Curt Iles

I write to have influence and impact through well-told stories of my Louisiana Pineywoods life.

The Crow and the Peacock

A Word from Curt This fun story features one of my favorite Dry Creekers, Uncle Joe Watson. Listen to an audio version of The Crow and the Peacock read by Curt. The Crow and the Peacock I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”   As I write this, we are …

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April 6: It’s Whippoorwill Day

    It’s April 6. Whip-poor-will day. Let’s go to Dry Creek. Enjoy this reader favorite from our third short story collection, Wind in the Pines.     Whip-poor-will Day Hear that lonesome whip-poor-will, he sounds too blue to fly. It seems he’s lost the will to live, I’m so lonesome I could cry . . . -Hank Williams, Sr. …

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The Regret-Free Life: Sliding into Home

A Word from Curt     Baseball season opened this weekend. Our beloved Houston Astros were scheduled to begin play today in New York against the Yankees. Rained out. Baseball shouldn’t be played north of the Mason Dixon Line until May. As my son Clay said, “I’ve waited for six month for opening day. I guess I can wait one …

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The Road that Keeps My Feet on the Ground

  It’s my favorite road in the world. We call it the Longville Gravel Pit Road. Folks in Longville know it as the Dry Creek Road. It’s a rough eleven mile track that connects Highway 113 and US 171. There’s so many reasons why this road is special to me. Below are several:   It’s a wildlife road:   I …

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It’s Corporal Vidrine’s Birthday

Corporal Howard Vidrine When I came to work at Dry Creek as a thirteen-year-old, one of the first people I met was Howard Vidrine. He served as the camp night watchman during my early years at camp. “Bro. Vidrine,” as we called him, lived in the Evangeline Parish town of Reddell, which is next door to the unique village of …

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Spring Cleaning

A Word from Curt “Why in the world did y’all move to Alexandria?” It’s a question I hear often and it’s a fair one. The answer is simple.  At this time, seven of our eight grandchildren live in Cenla. Dee and I strongly felt God’s leadership to spend this season influencing and impacting their lives. Here, in full color and …

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The Tomb is Still Empty

It’s amazing that my deepest image of Easter doesn’t come from a memorable sermon, movie, or a book. My Easter theology was shaped by a simple country woman married to a former Texas Ranger.  Her name was Lucille Mosley and she lived on Greentown Loop in Dry Creek. This is her story.     The Tomb is Still Empty From …

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The Power of Words: “Curt, disregard that first message . . .”

        “Disregard that first message…” This is a funny story concerning our words. It’s a good reminder for that our words, once spoken, will either bring harm or blessing. And once spoken, they are out of the bag and cannot be pulled back in. Any school principal knows that phone calls from about 3:30 PM to suppertime …

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Holding the Rope: How you can pray for us.

When you pray, you’re holding the rope.  Here’s how to pray for us.   DeDe and I are both working as Chaplains for Marketplace Ministries. I’m assigned to Roy O Martin’s two mills and trucking fleet. DeDe also works at the Martin facilities as well as two  two nursing homes. It is a rewarding and challenging ministry. Pray for God’s …

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Two Truths That Never Change

A word from Curt  This is one of my favorite African images. It’s near the entrance to a large refugee camp in northern Uganda. The sign is homemade and heart felt. If you love people, people will love you. 2. Trust God.   About 82.7% of all human problems are solved by adhering to those two truths. Love people. Trust …

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A Fine Four Letter Word

  Hope. Such a fine word. When you have hope, you can endure anything. Without hope, it’s difficult to put one foot in front of the other. Where does your hope come from? The best hope always comes from the Lord. but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they …

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Two Doors

The Civic Center Doors This is a warning: Be careful with the doors at the Lake Charles Civic Center! I was there last week and as I entered the men’s room, I recalled Roy Greene’s story. The Lake Charles Civic Center opened thirty years ago. Amazingly, it was constructed on sand pumped out of the adjacent lake that gives the …

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Miz Girlie’s Prayer Tree

Trelvis and Phil Thomas. The inspiration for this story from The Wayfaring Stranger. Miz Girlie’s Prayer Tree The follow scene from our first novel, The Wayfaring Stranger, tells of Irish immigrant Joe Moore’s arrival in western Louisiana. The Irishman has been befriended by Miz Girlie Perkins, an old Piney Woods widow:   Joe slept each night on the porch. Miz …

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