Ruidoso: Cowboy Symposium

Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium 2012, Ruidoso, New Mexico.

The Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium at Ruidoso Downs (horse track) is an annual affair that features music, horse shows, chuckwagon fare competitions, old-timey demonstrations, cowboy poetry, etc.

Ruidoso is about an hour's drive from Alamogordo, up into the mountains, in Mescalero Apache territory.

I intended to go on Friday, but illness whupped my ass and I stayed at home sucking down cough medicine. Then I was going to go on Saturday, but I got caught up in some other affairs instead. So Sunday was the day I went, a much abridged version - the final day - of the event.

The music was good. Even though I don't subscribe to a particular faith, I do enjoy rousing gospel music. And since it was Sunday morning, there was that in abundance. It pleases me how the two gents enter the picture at the end of my video below:

Quite a few vendors from near and far under the big tent with the musicians: jewelry, boots, hats, saddles, coats, coffee, belts, and general western wear, purses, soaps, artwork ... the vendors must be selected carefully, because these were very fine wares. Outside the big tent were food vendors, including a BBQ place I haven't tried yet, the "Can't Stop Smokin' Bar-b-q," local to Alamogordo and Ruidoso. I like its name.

There was a guy selling coffee - his thing is that he buys the green beans in Hawaii, then roasts them at high altitudes here in New Mexico. He believes the high altitude roasting has an added positive effect on the coffee's taste. 

The purse below was luxuriously soft, the color so warm. Art that you wear.

Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium 2012, Ruidoso, New Mexico.

I was pleasantly surprised at the vendors' willingness for me to take pictures. Often at events such as these, vendors don't allow photos; guess they're afraid of copycats. But you know, you can copy something in concept, but you can't copy quality and craftsmanship unless you've got the talent and the skill. And maybe the vendors at the Cowboy Symposium understand that.

In the center necklace below, the turquoise and coral lay over a shell.

Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium 2012, Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium 2012, Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium 2012, Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium 2012, Ruidoso, New Mexico.

 

The beaded skull below was on a wall at the rear of an exhibit, but it immediately caught my attention. The creator, who goes by the name Arizona Stone, uses honey and beeswax to affix the beads to the bone.

Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium 2012, Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Craig Cameron gave a horsemanship demonstration outside.

Unfortunately, I only caught the chuckwagons as they were folding up shop and filling in their pits.

And damned if I didn't forget to change my camera setting from a macro to auto, so when I took photos of the horse work and chuckwagons, all I got was a blur. Hate when that happens.

It was a beautiful day. Too beautiful, if that's possible - still feeling a little under the weather, the sun seemed to beat a headache into me right where my hatband was on my forehead, and chased me out of the venue and on back home. Funny, almost the moment I took the hat off in the car and got a drink of water, the headache was gone.