Championship Rodeo at the 2014 National Western Stock Show

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action, champion, champions, championship, colorado, cort scheer, cowboy, cowboys, cowgirl, cowgirls, dean gorsuch, denver, event, extreme, extreme sports, lincoln rogers, mary walker, National Western Stock Show, richmond champion, rodeo, sport, sports, trevor brazile, west, western, western event

The championship round of rodeo at the 2014 National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado was full of action and enthusiastic fans in the stands (a near capacity crowd of 8,279).  Here is my story and some photos from the event that have been published in The Fence Post magazine.

Championship Rodeo at the 2014 National Western Stock Show

Have a great day and don’t let your horse come home without ya!

Lincoln

You can find Lincoln’s Fine Art Photography online here

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Wild West Show at the 2014 National Western Stock Show

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America, American, American West, bobby kerr, buffalo bill, colorado, country, cowboy, cowboys, cowgirl, cowgirls, denver, denver colorado, elizabeth clavett, entertainment, frontier history, gary trichten, guns, historic, history, horse, horses, lincoln rogers, max reynolds, national western, National Western Stock Show, NWSS, old west, rural, stock show, tradition, traditional, west, western, wild west, wild west show

http://youtu.be/pds2PMCUEIU

This is a video compilation of my (Lincoln Rogers) photography, interviews and video clips regarding the Wild West Show at the 2014 National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.

All images, interviews and videos are copyright Lincoln Rogers, 2014 – All rights reserved.

 

You can find Lincoln’s Fine Art Photography gallery online here

History Alive and Well in American Forts

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America, American, american forts, army, battle, fort, fort mackinac, forts, guns, heritage, history, lincoln rogers, mackinac island, michigan, military, national historic landmark, past, soldiers, tourism, traditiion, travel, United States, united states history, war, war of 1812

(Fort Mackinac and the front of Mackinac Island in a photograph taken by a tourist in 1918)

My wife and I enjoy history, especially when it is alive and well.  Visiting old American frontier forts in Colorado (Bents Old Fort) and Wyoming (Fort Laramie, Fort Casper) is a real treat, but one of our very favorites is the historic Fort Mackinac located on Mackinac Island between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan.  The location is amazing and has such an authentic feel to it, since the island does not allow motorized transportation and keeps its Victorian atmosphere fresh and energetic.  Visiting this fort that saw action during the War of 1812 with the British was great fun for us.  If you ever get a chance to visit beautiful Mackinac Island, take it.  You won’t be sorry.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/defending-fort-mackinac-lincoln-rogers.html

(Battle reenactments for tourists take place on the grounds of the historic Fort Mackinac every summer.)

Have a great day and don’t let your horse come home without ya!

Lincoln

Check out Lincoln’s online gallery of Fine Art Photography!

It’s Not TECHNICALLY Incorrect (or Thinking Outside the Box)!

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#photography, answer, answers, creative answers, education, exam, exams, fine art photography, fun, funny, funny answers, grade, grades, humor, humorous, incorrect, lincoln rogers, math, mutilple choice, quiz, quizzes, school, science, student, students, teacher, teachers, test, test answers, test scores, tests

It all depends on how you look at it…

Sometimes there are just things on the internet that are so much fun that you have to pass them along.  This is one of them. The link will take you to a page that has test answers that, while they are not correct, they aren’t TECHNICALLY incorrect, either!

http://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/46/Hilarious-Test-Answers-That-Are-Not-100-Incorrect

Just thought I’d give you all something fun to read today and maybe use it as a humorous reminder to think outside the box.  You just might be surprised at what you come up with

Don’t let your horse come home without ya.

Lincoln

Check out Lincoln’s online gallery of Fine Art Photography!

Leaving Las Vegas – Rodeo Style

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#photography, addiction, cowboy, cowboys, economic impact, fine art photography, Florida, gambling, las vegas, lincoln rogers, national Finals Rodeo, NFR, Oklahoma City, organized crime, osceola, prostitution, revenue, rodeo, rodeo photography, sport, Vegas, west, western, WNFR, Wrangler, wrangler national finals rodeo

And they call the thing rodeo…

http://lincoln-rogers.artistwebsites.com/featured/the-usual-suspects-lincoln-rogers.html

It appears the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR or NFR) may be leaving Las Vegas after 30 years and head to Osceola, FL.  Multiple news reports discuss the possibility:

http://twistedrodeo.com/2013/12/16/las-vegas-could-lose-a-great-thing/

http://m.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-and-west/national-finals-rodeo-leave-las-vegas

The NFR moved from Oklahoma City nearly 30 years ago to Las Vegas and many people thought it would never work.  Now it might move to Florida and, again, many people think it won’t work.  Florida is offering four million dollars more than the current Vegas contract.  That extra four million means more money for the contestants, which is where it should go.  It is estimated Vegas reaps about ninety million dollars over the ten-day event that draws between 150,000-200,000 people to the city.  It’s no wonder Florida is making a serious run to be the future host.

