Fun Stuff

For the past 3 years Megan and I have met her 'granny' in RC for a fun-filled weekend at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo. This year, we talked my mom into going with us and also met up with Chris' mom. That's a lot of grandma's!!

And a lot of fun!!

After spending the day, perusing the shopping extranvaganza...we all attended the evening rodeo performance. This year, my absolute favorite 'half-time' performer was there.

The One-Armed Bandit....
In case you have never heard of him...this man performs amazing feats mounted on his horse, carrying a bullrope and guides his horse with only his feet. Even if he had both of his arms, what he does is amazing....
Buffalo? WOW!! There is a reason not very many acts have the courage to use buffalo in them. Buffalo are not real susceptable to being "trained". As a matter of fact, they are rather cantankerous. One push from those massive heads can knock a horse off of it's feet and kill a person. And they are surprisingly agile. This is why a lot of cutting horse people use them to train with. They do not burn out in the cutting pen like cattle do. My mom suspects that The One-Arm Bandit bottle-raised these guys and that they are also casterated. I'll take her word for that, because she helped my step-dad take care of the buffalo that he broke to ride and hauled to parades and rodeos for a long time. He also hauled that buffalo out to Hollywood and they used him in many movies. Those two had quite an interesting life together.

But back to the rodeo...Saturday nite's performance is always a good one to go to, because there is always a lot of the big names there. It's like attending a mini-NFR performance.
This is Trevor Brazile team-roping... They had a wicked fast-time...and an illegal head-catch...so no time.

This is a Loma, Colorado barrel racer...
She clocked the fasted time of any of the nine performances...12.35 seconds. Go Loma!!

And then it was time to shop-till you drop!! There are two levels of the civic center...filled to the brim with booths offering all the things you think you just cannot live without.
Like this combed Tibetian Lamb coat...
Oooohhhh....how this coat was screaming my name!!! It's loud and obnoxious...just like me! Sadly, it didn't get to come home to live in my closet. My mom talked me down. I don't know, something about her saying...the border collie will probably try to herd me if he saw me wearing this, cooled my enthusiasm. Ohhh well! I really have my heart set on owning a red fox coat anyway...someday!

I did find my red fox coat at one of the booths...but the $5,000 price tag on it detered me immediately. It sucks not being filthy, stinking rich-LOL!!

By the time we headed home on Sunday afternoon, this is what we all felt like....

Okay, I HAVE to show you my newest prized possessions though.

This, I did not purchase at the Stock Show. It's another purse that my brother made for me...

Buttery, soft black Ostrich. It is too die for!!

And if that did not make is wonderful enough, he lined it in raspberry suede...
Is that not just one of the most gorgeous bags you have ever seen? I got so many complements on it while I was carrying it this weekend. One of the purse vendors liked it so much that she is interested in buying some of my brother's one of a kind creations. Not this one!!! I'm guarding it with my life!!! I did break down and splurge while at the Stock Show though. It's easy to pass on the hordes of blinged out purses and tons and tons chunky jewelry but when I ran across these boots...
And tried them on...I HAD to have them!! It is so seldom that I find a pair of boots that fit my foot...high arches and a wide instep...that when I find a comfortable pair, I don't pass them up. I wore them all the next day, expecting that I would have to change back to my broke-in boots somewhere along the line. I never did. They felt as comfortable as boots I have had for years.
The $200+ price tag on these Boulet's made all of us blink rapidly, but since my "for good" boots usually last me 5-10 years...they are an investment I can live with.