Born and raised on a working cattle & horse ranch in Oregon's Big Empty. As a young teenager I would take a small pack string of supplies up into the high meadows and find the sheepherders. 'aint no cell phones back then and the sheepherders didn't use radios. You'd just have to go find 'em.
And just like a trucker, you'd rather not run the backhaul empty, so when in season the goal was to hunt Mulies and bring one back for butchering.
On one hunt by my lonesome my Dad and I had made arrangements that we'd meet at a known spot on a dirt 'road' to pick me up. Just so happened freak weather showed up and down came torrential rains. Fortunately, I was in my woolies so while soaked, I wasn't hurtin'.
Dad shows up with a full change of clothes, and while I'm in my birthday suit drying off and swapping out the wet for the dry he says "damn boy, you're nuthin' but one big puddle of water!"
Just so happens my kid brother was along for the ride and thus my nickname was coined.
