Thursday, June 22, 2017

The Nest at the BirdFeeder

This was the sixth year our book club traveled to the little community of Twin Brooks to eat lunch at the BirdFeeder and discuss our recent read...The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. It really was a fluke that our book for discussion was The Nest. We happened to choose June as our month to visit because of upcoming schedules.


our birdseed appetizer was blueberry flavored sticks


a delicious, refreshing rhubarb punch was served


this is the first time we had been seated
in the owl room
notice the macramé owl?
3 of the 4 of us had made one years ago
and gotten rid of them!


Carol has a French theme going this month
we had a choice of French onion soup or
a ginger carrot soup
we all chose the carrot soup
YUM!


chicken salad sandwich or a French dip sandwich
we all chose the beef & caramelized onion French dip
YUM!


plate of homemade crackers & gluten free chips with
Carol's signature dip


our lunch was served on the owl plates


raspberry tart, chocolate brownie with cherry flavored
whipped topping & Madeline cookie


even the napkins are bird themed


Carol's bluebird themed tree




The Nest


group selfie

We, and many others, are very sad to learn Carol does not plan to open the BirdFeeder in 2018. She will continue in 2017 to make her breads, crackers, salads, soups, sandwiches, and desserts from scratch using the freshest and best quality selections. If you have not been to her unique little establishment, I highly recommend a visit this year. Her age and the rising cost of food were the reasons she gave us for her decision. I for one, will miss the annual summer road trip to Twin Brooks.


Saturday, June 17, 2017

The Safety Man

This story begins a year ago at the PBR in Deadwood. It was hard not to notice this good-looking cowboy and his fine horses and they role they played in the safety of the bull riders, the bull fighters and the bulls.





We learned from friends whom we visited after our trip in the Hills last June, that he was the son of Hubby's cousin. Now just that little tidbit made watching him more entertaining at this year's PBR event. I know the four romance writers from last year thought he was 'eye-candy' and probably was more of a mental model for their bull riding novels than the 19 year-old bull riders! 

This year, Hubby went behind the corrals the first night to visit with his cousin's son. Dave sent a message to his Mom showing a photo of the two of them. She confirmed it was her good-looking cousin with her son.  I came over the second night, with camera in hand, and learned names of his horses, met his wife, and learned they knew my niece, her husband & family. Small world.

Hubby, Stacey & Dave 
and Chavez


Dave on Barney




Fresh, the name of Dave's paint horse


Dave on Barney, Brazilian bull rider on Chavez
and Matt the entertainer or color-commentator (sports term)





I told Dave I took more photos of him than the bull riders the first night. He smiled and said, "Good. Send some to my mom, since she has never seen me at a PBR." So Diane, this blog post is for you and for the romance writers I met last summer!


The role of the safety man (in a rodeo, the term is pick-up man) is to keep the show moving along. If the bull doesn't want to leave the arena or if the rider gets hurt, his job is to rope the bull and remove him as soon as possible or help protect the injured rider. The bull fighters (guys in red, white and blue outfits) help protect the rider after the ride, trying to distract the bull or keep the bull from injuring the rider. The safety man can immediately ride in and rope the bull to provide more protection. Dave has been hired as the PBR safety man for area rodeos. He raises his horses from colts, training them to do their job and brings his horses to the events. He told Hubby he had been to Tacoma WA. 



Update on this bull with the broken leg from last year's PBR event: Dave took the bull home and nursed him but was unable to save the animal. 

Thursday, June 15, 2017

The Bull Riders

I had an opportunity on Saturday night to be near the bull riders' prep area. It is a reminder of the dangers of the sport and the age of these young men. A couple of riders are in their 30s. Jess Lockwood, from Montana, is only 19 and has 2017 winnings of $189,000 and some change. Six-Eight of the 35 are from Brazil and two riders are from Australia. One was a South Dakota boy.







I found a web site that explains the role of the bull rider's apparel & equipment, the role each plays in his safety: PBR Guide to the Gear


Alex Marcillo, Brazil, the rider


knocked out cold after landing


EMTs, PBR staff, protecting him from the crowd
he required 13 stitches which were done at the rodeo grounds
he later appeared and was awarded a helmet
he is one of the few who wears a cowboy hat



the role of the man standing on the gate
is to pull on the braided leather rope used by the
bull rider to stay on the bull
he pulls and pulls it tight and hops off the gate
 before the rider shimmies forward






one hand holds the rope, keeping him on the bull... maybe
notice the red mouth guard


he wraps it around his gloved hand a couple of times
then he shimmies forward closer to the front strap
nods to the gate man
and he is off for an 8 second ride
the ungloved hand is held in the air and can not
touch any part of the bull during the 8 seconds


Here are few videos of the rides from Friday and Saturday night:

Stormy Wing on Friday night's 8 second ride


unknown rider
watch the dismount

this ride got Gage Gay to the Championship Round
again, watch the dismount


Gage Gay rode all 3 of his bulls
his Championship Round ride
he won first place at this PBR event, $7100


The videos show what these men go through each time they get on their bulls. It is not a sport for old men. You also realize it is a sport for younger men based on their names: Koal, Slick, Cody Rodeo, Keyshawn, and Stormy. Those are the US riders!

I have one more post about the rodeo. This one is a human interest story. No, the romance writers were not back in Deadwood. This story is about the Safety Man.




Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Rodeo Boots & Butts

The traditional rodeo, bull riding, boots and butts photos...
















colorful chaps!


nice chaps!




The dirty butts just mean they did not change jeans from Friday night's ride.