Cultured Cowgirl

Traveling throughout the West to ranches, artists’ studios and craftsmen’s shops, I’m constantly reminded of the generosity of those who live the Western lifestyle. Kind folks invite me into their homes and daily lives, share home-cooked meals and wonderful stories, and sometimes present me with pieces of their handiwork. Even though I arrive as a stranger, I most often leave as a lifelong friend.

Last Saturday I’d just arrived at the Reno Events Center in Nevada for the Californios Ranch Roping & Stock Horse Contest. In true journalistic fashion, I grabbed my notepad, tape recorder and camera, and went right to work. My first goal was to photograph the three custom championship saddles on display in the trade show. While focusing my lens intently on the saddles, I felt someone tap my shoulder. It was Karen Ross, also known as Prairie Karen (prairiekaren.com), who just wanted to say a passing hello. Knowing I’d see Karen later and want to shop in her trade-show booth, I quickly acknowledged her with a wave and started back to work.

Before I could pick up my camera again, the silver-haired man with Karen, whom I didn’t know, handed me a brass bell and closed my fingers around it. The random gift, presented by the stranger, took me by surprise. The polite thing to do would’ve been to say, “Thank you,” but the only words I could muster were, “What is this for?”

The man said it was for luck and to scare away gremlins that get in my way, and then walked off. I thought it was a nice gesture, tucked the bell in my coat pocket and went back to work without giving much thought to the tiny token and the influence it would have on my day and week in Nevada.

As I scurried around the Silver State, quickly passing from town to town, and in and out of people’s lives, immersing myself–sometimes selfishly–in my assignments, I sometimes heard that little bell jingling in my coat pocket and would smile and remember the man who gave it to me.

I never saw the man again, and I probably never will, but I’ve since learned that he is Matt Davis, a lifelong horseman and a real-estate broker from Wichita Falls, Texas. He and his wife, Catherine, had come to the Californios to learn more about vaquero horsemanship. They’re known for handing out bells wherever they go.
As I’ve traveled this week with my little brass bell, I’m reminded of the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life in which the little girl says, “Each time a bell rings and angel gets its wings.”

Attaboy, Matt.

~Jennifer

Calling all cowboys. The countdown to Valentine’s Day has begun.  If you are looking for a unique Valentine’s Day gift for your cowgirl sweetheart, I suggest ordering a personalized, limited-edition gift set from cowboy crooner R.W. Hampton. It’s a gift she will treasure for many years and can take with her everyday.

The package includes a necklace and matching earrings with a heart on one side and a cowboy and cowgirl on the other side, a personalized copy of Hampton’s CD Always in My Heart, which is full of love-song serenades, and a handful of chocolate truffles to satisfy her sweet tooth. Everything is packaged in a pink heart-shaped tin box.

The price for the complete set is $66.95, plus shipping. But a gift package with just the necklace is also available for $47.95, plus shipping. Quantities are limited, and Hampton will personalize the CD to your loved one. To order, visit on-line www.rwhampton.com, or call (800) 392-0822 or (575) 483-0042.

-Jennifer

It isn’t often I leave the comfort of my quiet mountain home for the hustle and bustle of downtown Denver, Colorado. But an exhibit titled The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture was all I needed to make the trek to the big city. I’ll blog about the exciting exhibit itself in a few weeks, when I have a chance to tour it again as part of the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo’s WinterWest series of art events. But now, on Christmas Eve, I’m reminded of Russell’s love of Christmas and how he created personalized greeting cards for his friends.

It was an annual tradition for the 19th-century artist to become reclusive prior to the holiday, as he created original drawings, paintings and small clay sculptures. The artist was fond of spirited subjects, such as jolly cowboys celebrating, galloping to the ranch house or exchanging gifts and toasting the merriment. He often included equally spirited women in the scenes, donning their finest festive garb, and families riding in horse-drawn sleighs. Most of his holiday scenes were wilder than Currier and Ives, but warm and inviting, nevertheless. The friendly scenes were contrasted by a cold, snowy Montana landscape, but they still put you in the holiday spirit.

What made Russell’s cards significant was that he not only created pictures with traditional artistic medias, but also with words. He personalized each card with an original holiday verse of sentiment. Some of his messages were funny, some were about adjusting to the 20th century and some were simply written from the heart. Receiving a card from Russell was prestigious, and some people even brought him gifts just so they could receive one of his coveted cards. Some of his cards are on display at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana.

