Remembering my Dad!
I’m a bit late in posting this, as I was nursing WB last September with his recovery from surgery a few days before the article below was in our local paper…read the 50 Years Ago in the Days Gone By below.
50 years ago may seem like a long time ago but, vivid memories rush back to me of Round Up and my Dad!
Dad was the President of the Round Up when he turned 50 on September 17, 1964 during the second day of the rodeo…and he was pleasantly surprised with a birthday cake in the picture above.
He loved Round Up week as it was the one week a year he took for his vacation from the cattle ranch…
Dad was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1990…he was known by the cowboys as the “Cowboy President”…
Dad lived with a fused knee or stiff leg from a football injury during his senior year of high school…they didn’t have penicillin back then. Instead he was in a body/leg cast for a year in a hospital in Portland, OR. Without penicillin, they operated on his leg several times that year to literally scrape the infection off his leg bone.
He lived his entire life with sepsis knowing it could flare up unexpectedly anytime. Mom gave him penicillin shots to stop the infection…but often he ended up in the hospital, where he fought it like a pro football player that was MAD! Dad wanted to live his life fully with Mom and I, he fought hard for that!
Dad on my mare Lottie in 1986, he was Grand Marshall of the Westward Ho parade. I spent the summer riding Lottie every night out into the hills around the ranch with the serape you see on Lottie’s hind end. We ran and loped with that serape flapping on her flanks for months…didn’t want any spooks on parade day!
Dad never ever complained to me about his life…I never realized he was handicapped with his leg until I was in my 30’s…he did everything in life…riding for cows in mountainous country…roping calves, swinging down off his horse and moving as fast as he could in local rodeos…he was my hero…Mom was my second hero!
I grew up riding behind Dad in the mountains…I can still see his right elbow on his hip riding along with me behind him…
He was focused on the cows but he always kept an eye on me to be sure I was safe. In time I was trusted with going off and gathering on my own. But Dad knew where and what and how long it should take me. Our summer cattle range was 25,000 mountainous acres.
Dad, in his element…on his mare Gypsy in the Pendleton Round Up arena.
And me in my element with the life I grew up in and still love today!
Dad was the real deal…I thought of him as John Wayne, he did things with honor and with truth…he worked hard in his life, not allowing his leg to get in the way…he taught me to be tough, by never giving up!
Family honor and family respect…being honest, no lies was the only way to live life in Dad’s book…and forever seeking the best for others and not yourself.
When Dad stepped into heaven on October 9, 1997…I saddled up in “Dad’s” saddle a few days later…
And rode out into Dad’s homeland…
I am thankful for all that my Dad taught me…
With life and wisdom…
I miss you forever and love you for always Dad…and I will always be your cowgirl daughter:)
Let ‘er Buck Pendleton!
Hot Rod Cowgirl 
Jan 16, 2023 @ 18:30:36
Loved this post. I just lost my dad this past September, and this made me think of him. I was raised on horse and cattle ranches and so many of the pictures brought back memories of times together with my dad. Glad I found your blog.
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Sep 17, 2017 @ 19:08:03
Reblogged this on Hot Rod Cowgirl and commented:
Happy Birthday Dad! I love you and miss you!
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Nov 16, 2015 @ 11:52:23
We sure are alike HRCG!!! I have found some good answers….finally…..
G-D bless you & WB & Ellie & Melody & all the critters on the ranch!
((hugs)) Sherri-Ellen
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Nov 09, 2015 @ 14:21:07
I do a lot of research on things. I was trained in Medical research altho never got to use it to earn a living. Now the training helps me to research cat issues & other health issues.
I did a chart of the kibbles & wet foods Siddhartha Henry was eating & the Royal Canin & took it to pet supply store so Doug could help me find other comparable wet food for Siddhartha. He as impressed I had made the chart. I now KNOW what to look for % wise for low protein/low fat. I tell people DO NOT send Temptations or Party Mix as those treats are VERY bad for Siddhartha. He can eat Semi-Moist Greenies with no adverse effects.
