Sunday, November 20, 2005
Elizabethtown, KY, Show
My daughter Anna and I took off in the early afternoon on Friday for the long drive (7 1/2 hours) to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Yes, that's the same Elizabethtown from the movie, I'm told. We got a late start because I had had a longstanding date with my husband and kids to see Harry Potter the moment it came out. So at 11:00 a.m., Andrew took off for a long, extended lunch, and we headed to the theater. When we got back, we loaded the van and took off.
I detest driving through West Virginia. Oh, it's beautiful. Very beautiful. But the curves and narrow roads and trucks make the driving intense the whole way. Anna does love the two tunnels we go through just before crossing into West Virginia, though.
By the time we got into Kentucky, the driving was easier. Anna and I found a station playing all Christmas music, so we sang and listened and enjoyed the last 2 1/2 hours as much as you can ever enjoy the last 2 1/2 hours of a 7 1/2 hour trip.
We arrived at the motel just about 2 minutes after Deidre Edder arrived - our roommate for the night. We had both driven 7 1/2 hours from different states (Deidre from Georgia) and somehow had it timed almost perfectly.
We got an early start the next morning. It was a day of show and the club had to set up everything that morning (it would have cost them another half day rent to set up the night before, which was apparently cost-prohibitive). It was amazing that the show got started at a reasonable time with all that had to be done, but the club had lots of hard workers and they put things together in record time.
I entered 21 rabbits. I only took one grand champion. I was hunting for legs on rabbits that needed some to grand and was giving a lot of juniors their first test drive. I was very pleased with the quality of the bunnies I took and thought that I had a shot at doing pretty well with them. It was tough deciding to leave Ox and Merlin at home, but Franz just needs one leg and I did take Rio, so Franz wouldn't need any more competition from home if he'd have the chance to grand.
I didn't tell anyone in the area that I was coming, but I had hoped Denise Crafton would be there. I always enjoy showing with her. And I wasn't disappointed - in she walked with her big smile. Well, there was one disappointment: she didn't bring her hunk with her. Darn.
We were fortunate to get a judge that raises Hollands in the morning. There was a very nice crowd of Holland exhibitors. I wrote for most of Show A with help from the other exhibitors who put my rabbits up and down from the table.
My solid junior buck The Nature Trail's Wizard took his class, even though it was his first time out and he's just 3 1/2 months old. I've loved this buck since he was just 3 weeks old (like his full sister from an ealier litter, GC The Nature Trail's May). He went on to be Best of Group (and later gave the broken a run for his money it appeared, from the number of times the judge went back and forth between them).
When I got to the broken senior buck class, normally my strongest, I was highly optimistic. I had very mixed feelings when Rio came in 3rd. I had hoped he would take the class, of course, but when the judge said he was right on 4.00, I was very happy that my weight management had already kicked in with him!
And Franz was still on the table and he was the one I wanted to grand. The competition was stiff. The judge went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Uh Oh. Don't I remember doing this with Gary Smith last week and didn't it always turn out not to be in my favor? YUP! Franz came in second. No granding for him.
The broken senior buck that won went on to get the BOB. And his owner Keat Hor had a double delight when he also was BOB in show B. I had to leave before the BIS judging at the end of the day, but I sure wished Keat a lot of good luck on the table. Hey, if he's going to beat me, I want him to go all of the way! [I found out today that he won BIS in Show A - way to go, Keat & Rocky!]
My broken junior doe The Nature Trail's Tina was Best Opposite Sex in Show A, which was nice because that's a herdsman point. And The Nature Trail's Nikki, at her last show as a junior, was Best Opposite Sex in Show B, another herdsman point.
We got home at 11:00 p.m., dog tired. We had found more Christmas music for the way home and I got to hear most of the Prairie Home Companion, a radio show on NPR that I've come to love since I'm often in the car driving home from a show on Saturday evenings.
All in all, it was a very worthwhile trip. I enjoyed showing with the exhibitors there so much. We laughed and had a very good time, enjoying each other's successes and congratulating with full hearts. That's my kind of show.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 8:52 AM
I detest driving through West Virginia. Oh, it's beautiful. Very beautiful. But the curves and narrow roads and trucks make the driving intense the whole way. Anna does love the two tunnels we go through just before crossing into West Virginia, though.
By the time we got into Kentucky, the driving was easier. Anna and I found a station playing all Christmas music, so we sang and listened and enjoyed the last 2 1/2 hours as much as you can ever enjoy the last 2 1/2 hours of a 7 1/2 hour trip.
We arrived at the motel just about 2 minutes after Deidre Edder arrived - our roommate for the night. We had both driven 7 1/2 hours from different states (Deidre from Georgia) and somehow had it timed almost perfectly.
We got an early start the next morning. It was a day of show and the club had to set up everything that morning (it would have cost them another half day rent to set up the night before, which was apparently cost-prohibitive). It was amazing that the show got started at a reasonable time with all that had to be done, but the club had lots of hard workers and they put things together in record time.
I entered 21 rabbits. I only took one grand champion. I was hunting for legs on rabbits that needed some to grand and was giving a lot of juniors their first test drive. I was very pleased with the quality of the bunnies I took and thought that I had a shot at doing pretty well with them. It was tough deciding to leave Ox and Merlin at home, but Franz just needs one leg and I did take Rio, so Franz wouldn't need any more competition from home if he'd have the chance to grand.
I didn't tell anyone in the area that I was coming, but I had hoped Denise Crafton would be there. I always enjoy showing with her. And I wasn't disappointed - in she walked with her big smile. Well, there was one disappointment: she didn't bring her hunk with her. Darn.
We were fortunate to get a judge that raises Hollands in the morning. There was a very nice crowd of Holland exhibitors. I wrote for most of Show A with help from the other exhibitors who put my rabbits up and down from the table.
My solid junior buck The Nature Trail's Wizard took his class, even though it was his first time out and he's just 3 1/2 months old. I've loved this buck since he was just 3 weeks old (like his full sister from an ealier litter, GC The Nature Trail's May). He went on to be Best of Group (and later gave the broken a run for his money it appeared, from the number of times the judge went back and forth between them).
When I got to the broken senior buck class, normally my strongest, I was highly optimistic. I had very mixed feelings when Rio came in 3rd. I had hoped he would take the class, of course, but when the judge said he was right on 4.00, I was very happy that my weight management had already kicked in with him!
And Franz was still on the table and he was the one I wanted to grand. The competition was stiff. The judge went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Uh Oh. Don't I remember doing this with Gary Smith last week and didn't it always turn out not to be in my favor? YUP! Franz came in second. No granding for him.
The broken senior buck that won went on to get the BOB. And his owner Keat Hor had a double delight when he also was BOB in show B. I had to leave before the BIS judging at the end of the day, but I sure wished Keat a lot of good luck on the table. Hey, if he's going to beat me, I want him to go all of the way! [I found out today that he won BIS in Show A - way to go, Keat & Rocky!]
My broken junior doe The Nature Trail's Tina was Best Opposite Sex in Show A, which was nice because that's a herdsman point. And The Nature Trail's Nikki, at her last show as a junior, was Best Opposite Sex in Show B, another herdsman point.
We got home at 11:00 p.m., dog tired. We had found more Christmas music for the way home and I got to hear most of the Prairie Home Companion, a radio show on NPR that I've come to love since I'm often in the car driving home from a show on Saturday evenings.
All in all, it was a very worthwhile trip. I enjoyed showing with the exhibitors there so much. We laughed and had a very good time, enjoying each other's successes and congratulating with full hearts. That's my kind of show.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 8:52 AM
