Beach Girl Turned Cowgirl

Growing up in Orange County there weren’t many opportunities to move towards my current lifestyle.   Yet there were glimpses of a future that would lie a bit off the average side of suburban lifestyle. 

My father worked for the Irvine Ranch.  The major portion of his work dealt with leases to farmers.  Once upon a time agriculture was the main industry in Orange County, hence the name. Among the thousands of acres owned by Irvine, was a large cattle ranch that ran all the way to the beach in Newport and Laguna.

Every spring, they would gather the cattle and put on a huge branding.  It was quite a social event.  Movie stars, politicians, and other dignitaries were all invited.  They would watch the cowboys on horseback cut the young calves out of the herd then rope and brand the bawling calves.  The smell of burning hair 50 years later takes me back to that time during the branding.  It’s so peculiar how the sense of smell has the ability to transport us.

In the evening the feast of deep-pit beef, beans and garlic bread was combined with the consumption of much drink. It was always accompanied by the music of strolling, silver-festooned Mariachi band. I would hear those trumpets in my sleep for weeks afterwards. As a kid, it always amazed me how loud the grown-ups raucous laughter became during these festivities.