friends

Ponoka: Night One (June 26)

/ suefraser / 4 Comments

WOW! Where do I start! There are so many stories I would like to tell. Only a few days have gone by since I posted on the blog and we have been busy since.

Our home is only a short 30 minutes from the Ponoka grounds, and that can be good or bad, whichever way we want to look at it. It’s almost better to be far away from home when we are racing. Being this close causes us to make trips home for things that we may have forgotten and think we need, thus spending a lot of time traveling and away from the barn, missing out on the afternoon nap.

Yet I was very excited to be home for even just a few minutes to enjoy all my lovely planters that my daughter Amy did up for me. She’s got the knack and totally enjoys it.

crop 20150624_143458[2]

crop 20150624_144210[2]

I was treated to an appointment with my hairstylist Tisha in Wetaskiwin. It was time to cover up those silver slim strings that are atop my head. It always feels so good when I depart from there. She does a great job.

But I have to tell you a neat story connected with this day. Before I left my trailer that day, my gut told me to take along a $25 gift card that we were given by our new friend Chantele in Saskatoon, whom we met while we were there racing. It was a thank you gift to go have lunch or something while on the road.

After I got into my vehicle, I noticed a gal in the car parked facing me. Through her body language, she looked somewhat agitated and frustrated. I sensed that I needed to go give her this gift card.

I got out, walked to the window and asked if she was okay. She replied she was and she let me know she was waiting for her sister who was in an appointment, she had a wee one in the back seat, her boyfriend was looking for work and she was expecting a child. I handed her the $25 gift card and asked if she would take it. She was elated and said, “You just made my day!” I replied, “No! You just made my day by accepting this gift.” And away I went.

It felt good to pay it forward. It was meant to be.

Well, it was Parade Day in Ponoka, and Amy brought in her little mini for Coy to drive with his wagon and do a little advertising for her dog grooming business. It sure looked cute with her nicely cleaned puppies, the shiny wagon and the Overacker clan who came along to hand out candies and business cards.

crop DSC_8387[2]

crop 20150626_082424[2]

It’s always neat to see the other entries and I was totally smitten with this cute little Native gal who won first in her category.

crop DSC_8406[2]

And you can’t have a parade without some members of our Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Don’t they look sharp?

crop DSC_8403[2]

Shortly after the parade, Rick and I were off to Bruce’s Tru Hardware in downtown Ponoka with Chad Harden and crew for the guys to meet and sign posters for the customers. This is the greatest store around. Mary Lynn, a.k.a. “Red Neck Barbie,” and Bruce have more inventory in there than you can imagine. If you need it they pretty much have it, from hardware to clothes, from giftware to food, from toys to plants, just to name a few. They are even carrying WPCA merchandise so when you have a moment go check them out.

I am very fortunate to call Mary Lynn my friend. She has the most giving heart I know. She has helped so many people in need, and continues to do so pretty much each and every day as you’ll see in the photo and article about Hope, a young lady with cancer, having some fun time with Mary Lynn.

crop IMG_2006[1]

crop unnamed

Because Mary Lynn has been so good to so many, Rick and I gifted her with her very own “Team 23” pink pitchfork.

crop 20150621_114159[2]

She loved it! Unfortunately, I don’t think it will ever get dirty but that’s okay, as she’s going to keep it on display at the store.

We are always so excited to be here in Ponoka. It’s such a fun Stampede with so many people from all over the province and from far away, coming to camp for six days or more. It’s one big camping party all coming together to watch some rodeo and chuckwagon events as well as take in some local activities too.

The crowd was pretty good tonight despite the lovely hot weather we had. It’s a cooker. Love it!

Rick and his team of Speedy on Left Lead, Nickle on Right Lead, Sneakers on Left Wheel and Law on Right Wheel were off the number 3 barrel tonight. Cole held leaders with Ace and Dustin threw stove with Andy.

Rick Fraser Team 23

The team started but didn’t come to the track quite as hard as Rick was expecting. On the inside of him was Evan Salmond on 1, Kelly Sutherland on 2 and then Chad Harden on 3. Evan was a speedster and took day money. We managed 12th for the evening, which is pretty good.

crop DSC_8439[2]

I’m thinking tomorrow will be another scorcher again. Bring on the popsicles and water guns!

I’ve learned…that just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.

High River: Night Four (June 21)

/ suefraser / 3 Comments

Today was a long day. When I first opened my eyes and ears for the morning, I heard rain, rain and more rain. This is really not what one wants to hear on a race day.

