Spelling Goof, Amazon Goof, Tony "Chilidog" Carruth–RIP

Currently located in Gold Beach, OR

Ok, so the above cartoon is NOT what Rogue River means, it is NOT the Rascal River…but a kind longtime follower pointed out in an email this morning that I was calling the Rogue River the Rouge River.  Oh, how my face turned ‘Rouge’!  But believe me, in my 60+ years, this is not the first, nor will it be the last, that either my spelling, my typing, my screwy California elementary education of the 1960’s (they stopped teaching phonics just in time for me to learn to read and spell), and/or my brain has failed me.  

As an adjective, rogue means moving away from the usual path or trajectory, being rebellious, divergent, or independent-thinking. ... Rouge is an adjective, it is French for “red.” In the cosmetics industry, rouge is another word for blush, the powder that is used to color cheeks and cheekbones.

According to the Mail Tribune, out of Medford…

The French were the first to name the river Les Coquins,which means the Rogues…

And, the translation of “Les Coquins”…

So perhaps the Rogue River is the Rascal River after all…but I KNOW for sure it is not the Rouge River, the only thing Rouge around here “IS” my face.  All references to the Rogue River have now been fixed…some dating back to 2012…at least I hope they are all fixed.

Got a text and an email from Amazon this morning (Friday) telling me that the items which I received yesterday (Thursday) had been shipped.  On Tuesday I asked them at the RV Park office if I could get an Amazon package.  She said, yes, just have it sent to the RV park under your name.  I did, and it would be here Thursday.  On Wednesday night when I looked at the status, it said, “Preparing to Ship”.  The same notice was on my Amazon account Thursday morning, and I finally found on the Amazon site how to contact someone…which I did through online messages.  A nice man or lady named Priyanshu looked at my order and let me know that the shipper indeed have it, and it would be delivered no later than Friday.  An hour later it was delivered.  Since the status said, “preparing to ship”, I did not have any info on the “shipper”…did not know if it was UPS, FedEx, USPS or some kid riding a bicycle (I knew it wasn’t a Drone, since those have not been legalized as of yet).  Anyway, Priyanshu offered me a month extension on Amazon Prime, which I accepted…so I got our delivery, got an extra month of Prime for my time dealing with the “hick-up” that Amazon had.  This is not the first time…it has happened at home before.  At home I did not have a “departing” deadline, as we do here…so I was more concerned this time.  Well, I guess Amazon has a “Rouge” face too.

For a couple of years while working for the Library System in Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Arkansas, I lived just two houses down from a young man, Tony Carruth, about 30 years old, who had a bike shop, along with ramps and dirt paths around his property.  He could be seen practicing out in his property, doing all sorts of tricks…and freely showing and teaching young kids, boys and girls, how to do bike tricks and general riding and bike maintenance.  Tony had been riding all his life, and also had been a motorcycle motocross racer too.  But he was mostly known for being a early BMX (bicycle motocross) professional of the late 70’s and early ‘80s…when the sport was young.  I asked him once if he ever raced “Hangtown” outside of Sacramento, and if he knew some of the motocross riders I saw at Hangtown the few times I attended….he did know them, but I think he said he never raced Hangtown.  Tony and I were never "friends", just neighbors...and whenever I saw him, I said hello and when we were able to, we talk just a bit.  One heck of a nice guy.

To the right is a picture of a local youth using Tony’s homemade ramps (which at the time were old and worn) which I found on the Internet.  As I said, Tony was very open to having the youth practice and use his ramps.  The City of White Hall where I lived ‘finally’ listened to the youth and built a skateboard park within their city park…and Tony was right there pushing for it.  When they held their annual Founders Day, they had a parade…and Tony and some of the other “kids” (Yes, I know by this time Tony was nearly 40, but he was ALWAYS a kid at heart) would demonstrate their riding abilities.  After the parade there is a day full of activity at the park, and Tony and his kids would put on demonstrations, which were always a hit.  Tony did this all, and the only thing he got paid for was when he sold a bike, fixed a bike, etc. through his Tony's Radical Sportz shop which was right there at his home.  And I know, from personal experience, that he did not always accept money for the work he did…especially from the kids.

Below is from an article on xgames.espn.com from nearly seven years ago:

Back in August, while in LA for X16, I was lucky enough to hang out with X Games ramp builder/FBM Bike Co. legend Ryan Corrigan for a bit. While chatting, Ryan relayed a story about his hometown scene of Little Rock, Arkansas to me. The local Little Rock legend, Tony "Chili Dog" Carruth, was turning 50 this year. When Ryan and scores of other Little Rock locals were younger, Tony was the man with ramps, who let everyone ride and supported the scene through darker times. And now, Ryan wanted to give back.
His plan was simple: go home to Little Rock, and give Tony's backyard ramps a much needed makeover. Ryan got friends and sponsors to donate money, and put a solid week's work into reconstructing the backyard setup.

Chilidog at the Houston AFA Contest July 2016

Today, my daughter Stephanie, who is in White Hall visiting her mother, informed me that Tony’s house burned down last night…killing him and his mother.  He lived next door to his mother if I remember right…he stay with her often due to her age…she was 83.  It is always sad to lose a truly good person…there doesn’t seem to be enough of them around in this world.

RIP Tony