This is my great granddad. Before he married, he leased 1000 acres of land from the Mexican government and built a ranch. He raised cattle and horses, some of the best stock for both, or so I've always heard. He married, and started a family.

I was named after his wife, who bore him 10 children. 7 lived, Lucille, Joyce, John D, Lela, Halver, Donna, and Mabel. 3 died, Author [when he was 3], and 2 in childbirth. The last one killed my great grandmother when my grandmother was only 8.

My great granddad was one of the best cowboys in the area, again, so I hear. Growing up, whenever my grandma's siblings would come down for family gatherings or holidays, eventually, I would wind up sitting enthralled at the feet of one of my great aunts or uncles, listening to stories about him.

My favorite was when he and his brothers went to gather some wild horses. They gathered a good size herd and headed home. On the second day, his brother came up to him and said that he thought they were being followed. He said, "I know, they've been following us all day. Don't look at them."

The rode that day, and made camp early. Just after dark, they moved their horses up into the trees, away from the freshly gathered herd. They built the fire up big, and pretended to sleep.

When the fire died down, they heard movement near the herd. When they heard the horses moving off a ways, they crept into the trees and recovered their horses. They packed up camp and followed the theives. They stayed a good distance back and managed to go unnoticed. When the theives made camp, they were quite loud and celebratory, mocking the stupid gringos they stole the horses from. One by one, they passed out. My granddad and his brothers crept into camp, gathered the horses, and rode for home, not stopping except to water the horses, for two days.

That's the story I remember most. I loved when my uncle John D told it. My grandma says that her brother John D is not only the spitting image of her dad, but talks and acts just like him as well. My uncle John D always reminded me of Gus from Lonesome Dove. I love that movie. I can't watch just one part, I always have to sit through the entire epic, during which I'm most likely bawling my eyes out to the point where I'm almost physically ill by the end.

I just thought I'd share, because my grandma just found this picture of her dad, and I couldn't resist.