I pray for wisdom & guidance ALL the time HRCG! G-D knows I need it, hahaha….
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Nov 15, 2015 @ 19:49:43
You are very much like me….research and compare and pray hard for answers:) God Bless You and Purrrince Siddhartha Henry!
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Nov 04, 2015 @ 11:01:05
Bein innocent or naïve is one thing; being taken for a ‘mug’ & finding out what the Homepath did could have damaged Siddhartha henry’s kidneys or killed him is another thing. I am tired of being betrayed HRCG. It has worn me down so much.
*sighs* I so need a vacation….. 😦
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Nov 08, 2015 @ 14:48:36
I truly understand and know the feeling. Anymore anything a medical doctor says to either WB or me I go home and research what they said before IO will try whatever it is….I do the same with my animals….I google everything to death anymore for my own knowledge and also for any issues I am having with the animals, health concerns, behavior or training etc. and I check out the foods that I give to them and the treats too as some are very bad for them! Senbdning you prayers for protection and wisdom…I always ask God for wisdom daily:)
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Nov 04, 2015 @ 04:41:51
This is an absolutely fabulous tribute and post about your Dad – and about your family. The Terjeson name is a great one in Eastern Oregon (I’ve known a few!) and you should be proud. Those are some great photos and your words take me back when I was just a kid…what a great place to live, grow up and best yet always can return and it is like you’ve never left. Wonderful write up.
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Nov 08, 2015 @ 14:44:06
Thank you so much for your kind words:) I miss my folks, I was blessed to grow up with them and to live with the cows and horses! So true about how things never change here…sort of a time warp of sorts but a good one:) My hubby and I went through a devastating flash flood in Central Oregon many years ago, our ranch was the only one hit. We were lucky to escape with our lives as it happened so quickly…barns went down, sheds collapsed and we watched a D-5 cat tractor with the blade down bob along in the powerful waters. I was so glad to round the corner into Juniper Canyon and see “home”…everything was intact! It helped heal the trauma memories and was sooooo good to see Mom and Dad…and to be “home!” I have to ask since you grew up here too, do I know you or your family? Probably do with a small area like this:) Wishing you a wonder week ahead!
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Nov 08, 2015 @ 19:30:19
There is nothing quite like the lifestyle of Pendleton, and only when I was away from it did I realize how special it was. The Central Oregon flood sounds terrifying…glad nothing too serious happened. I think your parents know mine – my dad was a R-Up Director in 1990 (Medical – he is a surgeon in Pendleton) and one of my mom’s best friends is Pat Terjeson. Wish you a great week ahead…and Let’er Buck ~
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Nov 15, 2015 @ 19:46:07
Yes, we do know who your parents are…Dr. Collis and wife Doris…and your Dad’s name is Rayburn if I remember correctly. We all went to your Dad upon occasion. I lost my Dad in 1997 and my Mom in 1998. My aunt Patty was married to my Dad’s youngest brother Ron who was a twin to Rich…the twins were ten years old when my parents married. Aunt Patty is a wonderful lady, strong and a caring aunt. I used to stay with them some when my folks were busy with R-Up…between Uncle Ralph and Aunt Anne I was in heaven staying with either of them as I could see my cousins…being an only at times was lonely…but I managed and learned how to be alone:) Have a peaceful evening and a happy week!
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Nov 15, 2015 @ 19:59:25
Yes, Reyburn is my dad. I ran Vansycle grain elevator my 1st summer harvest at PGG and the Terjeson clan helped me quite a bit understand the business 🙂 Always nice to think back to those days. Wish you a great week ahead!
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Nov 15, 2015 @ 20:08:24
What year were you at Vansycle?
