November 30, 2009

Bill Ramsel is a Texas songwriter and musician who often writes about the “Mountain Man era” of 1800-1840. Bill comes from a line of interesting westerners and he shared some photos and tales:

Great Grandpa Carlos Clayton Cleveland stayed in Arizona in the Mogollons. He was a real mountain man and spent most of his nights sleeping on the ground with a fat-soaked soft rawhide slicker and buffalo hide. He rode only mustangs and mules. One night when he was looking for his camp he stopped his mule to get off to relieve himself and stepped off a 20-foot cliff. He lay there for two days until my Dad found him. He had a broken leg and skull. He was "touched a bit" after that fall and never was the same, but he lived to 90 and is buried at Pipe Creek in Texas, near Bandera.

Great Uncle John Cleveland was an Arizona cowboy who moved to Plains, Texas, and worked there for many a year with his brother Frank. John sat tall in the saddle although he was about 5 foot 3. He was so good he thought he would go for the World Championship All-Around Cowboy in Madison Square Garden in NYC in 1910. He won a buckle, cash, a custom-made saddle from Sweetwater, Texas, a silver-studded circingle, silver bits and Crockett spurs, plus the World Championship. All I got is this picture, his saddle, circingle, and spurs, all in original condition.

My Dad, W.B. "Dub" Ramsel was a bronc buster by profession, from Arizona and Texas, until he joined the Marines as a Corsair fighter plane pilot. He instantly became a Captain, with only two years of college at Texas A&M, right after Pearl Harbor. He taught me everything he knew about cowboying and working cattle near Austin. The lion was named "Puss" and was a pet near Houston. After the lion ate all the jackrabbits in the area she started eating the cats and dogs of the neighbors. That caused a stew and the lion had to go to the zoo. He is a cowboy's cowboy and is now 88 in Georgetown, Texas.

 

 

Read more about Bill Ramsel at his web site:  www.mountainmanballads.com

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November 23, 2009

Kent Rollins and his horse, Old Red, Spring 2009

Oklahoma rancher, poet, and storyteller Kent Rollins is also an accomplished chuckwagon cook. He offers a "Cooking Bootcamp," where participants learn about chuckwagon cooking and more, while camped at an old cow camp (see a video about it here at his web site).

 

Kent shared some photos and comments on them:

Making sure not to burn the biscuits, one student checks the oven while two others supervise:

Two students take a break from rolling pie dough crust for a few good laughs (Fall 2009):

 

Three students during the Spring 2006 class watch over their cobblers carefully:

The mark of a good cook is in the taste test. This Spring of 2009 cooking school graduate student takes the first bite of a freshly baked peach cobbler:

 

Dutch oven cooking can be quite the balancing act, as this participant stacks ovens after a hearty camp-cooked meal (Spring 2009 class).

Fresh fallen snow at the cooking school campsite during the Spring 2009 class:

Kent's wagon

Thanks to Shannon Keller of 6th Generation Entertainment for her assistance with photos and captions.

Photo by Kathy Johnson

Read more about Kent Rollins and some of his poetry here and visit www.kentrollins.com.