Howdy Chuckwagon Friends

Sunny, with some cloud today and a high of 22 degrees.  Very enjoyable.  Rick fed the ponies at 6 am then headed to town for coffee with the guys.  Well he maybe never had coffee, cause he dislikes the drink, but I’m sure he gathered information.  You see, he tells me, women gossip, and guys gather information.  So, I’ll leave this comment with you to decide.

While the crew cleaned the barn, I filled all the water buckets and tubs.  It’s not a job some like doing but its got to be done.  The water pressure is pretty good now, thanks to Connie Patterson and the  Dawson Creek Committee.  Back a few years, it wasn’t so much.  They get better every year to accommodate us.

Coy and I ventured out this morning to the Special Needs Rodeo.  Along our travels we met Connie in the infield, working no doubt, putting up banners.  Connie is the head of this whole operation of the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede.  I tell you, this women gets things done.  She is the best Co-ordiantor I know!

We arrived at the Rodeo to find many kids having a morning of a life time.  We so often take things for granted in our day to day life.  But for these kids, coming to this Special Rodeo is exciting beyond words.  We had 2 drivers, Chad Fike and Dustin Gorst, along with 2 outriders Dayton Sutherland and Ethon Motowylo attend to help out with the kids and thier activities.

 

 

Throwing ropes, petting the goats, riding horses, and racing in mini chuckwagons were all activities the kids enjoyed.  Couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend our morning.

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Again, the big and little kids headed to the pool, so Rick and I headed to the grounds on our own special date.  Every year, we like to just roam around the O’l Country Fair, have a piece of pie, visit with folks we come across, check out the exhibits, and just enjoy each others company as a couple.

Our first stop, we came upon these rather old folks.  They seen Rick, the famous Chuckwagon driver, and asked if they could have a photo with them.  He obliged!  HaHa!

Then Rick was getting a little to comfortable with that chick in the grass…………what’s that all about I asked?  I need to get in there too!

So I did!!!  No one’s taking my man that easy.

Onward we went, viewing all the exhibits and farm animals in the neat little barns.

This little shed row was just the neatest as ever.  Very warm and welcoming.  We met this big black boy across the way.  He even had his very own mustache!!!  I must say, I’ve never seen this ever before.  There is always a  first for everything.

We ventured on over to the ring where they have the heavy horse pulls, massive Percheron and Clydesdale show horses hooked to the most beautiful wagons and more.  So much work goes into preparing these horses and it sure shows.  We can appreciate it.

Our friend Gordon, was busy going around and around, harrowing the field with his 2 beautiful paints.  He was just the happiest guy and so proud of his horses.  I said to Rick, its a shame that this is really a dying past time, as many kids will not have a clue about working the fields with the horses because of the way the world is today.  But again, thanks to Venues such as the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede, we can enjoy these things even if it is just once a year.

Cody was off the two barrel tonight.  His horses were raring to go, and they started just a bit ahead of the horn, which he then was assessed a 1 second penalty.  He placed 26th on the day.  He’s going to get those little things out of the way and then watch out!  He’s a very good Chuckwagon driver and will be at the top one day soon.

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I wanted you to see our start to finish on the one barrel.  Rick came in a bit ahead of the barrel.  He then was backing up to get his rear hub even with the barrel where he was supposed to be.  Unfortunately, they didn’t give him hardly any time at all and they blew the horn.  The horses started, and Rory our outrider throwing stove had the barrel on the ground, but his hand was on the wagon pulling it back.  He did one heck of a job to get that stove in and then mount his horse going pretty fast around the bottom.  The hook tonight was Glory (LW) Vegas (RW) Spirit (LL) and Speedy (RL).  Stadium and Andy were ridden by Cole and Rory.  Both these boys did exceptional tonight considering the circumstances.  And “Team 23” was 23rd on the day.  We were assessed a 1 second penalty for being ahead of the barrel.

As I was heading out of the infield with my two outriding horses, riding one and leading the other.  Stadium whom I was riding got spooked by a dog that was near the exit.  He jutted sideways quickly.  Thank goodness I didn’t fall off.  I stayed on, and continued to hold onto Andy the other horse.  I felt my finger being yanked quickly.  A fella nearby  was there to give me a hand.  I dismounted and checked things out.  I could tell with my gloves on, my finger dislocated.

I sent the horses back to camp with the good Samaritan, and then headed back to the infield to visit the paramedics.  I did try 2 times to pull it back into place on my own, but it just popped back out again.  Once they assessed it and wrapped it, Rick picked me up and we had our second date of the day, at the local hospital.  With a bit of a wait, and ice on my hand, I seen the doctor.  He froze it, put it back into place and sent me on my way to return back tomorrow for an ex-ray.  I’m getting a little woozy from the T – 3’s now, so I best finish up my stories for the day.     And as the saying goes …..” Its a long ways from my heart.”

From the Travelin Trailer

Sue, with  Rick and Team 23

P.S  When life puts you in tough situations, don’t say, “WHY ME?”  Just say “TRY ME!”

