Dunmore native Bill Ciccotti turned 72 this past April and somehow, he’s still acting like a cowboy. Traveling horseback through the high country of Wyoming, punching cattle and riding bulls?
Bill says, “When I was a little boy, all I ever wanted to be was a cowboy. I think it was when my grandfather took me to see the movie ‘The Magnificent Seven.’ After that all I wanted to do was ride.”
Bill’s son lives in Wilson, Wyoming, a town just outside of Jackson Hole. Every year when Bill visits his son, he gets to play cowboy once again. He doesn’t gallop quite as much as he used to, but he’s still pretty spry for a 72-year-old cowman.
Bill laughed, “Getting up in the saddle isn’t as easy as it once was. But what’s still easy at 72?”
Bill said that he’ll be riding horses till he can’t climb himself up into the saddle anymore. Then he declared he’ll be feeding the horses in the corral. And Bill added, “That’s good enough for me. You have to enjoy the good stuff while you can. Or it’s your own fault that you never did.”
Somebody forgot to tell him he’s not a kid anymore. Or maybe he just ignores them when they try to tell him that he’s old. That mischievous twinkle in his eyes and his Cheshire cat smile match the well-earned lines that etch his chuckling face.
You can tell Bill’s had his share of ups and downs traveling along that windy road he’s been living. And Bill agrees, “In life you fall at times. We all do. It’s too darn easy to fall. But the getting back up part, that’s the important thing.” He said, “I fell off Rusty Saddle a few years back, but that didn’t hurt me none.”
Bill added, “If you get thrown from a horse, you have to get up and get back on. That is, unless you land on a cactus. Then you roll around and scream.”
He might have lost a step or two over the years but none of his swagger. Bull rider or bull thrower? Bill shook his head, “Yeah, I climbed up on the back of a 1,900-pound brahma bull at the Jackson Hole Rodeo last year. But I wouldn’t let them open the gate.” Bill nodded, “I might be crazy. But I’m not nuts.” Well not everyone would agree with that statement. Especially the nuns who taught him in grade school.
But Bill’s sure having a lot of fun and still laughing like a silly kid after 72 years on this earth. Cowboys and Rodeo Buckle Bunnies? Bill explained what had happened at that rodeo last year.
“Well, I walked myself confidently into the backstage contestant’s area. I had the boots, the wranglers, a big sterling silver belt buckle, and wide brimmed Stetson on. It’s always good to look the part. Walk confidently and act like you are supposed to be there.” Bill shrugged, “Nobody figured I didn’t belong there, so I ambled myself right on in. Casually I watched the bronco busters and the bull riding while standing behind the chutes.”
He laughed, “I also joked around and even made a few friends with some of the riders. One of the bulldoggers asked me if I’d like to sit on one of the bulls.Wrong question to the right guy. Be careful what you wish for in life. You might just get it. After all, life is just a leap of faith full of danger galore. Spread your arms and hold your breath. But remember, everything will kill you. So, pick something you like doing. And remember, if you don’t try, you’ll never experience life.”
“Plus, if you’re lucky, you might just get to fly.” Bill added, “Of course I climbed on that brown-horned monster. But I told them, “Don’t let anyone open that chute with me on this demon. The real cowboys told me, ‘Don’t raise your right hand up, which signals the officials you’re ready.’”
Bill continued his story. “Truth be told, I almost raised my hand a bit too high in my excitement. I really did.” Shaking his head he laughed, “If they ever opened that chute, I would have been glued tightly onto those upper side bars of that swinging gate and Bushwhacker would have been churning up dust without any rider sitting on him.” Bill added, “We’ve all got some crazy tucked away inside of us. Some people just have bigger pieces of that crazy than others.”
“It’s a crazy world. But no matter what, always be aboveboard and don’t forget to be kind. Oh yeah, and when you wake up every morning, be glad your boots are on.” Bill happily added, “The days you can keep your appreciation higher than your expectation are truly beautiful days indeed.”
He admits, “I’m not the man I used to be. I have a limp in my walk now. But riding horses takes all the aches and pains, both physically and mentally, away in a flash of nature’s magnificent glory.”
“Vistas of grandeur glide below you as your horse canters you higher along winding mountain trails. Beauty unspoiled by man surrounds you as you travel along happily. Sadly, that unspoiled land will all be gone one day with condos right up to the waterfalls. But for now, I can still ride it and smile like that silly little kid I used to be.” “I’ve been lucky enough to ride high into the mountains of both the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.” Smiling, he added. “You can’t always see heaven from the back of a horse. But when you ride that horse high up into the mountains, you can catch a glimpse of it indeed.” e the money you need in order to do the things you enjoy doing. The things that make you happy.”
“It’s all a tradeoff. You can’t ride the high country every day. You have to work first in order to get the funds to pay for that pleasure. And believe me, everything you do has a price that must be paid.” Bill laughed, “I’m not rich. No, not by a long shot. But if I was rich, I’d be riding the high country. So, you see, maybe I am rich in the things that really count.”
Well, no matter what life seems to throw at Bill, it just can’t kick that little boy, who’s still playing cowboy every chance he gets. Most people as they get older stop acting like a kid. But a choice few, well; somehow, they perfect it. Here’s to the cowboys and the little kids still inside us. Long may they ride.