Sterling sings about his life at Down Home Ranch

Where did the week go?  Seems like the campers just got here.

After opening camp at 105 degrees, we were surprised by gorgeous rains Tuesday night, well over an inch, and even more important, the temperature dropped about ten degrees, which feels like early spring at this point.  And all of this on the first real day of summer!

Lots of great stories coming out of camp.  For one, Jerry reported, after having attended the evening party, that Sterling had taken the mike and begun singing his story to Stu's guitar accompaniment:

Judy and I have been at this for 20 years now, but tonight I saw and heard something I’ve never experienced before.
It is Tuesday, second day of Ranch Camp, and I got back from Austin about 3:00 pm. I picked up the Nikon 5000 and started roaming around taking some long and short photos: at the pool, in the Pavilion and elsewhere. I went home for a bite and then joined the crew at dusk where Joe and helpers were using a b-b-q to make smoores. The two guys on guitar—counselors during the day—were strumming Christopherson and Stones favorites.


I had taken a lot of pictures and was about to leave when I heard this voice, Sterling’s voice. He was singing, or rapping in melody, a song: the Cowboy Melody. He was on the mike, next to the lead guitar. It was his song. His alone. The two guitars played background but it was Sterling that spelled out the lyrics, the story, the song. I could not believe the innovation and lyrical consistency. It was, for me, truly captivating and moving. God that we had captured it. Perhaps there is a story behind this that I don’t know, but even if there is I cannot but be in awe of what I heard and saw tonight.

 Unbelievable.

He sang/created a song about Down Home Ranch that Willie Nelson couldn’t surpass.

Lord!