Just Me
I know I’m not the best writer. I love writing though! Maybe practice brings me a bit closer to becoming the writer I feel I can one day be.
I really want to write a story on the Basques, and a ranch I was on in Wyoming. I really enjoyed the photo side of things, but the people were what interested me the most. I feel as a photographer and wanna be writer, I have many stories in me wanting to be heard.
This story is very unique compared to most. The Basque’s have been herding sheep for many, many years. This family in Wyoming keeps the traditions of their ancestors alive by teaching the children. The traditions I’m writing about now, are traditions that shock most people when I talk about it.
The Basques castrate sheep with their teeth. A procedure which is amazing to witness. I want to go back for more. I have actually written to the ranch family and sent a few questions to them, to get things going. One thing I asked about was coming up when they shear the sheep a week or two before they castrate and dock.
(Docking) Sheep are born with tails about 4-6 inches long. I never knew this, because I had never seen one right after it was born. I’ve always seen them without tails, and had no idea. The tail is docked to keep maggots (ok I wrote a word I HATE) away for their little butts. Eww! Hey, the little sheep need it done. They don’t cry one tiny bit. One woman said she believed the term in the Bible, “as meek as a lamb” might come from seeing sheep getting dock and not bleating one bit. Sheep make cows look like babies.
The castration can be done a few ways. Most of the sheep are castrated with a tool called an “All In One”. Its docks the tail and pulls the nuts, for lack of a better word.
The stories about the shearers were just as interesting to me. These guys come to the US from New Zealand to sheer and travel an insane amount of time when they are here, and then take a few months off. They make some pretty good money and move on to the next ranch. It had been raining for days before I arrived and the creek running through the ranch was running way over its banks. These guys built a huge bon fire and stayed out there in a little camper. I think the photos I could get around the fire would be soooo cool! I was told the guys didn’t really take a break until dark.
I’m just fascinated by this whole story. I want to put up a photo I had posted quite some time ago when I came back from the trip last year.
Check out the squinting he is doing here
Most of the blood comes from the docking, not the castrating. When the tails are docked, they do bleed.
When I first heard of the Basques castrating with their teeth, I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe it! I had been standing in this “shop” which was basically a huge garage, with two coyboys, one of whom is married to a Basque. They started talking about it, and I was weirded out. Right after I was saying there was no way people would do this, the wife of this coyboy drives up. I told the guys to not say a word and I walked out to her truck and asked her if it was true before she even got out of the truck. It was true. She told me that some people really get into it. I guess so, now that I have seen it with my own eyes. I have thought that when I go back I will pull one set of nuts…….then I can take some photos, have a good life experience, and never do it again.
One of my clients at the salon was telling me he really wanted to read the story. He mentioned I should pitch it to Rolling Stone magazine. This is one of his favorite places to read stories. I’ll shop the story around and see who bites on it. It won’t be until Spring though. I can start writing, but I won’t be able to finish the story until the trip has been completed.
This blog was going to be about a lot of other things about me, but I got going on such a rant here, I decided to just write other blogs. I have to go to work today for awhile, and then I have the fundraiser party tonight. My date is my good friend Kim. I’m sure we’ll have a great time!