Days ending in y are busy - LOL. This weekend was no exception. I had the house to myself - well, me and the cats - and two whole days to get a week's worth of house stuff done. Still, it was good to be home.
If you're pretty much anywhere in the Midwest/plains/continental US... you don't need telling how hot it's been. If you've somehow managed to avoid the heat - lucky you! Suffice it to say that the temp gauge on the car, in the shade, read 103' on Sunday afternoon.
The boys were dozy and sweaty, but had shade, access to what breeze there was, and plenty of cool water - they didn't seem too perturbed to be fly-sprayed and left alone. I didn't have the heart or the energy to make them work.
Sunday the farrier finally wedged me into her schedule - she was out until 2 a.m. Saturday getting show horses done before they departed for Arabian Nationals, and she said between emergencies and must-be-done-before-departure appointments, her whole month has been like that. With only Sunny and Thunder she was done and on her way in less than an hour, as both boys stood beautifully.
It's supposed to be cooler by this weekend, so hopefully I can take advantage of their shorter feet and actually get some work done!
Other activities? Well, it was Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo week, so Thursday thru Sunday was the rodeo, complete with the mixer Thursday evening, parade Saturday a.m., and of course cowboy church and chilli cook-off on Sunday. What did I attend? About half an hour of the parade. I stayed through most of the horse entries before deciding I'd had about enough sun. Terrible cop-out, I know - but somehow without T and the kids I just didn't feel like enduring the heat and the crowds. Too many people.
Showing posts with label parades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parades. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 19, 2010
Weekend update 1: Rodeo & (no) new saddle...
This weekend was the 40th annual Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo, a 4-day long, major summertime event for Mitchell. Inevitably hot & sticky, the crowds don't care, and this year was no exception. The stands were packed all four nights, the streets were lined for the parade, and vats of chili disappeared in record time at the cook-off Sunday morning.
T was volunteered (not by me) to be a judge for the rodeo parade Saturday morning. He had a ball, of course. And also ended up helping out checking IDs at the contestant gates all four nights. Me? I went to watch!
Parade pics:
There were clowns - and the Ethan Trail Riders,
a Stampede staple!
(they always park the cars and rake during the barrel runs),
if you enlarge the picture,
T's the one under the canopy
on the far left in the cowboy hat & shades
...and mules.
The trainer who started
Sunny for me,
with his latest long-eared project.
Yes, that is a real little girl
on a very small pony
on top of that trailer.
Our kids declined to attend the parade - M was working the state trap shoot all weekend (that's him under the yellow umbrella scoring) although he did go to the actual performances on Saturday and Sunday night and enjoyed every minute of the action. H said it was too early and too hot.
T was volunteered (not by me) to be a judge for the rodeo parade Saturday morning. He had a ball, of course. And also ended up helping out checking IDs at the contestant gates all four nights. Me? I went to watch!
Parade pics:
Of course there were queens...
and whatever the requisite amount of tractors is,
the quota was more than met.
the quota was more than met.
There were clowns - and the Ethan Trail Riders,
a Stampede staple!
(they always park the cars and rake during the barrel runs),
if you enlarge the picture,T's the one under the canopy
on the far left in the cowboy hat & shades
There were wagons...
...and mules.
The trainer who started
Sunny for me,
with his latest long-eared project.
The rodeo entertainment...
Yes, that is a real little girl
on a very small pony
on top of that trailer.
This little lady sat next to me
and enjoyed every minute of the spectacle.
and enjoyed every minute of the spectacle.
Our kids declined to attend the parade - M was working the state trap shoot all weekend (that's him under the yellow umbrella scoring) although he did go to the actual performances on Saturday and Sunday night and enjoyed every minute of the action. H said it was too early and too hot.
Friday, July 18, 2008
A change of plans
You know what they say about best-laid plans and contact with the enemy? Well, our plans to attend the rodeo last night didn't survive, either!
We have a book of tickets... somewhere. Of course, it would be helpful if we could find them. Sigh. We turned the house upside down, checked work offices, and then gave up for the evening. Hopefully they'll turn up today. Otherwise we'll go with Plan B, once we decide what that is.
To be perfectly honest, I think I'd be happy enough to get up early, take the kids fishing, and then to the rodeo parade, and spend the rest of the afternoon doing hores-y things.
I got a phone call last night asking if I wanted to ride in the parade. My trail-riding friends are representing a boarding facility where she works part-time doing books, and I have ridden through with them a couple of times in the past. On finding out that they're entry number one hundred one of 150 entries, well... I told her I'd think about it.
The parade starts at 10:30 AM. Logically, they want everyone lined up well in advance so as to minimize the obligatory confusion as much as possible. The last time I rode, I think we waited 2 hours in 109' heat before our part of the parade so much as wiggled. The blacktop was melting under the horse's hooves!
Here's a map of the parade route:
All the horses unload at the high school and then trek to wherever their entry number designates they line up. The parade finishes up somewhere around D, and everybody meanders back to trailers & cars by whatever route.
I just don't think I'm up to it this year. Maybe I'll do the Parade of Lights in November. That's fun, although chilly, and since it's after dark no one's allowed to throw candy which means there's less chance of a toddler darting out and squishing under Sunny's hooves. I don't worry much at all, notice!
We have a book of tickets... somewhere. Of course, it would be helpful if we could find them. Sigh. We turned the house upside down, checked work offices, and then gave up for the evening. Hopefully they'll turn up today. Otherwise we'll go with Plan B, once we decide what that is.
To be perfectly honest, I think I'd be happy enough to get up early, take the kids fishing, and then to the rodeo parade, and spend the rest of the afternoon doing hores-y things.
I got a phone call last night asking if I wanted to ride in the parade. My trail-riding friends are representing a boarding facility where she works part-time doing books, and I have ridden through with them a couple of times in the past. On finding out that they're entry number one hundred one of 150 entries, well... I told her I'd think about it.
The parade starts at 10:30 AM. Logically, they want everyone lined up well in advance so as to minimize the obligatory confusion as much as possible. The last time I rode, I think we waited 2 hours in 109' heat before our part of the parade so much as wiggled. The blacktop was melting under the horse's hooves!
Here's a map of the parade route:
All the horses unload at the high school and then trek to wherever their entry number designates they line up. The parade finishes up somewhere around D, and everybody meanders back to trailers & cars by whatever route.
I just don't think I'm up to it this year. Maybe I'll do the Parade of Lights in November. That's fun, although chilly, and since it's after dark no one's allowed to throw candy which means there's less chance of a toddler darting out and squishing under Sunny's hooves. I don't worry much at all, notice!
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