Grilled Like A Well Done Burger

 

I'm exhausted ... barely awake this morning.  I see a long nap on the couch today.  Here's how it all went down.  In the morning, since it was a lovely 60-something, I went out to the rig to see if I could get the heater to work.  

It's not your normal turn-on-the-control and walk away thing.  First, turn the inverter main switch and the control panel ON.  I'm not sure I even NEED the inverter, but I'm guessing yes for the electric fan to be able to use the battery since I'm not plugged in.

Then it was around to the side to turn on the gas.  As I walked back, I smelled propane.  Is that normal?  Not a lot, just a bit, but now I'm worried I have a leak.  I've used the generator for maybe 15 minutes and the 8 gallon propane tank says it's half empty.  Not good.  I went back inside to turn the heater on.  It appears it is the same control as the AC.  There was lots of thunking noises before I remembered to hit the inverter button on the control panel.

I waited ...... it was a couple of minutes before it roared to life.  YAY!  I have HEATER ... and after a few more minutes, it actually put out heat.  So just HOW do you turn it OFF?  I finally turned the thermostat down and it eventually quit.  I'll get it eventually I guess, but gee this stuff sure is more complicated than just using a thermostat on the wall.  I better practice all that a little more.

That's when something weird happened.  It was time to get ready for the Lodge Audit.  I had been out of the shower for about 10 minutes when the doorbell rang.  There's no way I was opening the door.  Wasn't I surprised when I heard my driveway alarm go off, meaning someone was walking to the back of the house.  

I looked out the window, but didn't see anyone.  The car was still in my driveway ... what is that guy doing and where did he go?  In about a minute, I heard my back gate slam and the driveway alarm again.  So whoever it was went in my back yard????  

The car had no name or insignia on it and I never got a good look at the guy.  He drove off fairly fast down the street and I saw no license plate numbers.  I checked for business cards, but found none.  WHAT THE HECK?  WHO WAS THAT?  I've absolutely no idea.  

Off to the lodge I went at 3:30.  Sadly, instead of the nice older gentleman Elks Grand Lodge auditor, we got the OTHER one.  Good grief ... if you had let us know all the stuff you wanted to see with your own eyes, we would have had it ready, instead of scrambling for 90 minutes to gather it up.

I guess the biggest problem was the wording for the questions wasn't the same as the wording WE use for things.  We were grilled like a well done burger and my back was screaming as I stood there in high heels for 90 minutes.  

Thinking I was done, I headed out the door, only to be called back for a SECOND grilling session.  This involved about 30 people.  Silly me, thinking my job was done.  The Safety Inspection still loomed over overhead like a dark cloud also.  Since I couldn't get the other Trustees attention, off I went with the nicest lady to answer HER questions.

There went another 30 minutes walking the grounds in that same pair of high heels.  Luckily I was able to show her everything she asked about before returning to the meeting, hoping I had missed most of it.  BUT NO ... another 45 minutes went by, but at least I was sitting down!!

At long last DINNER!!  Rib eye, green beans with bacon, baked potato (wrapped in foil which is why it looks weird), a nice warm roll and peach cobbler.  But wait ... I had to collect dinner tickets, so there went another 40 minutes standing in heels.  I think my feet died.  This is what I brought home after I ate half the potato and green beans!!  No one ever goes away hungry here!!  By the way, it's $20.00 for dinner.

When I got home, I couldn't get those shoes off fast enough!!  Still worried about who was in my back yard and WHY, I put a padlock on the gate.  If someone is going to try and steal something, I can at least make it harder for them.  There was no sleeping as every little noise woke me up.  This morning, everything seems to be intact.  

So was it an inspector about the car cover?  The new-house neighbor wanting to build a new fence which they will want me to pay half of?  A burglar checking out the goods?  An insurance guy checking out the solar panels?  I'm still wondering.

My plans to head to the coast for the day quickly went up in smoke.  I'm just way too WELL DONE.

Jake ... From State Farm

I woke up this morning ... that's a plus!  Try as I might to get excited about the day, it just didn't materialize.  I admit though ... the lovely 64 degree mornings are WONDERFUL.  No worries, Mother Nature is scheduling another hot flash next week.  Back up to the 90's we will be.

