Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
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- KirkD
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Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
A week and a half ago I got word from back home that the wife of one of my cousins had unexpectedly died. My cousin is a bit younger than me and I've known him all his life.
Sometimes, a fellow has to head back home.
I could not imagine anything I could say that would ease the pain, but I knew if I got on a plane, flew 1,500 miles, then rented a car and drove another 200 miles, he would know I was pulling for him. It would mean more than anything I could say. So, I asked the Queen of Hearts (otherwise known as my bride of 32 years) to book me a flight and a rental car at the other end, and a few days later, made the journey home to where I grew up.
It was a good funeral; a celebration of her life. Lunch followed for everyone and then a supper for closer family. It is a funny thing about times like that. There is sadness about the person who has passed on, but those of us who are still alive are somehow reminded to value even more our relationships with each other, so there is a lot of happy conversation and visiting all day long.
My folks sold their beef and grain operation about twelve years ago and moved to Alberta. I stayed with my old friend Alvin. We've been friends since we were toddlers and he's probably the closest friend I have, other than my wife. Alvin never married, so we had lots of time to talk in the evening. Invariably, our conversation will shift around to old leverguns. He has a modest collection of old Winchesters, all of which he has acquired from Old Timers in the area who have passed on. Since we knew those old fellows, those old Winchesters have a lot of nostalgic value to us. He has a fine old octagon barreled Model 1894 38-55 from old Mr. Bennet, long gone. The rifle is 99 years old this year. He's also got a very nice vintage Winchester 1894 30-30 rifle and a matching one in 32 Special. He's working on getting a 32-20 and a Savage Model 1899 in 300 Savage.
There is an ancient log cabin that was old even when we were kids. Everyone calls it the Hunters' Lodge. It is on the Carmichael brothers' property (though both of them have passed on). One of the Carmichael boys took an interest in collecting old shell casings from beside the old cabin where the hunters would sight in their guns, using the opposite bank of a nearby creek for a backstop. Alvin has that collection now, part of which is arranged on the sill of one of his living room windows. It is interesting to see what kind of guns those old timers used back in the day. With the exception of some 30-06 and 303 British casings, almost all the rest all old levergun calibers, such as 25-35, 38-55, 40-65, 40-82 and even the rare 38-72. Alvin and I would sure like to know what Old Timer owned a 38-72!
The next morning, Alvin and his brother Ken, needed to vaccinate a few cows that had come down with foot rot. They have a lot of cattle and disperse them out to a number of different pastures. We loaded up three horses and headed several miles over to one of their pastures, a half section (one half square mile) with a small herd on it. The initial plan was for Ken to rope each cow and we would give it the needle right there. Keep in mind these cattle run pretty much wild from May to November, so they don't cooperate as well as a fellow would like sometimes and they can put up a good fight once you snag one. There was a bit of a breeze, so the herd was on the move grazing into the wind. My job was to keep them bunched up and out of the bush .... a relaxing job for the most part. Ken did most of the roping and Alvin did the vaccinating. Here's a shot I took from my horse while keeping the cattle more or less bunched and out of the bush ....
Here's a shot of one of the cows letting the horses get some exercise ....
Here's another one of Ken getting ready to catch him a cow ....
And here's one of a cow that Ken has just snagged .....
These animals were not very docile and even with one horse on the neck rope and another on a rope around the hind legs, they put up a good fight, so it was real slow going, especially once you tried to get near them on foot with the needle. We eventually decided to move the herd a half mile through bush and grassland to a small corral on the other side and do the rest of them there. Once we got the ones we wanted into the corral it was quite a bit easier. As soon as Ken got a rope around a cow's neck Alvin or I would wrap it around a post, while Ken would drop a loop around the back feet. Here's a shot of the Old Geezer snugging one up during a lull in the thrashing ....
And here's Alvin loading up the syringe ....
Horses taking a break ....
When it was all over, we headed back to the other side of the pasture and loaded up the horses ....
It was sure good to be back home again. When I was a teen, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually be glad to work with cattle again, but given what I do now, getting back home and in the saddle again and wrestling with a few cows, was sure a refreshing break.
Alvin enjoys old lever guns, cattle horses and draft horses. Here is a shot of some of his horse drawn equipment. In the foreground is a sleigh he uses for hauling wood and other stuff in the winter. Behind it is a seed drill that he still uses ....
Later than day, I drove the 200 miles back to the airport and climbed aboard the plane, feeling that it had been good to be back at my old stompin' grounds for a short while, even if it was for a sober occasion. My cousin will have a hard row to hoe over the next couple years. I'll be checking in on him from time to time just to remind him that I'm pulling for him and praying for him.
Sometimes, a fellow has to head back home.
