It's the Little Things

We're finally back from our world travels.

And after contemplation, the thing that I missed the most during our summer travels was my hair towel.

That's right.  My hair towel.

It's just perfect for me. 

Not too thick so I can't easily twist my hair up in it.  Just the right thickness.

Not too long so that I can't easily tuck it up under the edge of the wrapped towel.

Nothing's worse than having to use a regular towel to dry your hair.  Actually, worse than that is trying to use a hand towel in place of your hair towel.

It's the little things that I miss when I travel.

Like my hair towel.  :heart:

How They're Raised

When we were at the Cody Nite Rodeo, the one thing that I noticed was that a lot of little kids were there hanging out with the competitors.  They were able to mill around the outside of the arena with the horses and riders but their mamas and daddies continued to check on them.

Whether that was really their mama or daddy, I don't know.

But it was someone who was part of the rodeo family.

Mattress thrown down for the kids to lay on when they got tired.  Note the kids on the horse being held by his mama who was playing with a rope.

And the two that captured my attention the most were these little cowboys.

I love his little boots and spurs.  And Wrangler jeans.  :)

These little cowboys weren't quite as affectionate as the girls.  They were constantly chasing and roping each other.  Boys.  Sheesh.  tee hee

 

 For scale on just how little these rodeo kids were.  :)

And the littlest cowgirl competing.

So when Joan was mortified that the kids were doing steer riding, I said I wasn't surprised.  It's a way of life for them.  They've grown up around it.  It's just how they are raised.

Missing it ALL!

We're having a great time in Wyoming.  It's such a beautiful state!

And somehow, we've managed to miss an earthquake and a flash flood in the week that we've been gone so far.  If that wasn't enough, we managed to miss the pending Hurricane Irene which is heading for the east coast tomorrow. 

I'm waiting for news that the locust have arrived.

Or that the Redskins are 2-1 in preseason.  Oh wait.  :p

For my friends in the path of the hurricane, stay safe.

Thanks to Emily and Scott for checking on our house during ALL three natural disasters.  We will definitely be upgrading what we bring you back!

Praying that the hurricane spins back out to sea.

And praying that we are able to get back to DC with our sanity and home still in tact!

What Every Girl Needs

Every girl needs a BFF.

You know.  A best friend forever who doesn't judge you for what you say or do and who is there to support you even when she doesn't agree.

But when thinks you're just wrong, she'll let you know.  But your friendship will survive.  And probably be stronger for it.

Going through the 675 pictures that I took at the Cody Rodeo, I accidentally snapped this sequence of shots of two girls who obviously had an affection for each other.

A BFF may try to talk you out of something that is not such a great idea.

But ultimately, if you want to do it, she will support you and help steady you.

 And will be your biggest cheerleader when you succeed.

Every girl needs a BFF.

This is why I love photography.  I thought that the girl was standing on a table.  When I started looking at my pictures, I realized that she was standing on her horse.

With her friend's help.

And without her friend's help, she wouldn't have been able to do it.

Like I said.  Every girl needs a BFF and this blog post is dedicated to mine.  :heart:

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

The bull riding is always the premier event at any rodeo.  It was no different at the Cody Rodeo.

What makes these cowboys want to do this is beside me.  But I reckon once it's in their blood, it's a thirst that they must quench.

Trying to hold on for 8 seconds.  Funny 8 seconds doesn't seem that long.  To us anyway.   

A cowboy must rely on the help of the rodeo clown and the pickup men.  Sometimes that's all they have between life and death.

This wasn't a good sign.

The cowboy just tries to stay on for the full 8 seconds anyway he can.

But it usually ends up the same way.

 Then the cowboys wingmen step in to help divert the bull's attention away from the cowboy so that he can get to safety.

Climbing the rails is always an option.

That bull was really after him.

But he got to safety before the bull got him.

But he was really hurt.  You could see it in his face.  He must have sat on the rail for about five minutes gathering himself together.

Even climbing down the railing seemed to be excruciatingly painful for this cowboy.  

Ever so slowly and gingerly he continued to climb off the rail.  I couldn't take my eyes of of him.  It made me sad really. 

You just wonder what goes through their minds before they climb on the back of the bull.  

That can't feel good.  :(

Ride 'em cowboy!

There's a few ways to come off of the bull.  This is one option.  Though I'm sure it's not the preferred way!

Very few make it to the full 8 seconds.

Man vs. bull.  

The cowboy is winning this second off the clock.

But for how long can he last?

Go boy go!

But alas, as I've already said, the bull usually wins the war.

I have no idea what possess these men to mount a bull and try to ride it.  Stubbornness?  A desire to push himself?  A wish with death?

I guess it's different for every cowboy.  It's my favorite rodeo event. 

It Ain't My First Rodeo

It wasn't my first rodeo.  But it was the kids. 

The running of the horses!

AMERICA!

 

I liked the bucking broncos.

 Bye, bye hat!

 

That can't feel good.

They enjoyed everything except the calf roping.  Owen especially was mortified.  "How could they do that to a poor little calf?"

Lots of people try to be the class clown.  This guy really is.  :p

The kids got to go down and try and get the flag off of the calf's tail.  Go Shane and Owen!  Shane is in the cowboy hat and Mt. Dew shirt...lol and Owen is in his Clemson jersey.

The calves with red ribbons.  :)

 As mortified as Owen was with the calf roping, Joan was even more so with the jr. "bullriders".

The team roping is amazing to see two riders working together.  When they do it right, it's really cool.  You can tell the teams who had been together for a while.

Ladies barrel racing...always fun to watch.

This cowgirl impressed me the most.  Instead of beating her horse with a whip to get them to go faster, she was patting his neck the entire way back to the chute.  :)

Peewee division of the barrel racing.  So.  Freaking.  Cute.  :)

Her time.  :)  (As a point of reference, the ladies fastest time was around 17 seconds.)

The youngest contestant in the rodeo.  Her pony was doing double time to keep up with her mama's horse.  :)

There was also bull riding, which I will do in a separate blog post because it deserves it's own.  :)