As a kid I heard many a tall tale from great uncles and aunts, great grandparents, and other members of our family and friends. Many of these stories had a western theme to them and this was due to the fact that these folks grew up on the ranches and farms that built this great state of California.
I heard a great deal of our California family history.
My Dad and my Grandmother were very interested in this history and tried to pass it on to us kids. It was in this way that I became familiar with many of the cowboy artists. Fredrick Remington, Charles Russell, and our own Santa Barbaran Ed Borein. Even though I received a fairly truthful rendition of these times, there were those stories that seemed, well, a little far fetched.
Much like the old favorite that used to come out, eventually, at family holidays was the tale of Annual Jackrabbit Roping Contest. Where we kids were led to believe that honest and sober cowboys herded and roped a zillion jackrabbits to see who was the best! Or in one version, actually rode horse sized jackrabbits! Take your pick! It was like listening to Bret Harte and Mark Twain, with a dash of O. Henry thrown into the mixture.
I thought that would make a darn tootin' good illustration.
Have a great day all!
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