There's nothing better than starting out the day with INSURANCE.  It's something I detest.  All that money paid out for absolutely NOTHING.  Oh wait ... I did have one minor claim when the hurricane-like winds blew down my fence at a time when lumber was $20 a foot.  The bid of $8,000 garnered me a big check of $1500 from the Insurance Company.  No wonder people hate them.

As I'm sure you know, this is JAKE ... from State Farm.  It always shocks me to walk in their tiny-house office and see him standing there ... a cardboard cutout that looks so real it's scary!

And so began my Insurance Lesson 101.  I learned something on this day ... how to hate California and PGE even MORE than I already do.  Here's the scoop from the horses mouth.

PG&E provides electricity to California.  Instead of repairing the old lines and equipment, they gave all their top employees HUGE salaries and HUGE bonuses, along with making their investors happy.  It has been PROVEN that their old equipment started many fires, including the one that burned down an entire town.  

Insurance companies paid out huge amounts from all those losses from their reserve accounts.  You see, the state law requires them to keep X number of dollars in their reserve account.  Having paid out HUGE amounts, they now are required to replenish their reserve account or the State would put them out of business.

PG&E of course refused to pay for all the damage they caused.  The insurance companies sued them, but the State of California said ..... oh poor PG&E ... they should not have to pay for all that ... and the insurance companies got pennies on the dollar.  Now their reserves are below the minimum threshold.

In order to bring them back up to what is required by law ... because even though PG&E doesn't have to follow the law, insurance companies DO .... they have raised their rates through the roof to try and stay in business.  That of course included a threat to LEAVE California if the State didn't help out.

At this point the State said too bad.  Lucky for me, State Farm is NOT leaving the state, and even though my insurance costs are high, they are not as high as others.  Speaking of which, here's the OTHER problem.  I used to put it out to bid every few years in order to get a good price.  I DID get a good price for the first year ... then they almost doubled it the second year.  And so, it's better to stay where I am.  At least they didn't cancel me.

We went through everything, deleting things like rental cars (I have 3 vehicles, so I don't need that coverage), tow service (I have AAA), deductibles (we raised them), but then the talk of electricity got around to my solar panels.  They were never included in my policy.  In the end, I actually saved a couple hundred dollars a year.

On the other hand, it's absolutely crazy that my truck insurance costs as much as my HOUSE insurance.  Here's the scoop on THAT.  Because of the current Bidenomics economy and outrageous cost of everything, repair shops are charging double and triple what they used to, including those ridiculous wages California is requiring.  

Since there are less law enforcement vehicles around with all the defund the police nonsense, people just drive any way they want, including all those folks brought in from other countries who don't know how to drive AT ALL ... causing more accidents than ever before that insurance companies have to pay for.  Remember if the guy at fault has no insurance, YOUR insurance pays for the damage to your car.

Not that I have any love for insurance companies, but I see their point.  And so ended my appointment with all four policies costing LESS than when I walked in the door.  Thanks Jake ... from State Farm!

The day ended with a beautiful sunset, something we don't see much of around here.  I breathed a sigh of relief that I don't have to think "insurance" for another year.

What??  No quilt pictures??  Why yes ... I did do some sewing late in the day, but I'm gearing up for a night of audits and accounting, followed by a Safety Inspection.  Oh yes ... the Elks lodge is under the scrutiny of their BOSSES.  It's going to be another long night!!

EGAD!!!! FULL MOON BINGO!

 I was greeted on this morning with a FABULOUS 62 degrees.  Boy do we love THAT!  Sadly however, the forces that be snuck up on me as quiet as a mouse and stabbed me in the back.  It's a FULL MOON on Bingo night.  Da-dah Da-dah Da-dah ... can you hear the sharks circling?

I really do try to keep track of that kind of astronomical mayhem on the horizon, but I missed it completely this time.  I started yawning at 11:00 in the morning and just could not stop.  It was a sign.

I arrived right on time to discuss a few little problems and sign checks.  Sometimes we have to become creative on where the moolah will come from.  Right on schedule at 2:30, six folks showed up to claim their space.  We don't open until 4:30.  I was a little shocked to see this lady come in with a suitcase big enough for a 2 week stay in Hawaii.

No kidding ... she pulled out the boards you see on the left which hold her papers, not one but TWO drink cups, a lucky flower vase with Bingo sayings on it, pictures of her entire family and I counted TWELVE dobbers ... a different color for each game.  Even "I" was impressed!  Blurry picture to protect the innocent.