Pondering the historical value and appeal of Russell’s cards, especially this time of year, I’ve decided to start my own collection of Christmas cards, sent to me by contemporary Western artists I’ve worked with at Western Horseman. Just like Russell, many Western artists are carrying on the tradition of sending cards to friends, family and patrons. As I open each card, I feel fortunate to be among the names on their Christmas-card lists, and I’m reminded of the time I spent with each of them and of the lasting friendships my line of work fosters. One day I’ll frame these cards to share, but until then I hope you enjoy my sampling of this year’s sentiments.

Cowboy Artists of America member Bruce Greene took a Texas take on Santa’s sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. In true Charlie Russell tradition, Greene wrote a holiday poem inside his card.

The drawing on the card from Hamley & Co. in Pendleton, Oregon, is of a cowboy roping Santa. On the inside is a verse that reads: “The Hamley gang Is all a hopin’ That Christmas Day, You’ll be a ropin’ Yourself a lot O’ joy an’ cheer, An’ luck for all The comin’ year.”

Here’s a partial scan of Colorado artist Carrie Fell’s fold-out card featuring her watercolor “Winter Wonder.”

Bill Owen, CA, sent a graphic drawing titled “Affection” on his 2009 limited-edition card.

“Dancing with the Stars,” a dye on silk, graced Montana artist Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey’s card.

Oklahoma artist Harold “H” Holden is best known for his bronze monuments, but the artist shows his painterly style each year on his Christmas card and calendar. Shown here is the card he sent with the aptly named painting “December Morning.”

As I prepare to go home and celebrate a white Colorado Christmas, I’ll leave you with this verse from a Christmas card Russell wrote weeks before his death.

“Here’s hoping the worst end of your trail is behind you / That Dad Time be your friend from here to the end/And sickness nor sorrow don’t find you.”

¬-Jennifer Denison

By the way, here’s the link to the Russell’s exhibit at the Denver Art Museum: http://www.denverartmuseum.org/explore_a…

If you’re a Western Horseman reader (and I assume you are or you wouldn’t know about this blog), you know I’m the staff “foodie.” I’m always seeking and creating new recipes with Western flavors, and sharing them each month in the “Recipe File” section of the magazine. I see preparing a home-cooked meal as a good excuse to not only gather around the table with family and friends, but also to share a piece of yourself and your home.

This week, Western Horseman’s Book Publishing Director and longtime magazine employee Fran Smith, presented me with a rather relevant–not to mention extremely thoughtful–Christmas gift that I had to share with those of you looking for a simple, inexpensive, heartfelt gift from your kitchen. She got the idea from her mother, who used to give jars of homemade spaghetti sauce with pasta and a loaf of French bread to friends during the holidays. She also had received from her sister a book of recipes and mixes that make great gifts.

I enjoy cooking, but my busy schedule and long commute to and from work requires quick, simple meals with minimal ingredients. Recognizing all of that, Fran graciously put together a “Meal in a Bag.” Inside the beautifully packaged gift she presented me were all the fixings to make a steaming pot of tortilla soup: a jar filled with convection rice, a plastic bag of seasoning mix, a can of white chicken breast, a can of Ro-Tel with green chilis and a bag of tortilla chips.

There’s something sentimental about a hand-printed recipe card, like the ones my mother and grandmother have handed down to me, and Fran had neatly printed on a recipe card the instructions to make the soup.

In my daily life, we’re surrounded by material excess, commercial and peer pressure to buy the latest and greatest, and the struggle to stick to a tight budget. Fran’s gift is a reminder of how something as simple as soup can be the best gift all this holiday season.

Tip: If you follow the “green” scene, consider wrapping your “Meal in a Bag” in a reusable tote the person can take to the grocery or office.

–Jennifer Denison

“Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose…” (Like a light bulb!)

Nothing puts me in the holiday mood like hearing Gene Autry sing this classic Christmas carol or watching the 1964 animated television special about the misfit reindeer and his sidekick elf, which, by the way, is on CBS tomorrow evening. I’m known for being nostalgic and a little crazy about Christmas, so it’s no wonder this year I will be decorating my tree while watching the longest-running Christmas special, just as I did when I was a little girl. And, during commericals, Autry is bound to boom from my iPod as I tangle myself in tinsel.