Rick headed out to feed morning oats. He came back a little soggy from the moisture, as I had the rain gear tucked away and his boots were also not reachable.

I put the coffee on just as a visitor arrived. Ralph Nelson popped by. His late father Lloyd drove chuckwagons years ago and Ralph used to do some outriding. We had a great chat as the rain continued to fall. The girls managed to get the chores all taken care off and came in for a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.

Once that was all cleared away, another local fellow named Robert stopped in. We rent a bit of pasture off of him during High River for our outriding horses. This works great for us as the pen space we have is fairly small. We prefer not to put too many horses in pens together in case they get fighting; injuries could arise.

Well, the day continued on and the skies let up for a bit of sunshine peaking through here and there. I zoomed off to town to fuel up the vehicles, reload the propane bottles and grab just a few more groceries. Once I returned, it was time to pack up the trailer before the races began at 4. Not to mention the kids were hungry again so some leftovers got used up. We did pretty good folding up one side of the liner before race time and putting away what things we could that we didn’t need, which would help us leave for Ponoka much earlier.

Rick Fraser Team 23

Rick Fraser Team 23

It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon for racing. The sun shone and it was fairly warm out too. As we were still in the ninth heat, our routine stayed pretty much the same. Our hook today was Speedy on the Left Lead, Nickle on the Right Lead, Sneakers on the Left Wheel and Law on the Right Wheel. They sure did look good out there coming off of barrel 3.

The track was heavy today so times were a bit slower than the other days. The horses started good and ran hard three wide. Our heat was a fast one, surprisingly; I thought it would be slower as the track got used more. That in turn gave us a good time, as we posted a 1:18.92, good enough for fifth on the day. So happy about that. Our outriders rode well and refrained from getting any penalties whatsoever. Cole and Dustin rode Ace and Andy. Kirk Sutherland won the day money in our heat. Once the times were calculated, Mitch Sutherland came out on top, taking home the Guy Weadick High River 2015 title. Congratulations to him.

Team 23 hustled their hineys, got things packed up in short order and was on the road by around 7:30pm. It was smooth sailing all the way to Ponoka, and we arrived close to 10pm. There was still some daylight left for setup, but not much. My little swamper Coy petered out only 20km from Ponoka. Too much playing in all that fresh air with the kids today.

We all hustled like little bumble bees setting up the pens, unloading the horses and then setting up the barn. It took us a couple of hours and then we came to the trailer for a snack before heading to bed.  Oh, and I just had to sit down and write for you all. I didn’t want you to wake up and be disappointed with no blog to be had. Thanks, all, for being such faithful followers.

Rick Fraser Team 23

Rick Fraser Team 23

Well, I best get to bed. Morning comes early and I have a pile of laundry to get done.

Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss or dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by the heart.

Medicine Hat: Night Two (June 12)

/ suefraser / Leave a comment

I tell you, there is never a dull moment around here. The day started out fairly cool, weather-wise. Rick fed the ponies and then headed out with cousin Troy Dorchester to pick up some hay bales from a local farmer. The girls got started with the chores in the barn. I took time for myself and went for my power walk/jog/stair climbing at the grand stand. I enjoyed it and really felt those stairs. I returned just in time to help hook an outfit for track time at 8. Some of the good ol’ boys needed to be blown out around the track. So what Rick does with this particular outfit is drive one trotting lap for a warm-up and then goes full speed for the second lap. He refrains from turning the barrels, as these guys know the routine.

crop 20150612_072501[2]

crop 20150612_073910[2]

After we finished up at the barn and had breakfast, I snuck on over for a visit with my good friend Olana. We sure enjoyed our visit. We shared many stories, laughing, crying and reminiscing. Olana was a beautiful bride just one year ago. With so much to accomplish in a day, I rarely make time for these kinds of visits when on the road, yet I know I need to do this more often. I think this year I will make myself a promise to do just that.

