Thesis: talk is as good in Magdalena, or
the Spur, as anywhere.
It was Sissy Olney, fourth generation rancher and lion hunter, who on seeing me reading Sybille Bedford in that bar, asked me if she were the one who had written "that big fat book about Aldous Huxley".
Joel Becktell is a world- class cellist, a New Mexico homeboy, a Magdalenian, a friend of Yo Yo Ma. Here he is hosting a dinner for us and the Colorado
Raptor Education Foundation, "The Russians" as we sometimes call them (they brought Vadim Gorbatov to the Spur) at his house here.
Last year I was folding up to have a drink but still had the photo below, of Pluvialis in the Gulf under a huge photo of Sheikh Zayed, up on the monitor when Joel knocked on the door. I waved him in, he pointed at the photo and said "Is that Sheikh ZAYED?" When I looked amazed he said almost apologetically " I
know him!" Of course he did.
Omar, long- time "semi- native", bird dog fancier, game cook and horseman, hosted a party, an elk dinner, for our visitor and friend Jen Wilding from KC last week (she reported last year on Tom Russell's show there). She took a bunch of pix, and it amused me when I opened them today-- longtime incomers, natives, visitors, good talk.
From Sharon who was born here to old- time incomers to Omar's mate Deb who is on her second time around to Omar's mother Sandy who just moved to Socorro-- all looking at the
Artists for Nature Fund volume on the Pyrenees, where Omar's brother and his Catalan wife Marta, who wrote "Viva Catalunya" in the Spur's ladies room, run a B & B...
OK, one more: Lee Henderson, rancher, holding up a Vadim Gorbatov print of quail sketched on his ranch. He gave Vadim, who is in the ANF book, his first tequila at the bar...
I KNOW Jackson Hole is more provincial, and sometimes I think Manhattan is...
That brightened up my smoke-filled morning.
ReplyDeleteJim Cornelius
www.frontierpartisans.com
Thanks, Jim!
ReplyDeleteOne amplification: the photo of the late Sheikh is ancient-- by Thesiger?-- and he was very old at the time of his death, which makes Joel all the more observant...
Slightly off-topic, but the photo of Sheikh Zayed brought back memories of another famous photo from my horsey past(and later a painting from the photo which included the falcon-see here http://abudhabidailyphotograph.blogspot.com/2009/05/seikh-zayed-riding-vain-hussar.html), that of the Sheikh mounted on his favorite Arabian stallion Vain Hussar. What is memorably ironic was that although the Sheikh was a committed advocate of the 'Asil' Arabian horse (and built a sizable stable of them), Vain Hussar himself was not of 'Asil' breeding, (being of Crabbet Stud lineage through the stallion Skowronek). Arabian horse breeders are aware of this, as the 'Asil' horses are another important part of the late Sheikh's legacy.
ReplyDeletebngail32I was over in Abu Dhabi a few years back to visit a friend, Matar. His dad grew up with Sheikh Zayed and my hair was long then, his father said I looked like a Bedouin. His father treated me to a dinner of Camel and other things I knew not of, pulled meat off the bone and handed it to me, we ate with our hands. His family takes care of the Sheikh's Horses, Falcons, Dogs etc. When Matar picked me up at the airport there were two Falcons sitting on the top of the back seat of his Landcrusier. A pair of Falcon trainers were at the meal with us sitting on the floor across from me. They were there from Libya and one was the Falcon trainer for Gaddafi. I later was commisioned by Matar to paint his Father's portrait from an old photo of him holding a falcon. I believe I posted on my blog at sometime.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see that painting-- could you send or give a link?
ReplyDeleteI would love to see that painting-- could you send or give a link?
ReplyDelete