The Many Hats of Mr. Roger
Mr. Roger has worn many hats in his storied life. He now wears many hats at Riverview Ranch and Resort.
There is way too much to do around here for just one Roger.
Welcome to Mr. Roger's Ranch and Resort.
Won't you be our neighbor?
Roger Ramjet strikes a dramatic pose with the AV8-B Harrier he flew in the U.S. Marines.
Photo of Mr. Roger transitioning from Ramjet to That! Roger Ramjet flew the A4M. Roger That! plays a Martin guitar.
Volunteer Fire Fighter Roger. Platteville Wisconsin Fire Dept.
Realtor Roger's old business card
Whisper Roger communicating with a friend's dog
Wrangler Roger posing for a selfie with Rosie.
"Ruadhrai Go!" (Pronounced Rue ree Go!)(Irish for Roger That!)
Here is a picture of 8 year old Roger with the person he has always wanted to be. His Mother, Elinor G. Burton, the sweetest, most loving, and caring person he has ever met. The strongest, and hardest working person he has ever known. Her smile never left her heart or Roger's memory. Isn't she the prettiest Mom anyone could try to emulate?
Here is the rest of Roger's childhood family. All Boys.
The "Bun" Burton Family
Back Row: Maud, Jessie and Melton
Middle Row: Frank Wesley
Front Row: Father-Bun (Bunian), Victor, Lousia, Mother-Susan Frances (Lynn)
Taken about 1900.
Bunian and Susan are Roger's great grandparents.
Wesley is Roger's Grandfather.
Floyd Wesley Burton, my 90 year old Dad, helped on my grandfather's, 13,500 acre ranch near Vaughn New Mexico. Photo taken circa 1949. Dad spent a lot of time on horseback before he joined the Air Force. We had a few head of cattle on our 20 acre ranch but we loved riding allover our neighbor's 1,000 acre property in Laytonville California. I traded my horse for a Marine Corps fighter jet and got away from ranching for a spell. Now, I'm trying to help city folk get a feel for the wild west in a controlled and safe environment. I'm having a lot of fun doing it too. Dad was the youngest of 13 kids and my Mom, Elinor Glynn (Tilly) Burton, was the oldest of 13 kids so I have a lot of cousins scattered all over. I try to welcome visitors as I would distant cousins. - Wraingler Roger.
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of our family visits to the Neckels' ranch in Laytonville California. Pictured here are part of my family and part of our friends' family. Taken about 1974. From left to right:
Roger (me - #3 of 5 Burton Boys)
Billy (#1 of 4 Neckels kids)
Eva Neckels (Momma Neckels)
Shawn (#5 of 5 Burton Boys) RIP
Elinor Burton (my Mom) RIP
Brenda (#3 of4 Neckels kids)
Floyd Burton (my Dad)
King (The Austrailian Shephard who found his way home) RIP
Rosalie (#2 of 4 Neckels kids) RIP
David Neckels (#4 of 4 Neckels kids)
Not pictured are: Glenn (#1 of 5 Burton Boys) RIP
Tommy (#2 of 5 Burton Boys)
David Burton (#4 of 5 Burton Boys)
Cecil Neckels (Neckels Dad)
Eva would play piano and we'd all sing songs together. My mom loved to sing. Her CB radio handle was "Songbird." She led singing in our little country Baptist church. We would often get up to the front of the church as a family and sing together - Classics like "The old Rugged Cross," and "I'm So Glad I'm a part of the Family of God." I can still see and hear my mom singing those hymns in front of all 35 of us in our little country church. I remember pastor Jimmy Warren and pastor Eddie Holcomb. Pastor Jimmy's son became pastor of a big church in Lake Forest California.
Billy Neckels became a helicopter pilot in the Army and then flew logs out of remote places for lumber. I hope he gives me a ride sometime. Billy's dad, Cecil, flew a Piper Cub out of his ranch. He landed and took off on a hillside with a 5 degree slope. He took off downhill and landed uphill. He never gave me a ride. I guess I should have told him I wanted one. I flew a Cessna 172 to Laytonville once and gave my mom a ride in my airplane. It was always on her bucket list so, we checked that one off before she went to heaven. I think I learned to fly because my Mom always wanted to learn to fly. Through me, I hope she did. She is probably also the reason I learned to play guitar and love singing. Now I want to reclaim my childhood, the best part of my life. I hope my family, my old friends, my new friends, and friends I've yet to meet, will visit and help me remember simpler times.
Welcome to Mr. Roger's Ranch and Resort.
Won't you be our neighbor?
Roger Ramjet strikes a dramatic pose with the AV8-B Harrier he flew in the U.S. Marines.
Photo of Mr. Roger transitioning from Ramjet to That! Roger Ramjet flew the A4M. Roger That! plays a Martin guitar.
Volunteer Fire Fighter Roger. Platteville Wisconsin Fire Dept.
Realtor Roger's old business card
Whisper Roger communicating with a friend's dog
Wrangler Roger posing for a selfie with Rosie.
"Ruadhrai Go!" (Pronounced Rue ree Go!)(Irish for Roger That!)
Here is a picture of 8 year old Roger with the person he has always wanted to be. His Mother, Elinor G. Burton, the sweetest, most loving, and caring person he has ever met. The strongest, and hardest working person he has ever known. Her smile never left her heart or Roger's memory. Isn't she the prettiest Mom anyone could try to emulate?
