Leather and Lace

Yesterday was a typical day for us. Not that the day's events were a day-to-day occurrence, but that what happened seemed fairly typical for a Buckaroo Barbie. A juxtaposition

between tough and soft, the cowboy and the fashionista, the outdoorsman and the woman.

Dad and I took Adrian to the airport bright and early yesterday morning so she could start the long journey to Italy. She'll be spending the 4th in the Alps with good friends, roping cows with Italian buckaroos and singing her little heart out. She's kind of my hero.

Adrian likes to have a distinguishing marker on her luggage when traveling.
Otherwise known as an enormous pink suitcase. 

Heels, peplum tops, moccasins and leggings....cowboy-girls wear them too!

After eating the worst bacon ever at IHOP, dad and I headed to old town Sacramento to visit his tailor for the final fitting for his custom suit.

 I am obsessed with menswear; it's right up there with my love of high heels, Chanel, custom saddles and nice horse flesh. :)

Tailors are a dying breed, much like cowboys and buckaroos. They are highly specialized and their talents frequently go unappreciated. More and more they are being pushed to the side so that less effective methods can pretend to produce the same results due to society's love of quantity rather than quality. Mike (dad's tailor) has a beautiful old school shop that smells like polished wood and wool suits and he used to be former President Ronald Regan's tailor. I like him.

While I was watching dad being fitted, I couldn't help but compare Mike's movements and attitude to some of the older guys I've seen working with a colt. His movements were efficient and quick, none of them wasted. Maybe it's just me, but I think there are a lot of similarities between good hands in the cowboy world and "good hands" in other professions; you just have to look for it.

So many beautiful suits...if I was a man I think I'd wear one every day! 

Cuff and sleeve length is as important as saddle fit and rigging placement! 

After what felt like a long day spent in heels, we finally headed home. And down amongst the reeds in a river I saw a big cinnamon cow, which wasn't a cinnamon cow at all but a big cinnamon bear! By the time we backed up to get a better look at her, she was gone. They move so darn fast! Luckily dad has great eyes and always trusts them...which means he sees a lot more wildlife than I do!

Slowly driving along and peering into the bushes, dad and I both started to holler at the same time...a cub was staring sheepishly at us! We think there was a sow and two cubs, one of whom got separated from his mother so he kindly decided to climb a tree right next to our pickup so we could admire him. It was grand.

Buckaroo Barbies, Adrian and myself included, have many different interests, passions and dreams. And there's always a balancing of tough and gentle, strong and weak. Look for the lessons you have learned from cowboying, horses and the outdoors and apply them to the rest of your life...it can only help you succeed.

xo xo Liz