I’m thankful for roadtrips

101 in 1001

We survived our 2nd
Calf Fry together. 

Time to give a little gratitude on the blog as part of my 101 in 1001 project. This past weekend I headed to Stillwater for my annual Calf Fry trip. This time my co-pilot was the Boy. It is hard to believe that is was at this event last year our relationship really kicked off.

We arrived at Miss Northerner’s trailer house (I mean what would a weekend of Red Dirt Music be without a trailer house). The Park West Palace would be home to eight people during the next three days. Eight people staying in a trailer = someone is going to have to sleep on the floor. It also means it takes approximately three hours to get everyone showered. Water tanks are not that big.

Randy Rogers was the musical highlight for me. Yes, I was that girl belting out Kiss Me in the Dark, and I was in great company. Throughout the weekend there were too many inside jokes to count, Eskimo Joes, my slowly becoming famous Shrimp Gumbo, a pitching contest, in which I made a hole in one, Zebra Cake races, dancing and a terrible rendition of Fancy. I am really not a good singer.

Dana can literally eat a Zebra Cake (similar to a Little Debbie) in 30 seconds.  This has become an annual tradition.

Now that is great form.

What I am most grateful for is the friends that accompany me on this trip every year. Sometimes we don’t see each other often, but it doesn’t matter because we pick back up from where we left off. And each year I seem to leave with a few new friends in tow. I mean the Montana Boys seen to your right probably know more about my personal life then they ever planned too. My Alberta heritage quickly gave me street cred, and they quickly declare I was just a norther sister. The bottle of Canadian Rye I bought with me probably didn't hurt.

Throughout the weekend I saw friends from 10 different state and a bunch of Okies, all gathered for a little fun in Stillwater. 

Pretty girls. Great friends.

Dana was the further traveler again, this year flying in from Detroit.

So thanks friends. I hope that you have people you can count on like these awesome people. Can't wait to do it all again next year. 

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Wide Open Spaces - Texas Long Weekend Part 1

Driving, driving, driving.

Last weekend I got to head south with the boy to a friends wedding. Now first let me explain we call these holiday weekends, long weekends in Canada. No one seemed to have a clue what I was talking about when I kept on referring to the Labor Day weekend as the long weekend.

Back to the topic. We fly into Fort Worth on Thursday and stayed with the boy's sister and her fiance. The next day they treated us to a quick tour of the Superior Livestock Auction building where the fiance works, and then some amazing BBQ at Coopers, all down in the Stockyards. The Brisket and the blackberry cobbler were amazing, and trust me Texans know how to do both of these the best.

Then it was off to San Angelo, just a mere four hour drive south. ugh. However prime opportunity for me to take pictures, and maybe complain a little that we couldn't stop at every western decor home store we saw. Texas I will return.

We did drive through Dublin, home of Dr. Pepper. I always get excited about tourist things like this. This is what it looks like on the drive by.

And although, we we greeted by a beautiful sunset as we entered San Angelo. It was time to wear some engergy off.

And so as is tradition, if you are going to sing karaoke, you better sing Sweet Caroline.

The boy's sister and I were very excited to be on stage.

Also, a note to those that like to sing karaoke. It helps if you turn the microphone on. We didn't realize it was off until half way through the song. Which, actually may have been a good thing.

Stay tuned. Part II to be reveled later in the week. And there may or may not be more karaoke and a picture of the boy.

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Smiling... It's my favorite thing to do.

The great road tip of 2010.

Mission: Get to Stillwater, Okla., as fast you can. Upon arrival have as much fun as you can. Don't forget to make Oklahoma shaped pancakes.

Team members: Doc will be picked up from the K.C. airport, and travel southbound with you. Other team members will congregate in the Trailer Park, before moving to the Weed and then the Penny.

Completion Date: May 2, 2010

Well it is time to give you an update on my Calf Fry 2010 roadtrip. And today seems like a great day to do it because it is gloomy, ugly and rainy outside, but all the CF10 memories put a smile on my face.

Day One: We arrived the first night, and truly got to experience Oklahoma red dirt. Not only was Randy Rogers playing on stage, but the wind was sending all kinds of red dirt through the air.

Day Two: We recovered by heading to Eskimo Joes for some bacon, cheese fries. They are pretty much amazing. We also got to experience a drive through Beer Store. Yes, the great things you will find in Oklahoma.

That night we had a cook out, where we learned that the Trailer Park Goddess is much better at cold food items than warm food. Crab pasta salad = excellent, burgers that turned in sliders = average. That night we listened to the Bellamy Brothers, and tried to think about marketing technique for a new business venture.

Day two also meant me whipping up an entire loaf of my Oklahoma shaped French toast. Who knew Canadian were so talented. It was a late night as we debated worldly topics like the conditions in South Africa and the procedures that take place before you can hunt a Big Horned sheep.

Day Three: Recovery took longer, however we made sure we were ready in time for the Derby. Since there wasn't a clear winner there was a lot of jumping ship before people looked in their final vote. I was glad that ole Calvin, that toothless cajun, won again. As my dad says it's all about the jockey.

Day three continued into the night, as we prepared for our annual pub crawl where I was once again reacquainted with my favorite summertime beverage (you'll have to email me for more details). We were unable to find anyone to play us Sweet Caroline, but we did find a few characters along the way. The annual Dirty Girls picture was once again taken, minus a few key members, but I expect them to return next year.

Day Four: The mission was complete, although I don't think anyone really wanted it to end. Too many good things happened, to make new friendships formed. I highly recommend you all adding Calf fry ot your 2011 calendar. I know I'll be there.

