WLM Spring and Early Summer 2017 | Page 9

WLM | people come back after death. When they asked Chris, he thought for a minute and said he’d come back as a hawk since you don’t see many on the ranch. Not long after Chris’s death, a hawk did appear near his mother and followed her everywhere. They all felt Chris had come back to look after them. From that memory came a song aptly titled, ‘The Hawk.’ I asked him if the hawk was still there To contact Broker One of Casper and for he information on this home and replied that it shows up the when least expected. or call 307.234.2385. Mesa Development, visit broker1realestate.com One other tradition that Ned treasures is their yearly excursion up in the mountains to bring back Christmas trees. Christmas was always very special to the family and they brought back a tree for the grandparent s, his parents, his brothers – they always had a truck load. Ned, his wife and son now live in the Flint Hills of Kansas and I mentioned that it was probably a whole different experience to walk down the street and buy their Christmas tree from a selection on the street corner. He said, “Oh, no! We’ve made it our own family tradition to go back home for Thanksgiving and make the same Christmas tree journey. We bring a Wyoming tree back to Kansas.” He states emphatically that, “No matter where we are or how long we’re gone, Wyoming will always be home.” Ned became a drummer in his dad’s band, Western Underground, for about seven years before Chris passed away in 2005 of cancer at the age of 56. Toward the end of the shows for the last two or three of those years, Ned began singing as well. He fell in love with being behind the microphone, in front of huge crowds, and cruising down the highway to the next engagement. www.wyolifestyle.com 7