I could not imagine anything I could say that would ease the pain, but I knew if I got on a plane, flew 1,500 miles, then rented a car and drove another 200 miles, he would know I was pulling for him. It would mean more than anything I could say. So, I asked the Queen of Hearts (otherwise known as my bride of 32 years) to book me a flight and a rental car at the other end, and a few days later, made the journey home to where I grew up.
It was a good funeral; a celebration of her life. Lunch followed for everyone and then a supper for closer family. It is a funny thing about times like that. There is sadness about the person who has passed on, but those of us who are still alive are somehow reminded to value even more our relationships with each other, so there is a lot of happy conversation and visiting all day long.
My folks sold their beef and grain operation about twelve years ago and moved to Alberta. I stayed with my old friend Alvin. We've been friends since we were toddlers and he's probably the closest friend I have, other than my wife. Alvin never married, so we had lots of time to talk in the evening. Invariably, our conversation will shift around to old leverguns. He has a modest collection of old Winchesters, all of which he has acquired from Old Timers in the area who have passed on. Since we knew those old fellows, those old Winchesters have a lot of nostalgic value to us. He has a fine old octagon barreled Model 1894 38-55 from old Mr. Bennet, long gone. The rifle is 99 years old this year. He's also got a very nice vintage Winchester 1894 30-30 rifle and a matching one in 32 Special. He's working on getting a 32-20 and a Savage Model 1899 in 300 Savage.
There is an ancient log cabin that was old even when we were kids. Everyone calls it the Hunters' Lodge. It is on the Carmichael brothers' property (though both of them have passed on). One of the Carmichael boys took an interest in collecting old shell casings from beside the old cabin where the hunters would sight in their guns, using the opposite bank of a nearby creek for a backstop. Alvin has that collection now, part of which is arranged on the sill of one of his living room windows. It is interesting to see what kind of guns those old timers used back in the day. With the exception of some 30-06 and 303 British casings, almost all the rest all old levergun calibers, such as 25-35, 38-55, 40-65, 40-82 and even the rare 38-72. Alvin and I would sure like to know what Old Timer owned a 38-72!
The next morning, Alvin and his brother Ken, needed to vaccinate a few cows that had come down with foot rot. They have a lot of cattle and disperse them out to a number of different pastures. We loaded up three horses and headed several miles over to one of their pastures, a half section (one half square mile) with a small herd on it. The initial plan was for Ken to rope each cow and we would give it the needle right there. Keep in mind these cattle run pretty much wild from May to November, so they don't cooperate as well as a fellow would like sometimes and they can put up a good fight once you snag one. There was a bit of a breeze, so the herd was on the move grazing into the wind. My job was to keep them bunched up and out of the bush .... a relaxing job for the most part. Ken did most of the roping and Alvin did the vaccinating. Here's a shot I took from my horse while keeping the cattle more or less bunched and out of the bush ....
Here's a shot of one of the cows letting the horses get some exercise ....
Here's another one of Ken getting ready to catch him a cow ....
And here's one of a cow that Ken has just snagged .....
These animals were not very docile and even with one horse on the neck rope and another on a rope around the hind legs, they put up a good fight, so it was real slow going, especially once you tried to get near them on foot with the needle. We eventually decided to move the herd a half mile through bush and grassland to a small corral on the other side and do the rest of them there. Once we got the ones we wanted into the corral it was quite a bit easier. As soon as Ken got a rope around a cow's neck Alvin or I would wrap it around a post, while Ken would drop a loop around the back feet. Here's a shot of the Old Geezer snugging one up during a lull in the thrashing ....
And here's Alvin loading up the syringe ....
Horses taking a break ....
When it was all over, we headed back to the other side of the pasture and loaded up the horses ....
It was sure good to be back home again. When I was a teen, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually be glad to work with cattle again, but given what I do now, getting back home and in the saddle again and wrestling with a few cows, was sure a refreshing break.
Alvin enjoys old lever guns, cattle horses and draft horses. Here is a shot of some of his horse drawn equipment. In the foreground is a sleigh he uses for hauling wood and other stuff in the winter. Behind it is a seed drill that he still uses ....
Later than day, I drove the 200 miles back to the airport and climbed aboard the plane, feeling that it had been good to be back at my old stompin' grounds for a short while, even if it was for a sober occasion. My cousin will have a hard row to hoe over the next couple years. I'll be checking in on him from time to time just to remind him that I'm pulling for him and praying for him.
Kirk: An old geezer who loves the smell of freshly turned earth, old cedar rail fences, wood smoke, a crackling fireplace on a snowy evening, pristine wilderness lakes, the scent of
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester.
Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester.
Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Great post Kirk,the pic's take Me back 50 years when I was a Kid surrounded by Farms and draft horses. the team of Belgins pulling a big sled of logs in the frozen woods is a fond Memory of Mine.
