LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY

Other than my time on the ranch last month, the only positive aspect of my trip to the US was the reuniting with a few photos from my younger years.

Left to right, Bob Hatting, Bob Jacobson, Brent Creason, Ted Creason, Ron Siler, Mert Hunking, Jack Hammack, Rich Rollins, Bill Erickson, Ed Bagley, Dick Allen, Jerry Koch

The photo in this posting was taken in the spring of 1973.  The location is an area of Central Oregon called Grandview. (Near Lake Billy Chinook). The photographer, Fred Farrien, captured a rare moment; the WILD BUNCH was all in one place.  Usually we were riding at full speed chasing a herd of horses owned by Sombrero Stock Contractors.  Over 100 horses were turned out in the fall (after rodeo season) and allowed to run free on a peninsula that encompassed around 80,000 acres.  Each spring several of us were invited to bring our personal horses and help gather the stock.  It usually took the better part of a week. 

Memories fade over time but photos help us recapture those special moments in our life.  This photo was blown up and framed.  I had it in my home and office for many years.  It currently resides in the back room of my friend’s ranch in Vail, AZ.