Queen of the Rodeo

I thought I would try to give a little bit of the flavor of what it's like to live in this valley. Today we had the annual Westcliffe Stampede parade - many of the horse breeders and ranches hereabouts hitch their prize horses up to buggies, Conestoga wagons and pony carts and drive them proudly down Main St. This year, we had another variety of livestock - two prize calves - in the parade. The 4-H'ers have been showing their livestock the last three days at the County Fair, so perhaps these guys were some 4-H kid's pride and joy. As for the parade, my opinion is that the main attraction here is for bystanders to wave and to heckle all their friends on horseback, flatbed truck 'float', or emergency vehicle. All the activities this week, of course, have been leading up to the annual rodeo, which is the Big Event for all the horsey people in the valley, particularly the Saddle Club and the 4-H kids. They do get some out-of-town cowboys participating, but my sense is that it's primarily a home-grown event. Like most places, not everyone is keen on the rodeo - especially those who have to pick up the pieces when an animal is injured.

I woke up this morning, and it was one of those days when the mountains are higher than the clouds. Every time I see this phenomenon, it awes me. Even though I'd only been awake a few minutes, I had to take pictures right away, even before coffee, because the next time you look, it might be gone. When the sun is shining (which is most of the time), it can be quite intense. I joked with someone the other night that after a few years of this, I'd resemble nothing more than an old prune!