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2. For me, highlights of the Silver Anniversary of The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held during the last week of January in Elko, NV included A) the debut of the long-awaited collection of Wally McRae’s essays, titled STICK HORSES And Other Stories Of Ranch Life (Gibbs Smith publisher, available from The Western Folklife Center at 1-888-880-5885); B) Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s poignant and humorous keynote address, the most engaging—along with McRae’s at the 10th annual—of the past 23 years that I’ve been invited to The Gathering; C) the Friday midnight benefit for Brenn Hill’s 3-year-old son, Briggs, which included 2-song performances by many of the best singer-songwriters of our Tribe, including Ian Tyson—who, with Ross Knox, orchestrated the event—Tom Russell, Wylie Gustafson, Mike Beck, Dave Stamey, and others of similar stature, followed by an eloquently touching expression of gratitude from Brenn; and D) the honor of partnering-up on stage, as well as at the Western Folklife Center bar, with so many friends with whom I’d have never crossed trails were it not for my humbling participation in 23 Gatherings.