Enchantment - by Steven Stalzer (Paperback)

About the Book

Full of sensual detail and philosophical wanderings, Enchantment will immerse you in the sights and sounds of America's first dude ranch and inspire your own contemplation of the things that fill you with awe.

Book Synopsis

Somehow, mounting a horse immediately settles you into the present moment. Being responsible for a thousand pounds of muscle with a will of its own forces all other thoughts out of your mind, as you remind yourself to sit properly and recall the basics of steering. And with that new mindfulness, that special connection between human and animal, a door opens to experiences of awe. Awe of the new directions you can literally take yourself. Awe of your own strengths as you conquer your fears. An awe of the pristine mountains and geologic history that awakens a longing often forgotten - for freedom, for memory, for being at one with the movements of the earth.

In this collection of poems, SD Stalzer captures the enchantment and wonder of America's first dude ranch, Eatons' Ranch in Wolf, Wyoming, from the wild Big Horn Mountains to the rich prairies, accompanied by striking black and white photos of the exquisite natural beauty of the area. Full of sensual detail and philosophical wanderings, Enchantment will immerse you in the sights and sounds of the life of a "dude" and inspire your own contemplation of the things that fill you with awe.

Review Quotes

"With acute attention and a musician's ear, SD Stalzer enchants us with the wide country of Wyoming and the spell of America's first dude ranch. These poems sing of the prairie grasses born of an ancient ocean, with a reverence for the majesty and danger of the natural world. A profoundly beautiful book." -Sue Ellen Kuzma, author of Aroused Angel and over the air waves

"Through these insightful poems and beautiful photographs, you can almost smell the sweat of a horse picking his way up the Wolf Creek Canyon trail. You can hear the wranglers' whoops as they bring the horses into the corral, and the musings of ghosts from generations of dudes." -Doyl Fritz, Eaton family member and former wrangler

"Although I have known Eatons' Ranch for 46 years, Enchantment enabled me to see it in a totally fresh light. A most creative work celebrating the original dude ranch." -Tom Bookwalter, serial ranch dude