I Never Called Myself a Cowboy

Have you ever wondered what cowboy life was like before horse trailers, cell phones, and the internet? Many of the cowboys I knew in those days all thought they had been born a hundred years too late. These stories can't take you that far back, but can you give the reader a glimpse of what it was like sixty years ago. These are the stories of real cowboys and the life they lived in the mid 1900's. These were the days when the big ranches still pulled out their chuck wagons for the cattle roundups. The wide open spaces of Northeastern New Mexico is the settings for most of the stories. Packed with area history and observations that will take the reader back in time to a simpler life. It has many humorous tales and a few adventures of the bronc riders and the horses that helped in the production of beef for a hungry nation that was recovering from WWII, and the Korean conflict. The author lived this life, and remembers some of the fun filled times, orneriness, wrecks, and occasional sorrows that come with a life lived on the southwestern ranches. The three "R's" of cowboy life are: Roping, Riding, and Wrecks. This book covers all of these areas with tales based on true facts. It starts with the beginnings of a young boy just learning to make a hand, and goes through his experiences of being a working cowboy as well as a rodeo hand. Then to the days he must reconsider his life on the range because of injuries and his commitment to family that forces him to give up one of his lifelong dreams. The trails of his life have had more than a few forks in them, but as one grew dim another took its place. None of these trails were well traveled, but lead to a fascinating life story. Even today there are increasingly new trails to explore. All of the art depictions contained in the book are from the author's experiences of the time as well as many of the photographs.