SPECIAL OLYMPICS FESTIVAL.

Last week, with the Special Olympics in town, Jessie and I headed down to the Grove in Boise for the Special Olympics Festival!  Aunt Dee, who drove the team buses back and forth to the activities at Bogus Basin, called and told me about the festival and encouraged Jessie and I to attend.  The festival was unlike anything I have ever attended!  When you first entered the Grove you were given a card with a list of the vendors present.  You walked around to each of those vendors and when you visited their booth, they punched your card.  After receiving a punch from each vendor, you traded your card in for a prize!  We got tons of free stuff along the way and a few of the vendors even passed out commemorative pins.  The center was full of Olympic team members from various countries and spectators wearing their hand-knitted blue and white scarves.  We stopped for lots of goofy pictures and despite the crisp afternoon air, managed to have a great time together!  However, after completing our mission, we were more than ready to head to nearby Cafe Ole for a nice warm dinner!

  

MY FAVORITE PART OF THE FESTIVAL WAS EARNING THIS PIN!

AT THE FOREST SERVICE BOOTH, I HAPPENED TO ASK A QUESTION AND WAS GIVEN THIS PIN!  IT IS CONSIDERABLY LARGER THAN MOST OF THE PINS AND BETTER YET, IT HAS SMOKEY THE BEAR ON IT!  WHICH MEANS . . . 

IT GOES PERFECTLY WITH THE SMOKEY THE BEAR I ACQUIRED AT THE WINTER CARNIVAL!

I AM ALWAYS SO AMAZED AT THE THEMES THAT APPEAR IN MY LIFE!

LOOKS LIKE I AM ON A SMOKEY THE BEAR KICK RIGHT NOW!

ONE OF OUR FREEBIES FROM HP

ANOTHER PICTURE OF KIPPER AND I!

OUR PRIZE FOR COMPLETING OUR VENDOR PUNCH CARD.

A SILK SCARF.

I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH A SILK SCARF BUT I AM DETERMINED TO BE CREATIVE WITH MY GIFT.  PERHAPS YOU'LL SEE IT ON FUTURE ADVENTURES? 

ANOTHER MIDNIGHT CALVING.

After witnessing my first calf birth this spring at the Bingman Ranch, I asked to be a part of as many births as possible!  February is calving month out at the ranch and I have spent the month inquiring about the readiness of the cows.  Last week I got a call that at least one mama was nearing delivery and I immediately headed out to the ranch.  Although my Aunt Dee (who was busy driving bus for the Special Olympic teams) wasn't able to stay up late for the birth, my Uncle Jim joined Jessie and I on our Midnight Cowgirl Adventure.  One of my favorite parts of going out to be a part of the calving is the WAITING!  Although we regularly head to the pasture to check the progress of the cows, the cold night air drives us indoors to warm up.  I am really loving spending so much time with this particular branch of my family tree!  For much of my life they have lived the farthest away and I didn't get to see much of them.  Now they are my closest relatives and I am delighting in their company!  AND, I am really soaking up all the new knowledge they are passing on to me!

  They are going to make a cowgirl out of me yet!

 

MEET SHORTY THE BULL!

APPARENTLY HE ISN'T NEARLY AS FEROCIOUS AS HE LOOKS!

IN FACT, HE ACTUALLY LIKES TO BE PETTED!

I HAVE TO ADMIT, I WAS PRETTY NERVOUS ABOUT APPROACHING HIM THOUGH!

I HAD TO EXERCISE MY NEWLY ACQUIRED BRAVERY!

  

UNCLE JIM AND JESSIE'S BRAHMA.

AS YOU CAN SEE, WE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME OUT IN THE PASTURE CHECKING MAMA'S PROGRESS.  HOWEVER . . . THIS MAMA WAS SUPER SNEAKY!

WE WENT TO THE HOUSE TO WARM UP AND CAME BACK TO FIND MAMA HAD ALREADY DELIVERED!  IN FACT, SHE HAD ALREADY HAD TIME TO LICK THE CALF CLEAN BEFORE WE RETURNED!  THERE WAS NO INDICATION SHE WAS SO CLOSE TO DELIVERY OR WE NEVER WOULD HAVE RETURNED TO THE HOUSE!  SNEAKY MAMA!

I SWEAR SHE MUST HAVE DELIVERED ON OUR WALK BACK TO THE HOUSE!

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE MISSED IT!

ITS A BOY!