In an instant it was a madhouse of 132 folks jostling for their favorite space at the tables.  We had to bring in a few extras to make room.  After all, it does take up quite a bit of space for EIGHT packs of games.

Instantly I knew we were in trouble.  Is it a full moon?  Folks didn't have their money ... had to run across the street to the bank, didn't have their purse ... had to run to the car to get it, it was just one problem after another.  

One lady (she's a problem every single time) bought her cards, didn't have enough money, used her debit card, forgot to buy half the games, ran the card a second time for the extras she wanted, then tried to steal cards for one game by wrapping them around her finger and walking off.  HOLD ON THERE MISSY!!  You didn't pay for those in your hand.  And so we had to run the debit card a THIRD time to pay for that $2.00 purchase.

Is it a full moon?  Yes, that lady has a broken arm which will be set tomorrow at the hospital.  Nothing keeps them away!!  I looked it up.  I KNEW IT!!!  IT'S A FULL MOON!!

I picked a bad day to try a new way of distribution and collection of those pink games.  Those are Bonanza tickets.  We draw a bunch of numbers first and they mark the cards.  When the game is played, they only have to mark those left.  If you think you don't have enough numbers marked, you can turn in that card along with $1.00 and get TWO cards.

That completely messes up the accounting, so I decided to give the sellers 50 in a pack.  Bring me back the cash and the torn tickets and I'll give you 50 more.  I didn't think that through.  I got wads of cash and a gazillion torn tickets I had to count to see what they actually sold.  Is it a full moon?  Who thought up this dumb idea??  

I was instantly confused as to what I should be writing down to post in the cash register, all the while being slammed with grumpy bingo folks buying more and more cards.  Add to that the fact that we were short handed.  It was chaos I tell you!!  

One winner ... which I paid out ... was soon divested of her cash when someone yelled OH NO ... THERE'S TWO WINNERS.  There was a mad dash to get the $250 back, but it turned out the caller was wrong.  There was only ONE.   Seriously, it went on like that all night long.

This guy ... HE'S the bad guy!  The moon even tried to cover up so no one would see him.  This picture is from a friend showing there was a bit of an eclipse.  NO WONDER it was a crazy night!!!

Amazingly, even with all the problems and counting those stupid torn cards, I balanced to the penny.  The moon took pity on me for all the problems it caused.  

I walked in the door exhausted, to be greeted by the happiest sweetest puppy around.  This kid makes it all better.

On the schedule today is a meeting with the insurance folks.  This should be fun.  I don't think I'm being cancelled ... though that could be the reason for the meeting.  The whole thing about cancelling everyone's policy was to force the State of California to allow them to increase their prices to whatever they wanted.  It was 100% blackmail ... let us charge what we want or we will pull out of California.  I guess I'll find out today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELVA!

 The weather guessers were wrong once again.  The predicted rain turned into sunshine almost immediately.  It makes you wonder how they keep their jobs when they are rarely right.  It started out very nice with a cool breeze and lots of clouds.  I'm taking credit for this one.

It was Miss Elva's birthday yesterday.  She wanted to go out to dinner, but it was too cold and windy.  I tried to transport all those clouds down here so she would have a wonderful HAPPY BIRTHDAY up there.    I don't think it really worked, but the thought was there.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELVA!!!

I forgot to include this little bit from the quilt show.  If vendors are going to take the time to show up really early and sell stuff at a quilt show (or anywhere for that matter), then I should at least buy something to make it worthwhile for them.

The fact that it's fabric ... well, I would have bought that out of the back of their car!!  I applaud this nice lady for coming all this way from San Juan Baptista.  I'm pretty sure I will be visiting her soon.  

To my great surprise, while surfing the internet, I found a filter that SHOULD work with my fridge.  Truly, well water tastes just fine and there's no need to filter anything.  You see, I have my very own well with tasty water from very far underground.  I buy the filters anyway, mostly for Jonathan's sake.  

Of course I completely forgot HOW to take the old one out.  It scared me when it went SWOOSH upon removal.  I thought maybe I broke something.  Getting the new one in was another problem altogether.  There's a little cap that fits on the end with which to push and pull.  I didn't push hard enough.  I guess the water pressure makes it a little more difficult.  I figured I'd have water flowing all over the floor, but to my surprise, it finally went in with a SLURP!!

