here and there

In Denver, early January marks the time where the Front Range is invaded by cattle, cowboy hats, and half of Wyoming for the annual National Western Stock Show and PRCA Rodeo. Denver suddenly remembers its affinity for whiskey, country music and Jack Weil western wear.

Meanwhile in the south of Brazil, nestled just north of Argentina and Uruguay, the legends of the gauchos are mirroring their northern counterparts. In grocery stores do sul, the massive cuts of beef engulf entire refrigerated cases, markets on Friday are full of party-planners and grill masters of the churrasco. Here, the flag of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (home of DadoBier), is more well loved than the banner of the country. The State anthem is screamed and cried and probably used at amateur karaoke nights. Underneath both these groups is a deep love for land, for open, wild spaces and the places where the air is just a bit thinner, fresher, full of stories waiting to be told over a campfire, a couple Dados, and a slab of sizzling beef.  The smoke drifts upwards until it swirls into the stars- carrying the best of times and engaging stories drifting off into memory.