Country Lifestyles
A true cowboy – Bill Whitley
By Judy Wade
When 2016 Cowboy True judges awarded Bill Whitley the first place ribbon for his sculpture “The Cactus Bloomers,” they were honoring a true cowboy.
Born on the Buckle L near Childress, as a child he and his brother, Kevin, had the opportunity to live on some of the major ranches in West Texas and meet many of the legendary cowboys who worked there. The son of Harry and Charlotte Whitley, his father’s cowboying took them to various ranches such as the 6666’s, Waggoners and Halsells.
Whitley himself spent 22 years working for the Halsells and later Dr. Crump, both in Clay County.
Although he had no formal training in art, Whitley said he began drawing with a pen and pencil when he was about six. “My mother had a lot of talent, but she never had the chance to expand it. I also have an uncle who is talented,” Whitley related.
Whitley attended school at Henrietta. “My third grade teacher, Mrs. Lucille Arnold, taught us some art, but her resources and supplies were limited. Mr. Glen Wilfong was not an art teacher, but he showed me there is a big, wide world out there,” he continued.
He does pen and ink drawings, oil paintings and charcoal sketches in addition to the sculpting. His first attempt at sculpting was a set of bookends featuring Hereford bulls done in bas relief in bakeable clay. They are mounted on cedar cut on the Halsell ranch and held in place by horseshoes that were the last set pulled from one of his favorite horses. To read more pick up a copy of the June 2016 issue of NTFR.
“Bending the Wild Mare”—a work in progress. (Photo courtesy of Bill Whitley)
The award winning “The Cactus Bloomers.” (Photo courtesy of Bill Whitley)
“Boarding the Hurricane Deck” graces the Whitley’s stone mantle. (Photo courtesy of Bill Whitley)
By Dal Houston
I am terribly saddened by all the argumentative discourse that seems to be going on in today’s world. It seems as though it is no longer enough just to disagree on certain issues. We are expected to classify someone as an enemy if they do not always agree with us on all issues, lest we be considered weak.
To make things even worse, because those who disagree with you are now considered enemies, the sentiment seems to be that it is only fair and proper to destroy them, because they are the enemy, again with the fear of ridicule for being weak if we do not fight.
With all that said, and seemingly unrelated, I am a big John Wayne fan. From watching him dive into his role as a cowboy, to marveling at his time portraying a soldier or appreciating his acting gig as a sailor, there is seldom a week that goes by without me watching at least one
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Martha Crump
That old adage, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.,” may have some basis in truth when applied to minor situations. However, when what you don’t know is presented in the form of a “Trojan Horse” and is what amounts to an incredible attempt to fleece American property rights, it becomes a different story altogether.
To put this unbelievable tale together, we need to step back to Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order which pledged commitment to help restore balance on public lands and waters, to create jobs, and to provide a path to align the management of America’s public lands and waters with our nation’s climate, conservation, and clean energy goals.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Lacey Vilhauer
Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water
Directions:
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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