Sporting Road

The Kewa Pueblo (formerly Santo Domingo Pueblo) in New Mexico holds vibrant, sacred Corn Dances, typically in the summer (especially August 4th for St. Dominic's Day), as an ancient ritual to give thanks for the harvest and ask for continued blessings, featuring large numbers of dancers in traditional attire shuffling in patterns, accompanied by songs, drummers, and masked clowns in the central plaza under cornstalk arbors.  Key Aspects of the Kewa Corn Dance: Purpose: A deeply spiritual ceremony for gratitude and abundance, deeply tied to the land and community's survival. Timing: Often happens in summer, with significant events around the St. Dominic Annual Feast Day (August 4th). Participants: Involves many dancers in double file (men leading women), with women's hands on men's shoulders, changing formations with the songs. Setting: The dance occurs in the central plaza, often with an arbor made of cornstalks and cottonwoods. Elements: Accompanied by drumming, singing, and ceremonial clowns smeared with clay and wearing traditional markings. Significance: A major cultural event, considered one of the best and largest in New Mexico.  Visiting Kewa Pueblo: Etiquette: When visiting any Pueblo feast day, it's crucial to be respectful, follow instructions, and understand that photography is not allowed or they will confiscate your phone or camera. Cultural Context: These dances are religious ceremonies, not performances for tourists, emphasizing the deep connection to their heritage and land. 

Blanca Peak (Navajo: Sis Naajinį́ meaning "black belted mountain";[5] Tewa: Peeroradarath; Ute: Pintsae'i'i) is the fourth highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The ultra-prominent 14,351-foot (4,374 m) peak is the highest summit of the Sierra Blanca Massif, the Sangre de Cristo Range, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The fourteener is located 9.6 miles (15.5 km) north by east (bearing 9°) of the Town of Blanca, on the drainage divide separating Rio Grande National Forest and Alamosa County from the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant and Costilla County. The summit is the highest point of both counties and the entire drainage basin of the Rio Grande. Below the steep North Face of Blanca Peak two live Glaciers once developed, until extinction sometime after 1903. North & South Blanca Glaciers were located at 37° 35N.,longitude 105° 28W. Blanca Peak is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude.[b][1][2][6]

With rodeo proudly designated as Montana’s official state sport, the state made a strong showing at this year’s NFR, highlighted by Montana athletes earning major wins and thrilling fans in Las Vegas: Sam Petersen and his Bareback Average Championship win; tie-down roper Haven Meged’s Round 9 win with a lightning-fast 7.0-second run; steer wrestlers Ty Erickson and Jesse Brown; and veteran barrel racer Lisa Lockhart.   But Montana doesn’t just produce rodeo champions. It fosters a culture where rodeo is still deeply connected to the land, the people, and the Western way of life. To truly understand why rodeo lives here, you need to experience it in person. Home to some of the nation's oldest and most storied Western traditions, Montana isn’t just a destination for rodeo fans—it’s a way of life for the people who live it every day. Start your journey at RodeoLivesHere.com, your go-to guide for all things Montana rodeo. There you’ll find 2026 rodeo events, including local favorites like the Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede and Red Lodge Home of Champions, plus regional stops on the PRCA circuit and homegrown competitions across Native nations and ranch communities. You can also explore the stories of people who live and breathe rodeo in small towns with big heart. Ready to plan your 2026 rodeo road trip? Visit RodeoLivesHere.com for travel ideas, event listings, athlete stories, and more. Discover why Montana isn’t just part of rodeo—it’s where rodeo lives.

Photo credit to Stephen Collector by Jim Harrison Let’s not get romantic or dismal about death.Indeed it’s our most unique act along with birth.We must think of it as cooking breakfast,it’s that ordinary. Break two eggs into a bowlor break a bowl into two eggs. Slip into a coffinafter the fluids have been drained, or better yet,slide into the fire. Of course it’s a little hardto accept your last kiss, your last drink,your last meal about which the condemnedcan be quite particular as if there could bea cheeseburger sent by God. A few loverssweep by the inner eye, but it’s mostly a placidlake at dawn, mist rising, a solitary looncall, and staring into the still, opaque water.We’ll know as children again all that we aredestined to know, that the water is coldand deep, and the sun penetrates only so far. Jim Harrison, “Death Again” from Jim Harrison: The Essential Poems. from the Writer’s Almanac Podcast, August 14th, 2019 ______________________________________________________________________________________________For another fun read on Collector and Harrison: https://stephencollector.com/blog/spring-2020-issue-of-the-flyfish-journal

