Patrick Dorinson has had his fair share of conversations with that “old guy at the bar” during his life.
That one man at the neighborhood bar, tavern or watering hole who is drinking alone as others chatter and move about the place. Dorinson has moseyed over to that old timer over the years to say howdy. Once a rapport was established with them, he said they’d share stories as answers to questions or problems he shared.
“The old guys like that would say ‘Well, let me tell you a story about what happened to me way back (in my day),’” Dorinson said. “It was never ‘Do it my way.’ It was ‘You can do it your way, son, but let me tell you what might happen.’”
From 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb.12, at 477 Distilling, 825 9th St., Greeley, Dorinson will be that old guy at the bar as he shares his stories from his latest book, “The Common Sense Cowboy’s Guide to Life,” during An Evening with the Common Sense Cowboy, a free community event.
The free event features drinks, cocktails, live music, a Q&A with Dorinson, and an appearance by Vintage Queen Whisky LaRue and her Westernettes.
“The concept is connecting with the old man at the end of the bar,” said 477 Distilling owner Matt Estrin. “I’m excited to host him (Dorinson) and the event. Hopefully (everybody) will gain some wisdom that night.”
Last year, Dorinson and Mathew Klickstein started work on the book. Dorinson said working with Klickstein was therapeutic because he relived stories from his past, all while providing wisdom. Cowboy wisdom.
Klickstein, a SoCal native, has lived in Greeley for two years and is an established author and documentarian. Klickstein said he and Dorinson instantly connected, forming not only a professional bond but also a friendship as they rode through their book journey. “He is just a dream collaborator,” Klickstein said. “We became very close over the year we worked together. I think that’s a real testament to the kind man that he is, and the kind of partner that he is creatively.”
The back of the book lists Dorinson’s 12 Common Sense Cowboy rules, which he created from sayings and teachings he heard throughout his life. The first is “The secret to a long life is getting up every day with a purpose. Young or old, working or retired, everyone needs a purpose, so find yours.”
It’s a rule he crafted from words his father, Dr. Malvern Dorinson, used. Dr. Malvern worked in the medical field for the majority of his life, living until the age of 99.
Dorinson didn’t grow up in Colorado, or any state one would associate with cowboys; he was born and raised in Marin County, California. The cowboy life didn’t lasso him in until 20 years ago, when his mother, Jeanne Cleburne-Dorinson, died.
Cleburne-Dorinson was born in Greeley, lived in Denver and spent her youth working on her older sister’s ranch in Rand, Colorado. He said his mother spoke to him and his siblings about her life on the ranch and cowboys as they were growing up.
Those stories eventually became the foundation for his love of the cowboy way of life.
“It sunk in deeper with me than the rest of them,” Dorinson said. “She just told me stories and they just sunk in deep (with me).”
When his mother died, he was given a copy of “The Code of the West.” Upon completion, he asked himself what he wanted out of his life. The answer was the cowboy life.
He lives in Utah, where he rides horses and saddles up every day, living the life his mother told him about. Just like the old men he spoke with at the bars, his book and his stories aren’t meant to be taken as the absolute truth. They are more of a code, a moral compass, he thinks everyone should carry.
Klickstein said the book isn’t finger-pointing at anyone or any topic. It’s a book of stories from a man who has witnessed a lot throughout his over 70 years of life. The book isn’t telling everyone to get off Dorinson’s lawn.
“I don’t ever want to be the old guy who says, ‘Get off my lawn.’ It’s like, you don’t have to get off my lawn, but I’ll pay ya to mow it,” Dorinson said. The “Common Sense Cowboy’s Guide to Life” is available Tuesday, Feb. 3, wherever books are sold. Copies will be for sale at the free community event, with Dorinson and Klickstein signing copies.
Enjoy some cowboy wisdom from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb.12, at 477 Distilling, 825 9th St., Greeley, Colorado.