Autry’s original recording of the popular Christmas carol Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is celebrating its 60th year in 2009. Autry recorded the song in Hollywood, California, for Columbia Records on June 27, 1949, and performed it for the first time on his weekly radio show, Melody Ranch, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he was making a rodeo appearance.
Composed by Johnny Marks, the song originated from a poem written by Robert L. Mays in 1939 for a Montgomery Ward holiday promotional booklet for children. The department store gave away more than 6 million copies of the illustrated poem before May’s published it as a children’s book. Mays then allowed Marks, his brother-in-law, to use the story for a song.

Several popular singer turned down the chance to record the song, and Autry had to be convinced to do it. The acclaimed song has since been inducted into two halls of fame, recorded by more than 500 artists, and remains one of the best-selling and most requested Christmas songs of all time. For more facts on the classic carol, visit geneautry.com. And may Autry and Rudolph continue to be part of our cowboy Christmas traditions for many years to come.

–Jennifer

During its short time in business, the Pony Express created some of the most colorful legends and lore in Western history.

I admit, I’m not a typical traveler. A vacation to me is not about relaxing, but rather creating adventures, seeing historical sites and taking in slices of Western life not visible from the Interstate, a resort or a tropical island.
On a recent trip to Nevada, I could’ve easily taken I-80 from Elko to Reno, and probably saved time, but instead I drove south to Ely and started a colorful, yet barren, journey along Highway 50. The deciding factor to take this route was a free, pocket-sized booklet I picked up called The Official Highway 50 Survival Guide. Inside, it dared me to discover the adventure along the 287-mile stretch of blacktop dubbed the “Loneliest Road in America” by Life magazine. Even more appealing, I could stop in five towns along the way and have my book validated with a stamp, and at the end of the trip send in the postage-paid postcard inside the booklet and receive a souvenir certificate to commemorate my adventure. What a deal!
Maybe it’s a product of my rural upbringing, but as I proudly hold my certificate, I really don’t think most people need a “survival” guide to Highway 50, just a little common sense. For example, water and a half-tank of fuel are essential, as well as plenty of toe-tapping tunes, podcasts or audio books. Cell service is a little sketch for most of the trip. For fellow Western road warriors out there, here are five things I found fascinating about Highway 50. Some are quirky and some are obvious, but all are uniquely part of Western heritage. I hope you’ll follow in my tire tracks and enjoy the trip, too. And, please let me know the sites and scenes that most interested you.

1. Sand Mountain. About 32 miles east of the town of Fallon, the sagebrush terrain transforms into a surreal, two-mile long mound of sand, like the landscape you’d expect to see in Egypt. This area was once the coast along Lake Lohantan, which dried up thousands of years ago. The sandy spot is a popular recreational area for riding ATVs and sandboarding, which is much like surfing in the sand. Cowagunga! Ironically, that term allegedly was first used by gauchos to express excitement at tipping a cow.

2. Pony Express and Overland Stagecoach corridor. Continuing east, between Fallon and the historic mining town of Austin, you’ll retrace portions of the Pony Express and Overland Stagecoach sites. Stop and ponder what it’d be like to be a young mail carrier riding hundreds of miles solo, across the brutal desert terrain, not knowing what might be over the next hill. Now, I could see a survival guide for those men. Three spots along the route–Cold Springs, Middlegate and Sand Springs–are designated with historical markers worth stopping to read. Old formations and foundations still exist on the sites.

3. Stokes Castle. Located in Austin, this abandoned rock tower rises above the trees and overlooks the quaint community. Built in 1897 as a summer home for Anson Phelps Stokes, a wealthy mine owner and banker, the castle is just one of the buildings that retains this town’s nostalgic feel. At one point, the castle was almost moved to Las Vegas, but Molly Magee Knudsen, a New York socialite and cousin of Stokes, purchased the property and a Nevada ranch to boot.

4. Eureka. This historic silver-mining community has been well-preserved for passersby. The old opera house and courthouse, both built in 1879, are examples of beautiful architecture from the past. Eureka Sentinel Museum, which houses regional relics, is also worth a look-see.

5. Great Basin National Park. The eastern end of Highway 50 is the gateway to one of the most diverse national parks I’ve encountered in my journeys. Here, high desert meets glacial mountains, open space collides with hidden caves. Although I didn’t get to explore the area for long, I see that trail riding, hiking and camping opportunities abound. I’ll definitely be returning for an environmental encore.

Surrounded by open range, "The Loneliest Highway in America," was a welcoming road to me.