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Since I left Canada, I am in cowboy country. Golden meadows as far as one can see, no barbed wire, only a few cornfields. Even the big cattle herds seem to be lost in this vastness. Over here the rodeo arenas replace the baseball and football fields.

In Colombia Falls I went to see a rodeo competition, Stetson and cowboy boots included. Cowgirls as impressive as beautiful.  But, mounting a wild horse is still a mens world, mounting a wild bull a reserved area for the bravest. But, despite helmets and other protections, rodeo remains a dangerous sports. The numerous limping or walking on crutches young guys are the living evidence for this.

Next day, in Great Falls, I was hosted by Lindsay, and we had a great evening hanging out in the cowboy bar of his town. I met his fiancée, Her name: Nicole Osweiler; guess where her ancestors came from! No, not from Osweiler, but from Beringen in Luxembourg. Nicole brought me a letter from her aunt in Luxembourg, nicely handwritten in German, and I translated this a few month old missive to her.

In Great Falls, beside the Missouri Falls, there are some 47 casinos, with just 50000 inhabitants. Also, around Great Falls are based a good amount uf the US intercontinental missiles. Apparently, one can approach them easily, but I did not try...

Nicole Osweiler from Great Falls, Montana

The Missouri Falls in Great Falls