Memoir Monday, June 28, 1959

 Long ago and far away. This was the summer after my sophomore year and a few months before a bunch of changes hit my life. I am sure most of the names will not mean anything to my readers- a few are still familair to me in a vague way but mostly not to where I can really call up a face or much of anything about the person. Just local horsey-world characters. This was a local rodeo held over at Dewey, AZ and we had gone to it before. This time I invited my best friend Evelyn (Morales--nee Graves) to go along. We had fun as I recall. At the time I was still pretty much into cowboys and rodeo stuff--well, I never totally outgrew that! And the "Buster" I refer to was my curent primo crush. He was the head wrangler for a guy who had bought some mules from us earlier that spring and was a real working cowboy--and a darn good looking one! One of the very few of my heroes my Dad was even fairly tolerant about which was a very rare thing! And no, I did not really cross paths with him again. :-(

Somewhere I am sure there are photos Dad took of the arena action but that film may never have been processed or the photos lost somewhere along the way. I did not yet have a camera. And we did move our pickup so the  guy was able to get out from where he had parked. Just a day in the life of a sort-of Cowboy Girl who was sixteen at the time. 

June 28, 1959 

Rodeo day. We had to do quite a few chores before we finally got away about 11:00. Evelyn and I chattered all the way over. We looked around quite a bit before the show started and saw such people as Bill Simon, Sam Steiger etc. They had some pretty horses in the grand entry. The pickup men were different this year and not as good as last year. Fritz McTarnahan has improved his stock. He had some good rough broncs and the bulls were really salty. Only one qualifying ride was made on the bulls, The same guy won bareback broncs. Old Mickey Contreras got tossed. He drew the roughest horse though. The ropers have some darn pretty horses. The announcer, John Snow, was good at announcing but a poor cowboy. Old Fritz dogged and did a good job. Chuck Sheppard fluffed his loop. It seems that a few working cowboys took the roping. In the latter part of the rodeo Sam Steiger announced. Boy his tongue is hung in the middle and forked at both ends. He was a bit drunk, cussed and was really sarcastic.  Saw several guys who caught my eye; a blond blue eyed guy with a little boy who was by the truck we sat on. He looked up at me and grinned; a dark bronc rider with blue eyes who turned and looked at me, a guy with coppery hair whom I fear was half drunk, the bronc rider whose truck we sat on and a brown shirted guy. At intermission Eve, Charlie Mike and I went back to the Ford. I leaned up to ask Dad what had happened and he said ‘nothing’. I said “I see.”  This brown shirted guy said “Ah, si. We would like to get out por favor.” I about answered him back in Spanish. Also saw Mervin Foster (drunk) and his girl and a kid who looked like Clifford Sleep. They were going off with the copper haired guy. Lots of people were drunk. Although it is not as organized it was a bigger and better show than last year’. I think Evelyn was greatly impressed and even Charlie Mike mostly shut up. Most of the good rodeo hands are ugly. Even the cute guys can’t hold a candle to Buster. Something tells me I’m going to meet him again. “Turn ‘im to me.”

Just so there are a picture or two: Me with my mare Tina, in the rugged hills on the east side of the Verde River near Clarkdale. And me with Ruby, a lttle mule we got about the same time as this journal entry. I later rode her a lot as she was small for a man and a heavy saddle. She was the prettiest deep red color, like a real dark Hereford cow.