Mailbag

Each week I'll share some of the responses, positive and negative, that I get from my columns

It was a rather slow week as far as responses to the column go. Although I did speak with several people who shared some of their horse ridding memories with me, I only received one email specifically related to my rodeo experience. It comes from a man named Wiley, and I happen to agree with him.

After asking whether I was related to some Bouchers who owned a real hardware store in the Nashville area in the 1950s (as far as I know I'm not, by the way. I think my Bouchers came from Canada, but I'm always down for meeting/creating new relatives) he had his own opinion about my clothing:

"If you were wearing a wool shirt in Kentucky in August you are tougher than I am." 

Well thank you, sir. Although it had less to do with toughness and more to do with trying to look the part of a cowboy--which I'm fairly certain I failed anyway, thanks to not having a cowboy hat--I appreciate your sentiment. I've already passed it along to staff photographer Dana Long, who felt it was not a sign of toughness as much as a sign of stupidity. 

I prefer your interpretation.

I did receive several other emails from people suggesting sites and events that need to be featured in future columns. One came from local media veteran Jim Love, who suggested I look into two stories: one dealing with an interesting local twist on the tale of Noah's arc, the other a local tie to a car accident involving Gen. George Patton. Both seem fairly entertaining, if not entirely factual, and I'm excited to do a little digging. 

I also received a suggestion from a man named Ben, who said he lives in Cadiz. He suggested I visit a famous civil war site located in western Kentucky, and provided part of the history for that site. I agree Ben, that would be a great place to visit; while others have mentioned the site in the past, no one has provided pictures to bolster their pitch. I'm convinced it's a great idea, and it will definitely make an appearance in an article in the near future.

Thanks again to everyone who sent me responses; good, bad, neutral or nasty, I appreciate any and all feedback.

For tomorrow's blog post, I want to hear about your favorite rodeo experiences. What's your favorite event? How did this year's rodeo compare to others in the past? Would you ever ride a bull?

Send your stories and pictures to me, either by posting to the blog or through email at dboucher@kentuckynewera.com.