Howdy Chuckwagon Friends

Not surprising, I heard rain throughout the night and early morning.  Not a real hard rain, but it was wet.  The skies did clear up later in the morning and the day turned out to be pretty nice.

Tuesday evening, Cody, Rick and I headed on over to the covered tent, for a delicious meal with the local Chuckwagon Sponsors.  Here in Dawson Creek, we are carrying the tarp of Vold Jones and Vold Auction Company.  Shawn Gist  of VJV, and his 3 young boys were in attendance.  Cash was just smitten with Rick and had lots of questions for him.

The rest of the evening was a night to relax.  The sky was as peaceful and beautiful as ever, and I enjoyed a tasty glass of wine with a good friend next door.

 

One of the favorite outings for all the Chuckwagon kids, (big and little) is to frequent the local swimming pools at all our different tour stops.  Today Coy our grandson went, along with our son Cody, girlfriend Allie, and many others.  They had lots of fun and games, and the bonus is they return to camp very, very clean.

The day never seems to go by to slowly, and before we knew it, the races were upon us.  Coy came along with me when I headed to the infield with the outriding horses.  He wanted to be the photographer tonight.  So, there’s no time like the present to learn.  And learn he did.  He took some pretty good shots.

I never really thought about the height level difference.  Of course when you are a foot shorter, your camera photos will be at a very different angle.

Cody was in the 2nd heat off the 1 barrel.  I didn’t get to see his barrel turn, but apparently he was a bit wide coming onto the track.  He was assessed 3 seconds in penalty for that.  Coy took the photo on the backstretch of him and it turned out pretty darn good.

Rick was in heat 5 and started on the four barrel.  Tonight he hooked Nickel (LL), Spin (RL), Trick (LW), and Law (RW) and Andy and Ice being ridden by Cole and Rory.

The outfit started hard and charged when the horn sounded, but when Rick drove them  around the top, he said the horses just flopped, thus crunching  the barrel.  Very disappointing especially when our time on the clock would have posted us as a day money run.  Instead we have to settle for 32nd.  We always have to look, then at how great they ran, especially noting that they were 2 wide all the way around the track.  Pretty darn fast.

Tomorrow is a new day, and we will look forward to having a speedy run off the 1!

From the Travelin  Trailer

Sue, with Rick and Team 23

P.S.  Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination.  The best is yet to come.

 

Howdy Chuckwagon Friends

We departed Strathmore in a very soggy and wet manner.  The rains came down after the  last night of racing, and continued on into the night and  throughout Wednesday and beyond.  Driving when your wet, cold and damp after packing up and loading,  is not that comfortable.  None the less, away we went and arrived home in a 3 hour window on Wednesday.  Home was a great place to see.  The greenery at home was lovely, the flower bed my daughter Amy created was breathtaking, as all the flowers were in bloom.  Seeing all this made me want to stay awhile.  And with the calendar the way it fell this year, we did have a weekend off, so I enjoyed being at home and tending to things there.

When going through my mail, we were excited to see such a great article in the Canadian Cowboy magazine about Rick’s father, the Late Dave Lewis written by historian Billy Mellville.  This magazine put out by Editor Terri Mason and is well worth the read as it has so much in it about the cowboy way of life.  This issue is the August/September 2016 and you can pick it up at most magazine stands or even better yet, you can sign up to have it come straight to your mailbox.  Check it out at cowboycountrymagazine.com

Well, I did know we had this weekend off some time ago, so a few of us girls signed up to test the waters in the Red Deer Mud Hero Race.  Not sure what we were really in for, but we did know it was going to be fun.  It was a time to just get out from the summer normal of chuckwagon races and have some girl time with lots of laughs and craziness.

 

 

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We picked up some t-shirts that we believed in “Don’t just dream it, Do it!”  and we did it.  We had so much fun, we  laughed, slipped and slid.  Ran, climbed and crawled.  Would we do it again?  I definitely think we would.

I thoroughly enjoyed our down time, with the Mud Race as well as just enjoying the Ranch and all that comes with it.  I even got to babysit our newest grandson Ryker and if you don’t know, that kind of time is so precious.  It makes me slow down and just enjoy.

Our rest time at home had come to an end,  as it was time to load up the ponies and head up north to Dawson Creek, BC.  Monday seemed like a fine to go and away we went leaving the yard at an early 6 am.  It was rather foggy out for the first hour, then the sun began to clear things off.  It was smooth sailing and I was excited to be arriving sometime around 1 pm  as it takes approximately 7 hours with our two quick stops.  Just as we  turned into Valleyview, our second stop on our way, Rick lost air in his truck.  A quick search to see what the issue was and a mechanic was called.  An air hose had blown.

We didn’t have to wait long, and this nice young gal from DNA Truck Analysis  came calling.  She removed the hose, went back to the shop, returned with a new one and put it on promptly.   When all was said and done,  I realized this could have turned out way differently.  The hose could have blown somewhere in between towns,  then we would have had to wait for help, with added travel time too and more money to boot.  It all worked out good, and we  just arrived a couple of hours later into the City of Dawson Creek.