Personally, I’ve never attended the NFR in Vegas because I’m leery of the underbelly of Vegas – organized crime, prostitution, gambling addiction, etc.  I once turned down a good job offer because it would have required me to be in Vegas for a couple of weeks every year.  Vegas can try all it wants to paint itself as “family friendly,” but even its motto and commercials of “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” contradicts that effort.  It’s just a personal thing to not want to be there.  I understand plenty of people enjoy Vegas and don’t see a downside to the city.

The thing is, I write for several magazines that would love to have stories and photos from the NFR, but I could never bring myself to go.  If it does move out of Vegas, there’s a good chance I’ll finally attend and get those stories and photos their way!

Have a great day and don’t let your horse come home without ya!

Lincoln

Check out Lincoln’s online gallery of Fine Art Photography here

Hair and Hair Alike

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#photography, bad hair day, bad hair days, beauty, fine art photography, hair, hair cut, haircut, lily tomlin, lincoln rogers, mark twain, style

We all have bad hair days…

http://lincoln-rogers.artistwebsites.com/featured/where-is-my-hairbrush-lincoln-rogers.html

It’s funny, but I know I NEED a haircut (okay… I need ALL of them cut!); I’ve known it for days.  So it was funny when I found myself unconsciously choosing THIS photo to work on today and get into my online gallery.

Really?

Yep.  I think my unconscious saw the hair and expression of this Black Angus yearling and said, THAT’S what I’m trying to TELL you!  So… without further ado, I will post a few quotes I discovered about hair and then I will start dropping hints to my lovely wife (who is my VERY favorite hair stylist with a clientele of one).

“If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in the library?” ~ Lily Tomlin

“When red-haired people are above a certain social grade their hair is auburn.” ~ Mark Twain

“Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.”  ~ Sam Ewing

“A hair in the head is worth two in the brush.” ~ William Hazlitt

Have a great day and don’t let your horse come home without ya!

Lincoln

You can find Lincoln’s online Fine Art Photography gallery here.

Helping Those Holiday Blues

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abuse, addiction, anitdote, blues, Christmas, Christmas and holiday season, Christmas music, depression, difficult, family, friends, giving, grief, help, Holiday, holidays, Licensed Professional Counselor, lincoln rogers, loneliness, loss, merry christmas, positive, pressure, pressures, relationships, serving, stress, supportive, therapist, toxic, volunteer

Sometimes it’s easy to forget…

I look around at a merry atmosphere – Christmas music playing, the blessings of a warm house and plenty of food, the horses safe in the barn, good health and good relationships with family and friends.  In the cheerful bustle of the Christmas season, it can be easy to forget how many people struggle emotionally and psychologically during this time of year.

Why?  The reasons are legion.  People miss loved ones who are gone from their lives – the holidays remind them of family dysfunction and/or childhood abuse – addictive behaviors make frequent appearances during this stressful season – lack of positive/meaningful relationships create a feeling of withdrawal and loneliness – etc., etc., etc.

I have a Masters Degree in Counseling, along with being a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado for a number of years.  During my career as a therapist for troubled families, teens and abused children, I saw a lot of the “other side” of the holidays.  It’s real and it’s difficult. For those struggling during this time, there are several ways to stave off the holiday blues, including:

• Begin a new tradition. Plan a family outing or vacation instead of spending the holidays at home.
• Don’t succumb to holiday pressures. Feel free to leave an event if you aren’t comfortable and be willing to tell others, “I’m not up for this right now.”
• Volunteer. Work at a soup kitchen, organize a gift drive, help a food pantry or simply help the neighbor dig the snow out of his driveway.
• Get back to nature. Going for a walk in the park or the woods helps many people who are feeling overwhelmed to feel better.
• Inject the Antidote. Nearly everyone has one or more “toxic” relationships in their lives – relatives or friends/acquaintances who are relentlessly negative and/or needy.  Find and “inject” the “antidote” relationships during this season.  Consciously spend time with those people who are positive and supportive.

It might be easy to forget how challenging this time of year can be for people, but it’s also easy to remember you can help by being a positive influence to everyone you meet.  After all, Christmas is about giving and serving, not about getting.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/cowboy-boot-christmas-lincoln-rogers.html

Have a giving and positive Christmas season and don’t let your horse come home without ya!

