Craft Fair

Today was my first craft fair of 2012. The occasion was the spring Hunter Pace event at Red Rock Hounds. They ride in teams of 2-5, using mostly English saddle, and this team is getting ready to ride out to the staging area.
We set up right in the heart of the activities, and the beautiful day, the hilarity of the riders and fantastic songbirds made this probably my most favorite craft fair ever. We were the only crafters - Carol and Kerry decided to do it and invited me. It's Carol's sister's ranch~
The teams either ride for time or for fun. This fun team is three genera-
tions of women, ala Pancho Villa. There are five check points on the cross-country trail and they collect a playing card at each station. One of the awards is for the best poker hand.

Angela and Preston were the first team through for time and I could hear Angela whooping long before I could see her. Almost all the speed riders cross the finish whooping, and some ride back to jump across the coop just because they can and they're high from the rush.
Angela is fishing in her boot for her poker cards. She kept stuffing them in at every stop and they had been sliding down ever since. Her 13-year-old daughter Audrey came in the closest finish time behind her. Look out Angela!
And for the non-riding children there are the quads. There is a whole hierarchy involved in who gets to drive and who gets to ride.
My neighbor Nancy came over to watch. She rides Western but riders are riders, and good company is good company. This is Angela's pup, Granite, who is giving lap dog a try. Check out his rear end.
To give you an idea what Granite looks like "on the hoof," here he is, invest-
igating our strange doings during set-up. He's actually not full grown yet.

We wrapped up right after lunch but sales were good and we had the best time. People popped in and sat around to shoot the breeze, and I think that's the charm of this particular event. These are people who ride here or live here, and we've met before so conversation is natural. I have no idea why I'm so tired tonight when all I did was sit and talk. We do it again in October and got lucky with the weather today - crossing fingers for the fall.