looking for bigger collection bags for vacuum. No luck. Home - call from Eva and we'll meet at one to sign and notarize latest paper from Gloria. Work at computer. Eat an early lunch while watching Western on TV. Drive to MailBox Plus and meet Bobby and Eva to sign papers; then home and feed girls. Down for late nap. Up and work at computer for a while. Waiting for Beth. She home and we talk for a while, then I make us salads. Eat. She to shower. I write here. her show iw on tonight - Dancing With the Stars - Later ~

Sunday, April 20, 2008


Pat Buttram - from my book, "And .... Action!"

Sleep in day - for me. Beth up early and to Hall. I up at 6:00 and shower and dress. Check e-mail. Cook and eat while I read paper. Vacuum house. Beth home and we to office. She out and mop floors. I to kitchen and fix us lunch - we eat and talk. I down for nap. Up and she's read paper and is looking for something of hers in cupboards; she's also cooking her Mexican soup. I work at computer by starting new essay. For dinner we have some of her soup. Good! I to office and write here. It looks like we'll relax and go to bed early. Later ~

Saturday, April 19, 2008



With Charlie McDermaid at Pioneertown



With Judy

Beth leaves before meeting to go to Sue's for garage sale. Grocery shopping after meeting; then home and put stuff away. Check e-mail and news sites. To bank and make deposit for Beth. Take off for Pioneertown at 10:40 - arrive 11:25. Drive around looking for Charles and Judy McDermaid: he's a Canadian I met on the Internet, whom I have never met in person. Believe it or not, we find each other. Tour the town, then to Pappy and Harriett's for lunch and talk. He's a bigger Western nut than I am. Sign some books for them; then they off to gunfighter show and I drive home. Beth is home from garage sale. She's fed girls. I down for nap. Up before 5:00 and we talk. We cook and eat dinner; then both of us to office. She to shower while I write here. Later ~

Friday, April 18, 2008


With Don "Little Brown Jug" Reynolds and Neil Summers in Lone Pine a few years ago

Home after meeting and check e-mail. Work on finding agent and/or publisher for manuscript. Do some publicity on new book. Talk Beth. Her employers' are back from Australia. Off at 11:15 to meet Harry Baddely, Tom Snow, and George Widman for lunch at Tony Roma's. Nice place; good food. Home and get ready for nap. Beth calls, wants me to come over to baby sit house while she takes employers to airport. They didn't adjust too well to their torn up house with floors being replaced by tile. Quick nap. Brother Bob calls about us signing a document for Attorney. I put it on hold as I have to run over and baby sit house for Beth. Arrive and wait for her employers' to get everything together then they all leave for the airport. I House sit. Beth back and I home. Check e-mail - hers and mine. Beth home and we eat. After we watch Without a Trace. I write here while she showers. Later ~

Thursday, April 17, 2008


Dori and her dog, CoCo

Home after meeting and check e-mail and news sites. Drive over to Beth's place of employment and we take van to airport for the pilot who'll be coming in this evening. On to Edie's and do some chores; then back and I drive home. Check e-mail again. Lunch and watch Rawhide - a western starring baseball's Lou Gehrig and Smith Ballow. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Mail. Work on computer and send query to agency. Do trash and wait for Beth. We're going to Dori's for pizza tonight. She home and we drive to Sun City and Dori's for pizza and talk. Home and get ready for bed - write here while she showers. Later ~

Wednesday, April 16, 2008


Pricilla Presley

Take Sue Yard sale stuff to meeting in my car. Beth and Sue transfer it all to Sue's car. After meeting, I take her car and she takes mine - I home and check e-mail ans news sites. Take Misty to Vet for 9:30 appointment. Her ears are in good shape but the vet still wants me to put drops in her ears twice a month. Home and drop Misty. Call Beth then drive over and take my laptop. She takes one of her employers cars to the car wash and I putz on new laptop. She back and I drive my car home. Make lunch and watch a Gene Autry Western on Western Channel. Stop before it's over and down for nap. Up and feed girls. Sweep some. Open mail. Flip through the new Cowboys & Indians magazine. Office and work at computer. Bob Ingram brings ironing by for Beth. Back to computer. Beth by for banking deposits and she to bank. She home and we eat. She watches recording of last night's Dancing With the Stars while I write here. Pricilla Presley voted off show. After DWTS, we'll watch NCIS then bed - I hope. Later ~

