Red Egg prayer beads and jewelry
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Friday, October 28, 2011 at 11:07AM 
Here is a very good reason to have a nulcear free world. Visit the latest post on Red Egg's SARHENTARUC JOURNAL, Sacred Sites Peacewalk for a Nuclear Free World.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 11:03PM This Sunday was the fourth day into our trip, and we felt the need for a little culture. Breakfast at the Custer County Art & Heritage Center was the best (and maybe only) option in town.
There we were treated to an exhibit of LA Huffman’s photography...
and paintings by Theodore Waddell.
Outside, the Yellowstone River was threatening to crest, and this flood warning was announced on the news: “The river will continue to rise & exceed flood stage Sun morn at Forsyth and will rise above flood stage by late morn at Miles City.”
But that didn't stop us—and it didn't stop the Cowboy Mardi Gras either. Once again we trudged through the mud for another afternoon at the Bucking Horse Sale.
Not every princess can get away with wearing a shower cap under her tiara.
Is this young stud the next Blake Shelton?
Or the next JJ Elshere?
And hopefully this young cowboy sticks with gum...
and doesn’t pick up this nasty habit.
Say "hi" to Scott, Betty, Annette, Suzanne, Sarah and Juliette. The Western Muck Dusters.
Well, alligators live in swamps, right?
“He’s one of our youngest cowboys, but don’t let his age fool you. Do I hear $1200 for this talented young buck?”
Calm down, girls, it’s not what you think. These cowboys are being auctioned off for the bronc riding competition.
“My baby and my Bud!”
As a photographer sometimes you have to put yourself in the line of fire to get the shot.
The shotgun chaps are pretty dang cool!
Especially from this angle. Now I was getting up close and personal with the riders...
and with the horses.
This is the Calcutta event where some the top bronc riders in the world come to compete.
Keeping your chaps clean is an added incentive for staying on that bucking horse.
Many think that the "flank strap" causes the horse pain, but it actually tickles the horse's abdomen which makes him kick out higher and straighter. Once the ride is over, the strap is taken off the horse...
and removed from the ring.
OK, I'm really not obsessed, I just couldn't resist.
Yep, that's yet another Bud can.
Getting the saddle on the horse is likely just as difficult as staying on the saddle for eight long seconds.
Can't wait for those pick-up guys, right?
No matter how sloppy or muddy or lowery;
No matter how cold or unpleasant the storm,
No matter how blusterin', gusty or showery.
That old yellow slicker I wore kept me warm...(read the whole poem here)
It looks really awkward, but laying back on your horse is the correct way to come out of the chute.
The flank-strap is being taken away, while the horse is being picked up.
Though a good cowboy should be tough, he should also have "soft hands," much like a good pianist.
This thrown rider was a pretty good sport. After hurling mud at the hecklers...
he strutted back across the field with a big smile on his face,
and the announcer politely ponted out that he had missed a spot on his right shoulder.
Is this a Crest White Strip ad if you've ever seen one?
I returned to the stands to meet my friends...
and we watched the final event where the horses were auctioned off.
And then after all the bucking and mucking in Miles City, we headed back to Runamuck Ranch.
And on that wet drive back, we watched the dark clouds and the rising river and pondered the risk of staying in that area with road closures and unsafe riding conditions. But far more serious was the threat to crops and homes from the bulging rivers and the imminent snow melts as the Yellowstone swells and pours into the Missouri River.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 10:58PM 
As you may remember, we left off after a full day of mud and broncs at the Bucking Horse Sale. The next morning we joined the locals for a pancake breakfast at the Memorial Hall of the Range Riders Museum.
And yes, we had pancakes.
Biscuits and gravy.
And of course, Tang. I’m moving to Miles City to relive my childhood.
This napkin is loaded with local brands. SuzAnne and the Longs added their brands. East meets West.
We heard a little local history. 800 pioneer plaques and biographies are displayed on these walls. About 788 of those plaques are men—sheriffs, wranglers, ranch hands, homesteaders.
For example here's a close up of Louie Pelissier, Cowboy-Rancher. If you ever find yourself at the museum, you can open any of the black tubes below the plaque and read about a particular life in the scroll inside.
Off to the parade. It rained on the Miles City’s parade.
One truck,
two truck,
red truck,
blue truck.
Old truck,
new truck.
Shower caps for your cowboy hats is a great idea for the rain.