EVEN THOUGH I MISSED THE ACTUAL BIRTH, IT WAS STILL AWESOME TO BE THERE TO SEE THE BRAND NEW CALF!  I HAVE A FEW MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO CATCH ANOTHER CALVING THIS MONTH SO I'M KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED!

THE MCPAWS MONSTER DOG PULL.

While reading through the list of activities transpiring at the McCall Winter Carnival I came across an intriguing event -- The McPaws Monster Dog Pull.  I instantly decided it would make a great winter adventure!  When I told Dad I wanted to attend, he grabbed the local paper and read me the information written there about the Dog Pull.  The annual event, a Winter Carnival favorite, is a competition where dogs race to pull sleds full of various weights (depending on the weight of the dog itself) a length of 16 feet.  The fastest dog (in its weight class) to cross the finish line was awarded top prize.  And then he read something that indeed sparked a TRUE adventure!  There would be a weight class for ALL sizes of dogs!  I immediately went from wanting to simply attend the Pull, to wanting to ENTER the competition!  Meanwhile, poor Jackson was oblivious to the fact that HE was to be such a large part of my adventure!  Jackson is quickly becoming an old dog so I figured he deserved  a chance to RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS (since he thinks he is one)! 

The problem with entering Jackson in a Monster Dog Pull competition is that I had no idea if Jackson could ACTUALLY pull the required weight!  So Dad and I got creative!

  

A CASE OF SODA, A BOOT TRAY AND A ROPE!

JACKSON "THE TANK" CORMELL

As it turned out, Jackson, with a great deal of bribery, was indeed capable of pulling his makeshift sled the required distance.  So we were off to the Winter Carnival again for what would be Jackson's first (and probably last) official competition!

WAITING IN THE REGISTRATION LINE.

NOTICE JACKSON IS ALREADY COLD (AND SPOILED)!

ALTHOUGH I HAD BOUGHT JACKSON A COAT THE DAY BEFORE, THE TEMPERATURE IN MCCALL HOVERED AROUND 10 DEGREES!  JACKSON DEFINITELY ISN'T USED TO SPENDING MUCH TIME IN THOSE TEMPERATURES!

DAD AND I WAITING TO COMPETE.

LOOK AT HOW MUCH FUN I AM HAVING!

OH BUT I DO HAVE A SERIOUS SIDE!

THERE WERE CERTAINLY TRUE MONSTER DOGS PRESENT!

GETTING READY TO BE SIZED FOR A HARNESS

HARNESSED UP AND READY TO RACE!

THE START LINE

HE HAS ALREADY SPIED HIS BRIBE--A CHEESE STICK!

AND HE'S OFF . . .

 

JACKSON CROSSED THE FINISH LINE IN 8 SECONDS!

I MIGHT ADD, THE ST. BERNARD'S TIME WAS A MINUTE AND A HALF!

ALL FOR A CHEESE STICK!

JACKSON ENDED UP PLACING FOURTH IN HIS CLASS!

PRETTY IMPRESSIVE CONSIDERING HE HAD NEVER PULLED A SLED BEFORE!

I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM!

THANKS DAD FOR PACKING JACKSON AROUND SO MUCH!

AND MOM, THANKS FOR TAKING ALL THE PHOTOS!

AND IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING ADOPTING AN ANIMAL, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MCPAWS!  THEY DO AN AWESOME JOB OF FINDING GOOD HOMES FOR AS MANY ANIMALS AS POSSIBLE!  AND THEY HOST REALLY COOL COMPETITIONS TOO!

MCCALL WINTER CARNIVAL.

After being unable to see many of the ice sculptures at the McCall Winter Carnival on Saturday (due to the largely attended parade), we found Sunday to be a much better, far less crowed day!  We were able to actually drive to each of the sculptures (which are spread throughout the town of McCall) which was a definite benefit!  The temperatures in McCall on Sunday hovered around 10 degrees!  Mom, Dad and I would jump out, admire a sculpture and quickly retreat back to the warmth of the car!  The sculptures themselves are simply amazing!  I can only imagine the hours and hours put into each massive creation!  Add to that the fact that they are made out of I-C-E and I can safely add ice sculpturist to the list of jobs I would be awful, terrible, simple horrible at!  I'll stick to snowmen!  But I did enjoy admiring the sculptures and was thrilled to spend the day with both of my parents!  They took tons of pictures for me (of me)--so you'll, surprisingly, find no infamous self-portraits in this post!  Of course, there is still plenty of silliness though!  That's just a given!

  

    

  

THE RESEMBLANCE IS UNCANNY!

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