Catching Up - Goat Show

For those that are unaware, my step-mother, Terri, and my dad raise miniature silky fainting goats.  (Yes, they really do faint - see here.)  They have been doing this for some years now, and have a nice little herd.  Each year they haul their goats up to Iowa, Virginia, and other points north and east of us for goat shows.  Terri decided she wanted to do a show closer to home, and since there wasn't one available, she got together with another breeder and made one! 

Since Terri was going to be busy organizing the show, she needed some help to actually show her goats, so she asked if the girls would be willing to help Dad show, and then asked me if I would take the pictures of the winners.  The girls had each gotten their own goat from Nana this summer (I use the term "their own" very, very loosely here) and were eager to show them off, so we headed out to Denison, Texas, for the very first Yellow Rose of Texas Mini Silky Fainting Goat Show.  (Say that three times fast!)

That cold front that had held off for the girls camping trip last weekend hit just as we were heading south, and the winter we thought would never arrive did.  Of course, it wasn't cold when we left, so we didn't think to grab our coats as we headed out the door.  Luckily the girls had their hoodies in their school bags, so we just layered up and were fine.  The important thing was that we remembered our bathing suits, because our hotel had a nice, big pool! 

Our first day there were two rounds of judging.  Here are the girls (and Granddaddy) showing their goats:

Maggie shows Firefly, Dad has Franchesa, and Gracie is showing Fiona

This was the youngest category for this show (there were no brand new kids).  The floor of the arena had not been packed down, and sometimes it was tough going getting the goats to head where you wanted them to go, because they didn't like the loose dirt.

Once the winners had been picked they headed back to the photo area, where I took pictures:

Terri kept referring to me as "our show photographer," which made me a bit nervous, as I was not wanting anyone to expect professional results - just snapshots like these!

Gracie lost her love of showing goats pretty quickly, but lots of friends came by to see how the show was going, so there was plenty of help for that first day.  The next morning we started bright and early, and all our help was not too keen on getting to the barns at 8:00!  I got a chance to show a goat or two (or three) that next day.  I'd show a goat, take a picture.  I'm nothing if not flexible!  Here's me, showing Franchesca - we got 1st from one judge and 2nd from another. 

Terri's goats did well over all, and we got plenty of ribbons to hang above our stall.

Gracie and Maggie with Franco, Best Weather in Show

Our Winning Team!

Once the second day shows were over it was time to head home.  We stopped for lunch and headed back north.  We passed through Ardmore on the way, and I had thought it might be nice to see some of Oklahoma on the way back (it was night on our drive down.)  The fall foliage had been very nice, so I thought that we would drive around Lake Murray on our way home.  We got to the entrance of the park and I told the girls, "Okay, put away your electronic devices and shut your books - we are going to have some sightseeing time!"  I'm sure that the previous Thursday it had been quite pretty, but the cold front that had come through on Friday had blown every pretty leaf off the trees, leaving them bare.  It looked cold and wintry.  After a few miles the girls started asking, "Can we read NOW?"  Oh well.  I did stop and get out and take a picture of the tower on Lake Murray to prove I was there, and it felt just as cold and wintry as it looked. 

 

Actually, it felt wintry-er than it looks.  We had a nice time, enjoyed the goats and the hotel pool, and were pretty wore out by the time we got back.  Not nearly as wore out as Nana was with all her organizing, I'm sure, but hey, she didn't have to drive to Iowa!