Tuesday, April 15, 2008


With Rod Timanus at Festival of the West
(photo by Major Mitchell)

Home after meeting and check e-mail and news sites. Drive over to Beth's place of employment and exchange cars and back home. Work at computer changing description of And .... Action! on the Lulu.com site. Take girls to groomer and drop them off. Home and fix lunch while watching a Randolph Scott Western on DVD. Wait for plumber. Plumber finally here and snakes the sink. $150.00 - I down for nap. Up and pick up girls from groomer. Home and feed them. I back to computer and search to see if press release came out today - it did. Beth home and we load her car with yard sale stuff. Cook and eat - talk. To office and show her pics she took a few days ago. Major Mitchell sent me a pic he took of Rod Timanus and me at Festival of the West. Beth to shower; I write here. Later ~

Monday, April 14, 2008


"Big Boy" Williams

Early AM re-do press release and send. 1st one was too short.
Home after meeting to check mail and news sites. Quick snack and off to Beth's place of employment; where I pick up van and take it to the car wash, gas it up, and take it back. Sit with house and workers while she drives cars. Home and check e-mail. Fix lunch and watch old Big Boy Williams 1935 Mesquiteers Western in which he starred as Tucson Smith and a beardless Al St. Johns as Stony. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. To office and work on transferring Beth's old CompuServe My Favorite Places to her new AOL account with no results. Beth home and we eat and talk. To office and continue trying to transfer her Favorite Places. Get the file over to AOL but that's about all. E-mail Sean for help. Write here and we to bed. Later ~

Sunday, April 13, 2008



David Bradshaw (Beth in BG)


Norman Foster


LeRoy Anderson


Sleep in day. Beth up and off to Hall early. I continue to sleep then up at 6:00 - shower and dress. Breakfast with paper then check e-mail and news sites. Work on then send Press Release for "And ... Action!" Beth home and does some dusting while I send some pics taken yesterday at BBQ. Fix some lunch early and we eat. I down for early nap. Beth cleans out cupboards searching for yard sale goodies. I up and help her. She does my pills. More on computer then we off to Jimmy Farrell's Memorial Party. See Norman Foster; Harry and Annie; Holly Beam; Tom Snow; George Widman; David Bradshaw; John Trevino; George Guyer: Ralph Waite; Jerry and Vicki; and many other old friends. Nice party. Home and check mail and phone messages. Beth reads paper.

Saturday, April 12, 2008


Ron Wade


Beth and Bill White



Grocery shopping then home. Put away stuff and check e-mail. Get vacuum out and try to change bag - wrong size. Move vacuum into house and hook it up. Before I can do anything Beth comes home and starts vacuuming. I fill mop bucket and start mopping behind her. We finish and I make up some lunch and we eat. I down for quick nap. Up and feed girls early. Then we drive to the ABC Club - stopping to pick up the cakes - for the Annual Alumni BBQ. Beth, Bill and Sunny take and sell tickets. Big crowd. I shoot pics. We eat with Ron Wade. Take some dinners home with us for a later time. Home and unload - check e-mails. Check ans send e-mail from Beth to Gloria. Hopefully we're on our way to bed. Later ~

Friday, April 11, 2008


Old Tucson Mission -1967 (before fire)

Talk to a guy who had renal failure and with Beth's help, gave him Dr. Stone's number. Home after meeting and check e-mail and news sites. Work a little on book publicity. Watch some more of High Noon II. Beth's gardeners - Luis and Tony - deliver fencing for Dunes View side of yard - stack it by sheds. Talk Beth. To Chinese place - Lotis - and meet Harry Baddely, Tom Snow, and Norman Foster for lunch. Home for ice cream and finish of High noon II. Not bad; shot at Old Tucson before thew fire, it brought back good memories. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Sweep. Work at computer putzing with The Suicide Boys novel. Beth home earlier than usual. Cook and we eat. She talks to Eva. She showers; then we watch recording of CSI Vegas. Later ~