It hadn't rained at the Bucking Horse Sale since 1977.
But everyone came prepared.
We dropped into a coffee house and had a brief respite from the storm.
Coffee, like beer, bridges all cultural divides.
We dropped in Murdoch's Ranch & Home Supply...
thinking they would likely have muck boots.
Juliette got new muck boots and cut the label off with her new buck knife.
Time for a little lunch at the Hole in the Wall Cafe.
In Miles City you don’t need a cast or a jr. high graduation to get people to write on your body.
The 7th Calgary Drum & Bugle Corps from Sheridan, Wyoming, went from bar to bar...
and played for their Bud.
In Miles City Budweiser is considered the finest brewery in America. "For all you do, this Bud's for you." This would not be a suitable place for my designer beer husband.
Back to the fairgrounds for more mud and broncs.
The rain and mud didn’t make it easy on the horses...
or the riders.
A few managed to stay on for the 8 seconds.
Amazing as that was at times.
Here are a few rides that were photo worthy.
It was hard watching the horses snort mud like this.
But this rider still scored big points for...
keeping his toes pointed out and...
for his smooth...
and controlled ride.
And there were some equally impressive falls.
The horses weren't the only ones eating mud.
Belly flop!!
Even she is probably wondering why anyone would want to do this.
For the few riders that managed to stay on, the pickup riders...
pulled up and gave them a hand.
We thought that the pickup riders were the most impressive of all!
Check out the boot in the stirrup.
This rider didn’t fare so well. This is the real “true grit”!
I'd hate to have his chiropractic bills.
Chris DeLoux can tell you why the The Cowboy's Hat is important.
The cowboy's hat won't stay on the ground for long.
Everything is OK in the world if a rider walks off with his hat on.
In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, "From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere."
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 10:46PM My friend SuzAnne invited me to photograph a horseback trip in eastern Montana, complete with a cattle herding clinic and a side trip to the world famous Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City. How could I resist? Here was my chance to redeem myself after falling off my horse twice the last trip I photographed for her. Time to get back in the saddle. I dusted off my boots and got my camera holster ready.
When I arrived at Dunrovin Ranch in Lolo, Montana, the weather was ideal. A few puffy white clouds in the big sapphire blue sky.
Despite skies like these, weather forecasts were predicting nearly a 100% likelihood of heavy rains in coming days.
The day after I arrived, SuzAnne took me on a beautiful trail ride. Of course, I thought the weather gods were on our side. Looking at a sky like this who could imagine what was ahead of us?
Later that afternoon kids had come for the Pony Club. The three year olds in the club have much better balance on their horses than I do.
And much cooler boots.
Early the next morning I met the women going on the trip, and we loaded the horses and gear in the trailer. SuzAnne revved up Ms. Dixie and turned her wheels east.
With a six foot horse trailer in tow you hang with the big boys at the truck stops. But that doesn't mean you have to eat there. I'm sure this glove would have some great big rig stories to tell if it could.
adjacent to one of the five largest Montana timber mills still in operation.
That evening we stopped in Roundup and took our first ride. Annette rode side saddle.
I didn't even fall off of this horse.
SuzAnne just couldn't wait to get her pony going.
The horses were fed...
and the humans. Nice homemade pies at the Busy Bee Cafe.
Just to give you a peek at what’s to come, here’s the Busy Bee Cafe five days later.
It was about 8pm that evening when we arrived at our final destination that day, Runamuk Ranch.
By now the rain had arrived and mucky it was.
We were scheduled to ride the next morning, but by then it was a downpour and we decided not to take the horses on a slip and slide. So instead we headed out early for the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale.
And when we arrived it was WET.
And just a little WILD.
Even the young mutton busters riding the sheep
came face to face with the mud.
Some of the viewers grabbed front row seats.
And if you're a boy, six years old, and live in Miles City, you better wear a cowboy hat.
Ditto, if you're a girl!!
Some were clownin' around—but all the mud was no joke.
And some are seriously cool—mud and all.
The last event of the evening was the wild horse race where teams of three have to capture...
and saddle their designated horse...
and then attempt to ride it around the track once.
Miles City nearly doubles its population the weekend of the Bucking Horse Sale. This year, due to the rain, there were only a few dancing in the street at this typically packed event. After a very wet day we hung our dusters up to dry and hit the hay. I'll meet you in the mornin' at the Range Rider’s Museum for a pancake breakfast!