True West and Encore Westerns shared a long table at the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium last weekend. The event is held at Ruidoso Downs and Billy the Kid Casino. Our table this year faced a big, tan wall that was quite perfect for photo ops. Cowboys and families would walk along, stop right along the wall as if they were posing for Richard Avadon. I took this photo right from our table.
The cowboy at left is picking his teeth, that's Sue Lambert our regional sales rep second from left, a news subscriber and his girlfriend talking to another friend and that's Jeff Hildebrandt of the Westerns Channel talking to a cowboy performer at far right.
Almost immediately, I realized that this is a perfect backdrop to take posed photos and also slice-o-life photos, like this one of a family waiting for something.
The little girl playing with her hand-held-device is just about perfect. meanwhile, I spotted all kinds of people stylin'. This is a Capitan Cowboy (the Capitans are north of Lincoln, NM) with a pet pooch. Love that 'stash.
I stopped these guys and had them line up along the wall. Can you guess what they have in common?
They are the Honey-Do Spoiler chuck wagon crew in matching pink shirts. Ain't they sweet?
Meanwhile, there were a contingent of mountain men that were pretty spectacular. This is Mountain Man Ralph, who comes damn close to the visage of Jim Bridger, if you ask me.
"History only tastes bitter to those who think it should be sugar-coated."
—Old Vaquero Saying
