BevLive: EID Classic, Day Two

Was a lovely day. Got up it was foggy and a bit smokey and cold enough for a turtleneck and a winter coat. It got warm but never really hot in the middle of the day and has now cooled back down to coat weather. Except for the ubiquitous mosquitos it's been great running weather.

We ran PN first. The PN course was a 200+ yard outrun up a hill and over a little swale to another hill. The dogs had to run at least half of it off either hand blind. The drives were not huge but made tricky by the sage brush and long grass. Meg ran 3rd and did a great job. Not stopping quite as readily as yesterday but figuring out the pen a bit so we finally managed to get the sheep in and the gate closed. She won the day and ended up winning the dog bed for overall as well. Her first win.

After the two youth runs we moved into the open. The sheep were more difficult then yesterday and I didn't handle as well, an unfortunate combination. My shedding was terrible so after Hemp managed to get a very cantankerous ewe around in good shape I blew the shed and pen. Nel ran much better than yesterday handling the outrun with aplomb. She handled two eager cheviots very nicely and had a good run except for my poor shed. Mirk had reasonable sheep but, you guessed it, I blew the shed. So no day money, but Mirk and Hemp managed to make the cut for the double lift in spite of my poor management.

George Stambulic and Kate won with a really nice go. Nancy Stephens was second. The top twelve combined went into the double lift: Scott Glen, Lee Lumb, Joann Zoerb and I with two each, Norm Sommer, Chris Jobe, George Stambulic and Wendy Schmatz with one I think.

Had a really great handler dinner tonight after which we did the prizes and the draw for tomorrow. I drew up 5th and 9th. I sure hope I'm over my shedding screw up by then. It's a cinch if anyone gets a Cheviot with a collar it's going to be very tricky. The outruns will be hard too with the ground being so hilly. Hemp managed it well last year and got first but I doubt he remembers how and I know I don't. Still I'm looking forward to trying to figure it out.

We'll start tomorrow  with today's left over nursery run followed by tomorrow's nursery first then the double lift. So I get two more chances to run Meg. I'm really looking forward to that as well.