Monday at beading, Sunday at Grand Prix horsejumping

Sunday morning we didn't do much, just read and enjoyed the warmth. We went to the Pima County Fairgrounds in the afternoon, the Grand Prix horsejumping event for this weekend started at 2 PM, so that's what we went to watch.

There was about a 30 mph wind blowing, it was very sunny but impossible to keep your hat on with the wind. The class was huge, about 33 entries this week, the purse each week for the event is $25,000 so there are quite a few countries represented, Argentina, Mexico, Canada and all over the US. The horses are mainly Dutch and German European warmbreds, and there was one Thoroughbred. All of them are really tall horses as the jumps are incredible, 5'8" or so I believe. Magnificent animals, and the riding is top notch too, both women and men seem to compete equally.

For the first half of the event there were almost no clear rounds, but the second half produced 9 clear rounds, it was also timed, so faults for knocking down rails, plus faults for being too slow. And they just flew over the jumps.

It was very exciting, the first round was 16 jumps, but the jump off was only 8 jumps. Many of the riders had 2 or 3 horses entered, so that must have been exhausting in the heat.

But everybody did fabulously, nobody had a meltdown, though a couple of them withdrew when it was obvious they weren't in competition any longer.

I believe a woman won, and a man placed second. Very high level of competition, and I think it's on next week too. It's called HITS, Horse shows in the sun or something like that.

Lary made a delicious dinner of chicken Kung Pow or something like that.

Monday morning we didn't do much, Monday afternoon I went over to bead with the group, and made a nice necklace of rust colored sparkly round beads, combined with copper/black metal beads, and black in between. Then I made earrings of same copper colored beads, but had run out of black to space, so used silver spacers.

Feels great to be productive. Also we're keeping the US economy green by buying the beads.

Next year I would love to come for the whole of the Tucson Gem and Mineral show so I could see it all, and get some good supplies. At the time it's so large it's overwhelming, and we arrived during the last few days of the show. It's spread all over town, and a bit difficult to know what is where. And when you see so many beautiful things all together, you forget that you won't find them in the local stores, or at those kind of prices, either.

Dave and Wendy have headed up to Redding to pick up their new trailer, and hand in their current one for trade in.