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Nov 15, 2015 @ 20:26:49
I ask about Vansycle as I drove truck to Vansycle in the early 1970’s…and when Wild Bill and I were first married, we lived in the hole…not in the house but we moved our 14 by 70 single wide trailer down there. Of course I grew up with Vansycle, Stanton, Juniper and Myrick…and when we had wheat ground down in the Buttercreek area when we had the cattle ranch I drove truck there too…we did not go to an elevator, instead we had to back our trucks out onto this ramp with no sides where we dumped our trucks…the grain would go down the chute and once the chute was full, a PGG truck would come out to load it…it was one scary deal, but all us cousins learned how to do it and do it safely…we were kids so we did not pay attention to the fact that we could fall off or the truck could slide off…it was many feet off the ground…not sure what they called them but now I would call them scary! You do know that PGG is gone? It is very sad and confusing…my Dad and uncles were part of the original group of farmers out here in Juniper to form PGG…from 1939 until now…it has been a shock for sure!
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Nov 15, 2015 @ 21:10:41
That is great – I was at Vansycle around 1985. I’ve heard PGG has restructured and really struggled, my memories there are great. It is sad especially because of the history of the farmers of the co-op.
Harvest was a time when as much as safety was talked about, work was work and we just did what needed to be done. Backing a truck down a ramp to dump…glad it was you and not me. I think the drivers always had it tough (I drove combine for part of a summer for Frank Tubbs)…enjoyed those times of harvest 🙂
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Nov 15, 2015 @ 21:56:46
1985 we had moved to the house I grew up in…and I was cooking in harvest! Harvest has really changed since those days…huge trucks if they even use them, most farmers use semi trucks and bank out wagons that hold lots of wheat…my poor little International truck would not fit anymore! And instead of 25 to 30 for our harvest crew…now they do it was maybe 6 to 8 or less…technology and the advance of the American farmer…while on one hand I applaud it but growing up in the old ways and old days, it is sad. Harvest lunch now is almost extinct…I loved it when I was driving truck and when we all went in to eat at one of the aunt’s houses for an hour there was family banter and lots of laughs…when I cooked for harvest, it was still the same…lots of memories. I have to laugh about that ramp elevator in the middle of nowhere…LOL! My Uncle Tommy taught me…he took me to the platform and then taught me how to line up and back slowly, feeling it and then raise my bed, get out to scrape all the wheat and then pull forward…it only took a few tries and I had it. Life was different back then huh? You’re right we did what we had to do…wish I had a camera then! Frank Tubbs was so nice and I’m sure you had a great time with his crew! Harvest was a connection to the past of our ancestors and the hard work they did for us to enjoy. Its fun to share the old memories with you…I hope you have a wonderful night:)
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Nov 16, 2015 @ 01:45:43
Yeah, I stopped by Rew elevator a number of years ago and these huge trucks were coming in bottom-dumping… I had a record for the # of trucks in one day out at Rew (w/o an assistant, Fulton was usually the busiest) but that was because most of the trucks coming in were tiny (Rosenburg and Simpson being the first to come in with the larger International Trucks that always had to monitor their beds when dumping because they were so large, and because they could not go all the way up they left a lot of grain in the corners and I loved shoveling the grain from those trucks because I got to show off for the girl drivers…ha, ha…such a simple/hard yet perfect time. Frank was great, I remember him being disappointed (in a joking way) when I took the summer job at PGG to become “a warehouseman…”
I remember always having to work Sundays, and the farmers always bringing me pieces of their lunch (the best being Bev Dick and her desserts). It is great reminiscing and such a far cry from where I am now in Hong Kong, although makes me excited to head back for Christmas. Cheers to a great day for you!
