beaux cooper: Wyoming

Last week I had the amazing privilege to participate in a mini book tour in Sheridan, Wyoming. I spent much of my time on the Sheridan College campus meeting with students, community members, faculty, board members, and staff. I also offered a talk at the local public library.

On my way! Headed to Sheridan on a beautiful (hellaciously windy) evening!

Stay beautiful Wyoming.

My amazing hotel room. That bed was paradise when I finally had the chance to use it!

Go time - I'm ready!

My talking points included all things Dust, my writing process, the publishing world, eBook vs. print, reading, and encouraging writers to pursue publication.

The main building which houses classrooms, the welcome desk, writing center, and arts! Sheridan's campus has an amazing support for the arts and some of the most incredible music classrooms I've ever seen.

Talk #3, located in the campus's library. We had a great turn out!

They're enjoying it, I swear.

After a long day of talks a little laughter at the public library was a great thing!

The campus was absolutely beautiful! New buildings, open architecture, and student artwork filled the hallways. They have this amazing thing called a "Hope Closet" where students and community members can go if they need clothes, food, feminine hygiene products, diapers, toothpaste, etc. all donated by staff, faculty, and students! There's an observatory and their sports complex is known as "The Dome" ... because... well... it's a dome.

One of my favorite aspects of the campus was that the student housing looked like large craftsmen styled homes mixed in with townhome styles so that it looked like a little town with green space and courts. Oh, and did I forget to mention they have a dinosaur?!?! Apparently Sheridan even has a Dinosaur Quarry! Some people have all the luck!

A selfie with a dino... how often do these opportunities come up? My host, Keri, and I seized it!

His name is Caesar.

When Friday's talk was finished we took lunch at the Culinary Arts student restaurant which was delicious and then walked off lunch by exploring downtown Sheridan. What a neat, well taken care of, definitely in the west town!

Featuring the new, compact Tahoe SUV brought to you by amazing panorama camera work.

This J.C. Penney opened as a store known as "Golden Rule" in 1907 and was purchased by the J.C. Penney Company in 1928. It is still operational today and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008!

This building used to be a bank.

The red building on the left was originally the fire station. The short shop between the red and brick building now sits where a road once was.

The Chocolate Tree was an absolute must-stop for us and I was sure to load up on some goodies. Delicious truffles!

The Mint Bar is an iconic stop in Sheridan. Filled with history, taxidermy, and all things Wyoming, it's definitely something you don't want to miss!

The Queen even visited the Mint Bar, so why wouldn't you?

We swung into King's Saddlery to explore all the equipment cowboys use and wear while out on the ranch.

More taxidermy - this is Wyoming after all!

In back they had a museum whose walls were lined with historic saddles of varying professions and eras. A few carriages were included and a covered wagon.

Horse blankets are my favorite!

There was some exotic taxidermy, too, but I'll spare you the lions, dik-diks, and giraffe with a close-up of the spots instead.

All of this was made possible by this amazing woman! I met Keri at the 2015 Wyoming Writers, Inc. Annual Conference in Cheyenne and we became fast friends. She helped organize, find funding, and played tour guide for me while I was there. She was able to involve the Sheridan College Foundation Office and Library to support my expenses for the trip... it's amazing! It was such an educational, career forwarding opportunity - I couldn't have done it without her.

This whole opportunity helped me gain confidence in speaking about Dust, writing, and how to get published. I was able to reach out to a few aspiring authors and met some really great people. Overall, it was a complete success and I can't wait to do it again.... although Sheridan has certainly set the bar high!

Acknowledgements:

A special thank you to Keri, the Foundation Office, Library, and Writing Center for supporting this endeavor and spoiling me to the hilt!

This weekend marks the anniversary of when Hubbins and I rolled into our new home in the little town of Torrington.

Population: 6,500

It was hot, the air was stagnant, and I was sticky from 17 hours in a car. We were exhausted, but happy to be "home." It was a Sunday and the first thing we noticed when it came to be dinner time was that of the six sit-down restaurants in town, all of them were closed. So we settled for some fast food; sitting on boxes, eating off the wrapper, and going to bed without a fan to cool us off.

Main Street

Flash forward to today and it's hot, the air is stagnant, and I'm a little sticky. But I know my little town now and have had the incredible opportunity to meet friends, understand the culture, and appreciate the... um.... eclectic weather.

When we arrived in town we had missed the county fair by a day which nearly broke my heart. I love the fair. I love the people, the food, the animals, the rides! So I was determined this year to participate.

Little did I know Fair Day, this last Thursday, is kind of a big deal around here. Like close-the-whole-town-including-the-college big. There was a parade down Main Street which lasted 75 minutes and then a migration to the fairgrounds for festivities.

There is no short supply of cowboys in this town!

Oxen pulling a wagon - these animals are enormous!

Search and Rescue shared their dogs with us and an amazing "float"

This guy, apparently, is a staple of University of Wyoming football games - rain or shine, snow or hail he is in his barrel!

In 90° heat we flocked en masse to the dusty pathways of the carnival; drank sugar loaded, fresh squeezed lemonade; ate our weight in french fries; and lurked the 4-H aisles.

They bathe their cows, brush, and blow dry them for the competitions. The fluffiest cows I have ever seen!

It's a tiny fair compared to what I'm used to back on the west coast, but it didn't matter. I watched the kids' rodeo where toddlers rode sheep, known as Muttin-Bustin, and the town's youth roped goats. I had a blast meeting new people and eating funnel cake.