Lee,
I'm glad you brought up the topic of spurs and noticed that they're mentioned in the dozy embrace scene in the story. I've always wondered why this key evocative object associated with cowboys seems to absent from Brokeback. Clearly the film/ story is filled to the brim with almost all of the major things traditionally associated with cowboys (often deployed in new and surprising ways in BBM)- the cowboy hats (almost a cliche to have one white and one black), lassoes, rodeos, big belt buckles, boots, harmonicas, guns, beans, etc. These are among the most common associations with cowboys and the spurs seem glaringly missing. As sharp objects meant to "prick" (for lack of a better word) horses into motion, what is the purpose of this lone reference to a spur in the flashback (at least in the story)? It's also interesting that Jack only hears the spurs. Maybe it's just part of their constant coming and going from one another... an ominous note about yet another parting.