Sure we get to see family but it's a bit boring especially for my daughter. And I really don't cope in the small town where everyone knows my business very well. I've been gone too long to ever come back. Maybe I'm just too much of an introvert and like being able to go shopping without having to stop 5 times and be polite to people you know vaguely.
Saturday night I did get to meet my cousin's youngest daughter for the first time. She's almost three, and saw some other family so that was fine. Sunday my daughter and I went to the rodeo and had a fun time watching her friend race and all the events and I had my first every corn dog. Monday was a holiday here so we did not much of anything, Tuesday was lunch out and berry picking and not sure today and tomorrow. Friday morning we have to get up and leave for the 5.5 hour drive back to the city to catch our flight to Chicago.
So here a few pics, either of rodeo stuff or just the scenery including rush hour traffic down the main street of my parents' town. If two cars pass on the street that is damn near a traffic jam. You can go nearly an hour between vehicles. LOL Yes, it's that small.
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| 16 year old girl competing in chariots, missed out by a nose. She races against adults of both sexes and a woman took the overall title for the weekend. There were only 3 of them racing against about 20 men. |
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| Lots of good bucking bronc action. There was even a couple of Australian cowboys (or stockmen as Kris calls them, but really, that just sounds stupid.) |
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| You can see how flat it is where I grew up although there is a "mountain" in the background, it's a valley between two small mountains. Also how quiet the town is, and the second biggest store is the greasy spoon, bus station, liquor store, movie rentals and junk food store. On stop shopping. |
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| Some of the other rodeo action. I'm not sure I'd be thrilled to leap off a racing horse onto a cow with with 8 inch horns. One young bull rider got his leg stepped on, but he limped off. These cowboys actually get scholarships to go to US universities that have rodeo teams. Kind of odd, but a scholarship is a scholarship. |
15 comments:
Great photos, Tam! Glad you're enjoying your trip, and that you had the foresight to keep the small town visit short so you could get on to Chicago.
And a rodeo scholarship? Had never heard of that. Very cool!
Wow, that street scene looks a lot like the town nearest to me!
I HATE rodeos. All I can think of is what's done to those horses and steers to get them to buck. It's very cruel.
Now, if the same thing were done to the riders, it would at least be more fair.
Thanks Val. It is very different, I'm sure some of the schools in the South West have rodeo teams.
I think there are pretty strict rules now KZ about caring for the stock and for most of them the bucking is natural and they hate that band around their butt. So more of an annoyance than anything painful. Maybe I just choose to believe. :-) Bull fighting however is something I detest.
So, you should be getting lots of reading done, right? :)
Actually no Chris. :-( I get the evil eye if I read too much. Sigh. Today is making raspberry pie. I did finish off some yaoi I want to mail from the US since it's cheaper. But not much reading. Probably next week in Chicago more as my friend has to leave on business so in the evenings we'll have the house to ourselves for a few days.
Great pictures, Tam! I'm never been to a rodeo although I'd like to.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your time with the family before the "real" fun begins in Chicago.
Looks like a rip roaring town. Your poor kid must be BORED! lol Poor thing - give her a hug from me. :)
Great photos though. I love rodeos but haven't been to one in years.
My theory about why you like the word 'cowboy' so much is because your brain automatically associates 'boy' with twink. StockMEN on the other hand...
I know all about small towns!
Great photos! Umm, do you happen to have any of cowboys in really tight jeans? ;)
Thanks Lily. We had a fun time that day.
Amazingly she's doing okay Tracy, but I think much longer and she'd start going wonky. My Dad has a miniature railway in the basement so she's been working on that which kills some time.
Well, at least you aren't implying I have a thing for cows Kris. :-P
They ALL had baggy jeans Eyre. It was totally unfair. Of course the announcer telling you how he had a wife and 4 kids he schleps around with him didn't add to the allure either. Although there was that little 20 year old bull rider named Kane. Plot bunny. Oh yeah. :-D
Well, if no one made the raspberry pie, there would be no pie to eat, and that would be sad beyond words.
I grew up in rodeo country, so not only did some of my friends get educated on rodeo scholarships, we'd go to the college nationals every few years because it was just up the street.
Word verification:waing
The pie was yummy Pam. :-) Great word veri. LOL
My daughter rides English but has done some western style including barrels. Her and a friend are quite into it and her friend declared that her husband had better be competent in two rodeo events, one of which is bull riding. LOL Ah kids. They'll probably both end up with city boys who are afraid of horse poop.
I was going to say "hey, don't diss the country!" but I think I'd go stir crazy living somewhere that isolated too. Makes the small country town I live in look like a
bustling metropolis - we get traffic jams all the time! I do like seeing lots of people I know when I'm out in town, though - unless I'm having a bad hair day, that is...
Hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday, and your return to the joys of city life :)
I think perhaps I'm just anti-social Jo, which could very well be true. LOL
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