Evenin', Ma'am

Today was a very western day.  Louis L'amour regaled me with tales from the Old West (The Lonesome Gods) as I rode through stunning vistas like these:

In New Mexico, I passed through dust storm, thunder storm, hail storm, and wind storm all in the space of about an hour.  There were ancient ruins and ghost towns and abandoned Navajo reservations--a people-less empire.  Supper was chopped brisket and green chile stew on a rough pine table.

In my home growing up, we had paintings from Charles M. Russell, an artist whom I have long admired because of his name and cow skull signature.  I thought a lot about those paintings today, and about Frederic Sackrider (no joke!) Remington's masterful bronzes.

When Shadows Hint Death

Mountain Man

Now I'm no cowboy and the West was won long before I came around.  But there's something about sage brush and dust and wide open spaces and long lonesome rides that brings out the lazy saunter and drawl in us all, I think.  Well, it is the Land of Enchantment, I hear tell.