Saturday of Yorkton Grain Millers Harvest Showdown started early. The morning started out with some ropes, and some very good looking cattle. Some great local people came out to show off their roping skills that morning. After watching morning of great skill in the area it was time watch some great skill in the upstairs room. The skill I got see was an excellent show of auctioneer greatness. It was an awesome time. The stories that were shared about their favorite charity event were very entertaining, and it was a restore faith in humanity type of entertaining. After that event it was time to see some of the great entries in all the ribbon judging. The many of things that were judged ranged from vegetables, jams, canning, to forage, and grains. Nothing reminds you that you from a rural community more than seeing ribbon judging events. After all the great festivities of the day it was time to enjoy that evening's performance of rodeo. The second night like the first night displayed some great talent, and some great entertainment. The colors were displayed, the anthem was sung, and honor was given to veterans. That night there was also a special moment to give thanks to the hardworking, and dedicated, individuals that make the whole event such a success. It was interesting to see all the faces that work behind the scenes to make the event what it is. After the beautiful opening it was onto see those broncs, and cowboys, do what they do best. That night was no exception. The Whiteline horses gave their best, and even got a little more than frisky at times. The riders put on a great display of skill, including the pickup men that got them off in a timely, and safe, fashion. The ropers that night were all on their top game, and concentration to do well was in high demand that night. Some even took the time to get some extra practice in before their run. To say the least, it was very interesting to see how fast their hands can work. All in all the ropers, both calf & team, did a good job that night. The livestock also did an excellent job giving it their all so they would not be tied. The steers gave the steer wrestlers a hard time as they did their best to make sure they would not be taken down. They ran good and hard, and when wrestling with the cowboy you could see the determination in them as they didn't want to go down. It was great to see so much feisty attitude that night. You could definitely tell these past couple nights the hard work, and toil, it takes from these excellent cowboys to get the job done. The entertainment between the events was excellent as always. The clowns put on a great show of music, and furry talent as they pulled a rabbit from a tuba. The rabbit didn't seem at all fazed by the interaction, or being pulled out of the tuba in front of a crowd of people. He just sat calm in the hands of the clown, and seemed to nonchalant to care. The Fanastic 4 Trick Riding team came out to show off their stuff, and their rider pride in that performance. With their glittery Saskatchewan Football pride they put on an excellent show of skill as always, and the youngest member looked as cute as ever. The excellent entertainment continued the whole night as the barrel racers gave another night of face paced entertainment. Their horses gave it their all, along with the ladies on their backs, and determination could be seen from miles away. All round there were some fantastic runs that night. And as always, my heart was stolen at the end of the night by the excellent show of the bulls. That night everyone did their best, and it was an excellent display of bull riding. My heart fell for one specific guy that night with some blond curls [you will see him to the far right below]. I wanted so badly to be able to take him home so I could be able to pet those curls. I think my love for these animals gets stronger and stronger every time I see them. The whole weekend was amazing, and the Whiteline stock did an amazing job. Everyone there gave it their best, as always, and without a doubt gave some great entertainment to the packed arena. I can't wait to experience the entire event again, along with the other Harvest Showdown events. It was a great local weekend, and it made me very proud to call myself a local. If you haven't been before I strongly suggest you go, because it is amazing time, along with an excellent opportunity to learn things on a small scale. It was a definitely a great primer weekend to Canadian Western Agribition, and gave me a whole new surge of excitement for that weekend to come.
