Ernies Black Meadow Stories

By Ernie Psikla

Anyone who visits Black Meadow Landing for more than a day will, invariably, find their way to the Memorial Garden. You are immediately taken by the magnificent overview of Lake Havasu itself. The peaceful silence is sometimes broken by the voice of the desert; the beauty of the rugged desert landscape surrounds you; the  wondrous sunrises give way to the light of day and then on to a night sky aglow with billions of shining stars and planets featured with the face of the moon. 

These gifts from nature seem to shroud the hand-painted stones and small items of special remembrance found at the Memorial Garden. This is, indeed, a place for personal reflection.

Years before George and Lori Field became the owner/operators of Black Meadow Landing, a fellow by the name of Sam Wallen and his wife visited BML often. The family had a dog named Penny, and they spent many hours just sitting on the point where the Memorial Garden is now situated.

Sam was the owner of several grocery stores on the West Coast. Black Meadow was the family’s refuge from the madness of traffic and the demands and stresses of operating several business locations. Sam’s wife contracted cancer, and it eventually took her life. He lost his wife, mother, and dog in the same year, and Sam went into a deep depression, pondering the value of life itself. 

Then Sam decided to go back to Black Meadow Landing, his special place. George and Lori were in the very early stages of taking over the business. They knew Sam, his situation, and worried about him.

Sam bought a fifth wheel and parked by the mesa golf course where he helped with the golf course upkeep and activities. He needed a reason to live again.

During World War II, Sam was a U.S. Navy pilot, one of the famous Hellcat fighters, and he had large photo images of Hellcat fighter planes and himself on the ceiling. He could lay down for a rest, look up, and remember those who fought with him. It was a treat for me to see them. 

Eventually he proposed the idea of a memorial, and George and Lori supported the idea. So Sam, by himself, began the process of making his memorial. Sam moved an old campground table to the point and glued the name Penny in U.S. penny coinage on the surface. He erected a makeshift cross dedicated to the memory of his wife. Then to recognize people who sacrificed their lives for this country, Sam placed stones to form the letters USA and a number indicating the number of U.S. service troops who died, updating that number periodically after calling his contacts in the military for the latest casualty numbers. 

Over time many snowbirds have added their own rocks and mementoes to honor loved ones. When someone dies, a ceremony is often held at the memorial garden. Periodically snowbirds organize a cleanup, raking and removing litter. The casualty numbers are long gone. But thanks to Sam, there is a place for everyone to gather and to remember.