Just My Imagination

Great weekend in Wimberley. I decided to take in the local rodeo the night of July 3 before the big fourth of July parade and took tons of photos. Most of them didn't come out because I don't know this camera very well but it was oddly like Deja vu. Even though I've never been to a rodeo before in my life, relatives on my mother's side of the family are native Texans and one cousin owns a small ranch and hosts a rodeo.

So I had this odd mix of feelings - roaming around amid a bunch of professional cowboys. A sea of white hats and a down-home feel. There was one man there who struck me as someone I knew and it haunted me for the rest of the evening. Was it just my imagination, running away with me? The whole experience was loaded with longing and passion. I went home alone feeling things I haven't felt in ages.

This isn't him (my guy was standing on the sidelines) but I love this shot because the cowboy is so naturally exuberant and in his element. There was something wonderfully pure about the whole event - at least from my perspective. Some part of my childhood came thundering back, made me want to stay and stay even though I was there alone and being there alone was painful - apart from the attractive man on the sidelines and in the midst of such community as an outsider.

I missed the bull-riding but paid the brahma beasts a visit in the pen and found them strangely beautiful too. They seemed to enjoy having their picture taken. One of the cowboys told me they like the attention.The fourth of July parade was so idyllic it was hard to believe a place like Wimberley actually exists in real life. This too produced powerful bittersweet emotions. I found myself hoping I would see that guy again - looking for him in the crowd. It's like he's the symbol of everything I ever hoped for or something.

Anyway, since then I've been working hard on stories for the paper and have just been hired to write a feature for a magazine so I'm super busy but in a great way.