City Slickers

Howdy pardners! Yesterday, we went out to a co-worker's ranch for his annual Spring Party and City Slicker Rodeo. After about a 2 hour drive we arrived in the middle of nowhere, with cows, horses, a great old house with a wrap around porch and what every Texan needs to kick of a "rodeo" - barbeque!

Kathryn shows off her hat that she bought a the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

Then she let Laney try it on. After lunch the festivities began with 2 egg hunts. I have no pictures of the kid's hunt - it happened too fast! Kathryn ended up with a bunch of eggs and thus a bunch of candy. Then it was the adult hunt. I found diddly. Rob found 4 eggs.
The results - $7 (two eggs had $1 each, one had a fin) and an airline sized bottle of Barcadi Rum. Thus the reason for the separate egg hunts.
Next, it was hay ride time. Kathryn, Laney and I rode, while Rob stayed behind.
Then the first event of the city slicker rodeo - calf penning. Now here's the deal - I was pretty hyped and I wanted to compete. I even e-mailed an old friend with horse knowledge for help on one of the challenges. Then they let the 5 calves involved in the calf penning out of their trailer and into the pen. Two promptly ran out and head butted the pen and then proceeded to run around like idiots. I no longer wanted to participate. I've never been afraid of a baby cow until yesterday. Rob had intended on spectatorship from the beginning and then got suckered in by two of my co-workers.

Elaine, Rob and Anna - the calf-penning team
The competition involved getting one calf into a small pen and keeping the rest in place. Pretty early on, I thought I saw Rob get kicked, but he kept going. Halfway through Anna got a rear hoof to the chest.
All done - he's in and penned. Rob then walks out and says to me, "So what hit me at the beginning?" Ummm - check the hoof print on your shirt! (I do not regret my decision not to participate.) Unfortunately, his team didn't make the top 3, but they did get an honorable mention for most injuries.
Jamie and a very sleepy Laney watching Daddy run after cows.
Next, the roping competition. Use a real lasso to get around the plastic cow head on a bale of hay. 3 points for both horns and head, 2 points for one horn and head.
Rob is "in for a penny, in for a pound" at this point, so he keeps participating. Doesn't he look like he's done this before? Nope, never.

The results: 2nd place and a fabulous Brahma cow topped trophy he named Mooby.
Then, the 3 legged sack race which in which the contestants had to follow a barrel racing pattern. Kathryn and a new friend tried the "barrel racing". See the 14 month old following them - he ended up making things difficult. As most toddlers are apt to do, he wanted to play too!

Here they are on their way down.Then it was Rob's turn - I'm a klutz. That's all there is to it and there was a belt buckle at stake, so I volunteered Elaine to go with him.
Rob and Elaine went early and showed everybody else how to do it. So, the later groups had better times. Better luck next year . . .
I did manage to get on a horse (and I put Laney on with me for the photo op). I also tried out my tips from my horse friend and was successful, so rah for me.
Kathryn also did some riding. She looks pretty good, doesn't she? Thanks Lauren for the mini-riding lesson in December.
Rob's winnings - $7, Mooby and Barcadi - not a bad day at the ranch.

BTW- Rob is fine. No bruising and no pain today. I'll find out about Anna when she comes in to work on Tuesday. Oh, and even with all this insanity, Laney still slept through the night last night. *Mommy does the happy dance*