Archive for July, 2008
We can’t go anywhere in America without coming upon a small country store, restaurant, or gift store that doesn’t display cowboy images as a part of their decor. I believe that we all have a little cowboy or cowgirl in us. We either live in the country, want to live in a rural setting, or have a desire to experience a taste of freedom and openness that a western environment creates. A vacation in the country is a good example.
Many of us have a picture or painting of a favorite western movie star. Some folks like a calendar with horses running in a ranch scene. Many cowboy images of both past and present live on in our hearts, and heroes are created for our entertainment.
Who could possibly resist a good Saturday morning Western movie with John Wayne, James Stewart, Gary Cooper, Glenn Ford, Clint Eastwood, Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers, Gene Autery, The Lone Ranger . . . and Gabby Hayes? (to name some of my favorites) And, you know that every cowboy hero always had a beautiful cowgirl that he rode off with . . . into the sunset. Now, that’s a cowboy image called Romance! Eeeh-Haw!
In our travels to the National Parks in North America, my wife and I discovered a laser-cut metal trinket embedded in a colorfully painted sandstone. We first saw it at Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse gift shops, and then again at the Redwood Forest and Yosemite Parks. While at the Grand Canyon gift shop, I picked up another metal piece, much like the others, and read the attached green information tag. To my delightful surprise, I discovered it was made in Gainesville, Texas. Well . . . that is only 21 miles from our home! What a HOOT! . . .
These Southwestern decor products are not only very beautiful, but they also proudly introduce the colorful side of America’s many Southwestern cultures.
“The one that got away” is a familiar quote that every hunter or fisherman tells over and over. The story is embellished many different ways, while changing the details and experience to fit the tale. Many times it all starts when a friend asks the question about the hunting decor in the living room or the fishing decor in the den. “Oh, that’s my trophy room,” or ” That’s my favorite fishing trip . . .”
“The truth is, while traveling through Montana, back from a fishing trip to the Great Lakes, we came across this etched mirror of a Muskie, fighting for its freedom. The mirror was for sale and displayed in a restaurant. It’s just like the Muskie I hooked and battled for almost an hour, and “It got away from me!” But, it was still a great fishing trip.
In Southeastern New Mexico, near the city of Jal, is a magnificent display of animal silhouettes. A rancher near Jal created the metal images of this humble cattle drive. Each piece is made of heavy gauge sheet metal and the tallest piece is a horse and rider standing approximately 12 feet tall.
This cattle drive can be seen just West of highway 18 on the side of the hill and represents a panoramic story of both present and past western cattle drives in the Southwest. The silhouettes are placed so that travelers driving by can witness these black figurines with the grandeur of a magical western sunset as their background setting. The images become a living historical cinema.