This repost from Ring Around the Basin tells stories of pride and history and how a special event can infuse the mundane day-to-day life with dignity and excitement.
What a perfect ode to America on the Fourth of July. Thank you for re-posting it. I got a lump in my throat. I have never seen a rodeo, though there is a well-known one held only fifty miles from here in Salinas. I can feel your mother-pride through your words here, Sue, and I am so touched by the anecdote about your father. ( I never associated buckaroo with vaquero. Thanks for teaching me this.)
We've attended lots of rodeos through the years. My father-in-law lived in Hollister, CA for years and treated us to a yearly pilgrimage to their local ranch rodeo. Most of the audience was made up of participants who would come and go with their events through the day. The grand entry filled the arena and emptied the stands. It was truly a LOCAL rodeo. We also attended the Californio Rodeo, which is more regional in make up and displays a very different set of events. None are timed as in other rodeos. They will show a couple of buckaroos roping a steer, laying it down, and "doctoring" it before release. Another was a buckaroo carefully roping a calf and dragging it across the ground away from the cow. He would be using his hand-made reata, which is more fragile that the polyester ropes. It breaks easily if not used with skill and care. Thus the purpose of showing this. Cruelty is not part of the spectacle.
It’s always good to be reminded that our constitutional rights belong to us all, even when or especially when the exercise of those rights by someone else might irritate us, as it did the sergeant.
What a perfect ode to America on the Fourth of July. Thank you for re-posting it. I got a lump in my throat. I have never seen a rodeo, though there is a well-known one held only fifty miles from here in Salinas. I can feel your mother-pride through your words here, Sue, and I am so touched by the anecdote about your father. ( I never associated buckaroo with vaquero. Thanks for teaching me this.)
We've attended lots of rodeos through the years. My father-in-law lived in Hollister, CA for years and treated us to a yearly pilgrimage to their local ranch rodeo. Most of the audience was made up of participants who would come and go with their events through the day. The grand entry filled the arena and emptied the stands. It was truly a LOCAL rodeo. We also attended the Californio Rodeo, which is more regional in make up and displays a very different set of events. None are timed as in other rodeos. They will show a couple of buckaroos roping a steer, laying it down, and "doctoring" it before release. Another was a buckaroo carefully roping a calf and dragging it across the ground away from the cow. He would be using his hand-made reata, which is more fragile that the polyester ropes. It breaks easily if not used with skill and care. Thus the purpose of showing this. Cruelty is not part of the spectacle.
What wonderful memories you have! Thanks so much for sharing them - they all interest us.
It’s always good to be reminded that our constitutional rights belong to us all, even when or especially when the exercise of those rights by someone else might irritate us, as it did the sergeant.