Taking photographs and making memories

I’ve met a lot of characters in my life.

One that comes to mind is Vernon Mack “Booger” Ray. He was a beloved Oklahoma local known as the last of the pioneers for traveling the countryside in his covered wagon.

What makes Booger Ray unique is that he appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1987 and shared some of his rustic adventures, including a story about being chased by a mountain lion. A few years before that, he had been featured on a show called Real People which was a weekly prime time news magazine that profiled funny human-interest stories instead of featuring celebrities.

Booger Ray spent a lot of time in Oklahoma but also traveled to various other states in his handmade wagon that featured an iron cook stove and feather bed.

Earlier in his life, Booger Ray had been a bull rider, and that was where he had earned his nickname.

It was sometime in 1988, and I heard that Booger Ray was going to be camping out at Mohawk Park in Tulsa. Mohawk Park is on the north side of Tulsa and is home to one of Tulsa’s two water treatment plants and the zoo.

I hadn’t been dabbling in photography for too long and thought this might make a good opportunity to capture a unique Oklahoma character.

I drove my Chevrolet Caviler up to the park and found Booger Ray’s camp site. We visited for a while and I asked if I could take some photos. He welcomed me to do so.

He was a crusty fellow with a white beard and was wearing a cowboy hat, a pair of bib overalls with a red bandanna around his neck. I took a few pictures, then told him I was going to run up to the local convenience store to get something to drink. He asked if he could ride along. I told him sure and watched as he strapped on his six-shooters before climbing in the car.

It wasn’t until I was back in the car sitting in the parking lot of the convenience store sipping on a Pepsi and waiting for him to come out that it dawned on me that I’d just given a stranger with guns a ride to a gas station.

As it took him a while to come out, I started to wonder if I had just made a huge mistake. But before long, he came out with a six-pack of beer. As he climbed in, he mentioned that the clerk had wanted to look at his guns but said he told him he didn’t have time for that as someone was waiting for him.

We chatted as we drove back to the campsite. I took a few more pictures of Booger Ray, his mules, mutt and campsite. He gave me a postcard with his picture and signed it “Booger Ray.”

Then we parted ways. I still have that postcard to this day.

At the time the Tulsa Tribune, one of two daily papers in my hometown, was featuring an amateur photo contest known as KINSA. It referred to Kodak International Newspaper Snapshot Awards. It was a large international amateur photography competition running for decades with local newspaper involvement. I entered a photo I had taken of Booger Ray and won second place in the fourth week of the six-week contest. I received a certificate for my winning photo.

That was the first award I had ever won with my photography. I have always cherished that award and took great pride in that.

Of course, I’ve gone on to take thousands of pictures since my encounter with Booger Ray. I’ve met many characters along the way and have enjoyed meeting them all. But my memories with my Oklahoma friend, Booger Ray, hold a special place in my heart.

Booger Ray died in January 1999 after celebrating his 85th birthday.

Life gets busy. Make sure you take the time to meet new people, listen to their stories, and enjoy time with family and friends.

Have a great week, and always remember that “Good Things are Happening” every day and that making memories is one of the things that makes life so special.