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Nov 16, 2015 @ 12:05:57
My little truck had a hoist, I think it was a 1953 International…and it never got stuck for the most part while my older cousin drove a newer and much bigger truck that was always stuck…if my truck had any issues I would drive the 1952 International and it did not have a hoist…like you said, it was fun to get out and talk to the guy truck drivers…too funny! When I hauled to Vansycle, when you exited the elevator you had to sort of run up on the gravel road bank a few times in order to get turned around…the good old days:) You are a long ways from home….and I can only imagine what you are seeing…it must be exciting to experience parts of the world that many do not see. I have not traveled much but I did go to the Middle East on a three week tour…Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Israel and left out of Vienna. It was eye opening for the country girl let me tell ya! I was blessed to see so much of that area though with a great tour guide…I truly enjoyed seeing everything but it was good to land at JFK! I hit a hamburger place first thing! Flew into Portland at midnight where my hubby picked me up and the next morning we drove home to Juniper…it was incredible to go from Israel to Juniper Canyon harvest…I pinched myself to be sure it was real and I was glad that it was:) I learned growing up that farmers and cattlemen do not take days off…as Dad always said the cows did not take the day off so we can’t either:) I have worked hard on Bill as Dad told me before he passed to be sure and not work 24/7 and to enjoy life…so we do take time off and we do get away from the ranch when we can. Bill has four employees in the shop building and restoring cool cars too but we walk away a few times a year! Its great talking to you about the old days of harvest! Have a good one!
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Nov 16, 2015 @ 18:26:50
Something about traveling overseas makes home all that more special ~ for me, I missed great beef too. Sometimes I wonder about how work today (meetings, conferences and trade shows) are in such contrast to the 24/7 life of a farmers/ranchers. Balance is definitely needed and good to hear how well you are in taking advantage of this ~ work hard/play hard is a good motto for country life. Cheers!
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Nov 01, 2015 @ 02:52:17
What a beautiful tribute, well told. You have great memories. Your story seems so much like Wodlake. Craig Jackson, who now lives in OR, is the son of our rodeo hero, and I think his story would probably read like yours. His father, Johnny, was a town hero. I never met him, but when researching my book, his touch was everywhere in this rodeo town. 🙂
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Nov 01, 2015 @ 19:35:57
So good to hear from you:) And thank you for your kind words…Dad was incredible in the way he lived his life and he gave me so much…he taught me by example and now I am also growing older…relying on what both Dad and Mom taught me:)
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Oct 28, 2015 @ 14:39:43
I miss my Father’s wisdom…..I wish he would have been here to guide me with Siddhartha Henry’s care. Funny thing yesterday (Tuesday) I felt his presence when we were meeting the new Vet……I thanked him & G-d for the gift of a new Vet who really cares about the animals. 😉
❤ LOVE ❤ Sherri-Ellen
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Oct 31, 2015 @ 09:24:02
Yes, me too. I often draw on the wisdom both my parents gave to me:) I am sure he was with you…I think that sometimes God allows our loved ones to visit us briefly. I do believe for sure that God arranged the new vet too:)Our God is an awesome God!
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Nov 02, 2015 @ 08:42:42
I felt my Father here last week. He would have told me straight away to find a new Vet & not fiddle around with Homeopathy etc. Lesson learned the hard way!
**sighs**
Sometimes I feel like a 16 yr old & not a grown up, lol… 😉
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Nov 02, 2015 @ 21:48:34
Nothing wrong with the innocence of a young girl yet:) I am that way too quite often…PS is on the road to mend with the correct food and vitamins for his body:)
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Oct 24, 2015 @ 07:35:14
You’re lucky to have heroes so close to home. I’m guessing they were lucky to have you around too. Have a great weekend.
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Oct 24, 2015 @ 21:43:16
Thank you so much:) I was way blessed…my parents were older parents…Mom was 35 and Dad was 39 when I was born…they gave me so much in life lessons and wisdom. I was not spoiled, I had to work and earn my way. I figured that was normal life…and I’m glad I learned to have work ethic. Life was good but of course at the time I had no idea growing up that life was good:) To me it was life…I miss it…living it with horses, cows, family and everyday life…in a very simple country girls life:)
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Oct 22, 2015 @ 12:26:20
We were blessed for sure. Hard to believe it has been 6 years my Father is gone. Some days I just wish I could call him for advice or to hear the sound of his voice….that German accent always comforted me…..
I hope the tech gets over his trouble & can fix your email soon….people are so stressed out these days!
