rodeo is where it's at!

so i dragged my pal ali out to tejas rodeo last night and we had a such a good time!!! if you're ever in the san antonio area, you MUST go! it is the quaintest little small town rodeo complete with good food and a western swing dance afterwards. trey martin, who also happens to be a big attorney in town, started the place with his wife 10 years ago and it's been doing very well ever since. so well, that this little video was shot right in their arena!

it had been awhile since i'd been out to the rodeo and gosh, i forgot how much i miss it.

i love to watch the indestructable, cocky cowboys as their neon-colored, flashy chaps fly in the air. i love to watch all of the rodeo women and think to myself, "how did you get your hair teased that high and how does one adorn themselves with so much "flair?" (yes, some of it is a tad bit tacky and a bit grandiose, but i promise, the women at tejas rodeo are some of the most beautiful women i've ever seen.) i love to hear the sound of the announcer calling out run times, the crack of the bullwhip as the ropers chase the livestock back into the pen, and the twang of the steel guitar warming up in the background. i love the taste of slow-cooked brisket, just-right bbq sauce, and an ice-cold shiner bock. i love the way it feels to pet a pretty horse or the way it feels to sit on a pickup tailgate. and yeah, i love the smell of that aromatic fusion of saddle leather, red dirt, and cattle.

i have also realized how much talent it takes to compete. the big draw is always bull riding, and i do love to see man struggle against a 2,000 lb. beast for 8 seconds of eternity, but my true affinity is watching bareback/saddle bronc and team roping. watching someone burst out of the bucking chute with his spurs and one free hand lifted in the air is truly an art form. and when i think about the expertise and immaculate timing it must take for a header and heeler to execute a successful calf roping, i am amazed. there are some, such as my favorite family - tuf cooper, stran smith, and trevor brazille - that make all of this look way too easy. just to brag a little on tuf...he's really making a name of himself. we know tuf from growing up in childress and as the son of the legendary roy cooper, there's some big shoes to fill. however, at 19, he's already at the top of the prca standings, has won insane earnings, and is predicted to be a rodeo superstar.

i'll leave you with some NFR highlights and a video of tuf:



NATIONAL FINALS RODEO SADDLE BRONC



NATIONAL FINALS RODEO TIE-DOWN



TUF COOPER