Uncle Melvin

Uncle Melvin is the one that you will always be able to pick out of the crowd. I think he’s the tallest, loudest, got the biggest hat, and is the most New Mexico of them all. He lives right here in Logan, and although he quit ranching recently, my Uncle Ray touts him as one of the last true cowboys that you will ever meet. His trademark is his handlebar mustache. Yep, an honest to goodness loop-de-loop is what he used to wear. Now it is big and white, but I remember it being midnight black, bushy on the upper lip, slicked together down to his chin and then it circled back up to the middle of his cheek. We were looking at a 20 year old picture where his mustache is black and his hat was white. Now his hair is white and his hat is black. He hasn’t shaved it off since 1961. He and his wife Barbara make the arrangements for the reunion and do most of the main cooking. He cooks up some great beef, and Barbara cooks her heart out for us. Everyone supplements and cleans up.