Bill makes a presentation to Leonard Wood during a celebration last year for the Wood family's V Bar X Ranch inclusion into the Forest Legacy Program.
This year Leonard read a poem as part of his contribution to this year's celebration of having more of the ranch included as a part of the Forest Legacy program. The poem can be found at the bottom of this posting.
Discovery.
That's one of the great perks of teaching. It's one aspect of teaching that I really miss. Hard to explain the feeling of discovering hidden talents, waiting to pop out there for the world to see.
Still ranking really high in my book was the spring evening way back in the 1970s when Connie Stutzke wowed everyone in SHS gym as she stood on the stage and sang an Ann Murray song.
Connie, a soft-spoken, somewhat shy sophomore, had come up to my desk earlier and asked for information about auditions for the annual Drill Team Variety Show----what time, where, etc.
Knowing she was going to try out made me really nervous cuz she was so shy. Connie may have been a shy English student, but her unbelievable confidence on stage and her beautiful voice blew us away.
Like so many in the teaching profession, I've had the opportunity many times over the years to witness the blossoming of talent through writing, singing, photography, design, athleticism, etc. So much so, in fact, that I think it would be neat to have a job like Arthur Godfrey whose radio talent show in the 1950s was part of the daily menu.
Well, today call me "Arthur." I want to feature a few products of hidden talent in this morning's posting, including some photography links. I've done so on past occasions with my daughter Annie, and I'll continue to do so. She has her new digital camera with the large frame format, and she's been busy ever since it showed up at her doorstep this past Thursday.
So, check out what she's captured so far by going to (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nnlove) View her photos from late January, and I know she'll appreciate your comments.
Before purchasing her camera, Annie talked to one of my former students, Chad Berkley, seeking advice on his choice of equipment because of the clarity of his beautiful shots. Chad has been carrying a camera around ever since high school, and he's chronicled a wide variety of scenes and happenings along the way.
You can find his work at (http://www.flickr.com/photos/offhegoes/)
Both Chad and Annie learned the basics of photography from another member of our family, best known as a great teacher at Sandpoint High School and as a phenomenal horse woman.
My sister Barbara is always the one who stands back, studies, works hard, learns and practices. She speaks volumes through her various talents. And, does her talent ever shout out through a camera lens!
You can find Barbara's photos at (http://www.flickr.com/photos/misstshs/)
In future blog postings, I'd like to provide the pathway to other talented photographers I know, but these three have been taking up my photo viewing time lately. Rachel, in Switzerland, you're on the agenda and thanks for the lovely letter. Just haven't had a chance to get to your site yet.
Now, on to another discovery.
This discovery took place Saturday night at the Western Pleasure dinner, which I chronicled in yesterday's post. When Leonard Wood, fourth son of Jim and Virginia, stood before the crowd and read a poem he'd written several years ago, goosebumps were popping and the tears were cascading throughout the lodge.
Most people know Leonard as a cow man and a cowboy, a guy who one member of the family said should have been born a hundred years earlier. What most people there did not know about Leonard was that he's a writer with plenty to say.
While he read the poem---as only Leonard could and inspired one day while he, his son and his dad were putting up silage---his audience of several generations of family and friends sat mesmerized and visibly touched by the outpouring of thoughts and images from deep within Leonard's heart.
So, with his permission, I'm posting Leonard's poem, dedicated to his family and to the long history of the Wood family's V Bar X Ranch.
Grandpa's Dream
by Leonard Wood
Inspired by the foresight of a man (Riley Wood), the dream of a family, the stubborn, bull headedness that prevents a man from being beaten by fate, accident, hard luck, and the natural elements of the North Idaho wilderness.
~~~~~
There's a place called North Idaho, where the people who live there know
What the meaning of life is really about.
And even if you are blind, when you ride above the timber line,
You can see it's God's Country; there ain't no doubt.
Well, there's green grass and fresh air and plenty of space there
Where a good callused handshake means a lot to a man.
Clear water and tall pines and plenty of game signs
And pride and respect is the law of the land.
It was there many years ago in the hills of North Idaho
Where Grandpa decided to give it a chance.
So he hollered out, "Wagons, ho!" toward the mountains of Idaho,
"Come hell or high water, we'll have us a Ranch!"
