What’s a Rodeo?

We have lived in Pincher Creek for 5 years and the Pro Rodeo Weekend is a big deal in the town.

Usually, I would make it to the parade and some of the other activities around town and then go home and just hear the loudspeaker announce things from the grounds below.  I have never really had a desire to make it down the hill to sit in the stands.  This year, Ron is retired and he wanted to take in the whole rodeo experience.  We bought our weekend pass and Friday night we were in the stands.  Let’s say that evening was not great for me.  When a calf was let out of a pen and a big cowboy raced his horse beside him and jumped on his head, I had to turn mine.  

I was the one in the stands that let out a quiet cheer when the calf got away.  The barrel racing was a little calmer.  The cowgirls raced their horses around three barrels and back to the start.  

Some barrels got knocked down but for the most part it looked like the animal and rider were a team.  That was not my perception when the evening turned to the bronco horses.  These poor animals were in a tiny little area with something that was making them very angry and then a cowboy jumps on.  The gate opens and for 8 seconds the horse goes wild and the rider holds on with one hand trying not to be thrown and I guess, having good form?  

When the buzzer sounds, two other cowboys try to rescue the rider and then removes a strap from the bucking horse.  The beautiful animal calms down somewhat and is directed toward the exit gate.  Well, if my heart rate wasn’t high enough by then it certainly was when they did the same thing with the bulls.  Bulls are massive animals and seem to have never taken any anger management courses.  I remember back to when I was young and in a hay mow swinging on a rope with my friend at her farm.  Below, we heard snorting and banging.  We looked down and saw that the bull had gotten out of his stall and was storming the area.  He was angry for what seemed like no good reason and there was no way of escape for us.  We went to the opening in the loft and begin yelling for my friend’s brothers or dad to come and put the bull back in the stall.  This memory has stuck with me and has always given me a very healthy fear of bulls.  In my opinion, it is absolutely crazy for anyone to willingly get on on the back of one of those animals.  Who knew that there were so many crazy people?

Perhaps even crazier were the two rodeo clowns who intentionally got the bull’s attention when the ride was over for the cowboy or he was thrown off prematurely.  Looking around I sensed that my concerns for the animals was not shared by the crowd. I’m thinking that people that were of like mindedness did not attend a rodeo.

On Saturday, we went to the much more peaceful event….the rodeo parade.  There were lots of horses, farm equipment and special salutes to the RCMP for their 150th year.  

It was quite touching to watch the members in their red serges march by and have the spectators break out with applause.  

After the one hour parade, we toured the pioneer village and walked home to get warmer clothes for the afternoon rodeo.  

The day was more of the same.  Barrel races, bucking horses, roping cowboys and anger filled bulls.  There were a couple of moments of collective gasps from the crowd.  A bucking horse came out of his confined area and took the cowboy for a ride.  Straight across the arena it went, jumping and kicking and then the cowboy was flying.  He went up and over the two fences and landed near the stands with the spectators.  He dusted himself off and saluted the crowd and was able to walk away.  The horse won that round.  A little while later a bull threw his rider right out of the gate.  The bull was bucking hard and the cowboy found himself under the the moving hooves of this giant animal.  The clowns distracted him but only after being trampled twice.  My heart felt sick but the man slowly got up, holding his ribs and was able to walk away.

There were a few less violent events provided for the kids.  Kids were called into the stadium by two different age groups.  They lined up and then two calves were released.  One calf had a ribbon on his tail and the child that could get that ribbon received a new bike.  Another event was when a team of three children had to try and get a pony under control and ride it as long as they could.  Mostly what happened was that the ponies dragged a child around for while.  Then there was the mutton race.  

It may be crazy for grown men to jump on a bull or a bucking horse but what parent puts their child on a sheep?  Apparently, a lot do.  Most kids were dropped rather quickly.  Some kids cried, some ate dirt and some will grow up to ride in a rodeo.

On Sunday, we went to the cowboy church, which was just a regular service at the grounds.  Okay, not totally regular.  There were cows mooing, horses moving and tractors motoring around.  Ron was a little disappointed that the music didn’t include a banjo or a fiddle.

