Space Race

This week’s theme,“Space Race”, for the Header Challenge was chosen by Mr. Frost, Gailsman.  Since we don’t build rockets of the aeronautic type here on Vicktory Farm & Gardens, I thought I’d feature a rocket and pilot of another sort.

Just up the street, our little local fair, Lacamas Community Fair, ran this last weekend.  This would be one of those few times when I have photos that aren’t of the farm, but the Lacamas Fair is so very close and so much a part of this farm’s history, this family’s history, that it is like having photos taken on the farm.

On Thursday the three of us went up to help set up and Bet took a few of our flowers up to enter.  Still life (anything that doesn’t breath) is all entered in on Thursday, judged that evening or early in the morning and artistically displayed on Friday for the fairgoers to see on Saturday and Sunday.  With limited hands and limited time for the busy people in the farming community, Thursday evening is a good time to get the outside temporary buildings set up.  That was Dirt’s job, we helped a little, and washed a couple of dinner plates while we stood around waiting.

While we were there, the Poultry Superintendent asked Bet if she would help judge poultry on Saturday.  A slight conflict with Bet’s nephew in the contest, but there were lots of little children Bet is rather fond of who would be showing their chickens that day, that’s what small communities are like, yes?  Dirt and I stayed close to the farm on Saturday to work, not quite time for us to play. But Bet, Justin, Anna, Stephanie and her boys, Kai and Askel, took in the local sights and sounds all day Saturday.

Kai and Aksel spent Saturday night so that they could show Dirt’s sheep the next day.  Due to limited space on the grounds, each day of the fair is dedicated to different animals, or in the case of horses different ways of riding.  The plan for Sunday was that Kai would show sheep and Anna, who was down from Burlington for our end of summer fun, would game her horse Holly.  Bet sort of wished that she could take Ivan but with Kai showing sheep she needed to stay with him.  Ivan certainly needs the practice dealing with crowds and gaming.

Note:  Gaming horses is Gymkhana for those of you on other side of the continent and globe.  Still lost?  Horse games are races against the clock to get your horse to run a certain pattern around poles or barrels, often in tight spaces – “Space Race” – hello!

Dirt hauled the boys, their aunties, Holly and Sophie the sheep up to the fairgrounds first thing Sunday morning and then the two of us headed back home for a little more work.  At ten I went back up to watch Kai show the sheep and see Anna run.

When I arrived I learned that Bet was now the Sheep Superintendent and the judge!  Something else that occasionally happens in small communities, at their small events… You show up to do one thing and you’re recruited to do several more!

The moms standing around the sheep area told me that Bet took it all on bravely and because all of her showmen that day were novices and a few had never been around sheep, she held a little showmanship clinic that morning before they started.

I had arrived just in time to see Kai show, but forgot to take photos while he was in the show ring.  Auntie Bet said he did pretty good for his first time and shows definite potential (it is firmly established in his pedigree after all through his momma and three aunties).

Anna was busy waiting for her next turn at the second gaming event and upping her status as favorite Auntie for the day. 

If you can remember back Dear Reader, you will recall that Holly and Ivan came to us three summers ago.  They are brother and sister Quarter horses, Holly was only four at the time and Ivan was eight.  Neither had been ridden much, Holly just a little more than Ivan and neither had been used for gaming, just a little bit of back yard pleasure riding.  Two summers ago Anna determined to breed Holly, and since it was obvious that Dirt’s and my horses were not going to be around forever, we agreed to the adventure.  One summer ago Holly gave birth to Marvelous, Marvy, and that fall Anna got married.  But in all that time Anna and now Bet worked with Holly to groom her to be a gaming horse, Ivan too, but he is proving to be a bit of a knuckle head. 

Justin and Anna come down to visit frequently, about once maybe twice a month and she tries to get a little riding in but in the past year she really hasn’t ridden much at all.  So it was pleasing to see her do so well on Holly Sunday.  She took a respectable blue in each of the four events of the day: Barrels, Key Hole, Pole Bending and Figure Eight.

Not super fast, though she was warned not to run Holly too hard on the grass surface, but nice smooth riding, good control and close in to the obstacles but not knocking any down, contributed to her blue ribbon times.  This is Anna running the pole bending course, when I finally realized I had a camera in my hand.

When Bet was done with her duties in the Sheep Barn and everyone realized that she could still sign up to do events using Holly as well, Anna invited Bet to use Holly in the last event.  Bet signed up just in the nick of time to do the Figure Eight.

Holly by this time was really ready to rock and roll, she knew where she was, the noises, crowds and buildings now beginning to be very familiar and Anna had just a few minutes early ran the very same pattern with her.  So she took off like a rocket, ready to do her thing with Bet on her back.  Which surprised Bet a bit but in spite of taking on so much daylight between her and the saddle at the beginning settled quickly into a very good run.

Just before her turn came Dirt had informed Bet that we had a puppy customer coming back to the farm at three thirty.  So as soon as she completed her run, she and I drove back to the farm.  It takes a while for the score keepers to compile every ones times and scores so we left before she knew how she did.

When Dirt and Anna came home to drop off the sheep and the horse, Anna had a treat for Bet.  Among all the adults competing that day in that event, Bet had the best time of all of them.  And there are some very “horsey” folks who come to compete, so this ribbon is nothing to sneeze at!  And of course only helps to further Bet’s determination that she become a professional rodeo barrel rider!  I think it is on our five year plan – three more years to go!  And who will she ride?  Holly most likely, while she trains Marvy to do the same.  She is also very interested in tackling some other rodeo events.  Break away roping for one.  She carries a lariat with her and in her spare moments practices her roping skills; chairs are fairly easy, moving targets, like small children and dogs, a bit more challenging. 

But what of Ivan you ask.  Well… when we were at the Roy Rodeo this last June we saw a woman in the bronc riding, she actually took first place that day.  Who knows maybe Bet will add that to her rodeo repertoire, Ivan can be her coach for that!

Dear Reader, I hope you have been having a grand time this summer, though I know that there have been a great many tragedies in a great many lives over the last few months, I hope that if that was the case that you have kept perspective and found joy amongst the sorrow.  This last weekend marks the time that the folks on the Farm here have fun, no matter how much work is left to do!  The Lacamas Fair and then camping up in the mountains to pick huckleberries.  Its work as well but a change from the usual and a chance to forget for a moment or two all the pressing work here, and the failures that need to be corrected in the coming seasons for next year’s success.

We leave this afternoon when Dirt gets home from “teacher paper work day”.  I still have a ton of things to really do and two tons of things I ought to do and uncountable things I like to be able to accomplish before I leave.  I am trying to behave and make sure I do the absolute necessary things, like packing, first. 

A regular guest worker here at the farm will be staying here in our absence.  So if you need a puppy or a zucchini you can still stop by, provided the gate is open of course.  See you sometime next week, most likely Wednesday morning with a new header.  Until then, stay safe, stay dry and continually thank the Lord your God for every breath and blessing, and always ask forgiveness for foolishly blaming Him for your woes.