Chorus:
And, as the snow melts in the springtime from the warmth of the sunshine
And the cattle start bawlin' and wanting to roam,
It was there by their family's side, with hard work and stubborn pride,
They carved out a place that they could call home.
In the summers they cleared land to produce a hay stand,
To feed out the cattle and horses they owned.
Though the winters were tough then, and the stock got a little thin,
Spring finally made it to North Idaho.
As the years went slowly by, the work it did multiply:
The cattle, the horses, the timber, the land.
They worked hard till late at night, sometimes with no hope in sight,
To carve out a living and honor the brand.
Now, the cowboys are young again, but they still feel the same as when,
The Ranch was a baby, just learning to crawl.
You can see them out every day, ridin' fence or feedin' hay,
Caring for the cattle from Winter till Fall.
And, like the snow melts on the mountainside from the warmth of the sunshine,
And the cattle are bawlin' and wantin' to roam,
My dad, with his sons at side, with hard work and stubborn pride,
Worked hard to keep this God's Country their home.
Now, if Grandpa was here today, I'd reckon he'd have to say
The sweat and the blisters paid off after all.
'Cause the ranch is raisin' good crops every season
And the cattle just couldn't look better each Fall.
Now, when I look at that boy of mine or walk 'neath a tall pine,
It reminds me of our grandpas and the chances they took
'Cause as sure as I'm here today and forever I plan to stay,
I see Dad and Grandpa wherever I look.
Chorus:
And, as the snow melts on the hillside from the warmth of the sunshine,
And the cows are bawlin' and wantin' to roam,
It is here by our family's side, with hard work and family pride,
We'll keep the place going, 'cause this is our home.
by Leonard Wood
Inspired by the foresight of a man (Riley Wood), the dream of a family, the stubborn, bull headedness that prevents a man from being beaten by fate, accident, hard luck, and the natural elements of the North Idaho wilderness.
~~~~~
There's a place called North Idaho, where the people who live there know
What the meaning of life is really about.
And even if you are blind, when you ride above the timber line,
You can see it's God's Country; there ain't no doubt.
Well, there's green grass and fresh air and plenty of space there
Where a good callused handshake means a lot to a man.
Clear water and tall pines and plenty of game signs
And pride and respect is the law of the land.
It was there many years ago in the hills of North Idaho
Where Grandpa decided to give it a chance.
So he hollered out, "Wagons, ho!" toward the mountains of Idaho,
"Come hell or high water, we'll have us a Ranch!"
Chorus:
And, as the snow melts in the springtime from the warmth of the sunshine
And the cattle start bawlin' and wanting to roam,
It was there by their family's side, with hard work and stubborn pride,
They carved out a place that they could call home.
In the summers they cleared land to produce a hay stand,
To feed out the cattle and horses they owned.
Though the winters were tough then, and the stock got a little thin,
Spring finally made it to North Idaho.
As the years went slowly by, the work it did multiply:
The cattle, the horses, the timber, the land.
They worked hard till late at night, sometimes with no hope in sight,
To carve out a living and honor the brand.
Now, the cowboys are young again, but they still feel the same as when,
The Ranch was a baby, just learning to crawl.
You can see them out every day, ridin' fence or feedin' hay,
Caring for the cattle from Winter till Fall.
And, like the snow melts on the mountainside from the warmth of the sunshine,
And the cattle are bawlin' and wantin' to roam,
My dad, with his sons at side, with hard work and stubborn pride,
Worked hard to keep this God's Country their home.
Now, if Grandpa was here today, I'd reckon he'd have to say
The sweat and the blisters paid off after all.
'Cause the ranch is raisin' good crops every season
And the cattle just couldn't look better each Fall.
Now, when I look at that boy of mine or walk 'neath a tall pine,
It reminds me of our grandpas and the chances they took
'Cause as sure as I'm here today and forever I plan to stay,
I see Dad and Grandpa wherever I look.
Chorus:
And, as the snow melts on the hillside from the warmth of the sunshine,
And the cows are bawlin' and wantin' to roam,
It is here by our family's side, with hard work and family pride,
We'll keep the place going, 'cause this is our home.
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