Charles Grimes.  To meet him was to know him.  The most honest and upright man I have ever known.  You didn't look at Chuck and think, "He looks like a cowboy,"  you just knew he was.  It was in the way he stood, the way he walked, the way he grinned, the way he shook a man's hand and tipped his hat to a lady.  He didn't just walk off from a conversation, he closed it with a smile, took one step back and pivoted away.  Usually with one last glance and a nod of the head.  Genuine was a title he wore within himself.  It spoke volumns to all who saw him.  His drive for a good, hard day's work always made him a favorite with people who liked to "challenge the tough guy."   His appreciation for the good Lord's blessing of having a strong heart and a strong body and a stronger will, drove him to constantly challenge himself.   If he had a timed record of shoeing a horse, which he always did,  it was only there to be beaten by his next best time.  Any record for number of horses shod in a day, or number of horses shod in a certain amount of time during a given day, all made for the next challenge.  Appreciation for the relationship God gave to man was a thread that was woven in every fiber of his being.  He wore his constitution boldly inside his soul; and while it was never neon--shiny or flashing, it was clearly visible to all who saw him.  He was one of the most thankful people I have ever known.  He praised the Lord, his wife, his girls and his family and friends.  He also praised his animal stock and let them know that he was thankful for their abilities and strengths.

He would just laugh when the younger men would call him old; to Dad, he never got old.  He just became wiser.  He told me the smartest person in the fracas is the silent Indian.  He stood that role many times.  He said, " You know, honey, when you get weaker, you get smarter; and I've 'bout decided that outsmartin' those horses is a whole lot healthier that tryin' to out muscle'em." 

He had a lot of personal favorites, like automobiles, hair creme, chewing  gum....  Things that a lot of folks would probably think was kinda funny.  And the odd part was when he had a favorite, it was generally that way till the manufacturer went out of business and he just had to switch.