We had no desire to travel out to west Texas for the official annual Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering so we did a bang-up job right here at home. Earlier in the week we custom made the kids' cowboy hats with newspaper, tape, and paint.
Saturday morning we served a chuck wagon breakfast of biscuits and gravy. Everyone grabbed their eatin' irons and dug in to the high carb glory of it all.
To burn off some of the comfort food we enjoyed galloping around the back acres of the Circle D Ranch. With our golf clubs turned ponies we were ready to go.
Sophie stayed on longer than the other ranch hands and helped feed the pretend chickens, lasso in the pretend doggies, roll pretend bales of hay to the pretend cattle, and mend pretend broken fences.
Our ranch was in fine shape when we finished up our chores. While Neal, with Opa's help (thanks!), was getting compost for the spring crops, Keri and the kids listened to western music and tried our hand at a bit of square dancing. We mostly ended up clapping, stomping, and turning our pardner.
Then the kids got to color cowboy pictures and color and decorate a lucky horse shoe to hang above the front and back doors. Although the points are usually up on a horseshoe to "hold" the luck, we put ours down so the luck pours over anyone who comes and goes.
We told the kids to jingle their spurs and saddle up so we could make it into town for the Sam Bass Days at the old train depot. Sam Bass lead the first successful train robbery in Texas back in 1878 and is the city of Allen's claim to fame.
While there we observed blacksmith's work and Sophie got to try on a ball and chain like one some of the Sam Bass gang may have worn.
We also walked the train tracks for awhile without fear since locomotives no longer use it.
They offered free fixins' for lunch and then performed a reenactment of the train robbery.
We spent the rest of the day fitting in errands, naps, and enjoying the outdoors. As the sun set over the prairie, Keri served up chow--chili, of course. Rhys got a little boosy on his milk but it didn't stop us from enjoying our Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the fireside.
Neal chose to sing The Western Home by Brewster Higley, which was later turned into a song you may know as Home on the Range. Keri read the poem Message in the Wind by Jesse Smith, about a cowboy who heeds a warning from his horse and avoids coming between a mama bear and her cub further ahead on the trail. Would love to have done more poems but we're working with youngsters here.
Before moseying off to the bunkhouse, Keri read Sophie Cowboy Slim by Julie Danneberg and Margot Apple for her bedtime story. It's about a catalog cowboy (new cowboy) that was not so good with the rope or cows until he used his poetic ability to calm and drive the cattle. Neal tucked Rhys in with Good Night Cowboy by Glenn Dromgoole, detailing all the cowboy items a little buckaroo enjoys before turning in for bed.
We had so much fun today and the weather was so great. We really enjoyed having an opportunity to embrace the Texas side of us.
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