0 Comments
On the 1st day of November I was lucky enough to be able to capture some amazing landscape shots while on my way to rodeo. The colors in the sky were amazing that night, and it was made even more special by the lack of snow that was on the landscape at the time. Lack of snow in November is not the norm in Saskatchewan. The day got even better when I got to the rodeo that night in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. The seat I got to enjoy rodeo from was a pretty amazing spot. It gave me a great vantage point to shoot some awesome birds-eye-view shots from "behind the chutes". It was a great time to see all the cowboys getting prepped before they jumped on the backs of their ride. The broncs that night really gave a great show as they twisted, and bucked, their bodies in the best ways they knew possible. It was a special night for all the novice riders as they got to really give a last great show of all their talents. It was an amazing thing to watch these young riders take on these amazing animals. The steers also gave a good run for all those that were taking the chance to wrestle them. They gave it their all, and fought hard against those who tried to get them down. The ropers also had an equally challenging time as they did their best to rope them in their fastest times. It made for a face paced action show on a Friday night. The barrel racers also helped with this action by giving some great runs on some beautiful animals. I once again got to enjoy an excellent show from the Fantastic 4 Trick riders. They showed off their impressive moves, and horses. The outfits they wore that night were beautiful. The ladies brought some new tricks to the table that night, and they were fantastic. I really enjoyed their star trick on the beautiful horse Onyx [which you can see the bottom right]. It looked amazing, and the only thing I regret is not being in a better position to better capture the beauty of that trick. The end of the night of course ended with an amazing show of skill by the bull riders. The bulls were in full spirits, and that night ended on a great note. As always, all those that are in charge to make sure everyone stays safe did an amazing job of it. They got in fast, and where they were needed, to get all who was in harm’s way out of it. It is always amazing to watch the excellent work the ground safety crew does to keep everything flowing smoothly throughout the evening. The Yorkton Harvest Showdown Canadian Cowboys Association performance was an excellent way to start off my November. This performance was a special one for me since it was the first time I have been actually able to make to Yorkton for this event. It did not disappoint, and I am looking forward to showing up next year. It is definitely one of the best ways to start closing off the rodeo season. They say you should save the best for last, and this was definitely the case of this rodeo event. Halloween was a night to remember! I loved that I got to enjoy it all at the Grain Millers Harvest Showdown in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. It was filled with spooky scenes, and fun costumes. Along with that it was filled with fun adventures, and knights in shining armour! The night started with an amazing showing of skills, and horsemanship when I got to watch my first ever show of mounted shooting. It was an amazing sport to watch, and I can't wait for the day that I can try my hand at it. The trick of the game is to ride a pattern on horseback, and shoot all the balloons in the pattern using blanks. The sport is a young sport, and is just starting to take off. To participate on needs not only a horse, but a restricted firearms license. After that I got to see an excellent show from a couple of riders from the Fantastic 4 Trick Riding Team. They were dressed up in their Halloween best, and it was amazing. The final big event of the night was getting the chance to watch Full Metal Jousting, and it even hosted by the amazing man off the famous television show himself, Shane Adams! It was a very educational, along with entertaining night, of knight games. We got to learn all the training it takes it become a Knight. The knights we saw that day were a variety from Eastern Canada, and the United States. The knights were from the International Knights of Valour team. The knights chose their ladies of court that they fought for, and even gave "gold" [gold wrapped candy] to their court like the traditional knights. The games were very interesting to watch, and especially when I got to see a knight cut a watermelon close to the head of a random assistant. The jousting was also awesome, and I got to watch as a knight got de-horsed. All round it was amazing show. I fully suggest going out to see any jousting event! It is a once in a lifetime opporunity. Well done Grain Millers Harvest Showdown it was quite the 25th anniversary bash! Last Saturday was a very exciting day for me for I got to go see the Professional Bull Rider Canadian Finals in Saskatoon! It was an amazing time, and of course there was lots of neat fire related displays. The rodeo clown was very charming, and all the cute bulls there just made my heart sing. The introduction to all the riders was a very impressive show, and you could cut the testosterone & pride that filled the air with a knife. There is no doubt these men love what they do, and that there is a whole group of loyal people behind them to support them in what they do. The bulls also love what they do, so much so in fact the odd performer would not want to leave the arena ring. Watching those bulls I wasn't sure who loved the crowd more the rider or the bull. Either way it was an awesome sight to take in. If you’re wondering while looking at these pictures, yes I did use Instagram to capture the event. Being a professional finals event I felt that it was rude to bring in my camera to get shots, and decided it was more worth my time challenging myself to capture the event with Instagram. It provided its own level of challenges but it got the job done, along with a few interesting surprises along the way. As you can see to the left it caught the picture of the rodeo clown making his world record for catching a marshmallow in his mouth! However, I did miss the moment when he out did his world record by having his thrower toss one down from the catwalk above the big screen. All in all it was a great night of great bull riding. It is definitely something I can't wait to experience more. I am thoroughly glad I used Instagram to capture things rather than my camera. It was nice to just relax, sit back, and really watch the show. The awards at the end of the night were another great thing to take in. It was worth the extra wait in the car line up for this. Though next year I might actually get a picture with the rodeo clown.... next year that will be my goal! Though I have to say my favorite part of the night was actually