Thursday, April 10, 2008


With RR Statue at Reagan Museum

Fell over dog toy and landed on wrist and ass. Shop for Artichokes and ice cream at Jensen's after meeting. Home and check e-mail and news sites. Drive to PetSmart and pick up dog food. Home and fill big can from bag and small can for daily. To computer. E-mail from Boyd Magers - he really liked the book and will help push it. Stop for lunch and TV. Talk Beth; then down for nap. Up - Sean Keating called - he's here early to fix Beth's computer. I feed girls while he dives into Beth's machine. Switch her to AOL. He works on my new laptop and sets it up for me. He leaves. Work on computer. Sweep and put out recycle bin. Beth home and I show her around AOL. Cook and we eat. She gets call from her friend. I to office and have trouble accessing her new AOL account. I reported it to AOL. Hope it will eventually work. Later ~

Wednesday, April 09, 2008


Newly Hatched Goslings

Home after meeting and check e-mail. On to Luci Curci and get monthly blood draw - sell Jackie a book. Home and computer. Off to Sam's club to shop for Hall. Pick up tacos and by Beth's place of employment for lunch with her. Take photos of newly hatched goslings and parents. Home and cookie and IC. E-mail correspondence with Leigh Ann from Classic Images re sending And Fction flyer for ad copy. not much luck so down for nap. Up and feed girls. Finally figure out how to send flyer and do so. Work on publicizing book. Beth home and we eat. She washes hair then watches recording of last night's Dancing With the Stars. Then we watch NCIS. Later ~

Tuesday, April 08, 2008


ABC Club BBQ Chefs at their station

Home after meeting and check e-mail and news sites. Work on a few things before taking the Expedition over to Beth's place of employment and exchanging it for the Scion so she can shop for the upcoming ABC BBQ. Home and work some more; then fix lunch and watch some of a Joel McCrea Western on the Western Channel. Call Beth; then down for nap early. Up and feed girls. Open mail. To office and work on marketing for "And ... Action!" Fax from Hermine - another extension. Call Bobby. Sigh and send. Talk Beth then wait for her to return. Bob King, Editor of Classic Images Magazine, returns my call and we talk about advertising in his publication. Beth home and I cook and we eat. Nice talk after dinner; then we to garage to go through a box of George's stuff. I to office where she joins me for a while - then it's a shower for her and bed. Later ~

Monday, April 07, 2008


Dick Jones and Mandy Shafer;
from my new book "And ... Action!

Stopped by Office Depot on way home from meeting to get something Xeroxed for Beth and buy her some things. Home and check e-mail and news. To bank and make several deposits, then to Beth's place of employment and deliver her our (late) paper. Home and fix lunch and eat while watching "the Big Carnival" with Kirk Douglas. Very good. Beth called. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. To office and send some e-mails on new book. Beth on way home. I work at computer. Beth home and we eat. Both of us to office. She showers, then we hit the hay. She, of course, watches Dancing With the Stars before she falls asleep. Later ~

Sunday, April 06, 2008


With John Lane and Damon Smith


Bill White

Sleep in day - for me. Beth up and off to Hall. I up and shower, dress and have breakfast with Sunday paper. Beth home then we off to ABC Alumni monthly breakfast at club. Take my Flip Video and shoot some footage of kitchen and of the table. Bill White there without Sunny, his wife. John Lane's and Damon Smith's last day cooking for the breakfast. After breakfast, we drive to Sam's Club on Hwy 111, then on to Bermuda Dunes airport to pick up van and take it back to Beth's place of employment. Home and download video. Down for nap. Beth feeds girls. I up and she off to Maad Dog Daze Convention preparation meeting. I work at computer.

