Chips Ahoy vs Bacon

We have three bug lights outside that come on at night. The lights attracts bugs and when they land on the interior wire grids, they get electrocuted. Because we are buggy here in West Texas, Rick has to daily clean the dead bugs from the lights or we risk a fire starting in a light and spreading to the tree from which the light hangs. Rick uses one of his air compressors to blow the dead bugs out. The compressor is loud, so his hearing can be compromised afterward. Here is a typical conversation because of this compromised hearing.

Set up: I found a bag of Chips Ahoy in the pantry when Rick thought we were all out. I walk into the bedroom with the bag of Chips of Ahoy.

Me:  I had another bag hidden.
Rick: (Excited) You have a bag of bacon?
Me: (I hold up the bag of Chips Ahoy.) No, I said 'I had another bag hidden.'
Rick: (Disappointed) Aah, I wish you had a bag of bacon.

This is what we have to look forward to as we grow old and lose our hearing. At least we will laugh.

"There he goooooooooooooes!"

My camera has a pre-set for sporting events, which means when you press the button it snaps a quick succession of pictures. This feature came in handy at the rodeo especially during the saddle bronc riding. When I downloaded the pictures to my computer, I was laughing like all get out because there would be numerous photos of the rider hanging on for dear life with the last picture being the rider flying off of the horse. I have several sets of these pictures of different riders all ending with a "There he goes!" frame. Here for your enjoyment are those frames. Please note no animal or man was injured; however, I cannot attest to the men's pride.

 The popular bronc trick of "I'll stop short and you'll fly over my head."

 "Hey! You! Get off of my back!" (It's a lot more amusing if you sing this a la Rolling Stone's "Get Off of My Cloud."

 He spent such a short time on the horse he was like a red flash.

 Here is where this cowboy starts to lose control. . . 

. . .this is where he kisses the dirt.

 I really thought this cowboy was going to make it. . . 

. . .I was wrong.

TCR Parade and Rodeo Night 1

It's TCR (Texas Cowboy Reunion) time, the big event for this area. This year it is the 83rd TCR. Yesterday we attended the parade and the first of four nights of the rodeo portion of the reunion. Like we have in previous years, we purchased our box, so we are right on the rail of the ring. Because the box seats eight and we are a family of three we invite friends to fill the box. It's always a good time and the one time a year I get to eat funnel cake! Here's the pictures.

 Hardin-Simmons Six White Horses

 Hardin-Simmons Cowboy Band doing a cowboy, kicky thing.

 This little dude was, well . . . so little. I was hoping he'd turn to face me because his little eyes were just peeping underneath the brim of his too big cowboy hat.

 Hardin-Simmons Six White Horses charging into the rodeo grounds.

 The U.S. and Texas flags galloping onto the grounds.

 This young cowboy had such a pretty little paint.

 I am partial to palomino horses, so the reason for this shot and the next.

 Isn't this palomino horse gorgeous?

 This barrel racer is only 7 years old. Her horse went astray at first, but she got him back on track.

When the horses round barrel number three they are often at an unbelievable angle. Unfortunately, this horse was way over the point of recovery. After I clicked this picture, down he went down on his side and the rider got caught. She got up, but painfully limped the length of the rodeo ring back to the starting gate. She is hurting today, I am sure.

 I didn't realize this lady was older until I saw this picture. You'd never know her age with how agile she was in the ring.

 This barrel racer has won quite a bit over the years. What I find intriguing in this picture is how calm she and her horse are rounding number three barrel.

 This crazy lady is Ginger Duke. She is a professional trick rider. She hangs off side of the horse, dragging her hand in the dirt, vaults around the horse, stands on the horse all the while the horse is racing around the ring. The shocker is she just started riding at the age of 21. I don't think she has been performing that long because she still performs on her first horse TeeJay. She got a second horse named Dollar who was a wild mustang and never saw a human until the age of 4. He performed for the first time in front of an audience last night. 

Ginger and TeeJay.

I didn't get any decent pictures of the bronc riding because I left my long lens at home. But hey, we have three more nights to go, so more pictures will follow. And before I forget, Happy 4th of July!