Road Trip to Elko: Cowboy Poetry VI
Rollin’ out of bed after a late night was a little tough for these Cowgirls that generally have a 9 p.m. bedtime! But we rose to the challenge (no pun intended!). While Laura edited photos I showered and then did my write up in my jimmies.
The first show of the day; Pauly, Wally, Doodle with 73 year –old Wallace McRae, a cattle rancher from Montana and Paul “the Polack Poet and bronc rider” formally of Wisconsin and now of Montana, played off of each other like an old married couple. Paul is the Erma Bombeck of Cowboy Poetry with a little Snoop Dog thrown in for fun. And let me tell you he can put a rap star or seasoned auctioneer to shame with his rhythmic speed! Something he said really tickled me, as I deal with the public a lot in my various work. He referred to it as “Crowd Founder”. This is when you just have been over stimulated and need a little down time and boy howdy could I relate to that!
Wallace wove stories so rich and vivid that I just know that I can “see” his ranch and family. One of his stories really touched a cord inside me as he talked about “things of intrinsic value”. These are the “things” in our life that during a death or divorce, family members fight over, not the money or the investments, but Grandma’s wedding ring or Dad’s shotgun. The “things” that are woven into the fabric of our lives and help define who we are. The things we hold dear.
After a wardrobe change and an early dinner, where Laura introduced me to the finer aspects of Sushi, which I like quite well by the way, we got a bit lost looking for the theater at Great Basin College. But after a quick stop for directions from a kind stranger on the street (Oh, yes we have not met a stranger here!) we found it. The Cowboy Celtic show was everything I knew it would be and more. The pipers, locals, Roger McGregor and Bret Cousins gave me chills as only the pipes can do. The harp was haunting and her beautiful voice wove a tapestry. Bring in the guitar, mandolin and the Boren (drum) and the mix of hits from 1592, to more familiar cowboy classics and the experience was completely wonderful.
Probably the real highlight though, was the meeting of new folks and the extending of the friendships with our “old” friends over drinks and wonderful music at the Folklife center. Another very late night for these two gals but Laura was dear and let me sleep late this morning before she drug me off to our dance lesson, but more about THAT tomorrow!
