Fences

Russell James Van Paepeghem, The University of Montana

Abstract

The following is a memoir of the author‟s childhood in southwestern Idaho. It recounts his family's ties to the local landscape, to the cattle industry, and to hunting big game in central Idaho. The essays explore questions of the history of the West and of its romance, particularly how that romance trickles down to soak into each successive generation of Western families. It also explores the boundary worlds of work, wherein dialog and conversation are hard to find. It is comprised of several braided essays with lyric intent, beside longer expository essays that are topically oriented.