The afternoon was the finale.  These cowboys and girls were all working to move ahead in the rodeo circuit.  It seemed like a big deal.  There were riders from the western provinces, Montana, Texas, Idaho and even one from Australia.  

Rodeos might not be my thing, but we did it.  It was very well organized and it didn’t seem that any animals were hurt.  I can’t say the same for the riders.  I’m glad that we did experience the Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo because it will be a memory.  A memory of angry bulls, flying cowboys and parents that throw their kids on sheep and wish them well.

Listed

We were finally given the go ahead to list our house.  It’s always a strange feeling when it happens.  All the clutter is hidden in drawers or closets.  The regular appliances that are usually on the counter have found places in cupboards or the pantry.  Sometimes it is a bit of a scavenger hunt trying to remember where we put something.  The result is a show home.

We signed the contract with our realtor on Sunday.  On Monday afternoon, we had our first showing.  Tuesday, the rooms were photographed and the sign went up in our front yard.  It’s feeling real now.

Today, the listing went live. The routine kicks in.  Every morning the bed gets made with extra care.  The counters are cleaned off after toast and coffee.  The floors and furniture are dusted.  

We got a text today for another showing.  Dishes go in the dishwasher and everything else finds a hiding place.  Ron is good at hiding his glasses (drinking and eye). 😂

We don’t know how long the house will be on the market.  In Ontario, our home took 5 months to sell.  When we moved from Swift Current, it was only two weeks.  In Three Hills, we almost gave up hope.  It was over a year of living with things in their hiding places.  So, the waiting, cleaning, and showings begins.  It will happen when it is supposed to happen.

We will continue with our adventures here until someone falls in love with our house and then we will go on a search for our forever home.

60!

Today Ron turned 60!  Where has the time gone?  Today, was his official start to retirement.  Wow!

He had kind of a quiet day.  Normally I would try to make something special but instead I spent most of the day in bed not feeling well.

We did have a nice evening last night.  We packed the truck and set out to find a place near Waterton to watch the stars.  

While we waited for it to get dark, we had a steak barbeque and chatted with people that came to the lookout.  

There was a man from Ontario who went fishing in northern Ontario and then decided to keep going.  A young man from Germany was visiting his girlfriend from Calgary.  Two ladies from Alaska joined  our “campground.”  Later in the evening, two guys from Calgary pulled into sleep.  We found out that they were going rock climbing today.

Our bed was just in the back of the truck.  You don’t really have to worry about bugs but we both had bear spray and a knife beside us just in case.

As the skies grew darker, we watched the show.  I counted 18 meteorites before I closed my eyes for the night.  My morning view was just as beautiful as our evening ones.  

Unfortunately, before we could cook our eggs or try our new coffee percolator, we needed to get home because I wasn’t feeling very well.

Tonight, we sat outside for a bit to watch the skies but we were too tired to last too long.

That’s It! That’s All!

Ron just drove out of the garage taking with him 14 plus years of his life.  Today is officially his last work day.  We packed up numerous uniform shirts, pants, coats, dress uniforms, Stetson and his tall brown boots.  They filled the car and emptied a closet plus some.  It’s a bit of a strange feeling but it is also a sigh of relief.  

That won’t be our last contact with the RCMP.  We are still waiting to hear from relocation so we will keep the communication open on our end if they ever choose to start it on theirs. 😳

The Sgt has also organized a farewell dinner.

So what do we do now?  We are continuing on with life.  Tonight we are packing up the truck and heading to Waterton to watch the night skies.  The next two nights are the peak for Meteor Showers and we will be tucked away in the back of the truck in total darkness to enjoy the show.

We may be older and retired but we are still able to enjoy life and that sounds like a pretty good retirement.

So… one Clark done with the RCMP but we are still well represented for today

And possibly the future.

Adventures, Travel and Company

On Thursday, Stephen took me for a ride on their new side by side.  We started off on a road with lots of space.  