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Most excellent Kirk, thankyou sir
Nath.
Nath.
Psalm ch8.
Because I wish I could!
Because I wish I could!
- Old Savage
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Kirk - very interesting a quite a trip. Nothing we can do about those situations except be more together. Good for you to do that. On an aside, I see you Canadian cowboys wear baseball hats.
- KirkD
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Only if no one is looking.Old Savage wrote:On an aside, I see you Canadian cowboys wear baseball hats.
Kirk: An old geezer who loves the smell of freshly turned earth, old cedar rail fences, wood smoke, a crackling fireplace on a snowy evening, pristine wilderness lakes, the scent of
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester.
Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester.
Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
cool
I miss riding and hope to have horses again some day.
Nice pics Kirk
I miss riding and hope to have horses again some day.
Nice pics Kirk
Because I Can, and Have
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USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Thanks Kirk, I enjoyed that.
M. M. Wright, Sheriff, Green county Arkansas (1860)
Currently living my eternal life.
NRA Life
SASS
ITSASS
Currently living my eternal life.
NRA Life
SASS
ITSASS
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Yep. A reminder of something we should really think about and do EVERY day.KirkD wrote:It is a funny thing about times like that. There is sadness about the person who has passed on, but those of us who are still alive are somehow reminded to value even more our relationships with each other...
The cattle-handling is a reminder to those of us who live in the artificial world of offices and cublcles that there is a REAL world out there still, where people work directly to provide for the food, shelter, and well-being of their fellow citizens. Too many of our current citizens are engaged in occupations doing more pencil-pushing and 'monitoring' of all the real work going on in the world, and usually screwing it up in the process.
Remind your cousin that though a great part of him goes to the grave with her, with time he'll realize a great part of her did in fact stay behind inside him, and that is a part nothing can ever tear away.
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"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
+1. So do a lot of cowboys THIS side of the border... at the same times!Old Savage wrote:Kirk - very interesting a quite a trip. Nothing we can do about those situations except be more together. Good for you to do that. On an aside, I see you Canadian cowboys wear baseball hats.
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Thanks Kirk, nothing like seeing the world from twixt the ears of a cowpony. Glad you make the trip home for the family. Good you was able to spend the day like you did. Pull up Ed Bruce and listen to him do "This is the last cowboy song", I just have to hear it once in a while.
JerryB II Corinthians 3:17, Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
JOSHUA 24:15
JOSHUA 24:15
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Kirk - I'm sorry for the loss which brought you back home, but glad you got to see your old pal and spend some time in the saddle. As always, your pics really make us feel like we were there too. In the REAL world. Thanks for taking the time to do this. - DixieBoy
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Kirk, my condolences on your loss and thank you for sharing the journey home.
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
GREAT story! Sorry for the loss..........
BUT.......BASEBALL CAPS!!!!! GEEZE!!!
BUT.......BASEBALL CAPS!!!!! GEEZE!!!
- Borregos
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Thanks for sharing that Kirk.
Pete
Sometimes I wonder if it is worthwhile gnawing through the leather straps to get up in the morning..................
Sometimes I wonder if it is worthwhile gnawing through the leather straps to get up in the morning..................
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Soory for your loss, but the rest of the story is a great one. You have come up with a lot of good ones lately.
It seems you have a very full life.
Owen
It seems you have a very full life.
Owen
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Very cool post Kirk! Alvin and his pals sure look rough and ready---not an ounce of extra weight on 'em. The outdoors is a good life to which people live well into their eighties.
There's just something about home---we all never forget where we came from and its where the heart always yearns to go, no matter how many years pass.-------------------Sixgun
There's just something about home---we all never forget where we came from and its where the heart always yearns to go, no matter how many years pass.-------------------Sixgun
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Thanks for sharing...
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Kirk sorry for your cousins loss. Thank you for the pics. May the good Lord comfort your cousin.
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Great read and set of photos.
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http://www.TARSPORTING.com
"Worldwide Hunting Adventures"
Professional Hunters Assoc of South Africa
SCI - Life Member
NRA - Life Member
NAHC - Trophy Life Member
DWWC - Member
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Kirk,
I'm sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
Dave B
I'm sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
Dave B
- KirkD
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Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Thanks, fellows, for your condolences. I'm glad you all enjoyed the write-up and photos.
Kirk: An old geezer who loves the smell of freshly turned earth, old cedar rail fences, wood smoke, a crackling fireplace on a snowy evening, pristine wilderness lakes, the scent of
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester.
Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester.
Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Tough times, but a good battery recharge as well.
Re: Journey Home, Lever Guns, and Cattle (large photos)
Sorry for your loss and as the others have shared, thank you for sharing your times. Looks like a wonderful place to grow up.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8