Here is the rest of Roger's childhood family. All Boys.
The "Bun" Burton FamilyBack Row: Maud, Jessie and Melton
Middle Row: Frank Wesley
Front Row: Father-Bun (Bunian), Victor, Lousia, Mother-Susan Frances (Lynn)
Taken about 1900.
Bunian and Susan are Roger's great grandparents.
Wesley is Roger's Grandfather.
Floyd Wesley Burton, my 90 year old Dad, helped on my grandfather's, 13,500 acre ranch near Vaughn New Mexico. Photo taken circa 1949. Dad spent a lot of time on horseback before he joined the Air Force. We had a few head of cattle on our 20 acre ranch but we loved riding allover our neighbor's 1,000 acre property in Laytonville California. I traded my horse for a Marine Corps fighter jet and got away from ranching for a spell. Now, I'm trying to help city folk get a feel for the wild west in a controlled and safe environment. I'm having a lot of fun doing it too. Dad was the youngest of 13 kids and my Mom, Elinor Glynn (Tilly) Burton, was the oldest of 13 kids so I have a lot of cousins scattered all over. I try to welcome visitors as I would distant cousins. - Wraingler Roger.
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of our family visits to the Neckels' ranch in Laytonville California. Pictured here are part of my family and part of our friends' family. Taken about 1974. From left to right:
Roger (me - #3 of 5 Burton Boys)
Billy (#1 of 4 Neckels kids)
Eva Neckels (Momma Neckels)
Shawn (#5 of 5 Burton Boys) RIP
Elinor Burton (my Mom) RIP
Brenda (#3 of4 Neckels kids)
Floyd Burton (my Dad)
King (The Austrailian Shephard who found his way home) RIP
Rosalie (#2 of 4 Neckels kids) RIP
David Neckels (#4 of 4 Neckels kids)
Not pictured are: Glenn (#1 of 5 Burton Boys) RIP
Tommy (#2 of 5 Burton Boys)
David Burton (#4 of 5 Burton Boys)
Cecil Neckels (Neckels Dad)
Eva would play piano and we'd all sing songs together. My mom loved to sing. Her CB radio handle was "Songbird." She led singing in our little country Baptist church. We would often get up to the front of the church as a family and sing together - Classics like "The old Rugged Cross," and "I'm So Glad I'm a part of the Family of God." I can still see and hear my mom singing those hymns in front of all 35 of us in our little country church. I remember pastor Jimmy Warren and pastor Eddie Holcomb. Pastor Jimmy's son became pastor of a big church in Lake Forest California.
Billy Neckels became a helicopter pilot in the Army and then flew logs out of remote places for lumber. I hope he gives me a ride sometime. Billy's dad, Cecil, flew a Piper Cub out of his ranch. He landed and took off on a hillside with a 5 degree slope. He took off downhill and landed uphill. He never gave me a ride. I guess I should have told him I wanted one. I flew a Cessna 172 to Laytonville once and gave my mom a ride in my airplane. It was always on her bucket list so, we checked that one off before she went to heaven. I think I learned to fly because my Mom always wanted to learn to fly. Through me, I hope she did. She is probably also the reason I learned to play guitar and love singing. Now I want to reclaim my childhood, the best part of my life. I hope my family, my old friends, my new friends, and friends I've yet to meet, will visit and help me remember simpler times.
Wrangler Roger is the face of Riverview Ranch. He handles scheduling and execution of horseback riding/petting zoo experiences and the vacation rental business.
Redneck Roger shows off his tractor.
Redneck Roger shows off his beautiful wife, Sabina.
Redneck Roger maintains, operates, and modifies all the equipment on the ranch. He gets odd pleasure out of digging in the dirt and tearing things up with his skid steer and his 1967 International Harvester Farmall 706 tractor. You will also see him fixing fences, tossing bales of hay, or fixing something the horses just broke.
Riverboat Roger is around during summer months to help folks launch on the river in our canoe or kayaks. If you ask him to help around the ranch he always seems to have just stepped on a pop top or "can't help right now" because he is "looking for his shaker of salt," but he is always up for a boat ride. He normally winters in Florida.
Roger That! likes to spend his time playing guitar, singing, and telling stories around campfires. He never gets anything done, but he is a fun-loving fella who will play, sing, and tell stories for guests if he is asked.
Hear his repertoire at www.RogerThat.Live .
Winter Wrangler Wroger takes care of the animals when the other Rogers are curled up in a warm bed covered in five blankets. He migrates north in spring and returns with the golden leaves.
Riverstone (Stone Cold) Roger
Always shows up when he is needed.
Sugar Ray Roger - Photo taken just after some dude knocked his hat off his head, and just before that dude's trip to the hospital. Roger's fighter pilot call sign was "Sugar Ray."
Grizzly Roger is a gentle man of nature who prefers peace, humor, charity, and love over strife or confrontation. He keeps his smile hidden deep inside. "There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man." Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear. The name Roger means "famous spear" or "renowned for his sword". Grizzly Roger is available to give knife and hatchet throwing lessons and to show guests how to chop firewood. Ask Wrangler Roger to schedule a session, and don't be late.
Wraingler Roger attempts to be cool, but misses the mark. Proper dapping technique is demonstrated by the rider.