The Crones' Chronicle

Just returned from Kelley Creek in Huntsville, Utah. Had a really wonderful time. The folks at the Farm sure know how to treat us handlers and our dogs! Thanks to all who worked so hard behind the scenes to make it a success.
Here is a little postcard-video of what it all was like (plus top ten results in Open).

In early June, we took a trip up to Bowman, North Dakota for the Slash J and The Big One Sheepdog Trials. Awesome trials. Long outruns, drives, etc. and three range ewes. Incredibly challenging. Beautiful country. Nice weather. Had a very wonderful time. Here’s some film footage of one of Liddy’s runs. She ran her heart out and then some. What a good girl she is! Brought me sheep three out of the four trials and got around the course and to the shedding ring and/or pen three out of the four trials. At Slash J she placed 5th in a 3-way tie (ultimately 8th based on outwork). So, not too shabby for the girl’s fourth trial in Open!

Lisbeth also started a “tapas night” tradition while at The Big One. Looking forward to the next one!

Special thanks to all the organizers of the trials and all of the crews! Job well done!

Definitely try this one. Good mental practice during down times while waiting for your turn to run! It’s a hoot!

The epi-center of the quake struck about 70 miles from our place north of San Felipe. It was pretty frightening. We don’t know the official times, but, we could swear it lasted at least a minute plus. We were visiting our friend, Millie, over in the electric section of El Dorado Ranch when it hit. At first we thought the winds were picking up again from off of the mountains. Then, things began to shake, sway, and heave up and down. Buildings and electrical poles heaved back and forth and up and down. We are in a sparsely populated area, and the buildings are all single level. So, we didn’t experience the devastation felt in Mexicali and surrounding communities. Our place was fine. Here is a video taken at about the epicenter of quake by some people who happened to be traveling north on highway 5 when it hit. Pretty amazing footage.

The last several weeks have been spent preparing for the On-the-Border Sheepdog Trial, here in Campo, California at Jennifer and Ron Ewer’s place. Everyone has been busy drawing the run order and getting that information out to everyone; ordering and collecting food for the crew and the judge; cleaning up the trial field; moving and setting up the set-out pen; tarping the set-out and exhaust pens; preparing for parking; cleaning out stock tanks; repairing equipment; setting up port-a-potties; moving sheep around; and, on and on and on.

The range sheep, all 278 of them got here yesterday. And, they’ve been run through the set-out pen and chutes several times. They look big and healthy and challenging.

Wednesday has been scheduled as the day to set the course. We should begin to see trialers rolling in about then, or, on Thursday. Looking forward to seeing old friends again.

Saw this on moveon.org today.  Thought we’d share it with everyone.  Merry Christmas, Happy Winter Solstice, and Happy New Year to everyone!

Thursday, November 26, 2009- We arrived at Jennifer and Ron’s about 4:30 pm yesterday.  Was so good to see them; it had been a year.  Family had already begun to arrive.  Funny how before we bought our first RV, we did not know people who traveled and “camped” that way. Now most everyone we travel and hang out with has an RV!! What an assortment from small pop-ups to three axel fifth wheels to three slide-out motorhomes. Today we have seven RVs set-up here.

Last night Ron started the fire in the pit where the turkeys are cooking.  It has a steel plate on the bottom and top.  The turkeys are triple wrapped in foil after bring seasoned with salt, garlic salt, and pepper.  They were put-in at 1:00 am and will be taken out at 11:00 am. When we finished dinner last night with everyone, Cathy, Kenny, and Sue were making massive amounts of stuffing.

Ron retrieving turkey from the pit

When we set up yesterday we could not get the satellite internet dish to tune in.  We thought after the weekend we might have to move tne coach and find a clear spot to the southern sky.  This morning linda decided to try again.  Rather than staring at the modem waiting for the four blue lights to go on, she left to show Jennifer her Kindle.  J. wants to buy one for Ron for Christmas.  While she was gone, the dish tuned the satellite in and all the lights are blue.  Hurray!!

