The State Fair of Texas!

This past week clan Daniel was in downtown Dallas at the State Fair of Texas! The two older whipper-snappers were showing their steers at the progressive steer show. That simply means that the steers are not fully developed and ready for market but are working that way. They both showed in the same breed category of AOB (all other breeds) which simply means that they are no specific breed of cattle but are, well...mutts. There is a lot of work to these shows. We had to arrive on Monday and the show is not until Wednesday. We did not want the whipper-snappers to miss too much school so Bub went with the Mrs. on Monday and Sissy went on Tuesday. They were both there on Wednesday.
You have to be in the 3rd grade to show in Jr. FFA so Sister has a few years to go.

They have to wash their steers, blow dry them and get them all shined up for the show.

They also have to make sure that they get their school work done while they are there as well.

No idea why this pic is like this or even here.

There is also down time, but they usually work so hard that they are really tired.

She's so purty!

Here Bub poses for a quick pick right before going in to show. No, that's not a pink show stick. It's Aggie maroon. Papa has corrupted him.

Here is Sissy before going in to show. You can't see it but she actually does have a pink show stick.

Here are our two stockmen after the show. Sister took 6Th and Bub 7Th. Not too bad but we have a lot of time to work on them. We will have a show in December, the Ft. Worth Stock show in January, then San Antonio and Houston to follow. We'll keep you posted!

Labor Day weekend!!!

I know Labor Day was a few weeks ago, but clan Daniel has been very busy of late and getting to the computer for anything but work has been hard to get to. We have been dealing with school starting, grades, pee-wee football and cheer leading and steers! As I type this it is at a small moments peace before the State Fair stock show begins tomorrow. Labor Day weekend we went to Bakersfield to get ready for deer hunting and to get some new posts for a new barn we are planning to build in the fall. The buzzards to the left are what we found in one of our deer stands. It stunk to high heaven! I think I will let my new brother-in-law hunt from in here! He's a Chargers fan so he won't know the difference.

We also got the feeders working and the corn was flying! I had to get some wasps out of my stand but I fought them off bravely. We are now ready for youth weekend at the end of October and deer season in November.

As always while at the farm we had some relaxation time. Above Nannie and the girlie-girls eat watermelon and to the right Bub takes me and the Mrs. on a joy ride around the pasture. The tractor and go-cart don't hold the same charm as they once did. Now it's all about pick-up trucks.

We are also still cleaning up from last years tornado at Bakersfield. This is a benefit for me because I am in need of a new horse barn here at the Pearl and the downed cedar trees will make great support posts. Oh, and it's always fun using a chain saw.

Of course Papa prefers the comforts of the tractor! I can't imagine how hard this would all be with hand-saws and mules. We worked our tails off all day but I was able to bring home about 15 good posts to get the barn rolling.

We also had another task we wanted completed before this season got rolling. We have been needing to extend the yard sewer line to the camper for a couple of years now. We finally will not have to haul the trailer waste to the septic line for the barn (sounds gross I know, but this will be awesome!).







Look! Works great! Bub was really happy to help!

Steer shows coming!

This past weekend we spent several hours each day working with the whipper-snappers steers. They have a show next week (first of the year) and we are getting ready. They don't want to walk much yet so we tied them to the back of the pick-up and drove circles (mind-numbingly slow circles) around the pasture with each.
After some time doing this they got pretty good at following along.

Bub looks good here in his basketball shirt, swim trunks and boots don't he?

They got brushed after each round of the pasture as well.

Seems real happy don't they?

This one is Bub's. He did a little better than Sissy's.

It was a good day for all involved. Wish us luck next week.

Fig preserves!

Papa and Mimi came over to the house last week and Mimi and the Mrs. were out gallivanting and found a fig tree. So they picked some and brought them home and made fig preserves. Papa and Mimi must have been the ones that knew how this was done because in 17 years of wedded bliss this is the first I recall of homemade fig preserves.
They cooked up nicely...

...and were delicious!

The last (I swear) of the Colorado vacation!

OK, so apparently there is a Mt. Baker in Colorado and this is it! It's the taller peak on the left. There is no known information that would link our Baker family to this mountain but hey, there is no info NOT linking it , so we'll claim it! Kinda Purty ain't it?
This is Cassidy and Sarah. They are first cousins to each other. They are the off-spring of the Mrs. 1st cousins.

Cassidy can lick her elbow. I don't know why she knows that or why we needed to see it, but I bet you can't lick your elbow. I can't.

Here is clan Daniel standing in the Colorado river.

Here we're about to go in.

Mimi, Faith and me. It's cold in the mornings in Colorado.

Me and the Mrs, my pesky sister-in-law and her husband.

Apparently we were fascinated with the river.

This is Kevin. Remember him from the last post. He is quite the dancer. Look at those moves.

Whipper-snappers at the sign. How many pics are there of kids in front of signs?

Sissy and Mimi.

We found this really cool sand beach at Grand Lake on our last day there. We hung out there all day. It was really cool.

Dannette and John are avid bikers and brought them along. The whipper-snappers thought that was cool. Bub goes for a ride.

Ken and Scoot and their whipper-snappers, all grown up.

Whipper-snappers riding motorcycles.

Me and the Mrs.

Michelle and Ken.

Pesky aunt Nettie and Sister.

Pesky aunt Nettie and Sissy.

Papa cooks breakfast. Papa cooks breakfast all the time, no matter where he is.

and eats grass?

What's in those trees?

Papa and Mimi point at Baker mountain and claims it as their own!

Sonja and Russ. Brother and sister. The Mrs. 1st cousins.

Look, another sign. Let's throw some whipper-snappers in front of it and take pictures. People will come from miles and miles to snap photo's... Sorry.

Look familiar? Anybody besides me think Abby Road?

My precious.

Another river? What's the deal? Don't we have rivers in Texas? Why?