Rodeo Drive
By ice rivers
- 1301 reads
I was going over my bucket list with my wife. I told her that a place that I always figured I would visit but that now I know I never will is the Calgary Stampede. She was astonished by this choice and wondered why in God's name I would want to go to a stampede and travel thousands of miles to get there.
I attempted to mansplain the event but the only thing that registered with her in my explanation was the word "rodeo."
She was not impressed with the concept and likened it to a bunch of rednecks riding around on horses until they get thrown off.
I said that I've always wanted to be a photographer at the event. This caused even more cold water to emerge.
"So you think we're gonna spend all that money so you can take some pictures of cowboys getting thrown off horses on horses? I don't think so. Whaddya think this, your backyard at Parsells Avenue."
End of discussion.
A couple of days later my monthly issue of Sports Illustrated showed up and sure enough in the photo section, the featured images were taken at various rodoes around the country. Beautiful, stop action images. I pointed them out to her. She was still not impressed.
Later that night on teevee, Tom Selleck appeared in a commercial hawking reverse mortgages. Selleck has been a teevee and movie star for the past fifty years. He has built a reputation as an honest, straight shooting character who can be trusted. Trust is essential if a home owner is going to go the reverse mortgage route. It's a risky move.Tom highlights his downhome experience with the pitch phrase "this isn't my first rodeo" with a reassuring grin on his grill. You can trust me. I've been around.
I called Lynn's attention to the commercial. She's no fan of reverse mortgages nor of Tom Selleck nor of the imagery of a rodeo as an avatar of wisdom gained through experience. She prefers 'Been around the block a few times."
I reminded her that I've been around the block a few times including the walk that we took yesterday around our neigborhood our neighborhood from Serenity Street Up Drake Hill down Vanguard and then back down Serenity..
"Everybody's been around the block a few times but not every body has been to a rodeo. Imagine if Selleck came on and as part of his pitch had said that this (reverse mortgages) was his first rodeo".
"At least he'd be honest. How many people have ever been to a rodeo in the first place. I doubt if even Tom Selleck has been to one" Lynn responded.
Once again another marital stalemate. Time to change the subject before we entered the "it's always all about you arena" followed by a stroll down "grow up alley."
We turned on the teevee and there once again was Selleck with his reverse mortgage, his moustache and his rodeo.
Jesus Christ.
I went up to the mancave while Lynn turned on It 2, one of my all time most disliked movies of the century.
I was happily watching March Madness when Lynn called me downstairs.
I pressed pause and wondered what strategy Lynn was about to employ.
She shocked the hell out of me although in retrospect I shouldn't have been surprised.
She had gone to the computer and typed in the words "rodeos near me".
She told me that she had found a rodeo that was located six miles from our home in Concord.
The rodeo takes place every Sunday starting in April plus it had the magic word "fun, family environment.
I don't drive much anymore. I try to stay within a 10 mile radius of my home. Forget about bucking broncos. Driving is the most dangerous thng that I do (although walking is starting to catch up)
I became excited about the idea and brainstormed a concept about getting hired as a photographer at the rodeo.
Lynn is not one to defer judgement when it comes to brainstorming. Lynn is decisive to the point of impulsivity whereas I am contemplative and conscience stricken to the point of timidity unless drunk.
"See it's always about you. You and your Irish dreams."
I've heard that one before and decioded to let it pass instead choosing to praise Lynn for going to the computer in the first place and making her discovery of which she was obviously pleased.
"Maybe tomorrow, if the weather is nice, we can take a drive to Concord and see what's going on."
I simply said "yeah, that would be nice." which is as close as I could come to feigning indifference.
Well today is tomorrow.
It's a nice day.
Lynn is getting dressed as I type.
Next thing I know, Lynn is telling me to stop typing and get off the computer. We're gonna take a ride to Concord
We got in the car and headed North away from the big city of Charlotte. We took a couple of dusty roads, heading for Tarheel country.
Lynn said that when we found the place, if we found the place, we were gonna drive by and not stop to chat or look around.
We found the place, Stegall’s arena. Lynn drove right in where we met the owner of the rodeo, a big guy named Sam Stegall. I think his name was Sam, it might have been Stan but I didn't hear him right and didn't want to risk chewing my lettuce twice.
Lynn can be very charming. Sam approached the Caddy. Lynn spoke first.
“ My husband is a photographer and a writer. He’s been wanting to take pictures of a rodeo. We typed the words “rodeos near us”. We got the directions to your place.”
I weigh 245 pounds. Sam has a similar build but is at least five inches taller. I figure Sam’s at least a 300 pounder. He had an even more impressive beer gut than mine that he was cascading over a leather belt with a buckle the size of a bullfrog. Sam seemed pleased to meet us. He told us that a lot of photographers show up for his rodeos. He’s been running rodeos for the past 33 years. He didn’t run any rodeos last year because of Covid.
Sam informed us that his rodeo featured bull riding. He owned most of the bulls but he would import a few if they had a “mean enough disposition.”
The first rodeo of the new season was scheduled for the first Sunday in April and he expected the place to be packed. Sam asked us where we were from and when we said Huntersville he commented on the growth of our town. “not too long ago that was all country down there."
Sam’s tone hinted that he wished that it still were.
Then Lynn astonished me by asking if we could walk around a little bit. Sam said "sure,". He directed us to a safe place to park where we could get a look at the bulls.
We followed Sam’s direction to a fenced in pasture. About a hundred yards from the fence we got our first look at Stegall bulls and they got their first look at us. They were nowhere near as surprised to see us as we were to see them. We took a couple of pictures.
We walked towards what must be the concession stand for the rodeo where we came upon a sign that you don’t see everyday.
This is what the sign said.
WARNING
“Under North Carolina law, there is no liability for an injury or DEATH of a participant in an agritourism location is such injury or death results from the inherent risks of agritourism tourism activities which include among others risk of injury inherent to land, equpiment and animals as well as the potential for YOU to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death."
We got the message.
We made our way back to where last we saw Sam/Stan.
We told Sam/Stan how impressed we were and that we'd definitely be back; maybe even for the first rodeo.
Sam/Stan said " I hope y'all come back but ya better get here early cuz it's gonna be a sell out. Now, if you're particular about that Covid, go ahead and wear a mask but I guarantee ya not everybody comin' to the rodeo is gonna be real particular about it one way or t'another."
I said to Sam, "We're good, we already got our shots."
Lynn poked me in the ribs.
Sam nodded we shook hands once again.
We headed South towards Davidson and our favorite Soda Shop.
On the way Lynn said "Vaccinated"
Whaddya mean "vaccinated"
" You should always say 'vaccinated' rather than we got our shots."
"Ya know what honey," I said, "I was speaking to big Sam and I don't think he differentiates too much between 'shots' and 'vaccines' as spoken words and if he does he prolly prefers 'shots' to 'vaccines' anyhoo."
"Just remember that going forward....Vaccines not shots" Lynn reminded me.
With that, we went forward to Davidson and looked forward to our next stop at Stegall's Arena.
I can imagine our future guests comin down to visit and me suggesting to them "Well we could go down the road apiece tonight and catch a rodeo."
I can imagine them sayin " Rodeo? Damn, We ain't ever been to a rodeo."
And me, rodeo veteran that I soon will be sayin, "Oh, it's your first rodeo? I remember mine."
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Comments
images werer taken [images
images werer taken [images taken] rodeos aren't my thing, I'm not a horsey person.
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I enjoyed this! It sounds
I enjoyed this! It sounds like a sensible compromise to me!
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Certainly am staying tuned!
Certainly am staying tuned! Come on, what happened next?
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