I’ve Been Working on the Railroad…

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colorado, colorado railroad museum, engine, history, lincoln rogers, living history, locomotive, museum, narrow gauge, photography, railroad, steam engine, tourism, travel

Lincoln photographing a historic locomotive engine at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. Photo courtesy of Donald Tallman, Executive Director of the Colorado Railroad Museum.

Well… a railroad story, actually!

I am currently working on a story and photos regarding the Colorado Railroad Museum, and Donald Tallman (the Executive Director of the museum) generously sent me this photo he took of me photographing one of the engines on the 15-acre property in Golden, CO.

What a great place to visit! I had an enjoyable time talking with the people there, as well as touring the expansive grounds and photographing all kinds of railroad engines and railroad cars from different eras. I even had a chance to ride in an 1881 coach, while an 1881 steam engine pulled us around the loop on the property. Really cool. The hands-on, experiential history of the state and of the railroad industry that was so crucial to Colorado in those days (especially the narrow gauge railroads), is on full display for all to see there at the museum. I highly recommend it, if you are in the area.

I hope to have the story and photos finished within the next couple of weeks and published in The Fence Post magazine. Thanks for the photo Donald Tallman!

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So What Did You Do On Your Day Off?

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America, bareback, bronc, bucking bronc, casey colletti, cowboy, cowboy life, day off, denver, extreme, extreme sports, horse, rodeo, rodeo all star, rodeo cowboy, sport, tough, untamed, weekend, western, wild

Probably not what Colorado bareback cowboy Casey Colletti did this past Saturday (April 13, 2019)…

Casey Colletti wasn’t in the lineup of competitors for the 2019 Rodeo All Star event held in Denver, CO over the weekend of April 12-13, 2019. But when one of the contestants couldn’t make it, rodeo organizers called Colletti at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday to see if he could drive up from Pueblo, CO and ride some bucking broncs against some of the best competition in the sport.

Forget chores and spring cleaning, Colletti grabbed his gear and arrived in time for the 2:30 p.m. afternoon rodeo. Not content to just show up, Colletti won the afternoon round with an 84-point ride to advance to Saturday night’s championship round where, you guessed it, he rode another bronc for 87 points to win the Saturday night round and move into a head to head match-up against three-time PRCA world champion Will Lowe for a chance at an extra $5,000.00 and the 2019 Rodeo All Star title.

“I’m just happy to be here,” said a smiling Colletti after winning the round on Saturday night and getting ready to ride against Will Lowe for the title. “Being able to go against three time world champion Will Lowe in a shoot out, head to head format.  This is the kind of stuff we live for, you know what I mean?”

In the head to head round, Colletti beat his earlier scores with an 88-point ride on his third bucking bronc of the day. That’s right. Not one bucking bronc, which would send most people crawling to their chiropractor, but three bucking broncs in a single afternoon and evening. Even though his impressive 88 points in the head to head round fell short of Will Lowe’s stunning 90-point ride for the Rodeo All Star title, it is safe to say Colletti’s planned day off was a bit more productive than any of ours.

Pursuing the Good Stuff…

Living Word Devotional – Image copyright Lincoln Rogers. All rights reserved.

It seems like traditional, conservative Christianity today receives a lot of bad press. Are there people who say they are Christians but then don’t follow what the bible says? Yep. But that doesn’t negate the bible. At least not for me.

The bible is filled with references like the one in the photo above, about pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace. It also states Jesus said (in Matthew 22) the greatest commandment was “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Another reference I love is where it says in Galatians chapter 5 that “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Seriously, who wouldn’t want to be around people who display those characteristics?

I could go on and on with biblical passages like these. The problem isn’t with the bible or with Jesus Christ. The problem is with people who call themselves Christians, who claim to follow Jesus Christ, but don’t follow what the bible teaches. With people who are more interested in telling others what they are doing wrong than in examining with humility their own relationship with Christ and how far they fall short.

So pursue the good stuff, which the bible says is righteousness, faith, love and peace, all in the context of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In my experience, it is what makes a life worth living.

Owls Are Cool…

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a.a. milner, bird, birds of prey, great horned owl, lincoln rogers, nature, night owl, owl, owls, pooh, pooh bear, predator, wise old owl

A Great Horned Owl looks towards the camera while sitting on a perch during a time of hunting for prey.

I’ve always thought owls are cool. They look great, they’re amazing hunters, and they are symbolic to so many people, as well as people groups.

We had one stop by our house this spring. It perched on a pillar within feet of a large glass sliding door, as it scanned our property for rabbits, birds and/or other varmints. As a result of its perch, we were able to watch it for quite some time, which allowed me to grab a camera and sneak closer while its back was turned. As you can see from the photo, its back wasn’t turned for long.

“Owl,” said Rabbit shortly, “you and I have brains. The others have fluff. If there is any thinking to be done in this Forest–and when I say thinking I mean thinking–you and I must do it.”  ~ A.A. Milner, The House at Pooh Corner.