The Western Landscape

Last week I went to Elko, Nevada to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, staged by The Western Folklife Center, which "is dedicated to exploring, presenting and preserving the diverse and dynamic cultural heritage of the American West."

This was my second time going to the event, and this year's theme was "Expressing the Rural West--Into the Future!"  I was particularly interested because Pat, Sharon and Meghan O'Toole from the Ladder Ranch, subjects of my documentary, A Handful of Dust,  were speaking in several workshops.  This seemed like an opportune time to capture their thoughts on film.

Beyond that, there were 50 cowboy poets and musicians performing over the six days, so it was a great opportunity to meet people who might contribute their talents to the documentary.  I was gratified that six well known, and very talented artists agreed to help out.  To see more about my time there, head over to the blog page at A Handful of Dust.

Of course, whenever I travel, I'm always on the lookout for great visuals.  Here a two of my favorites from  the road.