He turned down another road which was a little more narrow and then onto a trail.  

The trail was filled with lots of rocks and ups and downs. It was the first time for a longer ride so Stephen was testing its capabilities.  He also got out to test this bridge before we drove over it. 😬

At one point we went down a steep slope and crossed a creek.  

On the other side, we were greeted with an even steeper slope.  The machine responded well and it was a little exciting.  Stephen had a destination and so we continued along the trail that started to close in on us.  

There wasn’t any place to turn around and as the trail seem to get smaller, we were covered with leaves, branches, bugs and even caterpillars.  

If you think I was complaining by now, you are wrong.  It was an adventure and I was with my boy.  We finally came out to an open spot that had a choice of two trails.  Stephen didn’t really want to go back the same way but not knowing where the paths would lead with no cell service, we turned around.  Back through the brush we went, down the slope, across the water and onto a more open trail again.  We stopped to brush ourselves and our seats off and then continued back.  It was quite a ride.

On Friday, we left Kitimat and drove to Prince George.  Along the way, we passed a very distinctive truck with a trailer.

 I had actually seen this set up in the Pincher Creek Campground and had chatted with the owner.  He had told me that they were from Houston and I knew that it was on the way to Kitimat.  Their holidays must have ended and they were on their way back home. It was kind of neat to have crossed paths again.

After staying the night in Prince George, we drove the 10 hours home.  

We were both pretty tired but we unpacked and I made pie crust because we were having company the next day.

Dustin and Katie came for supper on Sunday.  Dustin is our nephew and we love spending time with his family.  After a roast beef dinner and apple pie, it was pool time.  Katie and I teamed up against Dustin and Ron.  We won the best two out of three but then the guys wanted to do the best of seven and when they accomplished a win, our cues were put away.

Today, Ron met Dustin and played a game of golf while I worked to try and make the house closer to list….still waiting for the rcmp to contact us about that.

Life in Kitimat

On Sunday, Ron and I walked to church.  We really enjoy going there.  The people are friendly and the service is nice.  It was overcast on our way there and sunny for our walk back.  After lunch, we headed to the river.  Kylie, Stephen and Ron, dressed in fashionable waders, marched into the water to cast out their lines.  

I stayed on shore with a book, tea and bear spray.  

The river was murky and after only a few nibbles we headed home.  We played a new game that evening.  It was a little hard to understand and apparently I wasn’t playing it right.  It made it much more interesting.

Monday morning, Stephen and Ron headed back down to the river and came home with success.  

Stephen cleaned the salmon, froze lots and kept some out for supper.  We headed to Terrace to do a little shopping. For Kylie’s new job, she needs to hang up her scrubs and wear office attire.  It was a pretty successful trip considering the few stores available.

Last night for supper we made sushi with fresh salmon.  It was neat to make it from scratch.  Kylie was the sous-chef.  She also was the prep cook getting every thing sliced and diced ready for the assembly line.

The process began with spreading sticky rice on the seaweed wraps. Next we threw on cucumber, avocado, carrots and fresh or smoked salmon.  It was rolled to perfection…okay, that might be stretching the truth a bit.  

Stephen and Kylie sliced the rolls.  

Of course, it then needed to be displayed before devouring.  It tasted pretty good.

And to top the meal off, we had maple syrup pie for dessert.

This morning, before I got up, Kylie was off to work. She will be working as an occupational nurse in the corporate world.  It will be something quite different than emergency.  It will be fun to hear about her first day of orientation.

The boys went down to the river to fish while I sit surrounded by fur.  They are all quiet right now but that will change when they hear the truck pull up.  

Two other cats are somewhere else in the house. 🐶 🐕 🐶 🐱 🐈 🐈‍⬛ 
Stephen has reported back to me that he has got his quota and Ron is still fishing.  Across the river, a mama bear with her two cubs were also fishing and had success.  That would have been interesting and a little scary to see.

The truck has returned and the house now sounds like a kennel with dogs running from the window to the door, barking, howling and whining.