Happy trails, Dessie and Bob

Ever since I can remember, this barn on the corner of Templeton Gap and Fillmore has been painted with a quotable quote. The barn housed a very cute donkey, which over the years became a very cute and elderly donkey, and the owners would change the message every now and then. I've lived here since 1979 and I can't remember a time when it wasn't there. I have always looked forward to driving past this home and reading the message, even if I'd seen it a thousand times before. And whenever they'd change it, what a nice discovery that would be!

A couple of months ago I saw that the message had changed again, and with a pang I noticed a hand painted sign stuck to the fence that read "R.I.P. Dessie". Very sadly, I realized that the owner of the house, barn and donkey had passed on. I never knew much about the people that lived there. I always thought it curious that they were allowed to have livestock smack in the middle of our city, but there are odd pockets here and there in Colorado Springs that are zoned for horses and livestock (after all, this is the wild, wild west). I never drove by that house without looking for the little donkey and the words on his barn. I was happy to hear that he will be spending his twilight years well loved at a petting zoo.

In all these years, although I've always meant to take a picture, I never did until the other day. The final message reads, "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make," and below that, "Happy trails Dessie and Bob." I wonder if Dessie and Bob knew how much joy they brought to the many people who drove past their property every day. They should know that we loved them, even if we never met them.

For more about Dessie and Bob, follow this link: http://www.gazette.com/articles/vogrin-130613-dessie-taylor.html