That was followed up by running 2 gallons worth to clean the junk out of the new filter.  We are now back in business ... and a paper towel sitting under the fridge all night came out dry.  So I guess we are good to go!!

I had a list to go to town, as I do every day, but the motivation just would not arise.  I got as far as the door and said ... hey, I can do this tomorrow.  The procrastinator stood up to be counted.  

I was soon overrun by the need to quilt.  I wanted to finish this one to be used as a cover for the RV windshield.  It was also a good way to try out new patterns.  The first row went GREAT!  So I continued on to the center.

Ummmm NOT so great.  All those little holes should have thread in them.  Not only did I run out of bottom thread, but the top one shredded also.  I will never EVER get it to stitch in the same holes.  

I set it up, told it a new start point and a MIRACLE occurred.  It stitched in the EXACT same holes.  I was in shock.  That has NEVER happened.  I could not believe my eyes.

Though I was really more interested in rolling on the floor with Mr. Cooper, I kept going to the end.  It's not quite done ... I have to turn it around, set it up again and finish the last two borders.  I will probably even practice machine stitching the binding on before adding magnets to keep it in place.  Yes I'm feeling a little guilty about hanging it on the rig where it will get filthy dirty.  Maybe I should make up something with a couple of sheets instead.

That's it ... what an exciting day, yes?  The good news is that tonight is once again BINGO night.  If nothing else, I can always depend on BINGO to keep me busy.  Since I'm going to town, maybe I can pick up everything that was on my list ... maybe ... if I don't procrastinate too much!

By the way, anyone checked their insurance rates lately?  In two years, mine have doubled.  My truck now costs more to insure than my HOUSE!!  No, not kidding.  Maybe the CEO of State Farm will give up some of his $24 MILLION in yearly salary to help us out.  No, not kidding there either.

A Menagerie of Stuff

 Well HELLO there!!!  Here's a little leftover bull from the day before.  I can tell you by this bulls manner, his gait, his ears and his eyes that he's NOT looking for a fight.  He's just looking for the gate to get OUT.  The big Pendleton Rodeo is sadly over and the unexpected winners are celebrating as they hit the road for the next one.

At least the weather around here is good for travel ... finally!!  One minute there was a 60% forecast for rain, and the next minute that completely disappeared.  High of 70 degrees today.  WOOHOO!!

Finishing up the quilt show ... here's a Cindy quilt.  Cindy Warner makes these from teeny tiny pieces.  From far away, you can't even tell what it is.

Get a little closer and you say ... oh ... those are tiny pieces.

Get even CLOSER and you say GOOD GRIEF!!  How did they do that?  Look at all those tiny points that are absolutely PERFECT!  These little pieces are only 1/2 inch wide.  Can you imagine???  SO MANY SEAMS to match!!  This is a great quilt to use up your scraps.  I admit, anything that small goes in the trash in my sewing room.

And then there was this magnificent paper piecing quilt.  I tried one once ... it came out perfect.  So I bought three more patterns and the fabric for two of them.  But when I tried to cut and sew them, I could not for the life of me figure out the pattern directions.  Four years and they are still sitting on the shelf.  Maybe if I'm really lucky, I can meet the lady who made this and she can show me how.

The beautiful clouds that showed up last night, disappeared into the horizon this morning.  I was really looking forward to a little rain.

First thing was making up some phony coffee.  Frances send a recipe to me that I tried once, but did not have the orange flavoring.  It's interesting to note that this stuff is made up of very little coffee, lots of powdered milk and tons of sugar.  I guess that never dawned on me since it's not that sweet when you drink it.

I mixed it half and half with some of the real stuff and gave it a try.  Ooooohhhh WAY too much sugar and half the orange flavoring would probably work just fine.  

At any rate, it zinged me enough to get my butt outside for a run with Mr. Cooper.  He loves nothing more than smelling the smells.  I put him back in the house after half a mile and headed back out for a two mile run.  Yeah, I'm a little sore this morning, but it's a good sore, unlike the pain of sitting on the couch too much.

The rest of the day was rather lazy.  I watched more rodeo, tried to clean up all the stuff I keep moving from place to place in the kitchen and low and behold ... I actually got to watch TWO football games!  The 49'ers lost and the Raiders won!!  