Wednesday, November 25,2009- We’ve been in Gila Bend, AZ for a few days. We came down from Ft. Collins. We connected with Judy and Ron Brundage. Ron installed our automatic satellite internet last November. We needed an adjustment done to the mount so it would track properly when we put it down. We have been really pleased with the system. Sure is nice not to have to climb up on the roof to aim the dish and pick up the satellite signal. We also have internet and email services on our iPhones. Would be less expensive if we could rely on them for internet, but we still spend a lot of our time in areas where the cell phone service is poor to nonexistent and in Mexico the internet dish is a must. We are hoping that since we have changed to ATT for our cell phone service, we will be able to use the iPhones in Mexico. Last winter we bought a Telnet cell phone in San Felipe with prepaid minutes . We were able to sign up for a service that made calls to the US/Canada very reasonable, one dollar US for 15 minutes. We shared the phone with friends. It takes 6 weeks to get the US/Canada calling program operational on the Mexico cell phone. We will be in Mexico the first part of January. We will buy a second phone ($50 US) and put 50 minutes ($30 US) and apply for the US calling package. By the time Sharron and Lynda arrive in late February, we will be able to give them a phone that has the US/Canada calling package. The Mexico cell phone really helps coordinating our “busy schedule” of events.
We are heading today for Campo, CA and our friends Jennifer and Ron’s place. We will share Thanksgiving with them and family. We have not been able to do this for the past few years, and have really missed it. Jennifer is cooking a turkey in the oven- ah, the smells. Ron is cooking two turkeys in the ground. We have not had turkey cooked that way, so will be a treat. They are both really good cooks!
We will stay at their place through Christmas and the “on the border snowbirds sheepdog trial “over New Year’s. Jennifer is a highly successful handler and trainer. She has been Linda’s coach for five years. Our dog Liddy is from her breeding. Linda will have the chance to work with her on finishing the training for Liddy to move to the open class, and Gabi to begin competing. Hopefully, Linda will also get to work with Tristan and get him ready to compete in the pronovice class. Finn and Fly have chosen retirement. I plan on spending my time golfing, reading, and cooking. I want to make and decorate Christmas cookies.

When we first started on our fulltime RV adventure, we had five cats.  The Menu Pet Food Recall, several years ago, killed our Andy within a few days. Everyone else survived, but with chronic renal failure.  We lost Rimini and Thelma a year or so after Andy.  Buddy had to receive sub-q fluids for months after his diagnosis.  Louise alone seemed to bounce back the best. But, after nineteen years of walking this earth, she let us know today that she had had enough and that all of her lives were used up.  Our vet, Tracey Jensen, from Wellington Vet Clinic has been caring for Louise and everyone else for ten years.  She has watched over all of their comings and goings.   And, today would be no different.  At 5:30, with Tracey’s help, we said goodbye to Louise.

Lisbeth likes to tell the story about how she adopted two 6 week old kittens from a vet hospital in Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots.  She was feeling so devastated by all of the destruction going on all around her and needed to do something positive. In the midst of all of the riots and fires, Lisbeth heard about two kittens that had been rescued from a dumpster in downtown LA. She decided to adopt them.  And, so, Thelma and Louise came to live with Lisbeth.

Louise was best known for her champagne belly. She always knew when Lisbeth wasn’t feeling very well, and would curl up in bed with her to make her feel better.  She, more than any of the other four cats, had the utmost respect of the dogs.  We thought for sure she would outlive Buddy. But, over the last couple of days, she has refused to eat and is obviously not feeling well at all.  It’s time to say goodbye to a good friend, companion, and traveling pal.

July 12, 2009 — Lebanon, Oregon

This is the first year for this trial held just five miles outside of Lebanon, Oregon.  Dave Murray acted as host on this beautiful rural property owned by Ken and Connie Wallings.

Camping parking was tight, but the huge, gorgeous, rolling hills that made up the trial field more than made up for any inconvenience anyone may have felt.  Shade was plentiful for those who needed and wanted it.  Here are a few photos of the area.

The course and the sheep were challenging but doable.  Biggest obstacles were the two island of trees on either side of the course.  The young and inexperienced dogs ran the first day.  The initial cross-drive panel placement provided a trickier turn around the gate than Dave had anticipated for the dogs.  The gate was quite close in to one of the side  tree and brush islands.  Consequently, dog and handler had to be pretty quick around the gate in order to avoid pushing the sheep into an irretrievable brush escape.  By the time nursery dogs ran, this piece had been rectified.  Making the experience much more successful for the younger guys.  Days were hot, but we ended every day with plenty of time to relax with dogs and kick back with friends.  Nice trial, Dave!  I’d definitely say it was worth it!