and for a very good reason. I lived in Spokane, Washington for three years. I actually met some real cowboys, guys who rode horses into the high country every fall to roundup cattle that had been living off the land for many month without seeing a single human. They were rang steers, and very, very dangerous.

Tonight, I watched a movie on You Tube, Monty Walsh, staring Tom Selleck which brought back lots of fond memories of real cowboys I met way back in 1968. One that came to mind was Ted Bouroughs, who was a market hunter during the 1930s, owned a butcher shop in Usk, Washington, and provided meat for the Swede loggers and cowboys living and working in the High Country. He was an incredible man, stood just over 5 feet and could take down a mule deer from a half-mile away with his old, rolling block, 25/35, single shot rifle while sitting on the back of his horse.

Ted, to say the least, was one of my heroes. He was kind, gentle, person and knew more about life than anyone I ever met. His son, Teddy II, was equally a gentleman and owned a biomedical lab in the city of Spokane. Both owned a string of horses, mainly quarter-horses, and often raced them at local, county fairs. Carol and I, along with my very young son, John, frequently attended those fairs and loved every minute.

Both Ted and his son, Teddy, have long since passes, but their memories are still in the cobwebs of my aging mind and heart. Therefore, to their memories, I dedicate this Willy Nelson song, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys [color:#FF0000][/color]
All The Best,

Gary