{"product_id":"my-life-and-times","title":"My Life and Times","description":"A memoir of the life of Dale Wares. His family history stretches back to pre-statehood times in Oklahoma. Dale's great uncle managed a large cooperative cattle venture called the Comanche Pool. In the post Civil War era longhorn cattle rounded up in Texas were moved by trail drives to rail terminals in Kansas for shipment to the east coast. Soon ranchers began starting their own herds in Kansas. Many formed cooperatives and rented grazing rights from the Cherokee Tribe in Oklahoma Territory. Soon pressure to open the Indian lands for settlement brought an end to this arrangement, culminating in several land runs in 1889 and 1893. Dale's maternal and paternal grandparents homesteaded land in what is now Woods County, Oklahoma near the Kansas-Oklahoma line in 1902. The Wares Ranch, under continuous operation by the same family since that time, achieved Centennial Ranch status in 2002.\n\nResponding to the urging of his maternal grandmother, Bessie Parker, Dale left the ranch in 1964 to attend college at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and embarked on a decidedly different path from his ancestors. This memoir details many of the interesting experiences Dale enjoyed following his graduation from college in 1968. These included a stint in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, a move to California to pursue a brief career as an explosives chemist, several months hitchhiking across the US, and a career change from science to social work. Before settling down to his new career Dale bought a motorcycle and travelled 12,000 miles across the US, down the Baja peninsula and across Mexico to the Gulf Coast.\n\nReady to settle into his new career, Dale took his first social work job as children's program coordinator at a child abuse treatment non-profit in Oklahoma City. There he met his future wife, Kim, and together they raised two daughters in Norman where they all live. Their only grandson brings much joy to their retirement years.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: B0FR35Q6TS\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.B0FR35Q6TS.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Wares, Dale\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43374098120765,"sku":"BVV.B0FR35Q6TS.G","price":9.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/my-life-and-times","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}