Amanda: the long ride home

I am back in Kingston after four hard days on the road.Four days to reflect upon what went wrong.Sorry, but getting on line was problematic.I never really left the trial site. Once I went to Merrill, about five miles away.I will have to catch up to Bev and have some sort of Iphone or blackberry or something.I have been a poor blogger.The finals were charged with ups and downs for me and several unforgettable moments.    Ethel’s semi-finals run was thrilling, with concise turns, sheep at a swift clip.She’s a pro.
I had a disappointing run in the finals on Sunday.However it went, Ethel did not let me down in any way.Her first gather was confused.I now think it was the irrigation apparatus being move on the adjacent field during her gather.It was loud and squeaky—not for us, but her.Her first gather of sheep went to the exhaust while she did her second.Her second gather went very smoothly, but  she had to dig the sheep from the exhaust which wasted precious time.Her drive went very smoothly.She was a good old girl.These turns of events sadden me, since she will not get another crack at it.She is ten years old.

Allen Mills and Sis in the Semi-Finals

My good Nursery dogs, on the other hand.Jeesh.Roz betrayed every trust I ever bestowed upon her.Monty was pretty good.

In further retrospect, the time on the road, five weeks leading up to the finals, was hard on all the dogs.In future,I might do more like Bev and make work stops more frequently, just for their mental well being, as much as anything.

What a great job the trial committee did, of making a memorable National  Finals for all the USBCHA hands.The owner of the trial ranch, proudly turned on his natural hot spring irrigation pipe into a big stock tanks which became the “Cowboy hot tub”.We jumped in most evenings to a waterfall of water that comes out of the pipe at a hundred and three degrees.That was joy.You can see the picture.The charming idea of having hot water flow out of the ground—that is something.

My camper could be the road vehicle for The Grapes of Wrath.  The dust that settled into it assumed a new life with the rattling around over 6000 kilometers of some not so smooth road.There is no unscathed surface.I have a Miele vacuum, aptly named“Cat and Dog”. I will test its merits tomorrow.

Bev and I yakked on the phone now and again.The ride was hard for her too.

I will go to work and get back in the swing of things.Pauline Bolay has done a great job manning the works in my absence.I will see my garden in the light and start training a couple of young dogs.