((hugs)) Sherri-Ellen ❤
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Oct 27, 2015 @ 14:42:55
Yeah me too…I miss being able to ask either Mom or Dad a question or for advice…or have a cup of coffee with them…I miss them…
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Oct 12, 2015 @ 14:11:00
Photos help us KNOW where we came from don’t they HRCG??? I have my Nanna’ss photos from UK & it is nice to look at them…I have a lot of my Mother’s photos & my own. My StepMother would not send me ANY photos after my Father died. Thankfully he had sent me some a few years b4. I also have photos of him from 1947 on….(they were Nanna’s). There are none of him b4 that because of the war……
Your Father sounds like he was a ‘stand-up’ man! You were so blessed. My father was a spiritual gentle man of few words but great insight.
I figured WB was a lot like your Father. I tried to ‘find’ my Father many times over.
No one could be like him it seems.
Those 3 “H’s” you mentioned are so lacking today….
(((hugs))) dear friend, Sherri-Ellen
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Oct 21, 2015 @ 19:06:59
Thank you much my friend:) I understand and agree:) Our Dad’s were good men and we were both blessed to call them my Dad:) My email has thrown a fit and I cannot get the tech who works for our small telephone company to help me….there must be something wrong in his life as it is weird. Yes our pictures bring back so many good memories and also tender one:) Hugs back gf:)
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 17:01:08
Osteomyelitis? My father had that same bone infection. It was never cured. He was dragged by a car when he was a kid and he fought that infection until the day he died. It’s an ugly thing and painful.
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 21:08:52
YES! He lived with it from 18 years old until he passed away at 83…Mom was a nurse so she could give Dad the shots when I was little…that is interesting that your Dad also had the bone infection too. My friend we do have much in common:) Dad had his good knee replaced due to the heavy use on it in the mid 1980″s…the surgery went well and he came home in good shape…he was three months into recovery and BAM…that darn infection reared its ugly head! Back to the hospital and it hurt so bad he could not stand a sheet to touch his legs…it came on so quickly, overnight. Osteomyelitis reared its ugly head many times in Dad’s life…and weakened his body over time. The last time we went for our nightly walk together was less than a week before he passed away…by then Dad was in a wheel chair and we had a Hoyer Lift here to help him out of bed…and he never complained. Once Dad was in his wheel chair off we went. We walked down to one of the pastures that my cutting mare Lottie was in as there were some steers in with her and Dad loved to watch her cut them in the pasture for fun…and she always put on a good show! Lottie was classic and always made us both laugh with her antics:)
I lost Dad in 1997 and Mom in 1998 and Lottie in 1999…breast cancer in 2006. Kleenex and I had a strong relationship for several years! I’m almost to my 10 year mark for surviving breast cancer…and you are at the 5 year mark…we are both strong ladies, no make that tough ladies! Grrrrrr! Sending you sister hugs:) Love Ya!
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 16:28:21
What a beautiful tribute to your Dad, and those photos are great!
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 20:51:16
Thank you much:) Dad was a good father and a good husband..I love the old photos and I love black and white photos…to me they are more real, more powerful in reflecting the life of the subject:) Hugs:)
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 15:19:03
What a heartfelt & touching tribute to your Father HRCG!! He is looking down & smiling with love at you always!!! He DOES sound like he was you ‘John Wayne’ just as my Father was my ‘Buddha’. We were so blessed to have such great role models.
Love all the photos….so many memories…
Your Father had that rugged handsome look an solid values! And to think he ad leg trouble yet worked so hard & never complained….WOW he was a true Cowboy!