Set up went well in the warm and sunny conditions.  There has been some rain that has fallen here too, just as in Alberta, but the Stampede Grounds are fairly dry with all things considered.  Races start tomorrow at 6:45 pm pst.  BC is 1 hour behind Alberta just so you know.

From the Travelin Trailer

Sue, with Rick and Team 23

P.S.  If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs.

 

 

 

 

Howdy Chuckwagon Friends

Not much to report of goings on today.  As we are headed to home sweet home tomorrow, so we got busy packing and tidying up camp.  We did get a surprise visitor that  stopped  by though.  Our friend Bob Norton from Calgary came out with his grand-kids for a quick visit.  It was very good to see him, and nothing has changed with Rick and his relationship……..they continue to tease and bug each other right from the get go.

Today I managed to get a few photos of Cody coming onto the track and also passing by on the back stretch.  He had a decent run of 1:17.71 to place him 16th on the day.  He was happier with how things went today.

So many people have told us that Cody sits up in the wagon box and drives like his great Uncle Dallas Dorchester.  I dug out some photos and found these.  Thought it was neat to compare.  The year was 1982  in Wainwright when Dallas was driving.

Well we were crossing our fingers and toes that the stars would align for another Strathmore win, but things didn’t work out  quite how we had hoped.  Coming off the 1 barrel, Rick guided the team around the top and then to the bottom.  Passing by the bottom barrel, the left wheeler leaned just slightly more than he should have, enough to feather the barrel and it floated to the ground.  A 5 second penalty.  Disappointment for us all on Team 23, but all said and done, we have some great races here in Strathmore.

A congrats goes out to the Gary Gorst Team on his first ever  Strathmore win with outriders Casey Knight and Kale Lajeunesse.

Our final recipients of our mini Chuckwagon giveaway were these cute kids.  They were pretty happy to get it.  We’re not quite sure if the little feller is going to share, as he’s got a pretty good hold on it.

Tomorrow we are off to the comfort of our own home for a few days as our next venue is in Dawson Creek, BC which starts on Wednesday, August 10 –  14th.  Looking forward to the good o’l Country Fair.

From the Travelin Trailer

Sue, with Rick and Team 23

P.S.  Usually your biggest trials come right before your biggest breakthroughs.  Keep pushing on!

Howdy Chuckwagon Friends

A very warm and enjoyable day  began, as this  morning there was an event to attend.  The crew tended to the barn chores, and I headed over to the  Kirk Sutherland camp, to help out with their daughter Misty’s Pace Kids Charity breakfast.  This pancake breakfast is in its 4th year now and all the proceeds go to children with special needs. Pacekids Society for Children with Special Needs is a registered, non-profit, charitable organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors that consists of parents of Pacekids’ children, as well as other community members. Founded in 1994, Pacekids holds a Private ECS Operator License from Alberta Education, and offers a variety of programs through funding from Family Support for Children with Disabilities. Pacekids continuously emphasizes the importance of the special needs child and the family unit.  Pacekids Programs is family focused and strives for excellence in the therapy, education and family empowerment of children with special needs.

The breakfast was a success, as the barn crews were fed, prizes were given out, the kids loved the face painting by artist Emerson, and some money was raised for the Pace Kids Group.

The races were scheduled for 1 pm, so everyone headed back to their camps to prepare.  Cody was off the 2 barrel today.  He wasn’t so happy with his run as it was slower than he anticipated.  He was 29th with a 1:21.17.

Ricks hook today was Nickle (LL) Spin (RL) Trick (LW) Law (RW) with Ice and Stadium as the outriding horses being handled by Chad and Cole.  I unfortunately don’t get to see the infield barrel turn, so I listen for the horn, then Ricks whistle, and hope for the best as they come around the oval.  Today he was 4 abreast coming off the four barrel and that is how they raced the whole way around.  We place 17th with a 1:19.68.  That is pretty good considering he was  4 wide.  That is a huge accomplishment with that outfit. After the times were all calculated over the 3 days, we are sitting 3rd overall, with Gary Gorst leading the pack, and John Walters in behind for 2nd.

Today’s recipient of our Mini Chuckwagon Giveaway, was 103 years young, Ms. Sybil Wilson.  She was tickled pink to have it.  When word got to the barn that this happened, we thought it would be an honor for Rick to scoot over to meet her.

And meet her he did.  She was excited to make us aware that her Great, Great Granddaughter Paisley received the mini wagon 2 years ago here at the Strathmore Stampede.  How exciting is that?

I had to have one last hug with Spider-man as he is headed out on a mini vacation today.  It will be a couple of weeks before we see each other again at the last show in Rocky Mountain House.

Last day of racing starts 7 pm Tuesday evening.

From the Travelin Trailer

Sue, with Rick and Team 23

P.S.  The best classroom in the world, is at the feet of an elderly person.