Three hours later, I headed back to the trailer as some local friends of ours came to work on my trailer to tack the bottom cover back up on the belly of the trailer. I tell you, these trailers cost a few dollar bills; you would think they would be put together just a little bit better than they are. At any rate, Roger and Gina did an impressive job to repair the issues and we are so thankful to them for this. It saves us from hauling it in to the repair shop, which would be a real big hassle, especially when we live in it for three months of the summer.

crop 20150612_140920[2]

crop DSC_2505-1[3]

While they were working away, some other good friends dropped by. Norm and Bev Little swung by to say hello and stop for a visit in the sunshine. Norm is one of the guys behind Alberta Premium, so he dropped Rick and I off a few goodies for the road. Now I must tell you a story about Norm and Bev and how we got to know each other. It was back in 1990, I believe. We were at the Calgary Stampede and Rick was outriding. The girls were only one and three at the time. I would arrive at the stands with the girls in our mini chuckwagon used like a stroller. Grandma Joy Dorchester would be with us too. We would go a half hour earlier to get a seat. The kids were always so good. Norm and Bev happened to be there too and they commented how good the kids were. Bev loved the chuckwagons and this began our friendship. We kept in touch over the years as Norm always worked at the rodeos and Bev would want to stay around to watch us race. We have met so many great folks along our journey and I’m sure we will meet many more to come.

crop 20150612_151451[2]

crop 20150612_152753[2]

Our visit got cut short as we noticed a storm brewing in the west. Kaylee, our daughter, confirmed this when she texted the weather radar for the Medicine Hat region to us. Yup, we were in for a good one. Team 23 raced to the barns to put the horses under cover, tuck things away, cover up the hay and then hide away in our trailers and hope for the best. No one expected this storm to be so severe. And severe it was, with rain, hail and high winds. While sitting in the trailer, at times we thought it might blow over. Thank goodness it did not. Our barn on the truck weathered the storm out, unlike many other barns of fellow competitors.

The storm maybe lasted an hour, and when it finally passed over we headed out to assess the damages. At least 15 or more of the barns on the grounds had been blown over, torn or somewhat damaged. Amongst all this, all the horses amazingly came through just fine. One hired hand from another camp got kicked while handling a horse and so was sent to the hospital for observation. From what I’ve heard, he’s going to be fine.

Through all this disaster, the WPCA and the Medicine Hat Stampede board felt it was viable to cancel the races for tonight and postpone them until Monday. So we will race tomorrow at 7:15pm, Sunday 2pm, and Monday at 7:15pm. So please tune in again on your Sirius XM channel 80 to hear the races live. And be sure to become a follower of my blog www.travelintrailer.com.

Always believe that something wonderful is going to happen.  Even with all the ups and downs, never take a day for granted.

Cherish the little things and hug the ones you love.

Medicine Hat: Night One (June 11)

/ suefraser / 1 Comment

Show number three on the WPCA tour is underway. On Monday, our caravan of three units pulled out of the city of Saskatoon by 6:30am. We decided to pull an early one by rising at 4. Our plan to arrive in Medicine Hat by noon went as planned, but what we didn’t realize was the temperature that day in The Hat was in the 35 degrees range. Oh my goodness, even for a girl who likes heat it was HOT!

Nonetheless, we had to set up the pens, unload the horses, set up the barn and prepare the rest of the camp. Let me tell you, we took lots of breaks that day. Our evening was an early one, as we were all exhausted.

Tuesday was bit of a down day, although we did hook one set of horses in the morning. Once that was taken care of, it was time to head to the office in the back of my trailer do catch-up on the bills to be paid. The darn things follow me on the road too.

Wednesday was a time for me to take a break from the barns and hit the golf course. Not for just any old game—there was a tournament organized with some local businesses to bid on chuckwagon drivers to be on their team. Money was raised for humanitarian charity work, plus it was a great time to meet some new potential sponsors for the chuckwagons. As Rick does not golf, I got to represent him in the tournament. Richard from Rodeo Ford out of Medicine Hat purchased me to play on his team along with Derek and Grant. We had lots of laughs, a few beverages and many great shots that day. And, to our surprise, our team came out on top, each winning $875. I think that’s more than what Rick wins on any given day money! Well, almost!

crop 2015-06-10%20305[2]

crop IMG_20150611_232711[1]

While today was a warm one as well, we had some little visitors stop by the barns to meet some of the drivers. The WPCA arranged for some of the local schools to come down and see just what it is we do and also get up close and personal with the horses as well. So many kids and so many questions. What a great idea to get the young interested, then go home to tell their parents and then have them come to the races. Many of the schools were given free tickets for the kids. Rick always does a great job handing out candy and signing posters for the wee ones.

crop IMG_3058[1]

crop IMG_3060[1]