Dinner wasn't what I expected.  I forgot to take anything out of the freezer, so I grabbed a couple of eggs for an omelet.  I didn't really have omelet material, but I made do with a few leftovers.  What's the yucky green stuff you ask?

It was a taste tester!!  I found this in the store a while back.  It's for tacos, but I thought what the heck!  Let's try it on these eggs since there was nothing else to give them flavor.  

THIS stuff is a keeper, though I'm probably one of the few who likes cilantro.  It's a little hard to get out of the bottle ... I had to squeeze with both hands ... but boy was it tasty.  Not hot at all, just flavorful.  I'll be using this on LOTS of things.

And so ended a lovely day as my fridge starting flashing lights and talking to me.  Apparently the water filter needs replacing.  This should be fun ... finding a filter for a 16 year old fridge.  Come to think of it, I can't believe it's actually LASTED that long.  The hunt is on!!!!!

Quilt Show Surprise!!

Apparently Mother Nature got the message.  It's 63 degrees this morning ... ALMOST a little chilly, with rain expected the first of this week.  Yay!!  I'm finally able to turn my sprinklers down.  Keeping up with the neighbors very green lawns has always been a hard road to travel.  

So was this road on the way to the quilt show.  I thought this was in someone's back yard.  Turns out it was in many someone's FRONT yards.  What a surprise!!  I've not actually driven this neighborhood before, only a short way when I made a wrong turn.  It's a narrow winding street of gorgeous houses and even more gorgeous landscapes.  

Probably close to a mile long, half a mile had quilts hanging from the trees and all along the street.  Luckily we were early and got a primo parking spot.  Just look at these houses!  Ranch style I think, and every one looking like a magazine cover.

You could not pick a more beautiful place for a quilt show.  Lots of hard work went into this one.  I've actually tried to join this Quilt Guild for a few years, but never could find out when and where they met.

Probably the only reason I went to this one is because Cyndae's friend Diane Swenson was the featured artist.  Diane and her husband are RV'ers.  AHA ... we have lots in common!

Our first stop was the house where her quilts were showcased.  This HOUSE ... OMG it was fabulous with amazing wood floors and a vaulted ceiling!  Not to mention Diane's quilts hanging everywhere.  There is a story about every one.  This hand embroidered pink one was made by her grandmother for Diane when she was 6 years old and it's still in amazing shape.  

One day her Grandmother heard a loud noise outside.  There was a bear looking for dinner.  Her grandmother shot and killed the bear, which then ended up being a bear rug.  It always scared Diane to death ... laying there with it's mouth open.  Obviously the quilt has lots of memories attached to it.  That's Cyndae on the left, who has known Diane for many years.

While traveling in their RV and being the bored passenger, Diane would cut out fabric pieces and hand stitch them onto backing pieces.  This is called appliqué.  Pretty easy to do while on the road, with fabulous results when you finally got back home and sewed all those squares together with your sewing machine which does not fit in the rig.

Like most (if not all) of my RV trips, she got to stop at fabric shops all along the way to gather up beautiful pieces to use in her quilts.  The pictures do not do these justice.

The amount of work she puts into just one square is amazing!!

And so we wandered outside once again and walked along the street.  The quilts were gorgeous.  This just says FALL.  I have to give it up to the husbands who went above and beyond.  There were MANY quilt frames to hang quilts on, not to mention half of them were hanging from the trees.  Someone spent a lot of time on a ladder!!

Right off the bat we ran into a house-load of kids selling donuts.  As you can imagine, I did NOT pass THAT up!  One little boy was playing tetherball.  I remember THAT!  Got my nose broke playing that game when I was a kid.

There were Easter quilts, Halloween quilts, fall quilts and just plain quilt quilts.  Appliqué is the name of the game nowadays, so there were lots of those that take months to complete.  I'm more of an instant satisfaction girl, just sewing squares together.  I have to admit though, Diane has motivated me to try some appliqué again.

At the end of the curving street we found these ladies with a table full of cookies.  I got out my wallet to purchase TWO, but come to find out they were free because we paid $10 to enter the show.  AND a free bottle of cold water to wash them down.  

This one caught my eye.  How cute is this ... and each row of bunnies had a REAL fluffy cotton tail!!  Here's what amazes me most.  I never would have thought of using those colors, but I absolutely love it.  (Feet below the quilt not included).   Let's face it ... I'm not the least bit artistic, but I can copy someone else's choices.  I may have to find this pattern.

