Billy's kinship with the Ranch is much different than most of the others who were drawn there for the thrill of the hunt. Billy's first experiences with hunting came at a very early age and they were certainly not what he expected, nor was it the close to the exciting stories he always heard about. In fact, getting up at 4:30 in the morning to go hunting was an unnatural act for Billy, and still is. Walking in the hills before dawn to sit in the cold and then in the hot sun, hoping to shoot an animal you had to gut and drag a couple of miles back to the cabin was not adventurous or exotic, it was just stupid. So Billy used to just find a nice place on a hill and go to sleep until it was time to go back to the cabin.
Billy was more attracted to the camaraderie, the banter, and of course, the food, cards, horseshoes, and music than he was to the hunting. But in his earlier years, Billy sometimes got carried away with the party atmosphere of opening weekend festivities and tended to over indulge. After he had a couple of shots and a few beers to prime his ego, he was well on his way; laughing, drinking, and joking, followed by louder laughing, drinking and joking. On one occasion with some additional encouragement from his cousin, Kevin, Billy not only drank everything in the kitchen, but decided to introduce the first game of dog poker. That evening Billy used Buck, our fox terrier, to play his poker hands for him. He would direct Buck's paw to the cards and talk for the dog, the whole time narrating the game for everyone else. We were in stitches laughing as we watched and listen to the two of them and wondering what the dog would say next. There was also the opening weekend Billy decided to provide nightlong entertainment to his audience with the first "puke and play" show. It takes a lot of endurance and stamina to drink, puke, and play the guitar, and then drink, puke and play over and over again; his audience of Matt and Leo seemed to enjoy it. But it wasn't enjoyable to Billy the next morning, until John offered Billy some ice cream. A sign of life came back into Billy's face and a glimmer of hope into his bloodshot eyes. He was so wiped out from puking all night, he forgot that it was 100 degrees outside and there was no refrigeration. All he could think about was that cold soothing feeling of ice cream on his throat. He died a second time that day when he realized that ice cream he craved was like a mirage in the desert.
It took a few of those special party nights before Billy figured out "pounding em' down" didn't agree with him. Murray, never missing an opportunity to capture the moment with words, put it in very simply terms, "Billy just doesn't have a talent for drinking ".
So Billy put down the spirits and directed his energies to other talents, such as singing and playing the guitar, fishing, poker, and horseshoes. Fishing is one of Billy's favorite pastimes, but unfortunately, those opportunities have become fewer and fewer with the changes by adjacent property owners. It was always fun going down to the pond behind the barn to throw in a line and see what you could catch. One evening, Billy went to the pond while John and I were barbequing dinner. He took the mobile radio and would call in each time he caught a fish. He is proud of the fact that on that evening he caught 17 bass in just over an hour, a Ranch record that is not likely to be broken.
Billy also likes his "shoes". Like a superstitious ball player, he has to be at the right pit and use the 'A' shoes, otherwise there's no horseshoe game with Billy. And like his mentor, John, his banter and cutting humor keep his opponents off stride enough to gain a psychological edge throughout the game. I recall a couple of years ago during a highly competitive team game between Billy and Donnie against Leo and Tony, Billy casually, but loud enough to be herd, commented, "…I don't think Leo's ass looks that big…". That was enough to send the other team packing and the rest of us laughing. Nonetheless, even without the wit, Billy is one of the more formidable horseshoe players at the Ranch.
Probably Billy's most enjoyable contribution to the Ranch is his music. Whether solo or together with Donnie and or Leo, it is always a pleasure to listen to his guitar and singing, whenever we can get it. Although Billy has written a number of his own songs, nothing will ever match the song he made up for John. It happened one evening while he was playing the guitar and we were all singing. Billy took a melody from an old tune and, off the top of his head, began fabricating the lyrics of "Correia In a White Shirt". After a while, we all joined in. It was a simple, yet inspiration, composition that captured John down to his Mercantile hat and the Budweiser in his left hand. It became a camp favorite and you could see John's eyes light up whenever it was played.
Billy enjoys the Ranch as much as his dad, maybe not for all the same reasons, but for all the right ones. His contribution, like others, is an important part of the character of the Ranch, and it is in his generation that this spirit of the Ranch will live on.
Bill Jr. 2003
