Cowboy Poetry Gathering—Come and Gone

The 31^st Gathering is now history and I’m guessing it was the warmest Gathering weather-wise in the entire history of this annual event. January in Elko is generally unpleasantly cold with sub-zero temperatures and/or snow. But not this year—and I don’t think anyone was unhappy about it.

The Cowboy Poetry Gathering was one of Dean’s favorite happenings—ranking right up there with any kind of car show. Dean spent most of his adult life working in old fields, mining coal or]gold. But all of that work took place in the West—Wyoming, Montana, and Nevada—and when you live in the West, you just naturally grow up thinking “cowboys.”

So the Elko Gathering gave Dean (and probably a lot of other would-be cowboys) a special time to hear about the cowboy way of life, enjoy Western music, and maybe even pretend a little bit about what it would have been like if he had been a cowboy.

Last year’s Gathering was the last time Dean logged any shows. By the end of the week he was really tired and not feeling well, but I think he was proud that he finished his assignments. This year his boots are empty.   

However, his replacement did a creditable job, logging several sessions and enjoying most of them. It took a lot of miles and several years, but Brian is back in Elko via Indianapolis.  

 I’m glad we could keep the tradition going in the family—at least for this year.