Cyndae took off as soon as we returned home.  Apparently we have been spoiled by not having a lot of traffic during the Cvid years, because now EVERYONE is on the road.  It's funny how in my old age, I have no patience for drivers who go 30 mph in a 45 mph zone ... for 6 or 7 miles!!!!!

There's a lot more to see, but I won't drag you down with dozens of quilts today.  I'll save a few for tomorrow.  It's a good thing fabric stores are closed today, or you KNOW where I would be!!!  Oh wait ..... the INTERNET IS OPEN!!!

FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!

 It's a balmy 62 degrees as Mr. Cooper and I wandered outside in the early morning dark.  There's no such thing as sleeping in at this house.  Even when company arrives.  

Backtracking just a little, since my morning started so early, I got right to it.  Out came the weed sprayer.  I can't believe how many weeds are ALREADY growing in the new rock.  Even with that very heavy weed barrier, they are growing like ..... well WEEDS!

An hour later I had taken out all my anger issues on anything green growing where it should NOT be growing.  That's when I realized it was a Friday and it was the 13th!!  Oh boy ... I need to be extra careful!  

Soon I was off to the ceremony held at the Elks Lodge in memory of those lost on 9/11.  Next year should be pretty spectacular since we are having the Fire Department and Police Department help out.  Just a side note, it appears at least SOME schools are actually talking about what happened and how devastating it was.  It's good to keep that terrible memory alive.

When I got home, my company had arrived ... in the dark.  I think we're too old for this.  She went straight to bed while I played with Mr. Cooper a bit.

Early yesterday morning, I was off to the Elks Lodge once again ... I'm putting a cot upstairs for naps ... where I helped put on a lunch for members.  The Lodge kitchen prepares lunch every day ... a small restaurant if you will.  On Fridays however, there is always dinner ... a large restaurant ... so they do not have a lunch session.  

For many years the Sheriff and our best friend Cheech prepared this lunch at noon.  Cheech is a doppelgänger who looks exactly like Cheech, of Cheech and Chong.  With all the problems with illegals (yes we have them too) and murders, the Sheriff has had to cut back.  To our utter dismay, Cheech passed away from a heart attack.  And so the Officers have taken up the challenge.

Or should I say THIS officer has taken up the challenge.  She made chili verde for a crowd of 50.  That's pretty amazing since she's a vegetarian!!  We laughed our heads off as she described cutting up the pork, something she has never done before and how bad it smelled.  You have to give it up to a vegan who made chili verde that was actually pretty darn tasty!!

No she didn't even taste it ... not once.  What she DID do for herself was throw a couple of bean burgers on a pan and smother it in enchilada and chili sauce.  The rest of us ate the real thing!!  Chili verde, rice, black beans, tortillas and chips were on the menu.  I went above and beyond and brought the tortilla chips, two bags of which came home with me.  What in the world am I going to do with THOSE?

Lunch turned out great and we didn't even have to clean up.  It was a win win!!  I headed back home to a leisurely afternoon with my company.  Though I thought to cook dinner, I was way too late at lunch, so we headed off to Habit Burger.  Yup .. I had another one.  

I kept thinking all day ... it's Friday the 13th ... BE CAREFUL!!  Turns out it wasn't so bad after all and NOTHING happened.  I usually drop something big on my foot or set off the house fire alarms ... and there was nothing at all.   I think that's a FIRST.

So why do I have company?  Because there is a quilt show going on here, showcasing the quilts of my company's very good friend.  We'll be attending it this morning, so I better get my act together.

I think they are even serving food ... not that I'm one bit hungry!!!!

BULL RIDING 101

 Oh my goodness my goodness ... we are actually heading down to 70+ degree days.  I think the entire area is breathing a sigh of relief.  Except for the dust that is.  It's harvest time in our area and farmers are going full blast to get their crops in before the predicted rain this week.  Believe it or not, they used to pick almonds by hand.  

Machinery now drives up to the tree, grabs it, shakes it to death and down fall all the almonds onto metal platforms which vibrate them into a trailer.  That makes for a crazy amount of dust and dirt thrown into the air, not to mention all over your vehicles, even if they are parked in your garage.  Oh the fun ...

