Reviews for Lizards on the mantel, burros at the door

The average rating for Lizards on the mantel, burros at the door based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-04-10 00:00:00 Juan Carlos De Arcos I do not doubt that June Cooper Price (nee Koch), Etta Koch's daughter, did most of the writing of Lizards on the Mantel, Burros at the Door: A Big Bend Memoir. She assembled the book from diaries, letters, stories from her mother, as well as her own recollections. She does so entirely from the first person perspective of her mother, who was ninety-five years old when the book was published. She does so seamlessly and authentically though, so it isn't a distraction. She couldn't write the memoir from both of their perspectives, so it was better this way. Although this book was written first (and I read it first), it is really a perfect sequel to Beneath the Window: Early Ranch Life in the Big Bend Country. Lizards on the Mantel, Burros at the Door picks up in 1945 shortly after the other book ends. In fact, the two books are so close in proximity that I was surprised that none of the same persons were mentioned in both memoirs. But there was a hard break when the ranchers were run out and when it began operating as a park. Etta Koch and her family arrive on their way to Arizona so that Etta's photographer/filmmaker husband, Pete, could take photos for a few weeks. Those weeks turned into years and they lived in the park until 1959 and then moved to nearby Alpine. Lizards on the Mantel, Burros at the Door primarily spans the eighteen month period in 1945 and 1946 beginning when the family first arrived in the park. Initially they lived in Chisos Basin. In November 1945, Etta and her three daughters relocated to winter in a rental home at Hot Springs while Pete toured the country with his photos and films for several months. The Koch family's circle of friends was small and the place was more remote for them than it was for the ranchers. The Homer Wilson Ranch normally employed about fifteen workers. Thrown in family, neighboring ranchers, minors, suppliers plus CCC workers that arrived in 1934, and there were quite a few permanent residents in the area. Compare that to the National Park Service that employed just five at Big Bend in 1945. As a book, Lizards on the Mantel, Burros at the Door was an easier read than Beneath the Window. It was written in a consistent style and the authors had the dignity to include an epilog to let you know what happened to everyone over time. It was a little confusing in a couple places, but otherwise was much better written.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-01-02 00:00:00 Kimberly Lee The Big Bend area has had a piece of my heart for many years and I was very excited to receive this for a Christmas present. I found the book delightful. It brought back memories of me, my siblings, and friends running around the Chinati Ranch with no supervision.