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.

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. 

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.

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.