(((Hugs))) Sherri-Ellen & **paw patss** Siddhartha Henry xxxx
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 21:28:38
Thank you so much Sherri-Ellen for your kind words and thoughts….I am very blessed with the photos as way back when there was a professional photographer up at cow camp with us a few summers…at the time I was maybe 10 to 11 and thought what? I am blessed now to have them…Dad was a man’s man…and he taught me to look for the same in a man and WB is very much like my Dad…he too is a man’s man…honor, honesty, heritage and doing what is right:)
{{{{Hugs}}}} and Prayers Always:)
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 12:17:28
Wow! What a fantastic testament to a man who was so much and gave to all in his ability to perform his roles in life. What a great father you had and I am amazed at his covering up his handicap and your not knowing. Not a complainer nor a dawdler, either. I have respect for him, even without knowing him. I hope you have a wonderful month of October and sorry I fall behind in reading. I may breeze through and like several posts I am able to speed through this is a habit I developed at a young age. Thanks for sharing this lovely memorial of your Dad. I lost mine in 2001, you did in 1997. A long time missing them, but also knwoing they are with us every step we take gives me comfort and I feel the sense of my own Dad often. I was a “Daddy’s only girl.” Smiles, Robin
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 20:48:27
Thank you for your kind words:) Growing up I knew Dad had a stiff leg but did not comprehend the magnitude of his injury until I was old enough to put the pieces together. Dad told me after a year in Portland he struggled coming home…the last time we talked he told me he let his parents down and I asked why…he told me when he was injured and in Portland, 18 years old, he worried for his Mom…he said she had lots to take care of with his younger twin brothers and felt bad that he burdened his Mom and Dad with his injury. My mouth fell open as to me Dad did everything…he was a humble and honest man…I told him I was proud of him and proud to call him Dad…how much the quiet witness of his life meant to me. He felt he could have done more in life…and my mouth dropped again as running a huge cattle ranch, roping and riding in all conditions year round, being president of the round up, our rodeo here, was also huge…he accomplished so much in his life! Born in 1914, he was cut from a different cloth and we are loosing those who stood for honesty and hard work. I do know that his parents never thought of him as a burden but kids back then understood how hard their parents worked to make their children’s life better. The house I live in today is the same house I grew up in…when my grandparents built it in 1920, they had 7 kids, Dad was 10, and they had their own house in town, 20 miles away….they built the house for Grandpa’s Mom who was yet in Norway…she came to America when she was 76 years of age…moving here when there was no paved roads and no power or people. Family and heritage were important then…they were important when I grew up too…today I am not sure if the younger generations get it. Our ancestors worked hard to give us all a better life:) Growing up in a house that was built out of respect for family taught me a lot…Grandpa wanted to honor his Mother and he wanted her here with him as his Father passed away in Norway…and yet with all of his responsibilities, Grandpa honored his Mom…that is so very cool!And Grandma being ok with it was huge too!
I know what you mean about speeding through posts when I am pressed for time…it seems life is rushing and if I get a chance to even blog I am doing good! Yes, if I did not know my Dad was with me, it would be tough…knowing that someday I will see Dad again, riding for cows in Heaven’s glorious mountains will be so awesome! We are both blessed to be a “Daddy’s only girl”…hugs:)
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 10:27:37
Wonderful photographs and memories! 🙂
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 10:51:05
Thank you:) Always good to see you!
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 14:35:49
Thanks! 😊
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 16:37:09
🙂
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 04:01:54
Great post……..I too was a Daddy’s Girl……..I lost my Dad in 1993 but learned a lot from him although he was a very “quiet and private” man. Memories keep us going don’t they……………
Love, Pam (and Sam)
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 10:58:31
Thank you Pam and Sam. Being a Daddy’s Girl was good…it sounds like we both learned a lot from our Dad’s! Dad was also quiet and private, he taught me more from actions and very few words, the lessons I learned from Dad and Mom too, have carried me through my adult life. This year for some reason loosing Dad and Mom hit me harder, I had to write as those good memories do carry you through that wave of grief. Sending hugs and tender thoughts to you and your beautiful kitty boy Sam:)
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 01:38:57
Thank you for the story and pictures! Touching…
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 10:50:27
Thank you for your words and for stopping by the blog:)
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Oct 09, 2015 @ 23:47:29
What a life…just amazing,xx Rachel
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Oct 10, 2015 @ 10:49:31
He was amazing in so may ways…Mom was too. Thank you much:)
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