And so I tend to stay inside, not that it helps, because there is just about as much dust INSIDE.  There's nothing I like better than watching the Pendleton Oregon rodeo however ... so it's a win for me.  

For those that are not familiar with this sport, here's BULL RIDING 101.  Geared up in a required bullet proof (but not quite bull proof) vest, along with chaps that really don't help much, they climb on these monsters who are now BRED TO BUCK.  I mean really, it's crazy how high these guys can throw themselves into the air.

The stock guys place a rope around their flanks, which isn't tight and really doesn't make them buck at all ... and one around the bulls midsection like what you see here.  That bull rope handle is all they have to hold on to.  The riders rub very sticky black rosin on the handle and the strap that comes up and over their hand, around the back and through their fingers once again.

One full wrap ... that's all they get.  In the old days they used to lace it through their fingers, but too many guys got hung up because their hand would not come free when they fell off.  As you can imagine, lots of damage was done to the riders.

Also now, depending on your age, you are required to wear a helmet.  It's a good thing because a high percentage of guys get hit in the head by those horns as the bulls buck, and especially when they get bucked off.  

Pendleton is one of the biggest rodeos ever, on the biggest rodeo grounds.  The local Indian population (which is huge) takes part in all the celebrations by setting up an entire village just outside and putting on shows of their dancing and most fabulous deerskin clothing with beading the likes of which you've never seen before.  They also have horse racing ... bareback.  No saddles.

Anyway, back to bull riding ... this is one of the crazy reasons so many people go to this rodeo.  The arena is so huge, they put up a steel titanium PVC pipe fence to keep the bulls in a smaller area.  Yup ... it's lightweight plastic.  As you can tell, it works really good!!!  

The pick-up men on their horses are the saviors of these situations, heading straight for the bull to rope it and drag it away from the 100 folks (most all rodeo participants) sitting in the grass watching the riding.

These two guys in red and blue are the bull fighters.  When the rider gets thrown off, they jump in nose to nose and distract the bull so the kid on the ground has a chance to get away.  Obviously, you have to be a good "reader" of bull flesh.  If you were not raised with cattle and bulls, that's a tall order.  You just have to KNOW where they will go by your instincts from working with them.  You have to read their body language.

This one went right through the steel titanium plastic fence like it was nothing ... which it is.  That's half the excitement of this rodeo.  The thing is, if he comes your way and you are standing by the fence, DO NOT MOVE.  That's what I'm screaming at the TV!!  That's a tall order, but if you move, they will nail you.  If you remain still, they will pass you by.  This guy did NOT remain still.  The second thing ... NEVER EVER RUN.  They will mow you down every time!!

I admit, it's hard to stay quiet when this brute is coming right at you.  No one got hurt, the bull was roped and the fence put back up ... not that that helps at all!

Sorry for the blurry pictures ... my new phone camera doesn't takes pictures near as fast as my old one.

This guy ... he decided to be the star of the show.  The bull ... not the bull fighter.  I will admit, these bulls are MEAN MEAN MEAN.  There are always a few that will chase you down.

Yup that's the bull fighter sitting on the bulls head by the titanium fence!!

and this is the same bull fighter as he goes flying through the air, landing BEHIND the bull.  No worries, no one was hurt ... well maybe his pride.

The bad part about Pendleton this year was the rain.  It rained most of the night, making the grass slick as could be.  Many horses were slipping and falling, including this pickup mans horse as he was heading out to rope the bull.  Yup ... the pickup man is UNDER the horse.  

The horse got up (he was not hurt) and the bull made a bee line for the rider because he was moving.  He got rolled around a bit in the grass before the other riders roped the bull.  Here's another tip.  If you fall down near a bull, you roll up into a ball with hands over your head and DON'T MOVE.

They caught the bull with the help of the bull fighter on the ground because they are better at maneuvering around, and he was pulled back to the plastic fence.  The pickup man got back on his horse to help ... that's him in the lower left corner of the picture.  You learn to be tough if you're a cowboy, and all of these guys are cowboys.  They work on big cattle ranches with lots of cattle and bulls, and are tough as nails.

As my dad would yell ... GET BACK ON THAT HORSE, THE CATTLE ARE GETTNG AWAY!!!  Yup ... that's where tough comes from.

And that's why only three out of 15 cowboys rode those bulls, and every single one of them will be back to do it again.  That's BULL RIDING 101.