DOC  TAYLOR   SOARS!

THAT'S  RIGHT, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE NOT HEARD, DOC TAYLOR  TOOK HIS FIRST, AND SO HE SAYS LAST ,  FLYING LESSON ( in old blue ). ON DEC. 21, 2001. WHILE RETURNING HOME FROM HIS WEEKLY, LATE NIGHT ( EARLY MORNING )  JOB,  AT THE SALE BARN, IN UVALDE HE TOOK A TURN ...FOR THE WORSE! HE CLOSED HIS EYES FOR merely A SECOND, ( SOME PEOPLE speculate THAT 'OLE DOC TAYLOR FINALLY DECIDED TO PROVE, WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS CLAIMED, "WELL,  I TELL YA,  I  COULD  FLY WITH MY EYES CLOSED" )  WHEN HE OPENED THEM AGAIN,  HE REALIZED,  HE WAS FLYING !  ONLY ,  HE WAS NOT IN THE SMALL PLANE HE REMEMBERED FROM  A "FEW YEARS BACK"  ( ACTUALLY , WHEN HIS WIFE TELLS IT, IT WAS " QUITE " A FEW YEARS BACK ) HE WAS IN HIS OLD FORD PICK UP...  OLD BLUE , GOING HIGHER AND HIGHER , SOARING ...WITH "THE BIG BOYS" ...JUST THEN  THE NOSE  (HOOD)  OF THE VEHICLE WENT DOWN , FASTER AND FASTER ,  HE WAS GOING DOWN !  'OLE DOC GAVE IT A GOOD FIGHT THAT EARLY DECEMBER MORNING , AS HE RECALLS IT, HE WAS PULLING BACK ON THAT YOKE (WHEEL)  HARDER THAN HE EVER HAD IN HIS LIFE , " IT MUST HAVE  BEEN STUCK,  IT NEVER  MOVED !  " IT WAS A ROUGH LANDING , SO  THEY TELL IT  "A WEAKER MAN COULDN'T OF DONE IT "  WHEN DOC  CAME TO A STOP,  NOSE STRAIGHT DOWN ,  HE WAS A LITTLE SHOOK UP,  FOR JUST A SECOND .  THEN HE REALIZED IT WAS ALL ANOTHER DREAM.  HE DREAMED OFTEN OF SOARING WITH THE BIG BOYS...HE ROLLED OVER WITH A WARM SMILE ON HIS FACE TO SNUGGLE BACK IN, PLANNING  TO SLEEP ( HE KNEW HE STILL HAD SOME TIME, AS RICHARD HAD YET TO SOUND THE 5 A.M. WAKE UP CALL, THAT  DOC SNICKERED OFTEN  " HIS WIFE LIKES SO MUCH " )  IT WAS THEN THAT THE PAIN HIT HIM, SHOOTING IN HIS CHEST !  HIS EYES FLEW OPEN, DARTING  OUT AT THE AREA SURROUNDING  HIM, HE  REALIZED  THEN  HE HAD TRULY , BEEN SOARING !  HE JUMPED UP , IN A HURRY NOW, TO  COMPLETE  HIS JOURNEY HOME , HECK ,  HE ONLY HAD FOUR  MILES TO WALK ,  'FORE HE COULD TELL HIS NEW STORY!   WELL , HE  OUGHT 'A  GET  LOTS A   "MILES"  OUTTA THIS ONE !   WELL FOLKS,  AS THE STORY GOES,  HE'S STILL TELL'N  THAT STORY,  JUST THAT WAY.  I OVER HEARD SOMEONE ASK HIM  THE OTHER DAY ,  AS HE FINISHED  THE STORY  "FOR ANOTHER MILE"  A MAN SAID "HEY,  DR. T  ( THAT 'S  WHAT HE GOES BY THESE DAYS )  " WAS OLD BLUE TOTALED ?"   JUST AS DR. T   WAS ABOUT TO ANSWER ,  A LOUD VOICE FROM THE  BACK OF  THE  CROWD  YELLED  "HECK ,  THAT THING WAS TOTALED LONG BEFORE THE ACCIDENT !"   THOSE  BOYS MAY STILL BE LAUGHING !   STORY IS DR. T  DOESN'T  LAUGH  AS HARD THESE DAYS .  NO ONE KNOWS IF IT 'S CUZ  HIS CHEST BONE IS SPLIT JUST LIKE A BIRD  ( YEAP ,  THAT SOARS )  OR CUZ  HE WAS LOCKED UP IN THAT HOUSE OF HIS FOR TWO MONTHS ,  NOT ONLY WITH  HIS WIFE TELL'N  HIM  HER OPINION  OF HIS FLIGHT ,  BUT HIS MOM  AND HIS SISTER TOO !  always did hear ya gotta be tough to be a Taylor.