Loren "Bum Thumb" SchreiberWho knew that I'd ever look forward to saddlin' up and messin' with cows? Now I've always liked horses--been ridin' since I was was a kid on the savannah in Ghana, West Africa. Course we all rode English then, and on the backs of retired race horses. Well, Pardner, my little lady turned me on to the joys of ridin' western and talkin' without any Gs on the ends of my "ings." And for the last few years we've been moseyin' out to the Double E Ranch near Gila, New Mexico. The Double E is a guest ranch--one of the best by all accounts. It's a real, working ranch where you gotta round up cattle, fetch strays, rope and brand 'em, make 'em sing soprano and just about every other ranch chore you can think of. I have never done anythin' quite like it. The folks that run the ranch are real friendly and see to it that you have a good time doin' only the things you want to do. Heck, we liked it so much we bought a little place down the road! If you gotta a hankerin' for that kinda life, you might want to give 'em a visit. And tell 'em I sent you.
Oh, by the way, I got that moniker by gettin' my thumb caught in a lead rope while tyin' an ornery cuss to the hitchin' rail. He reared back and nearly took my thumb clean off. The good folks in Silver City taped it back on, as you can see.
Loren of AfricaThat's me, at sixteen, on my favorite steed, Dobel. Dobel was retired from racing, but he still loved to run. We'd ride together at breakneck speed across the wide, dry lagoon near my house. He had a sweet disposition and a smooth gait. I'm sure he has gone on to greener pastures by now. Still, I'm grateful for what he taught me about horses and, in the way that horses do, about myself too.
That's my good friend Tongo beside us. Tongo was killed a few years after we left Africa--hit by a car while riding the bicycle my parents gave him. He was a kind and gentle spirit.
Slippery little devil!Foxtrotter is a big horse, but he can turn on a dime.
Before the SunriseCup of coffee and a rockin' chair. All's right with the world. Why would you want to be anywhere else?
The BunkhouseMorning breaks over Turtle Rock and pushes the shadows out of Bear Creek Valley. Boot heels and spurs hit the wooden planks as they have for over a hundred years. The ranch is waking up.
Idyllic MorningThe horses begin to stir in the corrals. In a little while it will be time to saddle up.
Another day begins at the Double E Ranch.
Y'all come back now, ya hear?