Saturday, April 05, 2008


From the "And ... Action! Book

Grocery shopping after meeting - in checkout line with Steve Grippi, Harry and Annie Baddely. Home, check e-mail; unload and put groceries away. Vacuum floors then mop tiles. Work at computer. Sit down for lunch with paper. Beth home and joins me for lunch. I down for nap. She off to get nails done while I sleep. Up and feed girls. Beth home and we talk. To office and work on And Action! publicity. Bob and Eva here for Trust Board Meeting. They leave. But together bank deposit from book sales. Beth cooks pasta and we eat - then we watch a recording of "Without a Trace." She showers. Later ~

Friday, April 04, 2008


James Brown on left

Home after meeting and check e-mail. Read some news sites. Work for a while on "The Suicide Boys" manuscript. Talk to Beth. By Beth's place of employment on way to lunch to drop off a check. On to lunch at City Wok with Tom Snow, Harry Baddely, Norman Foster, George Widman and Garrison Tarnow. Home after - ice cream then down for nap. Up and feed girls. Letter requesting book. Sweep. Watch some TV - movie "Gun Street," with James Brown. Talk Beth - she's got a hair appointment after work. To office and work. TV and fix dinner. Beth home and we eat. Watch recording of CSI Las Vegas. She showers and we to bed. Later ~

Thursday, April 03, 2008


In the Expedition

Stop for ice cream and drop book for Chuck Anderson at post office on way home after meeting. Home and check e-mail; news sites. Electrician guy here and installs side and back porch lights; fixes power to front porch outlet and replaces sensor for front porch lights. Talk Beth. Send some e-mails. Off to Indio, stopping first at Leather Plus for short visit with Joel and his employees; then on to China Bistro for Conservative Round Table lunch with the men only, Women are presenting an award to someone in Rancho Mirage at another luncheon. Nice talk - sold three books. Call Beth, then drive home. Feed girls early and open mail. Down for nap. UP and check e-mail. Send e-mail to Autry Museum regarding new book. Clean girl's yard and put out trash. Beth is at an Alumni Meeting at ABC Club and we'll eat when she gets here. Beth finlally home and we eat. She on phone and I to office. Eventually she showers and we both get ready for bed, Later ~

Wednesday, April 02, 2008


Wild Bill Elliott

Stop at Palm Desert Von's and pick up some stuff for tonight. By RM post office and drop off book for Mike Cusack. Home and check e-mail and news sites. Look up web sites and send info on book to Larry Edmonds Book store in Hollywood; and Collectors Book Store. To living room and turn on Western channel and an old Republic show is just starting: The "Showdown," with Wild Bill Elliott, Walter Brennan, and Marie Windsor. Good show - not the usual Republic B-fare. Fix lunch and eat while watching. Bug guy here and set rat poison around book boxes in garage. Call Beth then down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Sweep some. Office for afternoon and work on "And Action!" publicity. Beth home and we start making dinner - chip tacos. Niece Kelly here and we eat. Brother Dennis calls from Florida. Back to dinner table and finish up with ice cream for all. They watch recording of Dancing With the Stars, while I to office and listen to replay of show I did last night. Kelly leaves when their show is over. We get ready for bed. Later ~

Tuesday, April 01, 2008


Niece Kelly and her husband Steve


Michael F. Cusack

Talk to Ross on cell after meeting. Drop off our old ladder to Eric and Susan. Hi to Eric. To haircut appointment with Sherry Mesa; then home. Check e-mail and news sites. Take paper to Beth at her place of employment. Pick up my transplant drugs at Savon. Home. Fix lunch and eat with TV. Down for nap early. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Call Beth; then to Von's for some extras for tonight. Niece Kelly will be here for dinner and talk. Home and package book for Mike Cusack - will send it off in the morning. Niece Kelly arrives. Talk while Beth cooks dinner. Down to eat and nice discussion. I into office. I will be doing Talk TV (an Internet radio show) at 8:00 pm, taking about And ... Action! After that we should be off to bed. ~