Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Sunday, June 07, 2015
Baxter Black: Dealing with Hurricane Charlotte
Every now and then a feller has a weekend that is hard to forget. I had one years ago on a beautiful ranch in southern California.
It was one of those trail rides you read about in Western Horseman magazine. There were about 200 head of assorted real estate agents, bankers, insurance men, judges, lawyers, doctors and a hand full of "token cowboys" to catch runaway horses, sing ol' campfire ditties and add "color" to the project. It's kind of a boys camp for big boys. Now I'm here to tell ya these fellers do it up right! It's catered by a famous cook. None of this ol' salt pork and beans, no sir! Chalupas and tacos made from homemade tortillas, crab legs, barbecue, steaks, lobster meat and chicken wings!
Mariachi and bluegrass music filled the air every time the ride stopped for refreshments. I planned on sleepin' in the big tent but I heard some of the celebrants around the campfire makin' plans to set the tent afire. I drug my bedroll out into the grass. I woke at 5 to the sound of "Under the Double Eagle" played by a marching band complete with a bass drum marching through the camp.
At noon they entered me in a horse race. They said I won.
I was just about to fall asleep on my feet when they brought out the mud wrestlers! Harley said we better stay. Now I had never heard of this mud wrestlin' but it's where two opponents get out in this mud arena and rassle. In this case it was two ladies who appeared to me to be 'professionals'. There was some debate over who won but then the mud rasslin' ring master announced that he's got a mud rassler who'll rassle anybody in the crowd. To make it interesting they auctioned off the right to choose the opponent. An ex-friend of mine bought the rights and selected me to represent the "boys club." Two big ol' boys caught me halfway to the car and helped me change into the mud rasslin' costume furnished by the management.
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