Tonight we also had some awesome visitors. About five years ago, we met Astrid and Jan from the Netherlands. They happened to be in Medicine Hat visiting some relatives. They came by the barns and we chatted them up about our lifestyle on the road. They went to the races and were hooked. They have come back to Canada with another couple, Stephan and Heidi, to show them the races live. It’s just not the same as seeing it on the internet. Fans for life! They loved it.

crop DSC_7921[2]

crop DSC_7909[2]

As for the race tonight, by the time it was heat 11 it had cooled off somewhat. There are 12 heats here in Medicine Hat because there are only 3 chuckwagons to a heat. Here we are carrying the Northwell Oilfield Hauling Tarp, an excellent sponsor for a few years now. Rick was off the 2 barrel with the red shirts. Tonight Chance Vigen rode Bingo and Dustin Gorst rode Stadium. Those boys both did awesome jobs. The boys pulling the wagon were Air Afair – Left Leaders, Ranger – Right Leader, Duba – Left Wheeler and Ernie – Right Wheeler. These horses are the newer ones from the ranch. They will be going every night here, I think. The start at the horn wasn’t quite where Rick would have liked it, but they went. He turned with Kelly and Layne, and stayed right with Kelly two wide all the way around the track, coming in second just a horse-length behind. It gave us a 17th place on the day. Tomorrow we will use the track time at 8am to hook an outfit and give them a blow.

Promote what YOU LOVE instead of bashing what YOU HATE.

Grande Prairie Stompede: Night Three (May 29)

/ suefraser / 1 Comment

Brrrrrrr! It was chilly this morning when we arose. Good thing I put the furnace on last night or I might have opted to stay in bed a whole bunch longer. Rick fed morning oats at 6am then headed in to tidy himself up and ventured off to his old elementary school, Hillside, to see the kids at a pancake breakfast. Chad Harden and Chad Fike also went along. Throughout the summer at each of the Tour stops, all the drivers and outriders are assigned to go out into the community to different functions to promote our heritage lifestyle. Some of the places they go to are schools, UFA, a sponsor, car dealerships, seniors’ lodges and hospitals, to name a few.

IMG_20150529_080011[1] crop

I zoomed into the city at 11 to buy some more groceries for the crew. Made it a speedy trip, and then headed to a restaurant to meet up with Rick and Ken Drysdale, our sponsor from a few years ago. Some of you may remember the company Kendal Pipeline? Yes, we carried that tarp proudly for seven years. It was a great partnership that began as business but quickly became a friendship that has lasted to today. We must say that chuckwagon racing did well for Kendal pipeline and Kendal Pipeline did well for Rick and Sue Fraser and Team 23.We had lots of great times, and together won a World Champion title in 2004 and numerous shows along the trail. So many great memories.

DSC_6746[2] crop

2004%20World%20Champion%20Family[2] crop

A day can go by quite quickly in this lifestyle we live. After lunch, I got back to our home on wheels and rushed to get the groceries put away and supper layered into the crockpot, with just enough time to take an hour’s nap before the 4 o’clock chores began. I have a hard time falling asleep, so I think maybe only 30 minutes of that counted. Will try to shoot for a nap again for tomorrow.

Coming off of barrel 2 tonight, Rick decided to keep the exact same lineup as last night. Spirit, Speirman, Vegas and Zorba, with the same two outriders, Rory and Dustin, riding Beau and Trixter. I give those boys credit, because it’s a job that takes a lot of talent with a very fit body to boot, especially if they have seven to nine rides in a night. Just as Rick had rolled into position, our lead man Rory was having a bit of a time trying to get a hold of the crosschecks of the two leaders to steady them in place for Rick. The lead horses kept backing up just a bit, refraining Rory from handling them and pointing them in the position to which Rick asked him. Then the horn blew. They started pretty good—Rick drove them around the barrels and came out right alongside Jason Glass on barrel 1. They were running neck and neck until the second turn, then our outfit started to fall back just a bit. Rick said Vegas didn’t run quite as fast as yesterday. Not sure why, but we managed to come out with a  1:18.68, good enough for 15th on the day.

We are sitting third overall in the standings after three nights of racing. If we manage to have a nice, fast, clean run tomorrow, we could find Team 23 vying for the win on Championship Sunday. Let’s cross our fingers and our toes that this will come to fruition!!! As I always say, it’s nice to get into the final dash of the meet, and a bonus to take home the win. Hope we can make Direct Horizontal, our sponsor, very proud this show.

DSC_7404[2] crop

DSC_7058[2] crop

Live to learn, and you will learn to live.