Just a Little About Me
My name is Tim Norris.
I started this site back in 2012. Many things have happened since then. I have met a lot of wonderful people and deepened relationships with people I already knew. Undoubtably, I have offended a few people as well. Regretfully, that sometimes happens when one follows the cowboy ethics of knowing where to draw a line. I have had a lot of new experiences since 2012, some of which I think might be worth sharing.
No, I didn’t always want to be a cowboy. In fact, for most of my professional career, I was a nuclear engineer and consultant. My nuclear career began in the Navy. There, after a short tour in Vietnam, I became a reactor operator on a fast attack submarine and finally an instructor at the Navy’s nuclear power school. After the Navy, I attended the University of Washington. My career gave me the opportunity to travel extensively, and I was a nuclear consultant in South Africa on two occasions (8.5 years total).
My agriculture experience began at an early age working on the family farm near Birmingham, Alabama. I was born into a family of farmers, hunters and fishermen. I was taught a rigorous work ethic and the attitude to “do what is necessary to get the job done”.
My interests have also been varied including: the martial arts, flying (multiengine and aerobatics), history, Egyptology, archeology, and diving. I was a member of the Single Action Shooting Society, a cowboy action shooting organization. I reload modern and black powder ammunition and I enjoy shooting antique firearms and buffalo rifles. I am a National Rifle Association (NRA) certified instructor for rifle, pistol, and shotgun.
I’m married to a wonderful lady from Tennessee. She was also a nuclear engineer, with a real spirit of adventure and fun. Not long after we married, she and I traveled to South Africa for a work assignment helping design a new reactor.
Upon our return from South Africa, we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, continuing our nuclear careers. Our interest in history and archeology shifted to Chaco Canyon and the many other ruins in the state and the Native American and western history which occurred here.
We eventually enthralled with the open spaces of this last western frontier, in New Mexico. Our hobbies included cowboy action shooting and horseback riding. But something was missing. When discussing which nuclear facility to move to next, I said “why, if we enjoy our work and lifestyle so much, do we mostly talk about our early years and good times we had living on the farms? We worked harder physically and, comparitively, we had so little?” We realized it was struggling though those times that developed the values and ethics we cherished most. Our families, back then, celebrated all of the little accomplishments, and us kids never realized we didn’t have all of the material things. So, we began to find a way to enjoy what we really found to be important and perhaps share with others what we have learned.
“We started by investigating opening a cattle ranch. Since we didn’t know anything about ranching, I left the nuclear business and worked as a wrangler for a trail riding company learning as much as I could. We both took cutting and sorting lessons and volunteered our services for cattle moves, gatherings, and working cattle. Though associations with cowboys, ranch hands, and owners, we realized the values and ethics we cherished are epitomized by Cowboy values and ethics. It didn’t take long to learn that in the Southwest it takes huge amounts of land to feed cattle. Unless one has huge amounts of money to pay for it, the basis of the old saying of “Womb, Tomb, or Groom” became apparent. Those three terms were the only way one could get into the ranching business! Then we thought about horses.
We learned that ranching requires a bit more from an individual. Several core values, such as duty, self-reliance, optimism, and even courage must be practiced. When a calf strays, it must be found and gathered, or it will die. One cannot simply give up because one is tired, sore, hungry, or because it is late in the day. There is “no bus home”. Once committed, cowboys try their best until the job is done. It is a tough way of life, but one from which that they obtain satisfaction and pride from living. “You can’t enjoy the warmth of coffee from a tin cup in your hand unless you are willing to let your hands get cold.”…That’s Cowboy Logic
Note: My wife, Marilyn, and I built and are owner/operators of Concho Hills Guest Ranch. https://conchohillsranch.com/ We opened in 2015 and although the trail to this point has not been straight, it sure has been one of adventure, discovering, and learning about new things around every bend.