When the days grew longer,
My mind and heart would wonder.
I tried to concentrate on school,
Because that was the rule.
If I wanted to go with dad to cow camp,
I would have to finish the year like a champ.
I learned so much those summers in the mountains with my dad,
Those were some of the best summers I ever had.
Every year held more opportunities
More knowledge and experience meant more responsibility.
Bringing in the horses, and saddling my own
May have been small things but to my young mind they were milestones.
I moved cows and learned to be a hand,
My dad taught me about horses, cattle and the land.
Many lessons were learned out on an old Appaloosa horse,
With a trusty cow dog by my side, of course.
Whether it was doctoring a cow or roping a calf,
I know some of my ways made my dad laugh.
He taught me his way, which I studied and altered to make it mine,
Maybe his way would have been easier, that was another lesson I would learn with time.
Rodearing cattle or gathering a circle,
I knew what he expected of me even when he said very little.
When our summers at cow camp began I just wanted to ride,
By the end, I was becoming a hand and that gave me pride.
Pride in my abilities and in my confidence,
I knew I could make a good hand and go the distance.
Years have come and gone since our summers at cow camp,
Many lessons both easy and hard have left their stamp.
Those days full of horses and cattle make me smile,
Many a fond memory was made and enough stories to fill up your ear for a while.