We’ve been wanting to do it for a long time.
We’ve been wanting to see the Bar D Wranglers and hear them croon their Western Folk sound right at us in person. Last night they did! And it wasn’t in Durango, CO either. Jay took us there the fast, lesser road traveled, and in about an hour we were at Paul and Kaylene’s doorstep in Fillmore. Papa and Liisa came too. The Kennington’s fed us delicious tacos and I had a family photo shoot with them (see next post).
Here are some images of the night:
My view from the middle seat – My Cowboy Jay driving, Papa riding shotgun, and Mark in back. Liisa was sitting too close and Kyle was directly behind so I couldn’t get them in my sights.
Fillmore has a distinguished history and they celebrate it every year with this event.
There were pioneer way-of-life demonstrations. Mark is explaining to me what a ‘flint lock’ gun is. This boy knows his guns and swords!
Then! How the Bar D Wranglers sing, sang, sung! Remember the ballad that took place “Out in the west, Texas town of El Paso”? Where he “fell in love with a Mexican girl’? And how it went very badly for him? I am newly grateful that it didn’t go SO badly for him that he didn’t first get it all down in song for us (the ballad is written in first person) before it was “one little kiss and Felina (dramatic pause here) goooood-buuu aaaaayeeee!” They swooned, and slid and yipped us (all in perfect harmony) through the evening way too fast. Loved it!
Besides reminding us about the “rain Tess, the fire Joe, and the wind Maria” they also introduced us to a new folksy song about new critters that Ol’ MacDonald had on his farm. Like a dyslexic sheep that didn’t go ‘baa baa here,” or “baa baa there” he went “aab aab”. There was also a stuttering bull and a lisping snake that I won’t try to explain. Maybe it’s on You Tube to see for yourself. They were “proud to be an American” and they asked God to “bless America” and declared “America Beautiful” all in one stirring patriotic medley. They forgot to sing “Streets of Larado”, “Tumbleweeds”, “Ghost Riders” and “Happy Trails to You”, so, we, the audience sang the Happy Trails one to them.
The West must have, at least in part, been won with music and humor like this.
