Kyle

Meet my "little" brother Kyle. He arrived two and a half years after I did and completely blew my only child/grandchild (on one side) theory out the window. He was worth it though. We are the best of pals and can count the number of fights we had as kids on one hand. My sister and I can't count the number of fights/arguments we've had on all our hands and feet...
From the time I was 14 on we drove to school together in a 1998 Dodge Neon. Spending two hours a day (30,000 miles a year) together in the bright blue confinement of that car was either going to result in us becoming best friends or the ultimate demise of the weaker sibling-we went the friend route.

Kyle is what you would call mechanical. By that I mean he took his first watch apart at 4 and had the thing strewn across our bedroom. He put the entire thing back together and made it work. From there he graduated to legos and built any and everything with them. Today he is more into building engines from scratch, taking apart and putting together parts of machinery I do not know the name of, machining parts, welding grill guards, designing parts and tools and other such fascinating things I enjoy hearing about but have no desire to try.

He comes by it honestly though...and has his degree in machining with several ag business classes on his transcript from Sheridan College
Among other things Kyle is one of my favorite photo subjects. The above picture almost single-handedly got me my first two wedding photographer jobs. He wasn't that into it at first and would scowl at me or turn away, but I'm pretty sure this photo also single-handedly got him more than two phone numbers. He's been wonderful to work with ever since.

Here we are in the Bighorns last winter. I am always telling my mother if she was going to give her legs to one of her children it should have been one of her daughters!
Kyle and I have been working together since we were toddlers. We fence, ride, brand, sort pairs and do just about everything else on our ranch together and have often been left in charge for most of the summer as our parents run their other businesses. He has plucked me out of a frozen stock tank in sub-zero temperatures and I have witnessed and provided assistance during his many horse-related incidents.
He has an acute affinity for my dachshund, old westerns, guns and any mechanical project. He takes being bossed by me fairly well and tends to fall for girls I personally believe are not a good fit...I'm just saying.
He does not like my toy aussie, Houston TX, sheep, being cold or messy vehicles.
He's much more mellow than I am (usually) and has been known to throw his arm around me and say something along the lines of, "let's go dear...would you like another drink...hi honey!" when I'm visiting with a good-looking guy just because he finds it humorous. While he is a great driver, his habit of going 9-0 on the gravel road and about 55 on the highway will drive you nuts. Just watching him ride his motorcycle will turn you white. He usually packs the heavier items when we're fencing, just picked up my new grill for me and is an all-around great guy.