Carrying experiences and burdens The phrase "life is like a backpack" is a metaphor that my father in law used for life being a journey where you carry your experiences and burdens, or the idea that happiness comes from letting go of what you don't need. It suggests that your experiences, both positive and negative, are the "contents" of your "backpack," which influence who you are and how you navigate the world. The analogy can also be used to talk about the weight of grief, the accumulation of possessions, or the beliefs you carry.  Experiences: Your backpack contains your life's experiences—joy, sadness, challenges, and achievements—that have shaped you.  Grief: Grief is often compared to a backpack that you carry. The weight may lessen over time, but it's a permanent part of you that you learn to carry, with some days feeling heavier than others.  Burdens: It can represent the "weight" of psychological and emotional burdens, such as past trauma or limiting beliefs, that can be heavy and difficult to bear.  The contents of your backpack Material vs. essential items: The backpack can represent the things you own. Some people realize that true happiness isn't in accumulating possessions but in letting go of unnecessary "dead weight" to feel lighter and more free.  Beliefs: Your backpack can be seen as a metaphor for the beliefs you carry. You can choose to "empty your backpack" of limiting beliefs to make room for growth and new possibilities.  The journey of life Travel and growth: Just as a traveler learns to pack light, you can learn to carry less. The focus shifts from how much you carry to how freely you can move, grow, and embrace new experiences.  Support: The metaphor can also highlight the importance of support. With a partner, the "weight"

Working Dogs-ADA Service Dogs-Police Dogs-ESA Whether it's a Belgian Malinois or a Doberman, bite dogs, search dogs, and all working dogs end up with some of the same training. The main difference is that service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability, while emotional support dogs (ESAs) provide comfort through their presence. This distinction leads to different legal rights: service dogs have public access rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and can accompany their handlers to most public places, while ESAs are primarily covered under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), allowing for reasonable accommodation in housing, but not public access.Service dogsTraining: Must be trained to perform specific tasks directly related to their handler's disability, which can be physical, psychiatric, sensory, or intellectual.Examples of tasks: A guide dog leads a blind person, a psychiatric service dog performs deep pressure therapy during a panic attack, or a mobility dog retrieves dropped items.Legal rights:Public Access: Have full access rights to public places like restaurants, stores, and businesses under the ADA.Air Travel: Are permitted to fly in the cabin with their handler under the Air Carrier Access Act, though airlines may require forms.Note: The ADA does not require professional training. A person with a disability can train their own service dog.Emotional support dogsTraining: Do not need to be trained to perform specific tasks. Their primary role is to provide emotional comfort.Examples of tasks: There are no specific tasks. The animal provides comfort through its presence, which can help with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.Legal rights:Public Access: Do not have public access rights. They are not permitted in most public places that don't have a general "pet-friendly" policy.Air

Coach Prime was just quoted upon Shilo's release from the NFL, "He’s my son, I’m proud of my kids, all of them, and I prepared my kids for any and everything that could possibly happen in life and in sports." Later he was quoted as saying, “Thank God that God prepared him for everything he’s dealing with,” he said. “I mean, I think a lesser man would have crumbled. But he’s been built for this, and who else is built for the adversity like he is? Like, going into the NFL? I don’t think it’s too many quarterbacks that have (been) built like that for the adverse situations and not having the best of things to happen around him.” That reminded me of my falconer friend, Hal Webster, who trained falcons much of his life and is one of the most published authors on the subject. He also trained falcons for flight with lures, kites, balloons, etc. The parents will catch small prey—like a dove—and begin flying past the cliff, trying to entice the young chick, which by this point is usually between 48 and 55 days old. They gradually stop feeding the chick, teasing it instead to encourage it to take flight. Once the fledglings finally launch into the air, a graceful aerial dance of food exchanges begins. As the young birds build muscle and confidence, the parents continually raise the challenge, pushing them to refine their skills. The falconers mimic this training process, now with drones, but they used to use balloons or kites to dangle the bait. He introduced me to Gene Johnson and several other amazing falconers. Gene was also quite the artist as you can see from one of his