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Calf fry... the Official Countdown has began.

And then the Gods created Calf Fry and all was good in the world.


OK maybe that is an over exaggeration, but this is truly one of my top five events of the year. Calf Fry is held every spring in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I talk about Texas or Red Dirt Country a lot and this event bring together the very best music.

My friends and I have been talking about this event since we were all together for the National Western Stock Show in Denver. We can't wait to take Stillwater by storm, just like last year, and now the day has finally come. As you are reading this I am in my car road-tripping it with Doc, headed south.

But don't worry while I am gone I have a few posts in store. Hopefully, it'll make you feel like you are along for the ride.

This was our group at Calf Fry last year. Yes, a limo picked us up from the trailer park. 

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What to do when I am gone.

Take a look around. 

So the next few days the posts are going to be a little bit sporadic as I will be heading out on a road trip. Description of the road trip to come on Thursday. So in the meantime I don't want to leave my readers high and dry so here are a few things you might want to check out.

For your agriculture advocacy fix you might check out...

HumaneWatch.org is the answer. I have talked about this organization before. They are a watchdog organization for the Humane Society of the United States. They have some really great information that we can use to help educate the consumer about the real goals of HSUS - ending animal agriculture. They also have a facebook page that gets lot's of discussion. 

For some awesome photography and stories about ranch life that will make you laugh...

Our Little Ranch will do just fine. Catherine and Luke Neumayr write about life on their cattle ranch in Texas. They always have great adventure and humor to share with their readers. They also have Braham cattle, and take the most gorgeous pictures of them. It's worth a stop by.

If you are getting married or want to hear about a city gal...

A Classy, Southern Bride has got it going on. I don't know what it is about this gal, Christin, but I am really intrigued by her. She talks about her wedding plans (but not in an obsessive, that is all I am concerned about with my life kind of way), she is becoming an avid runner and always has neat little stories. She's cool. Just need to get her to eat beef (she's not a vegetarian though.)

And if you want to get your fix of cowboy chic...

Then the Farmer's Trophy Wife is the place to visit. She does this look of the week, and then helps you find the items to complete the look. And although I love heels, I also love how she normally changes out the heels for cowboy boots. She also posts looks of cool western home items and other little stories.

Now I didn't mean to leave anyone out! I have close to 50 blogs that I read, and maybe I'll share some more of them with you soon. But I think these should fill the crystal.cattle void in the meantime.

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Music discovery... Jaida Dreyer

Can't get enough of her. 

Between the recent ACM's and Calf Fry coming up I have got music on the mind. Currently, I am working the the 2010 Great American Calf Fry Road Trip Playlist, which you will be getting a taste of in the coming weeks. Ms. Bewitching (who I think I am going to change to Doc) and I are going to be road-tripping down to Stillwater to meet Miss Classy, Cgood and the Trailer Park Gang, and we are going to need something to be jammin' to.

However, I have made a music discovery via Twitter. Her name is Jaida Dreyer and she is fantastic. The problem is I am pretty sure she hasn't signed with anyone because I can't find a place to download her music! However, thank the Lord for YouTube. She's all over it. Now we just need to find a way to get this girl on the radio or at least iTunes.





She has a list full of awesome songs. You can either search for her on YouTube or visit her Myspace page here. 

p.s. If you missed yesterday's post you have to check it out. The comments are great!

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Mountains and Prairie

A little time behind the steering wheel.

Last week I had that opportunity to head back home to Alberta to speak at the Tiffin Conference. I had been asked to talk about some of the attacks anti-agriculture activists, like HSUS and PETA, are making against our way or life. The presentation went really well, but I also think I really shocked some people. Canada hasn’t been subjected to the daily criticism and attacks that U.S. farmers and ranchers have, and therefore aren’t as aware. Hopefully Canadians, along with Americans, will reach out to consumers and tell our story, so we can show the truth about agriculture.

But before, I got to the conference I had to make the drive from Calgary to Lethbridge. Calgary is considered southern Alberta and Lethbridge is only an hour from the Canada/U.S. border. 

It was a beautiful and clear afternoon, so I got an amazing view of the mountains. 

Notice, there is actually very little snow on the ground. This was taken just south of Calgary. 

I love these signs. This was taken in Claresholm, where they have a great western store. More on that later. 

Coming into Lethbridge. It seems to be a really cool town, but the wind ALWAYS blow there. 

Oh look it's some trees. These must of been planted, hehe. No trees in southern Alberta.

This is the University of Lethbridge. I actually spoke at the College, but I think it's neat how the this school is built into the side of a valley. 

And when I pulled up to my hotel, this is what was in front of every parking space - an electrical outlet. Yes, it can get so cold that we have to plug are cars in during the winter. 

And finally. I think this location would be prefect for a house and some cows one day. No reason why I couldn't have places on either side of the border.

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Weekend Recap - Part 1

Bleeding Purple

After a big day on Friday and Saturday morning with the Junior Board I headed to Manhattan for the big game. Good friends Gabel, cgood, Graber and tbaugh were all in town and it was time to do some cheering and catching up. Although this was our fourth game and second home game it really only felt like the first official tailgate for me. Tbaugh's parents have an awesome tailgate, but they missed out on the first game. They certainly made up for it this time! Tbaugh's mom makes this awesome dip, I frequently claim it's the only reason I am friends with her ;). Gabel was in town on some work commitments which meant we had access to the Elanco tickets! Love it when my friends have the connection.

End Zone, third row up.

The game was awesome! We didn't play a real competitive team, but we still looked really good.

Only in Kansas can you find a shirt like this!

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