CALVING SEASON: The author, new to farm life, couldn’t grasp what had just emerged after a calf was born. The sight froze her, until her husband yelled for help. Essay and photographs by Nicole Louden / OMAHA STRONGMEN: CHAPTER 1: THE COWBOY MAYOR: Twenty-year Omaha Mayor “Texas Jim” Dahlman earned his reputation for fearlessness, and the respect of a crime boss, by hunting lost cattle in a Sandhills blizzard. By Ron L. Jackson, Jr. / CHAPTER 2: THE OLD GRAY WOLF: Crime boss Tom Dennison ruled for decades through terror and cunning, and James Dahlman was his hand-picked mayor. By Ron Soodalter / RIVER DANCE: Sandhill cranes make a balletic show while pair bonding, entwining their long necks and calling to one another. By Tom Hess
