I ended the photos from Sicily with Claudio, a storyteller.

And now I’d like to introduce you to Sam, who is also a storyteller. He was the cowboy in charge of the chuckwagon breakfasts during a cowboy poetry gathering. And when he had a few spare minutes between overseeing campfires, Dutch ovens, biscuits, and so forth he was happy to tell some tales. Some were probably true, and others were like to have been tall. But it didn’t matter: we were having a great time.

On the surface it might seem like he doesn’t have anything in common with my Sicilian pal Claudio, but they share a quiet graciousness, an understated confidence in what they do, and an open and approachable personality.

And Sam also has the world’s oldest cowboy hat.

Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Alpine, Texas
photographed 2.22.2025