Lincoln

You can find Lincoln’s online gallery of Fine Art Photography here

The Thermometer Says What?

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cold, cold front, fox, freezing, funny, horses, humorous, lincoln rogers, snow, temperatures, wildlife, winter, winter weather

Uh, no… I don’t enjoy the snow and cold this much.

Soooo…  I’m tapping the thermometer inside the house that measures the outside temperature because it CAN’T be minus eleven degrees outside right now.  Right?  This is the third evening in a row with temps at minus ten or more, and I’m procrastinating about heading out to the barn to make sure the horses’ water buckets (heated, of course) are in good shape and their blankets are fitting correctly.

Now before I get any responses from the good folks who endure crazy freezing temperatures in Montana, North Dakota, Alaska and/or Canada (you can’t be human – you came from an alien race that left a dying, frozen planet), this doesn’t happen in the Denver, Colorado area.  Sure, we get cold snaps, but it typically bounces right back after a couple of days to blue skies and reasonably comfortable temps.  Instead, it appears we’re stuck with this arctic cold front for a few more days.

At least the fox will enjoy it…

A Life Untamed (Cowboy Poetry)

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#photography, American Frontier, beef, cattle, cold, cowboy, cowboy hat, cowboy hats, cowboy poem, cowboy poetry, cowboys, dedicated, fine art photography, herd, horse, horses, Latigo, lincoln rogers, market, massive, mother nature, nature, old west, poem, poetry, ranch, ranching, ride, saddles, spurs, tough, toughness, Visual Arts, weather, west, western

Sitting here watching the thermometer hover at zero degrees today brought to mind the toughness and spirit of the cowboys who used to drive the massive cattle herds to market rain, sleet or snow in the old west.  Then I caught myself, because contemporary cowboys are still working the massive cattle herds no matter what mother nature throws their way.

This cowboy poem of mine is dedicated to cowboys past and present and was published in 2005 by the good folks at CowboyPoetry.com.

A Life Untamed (by Lincoln Rogers, 2005)

Dedicated to the working cowboy – past and present

The western trails bore Longhorn,
Over oceans of grass Plain,
And Cowboys rode like captains,
Through the waves of sun and rain.

4-inch brims and rowelled spurs,
Along with chaps and Latigo,
Matching leather on face and saddle,
Of a seasoned, working pro.

Some say the era of the Cowboy,
Is but a faded dream at best,
But that independent spirit,
Remains the heartbeat of the West.

Miles removed from concrete jungles,
On open vistas kissed by sun,
Modern Cowboys ride the range,
Just like those days the West was won.

So word and song is raised in honor,
To everyone who bears the flame;
Who stokes the fire of admiration,
For a life no one will tame.

© 2005, Lincoln Rogers
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author’s written permission.

Have a great day and don’t let your horse come home without ya!

Lincoln

Check out Lincoln’s online gallery of Fine Art Photography.

Honorable Mention (Cowboy Poetry)

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badge, bat masterson, billy the kid, cattle, cattle drive, cowboy, cowboy poetry, cowboys, cowpokes, fine art photography, honor, jesse james, lawmen, lincoln rogers, old west, Pard, poem, poems, poetry, ranch, range, respect, saddle, west, western, wyatt earp

I thought I’d leave you with a cowboy poem I wrote back in 2003 and which was published online by the good folks at CowboyPoetry.com, the best dad-gum cowboy poetry website in the world.

Honorable Mention (by Lincoln Rogers, 2003)

I hear the name of “Cowboy,”
Thrown about the world today.
By the sneer on those who say it,
It ain’t respect they aim to pay.

Their voices drip with insult,
As they mock those of the West.
The ones in times of trouble,
Who weren’t afraid to face a test.

Every time I hear the term,
It does remind me of those men.
Sweat and blood spilled on the earth,
Before they’d saddle up again.

There were lawmen with a badge,
Like Wyatt Earp and Masterson.
Or Jesse James and Billy the Kid,
Two outlaw heroes on the run.

But the image I can’t shake,
Its picture branded in my mind.
Is horse and rider on the trail,
Through day and night and storm unkind.

Those ‘pokes did work I can’t imagine,
Riding mounts close as a brother.
Running cattle through the plains,
And lookin’ out for one another.

I’ve read their tales and history,
And I believe the words are true.
Men tough enough to work the range,
Were not the many but the few.

So when you speak that sacred title,
About a Pard with boots and hat.
To honor those who rode before us,
Make sure you smile when you say that.

Have a great day and don’t let your horse come home without ya!

Lincoln

You can find Lincoln’s online Fine Art Photography here