at the beginning. Background: This past summer while at Calgary Stampede a Saskatchewan bull rider by the name of Aaron Roy got seriously injured while riding. It was amazing to see that night the support from the PBR, and the crowd, that was shown when this man was given a special introduction. I saw people give this young man a standing applause, and he sure deserved it... considering the early reports said he may never walk again. While long story short he can and he stood there with pride as the people showed him an amazing applause of support. It is very heartwarming to see how much people care for each other in such a dangerous sport. It sure makes me happy to say that bull riding is one of my favorite sports. With the month of October flying by, and thoughts of winter gathering in my mind, I thought it would be a good idea to take a walk to appreciate what little fall we have left here. I decided to do this on the walking trails close to my home since well I have never visited them before, and now was a better time then later. The trails did not disappoint. They gave an amazing view of the local surrounding habitat, and even a good view of the local golf course. I can't wait to spend more time out on these trails. I might actually have finally invest in a set of snow shoes or cross country skies! Oh my! These trails are a true little hidden gem in my local area. I am so glad that they exist so close to my home. The best part of the night was walking it during the golden hour, which in the fall makes everything not just golden but seems to have almost pink hue to it as well. All the leaves, and branches, and other things that are now brown instead of green give the meaning of the golden hour a different perspective. It is a truly beautiful time of day, and I am so glad to walk the trails soaking up the last sun of the day. Hope your October is treating you just as well! On a warm, and golden, October Saturday I found myself on the road. I was on my way to the Wapella Rodeo! Another rodeo so close to the last one made me a very happy camper. What also made me a happy camper was the scenic drive that I got to take through the eastern part of the Qu'Appelle River Valley on the way to the rodeo. It was the perfect fall day for it since the sun was out, the weather warm, and the leaves golden in the hills. I couldn't help but stop to take a few pictures to share before I got to the rodeo itself. After the scenic pit stop it was off to the rodeo, which at this time of year is done indoor. The arena was packed with friendly people, and there was no lack of cowboy boots, or cowboy hats, among them. It was a great way to spend my Saturday afternoon. I got the pleasure of watching the Prime Time animals give it their all as they performed beautifully in the arena. The pickup riders did an excellent job handling the animals, and getting everyone off and out of harm’s way. The calves were having a great time running, and you could definitely see the feeling of disappointment on their face when they got caught. It was a pretty darn fantastic thing to watch while sitting in a ground filled hockey arena. The speed at which the animals moved was rather impressive that day. The blur in the pictures that I caught that day are testament to just how fast they were moving. And this time I had to save the pictures from my two favorite events for last.... team roping and bull riding. I have expressed before how much I love bull riding [those bulls just steal my heart every time]. But I don't think I have ever expressed how much I thoroughly enjoy watching team roping. It would be my second favorite event [nothing beats that cute bull face in my heart] due to the fact I am always greatly impressed by the skill it takes to get this job done. Now, I am impressed by all the skills it takes to do any event in rodeo but for me this one takes the cake. Probably due to the fact I lack any general ability to rope, but also because being a person that has done mostly solo sports I always find it impressive when I see people work as a team together. That day in Wappella I saw just that, excellent team work. It was impressive to watch as not only as the two riders worked together but to watch the riders work with their horses to have them be in the spot they needed them... then on top of that get that rope where it needed to be! I was impressed every single time! I was also impressed by: a) the bulls as they bucked with what appeared to be everything they had, b) the antics of the rodeo clown that day... he put on a great performance, and c) the great job the bull fighters did at keeping the bulls distracted and away from the rider. It is easy to say I was rather impressed the entire time, and Wapella rodeo will for sure be one I show up to in the future! I thought I would end this blog post with some pictures I stopped to take on the ride home. I will admit this was my first trip to the Wapella area, and so with that I decided to make a round trip on the way home to travel down some roads I haven't been down before. I am sure glad I did because I found these amazing windmill structures along the number one highway between Wapella and Moosomin. I quickly as I could found a gravel road to detour on, and had to go take a closer look. Now I have seen these amazing giants before, but I have not had the opportunity to get this up close and personal with them. So long story short I was a very happy little camper on that drive home. Then because that day could only seem to get better with every turn... I got to experience a beautiful sunset over the Qu'Appelle valley. It was the perfect way to see the day out. A perfect end to such an amazing day of going to rodeo. It was probably one of my favorite days of rodeo chasing I have done. I am very happy that I got the opportunity to do it, and hope that next year at Wapella rodeo it will show me the same great day [I have a feeling though that it will]. The month of October has been a month where I have been able to actually explore my new home a bit. It has been some excellent time running around the country side and finding all these neat little places. The Cutarm Reservoir is one of my favorite finds. I happened it upon it one evening right around sunset, and I have to say it was rather an amazing experience. The fall leaves with the pink water gave an at calm feeling. I was also visited by some little locals while I was down there. It was a welcome surprised as they swam in the water around me. The night was warm, well as warm as a October fall eve can be, and the surroundings quiet. I took this time to explore my creative side of nature photography. The lensbaby lens helped out a bit, but my favorite shot would be the blurred abstract I got of the water and fall leaves. It was a night made for creating something special, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Well, after over a year of owning my DSLR I finally bought a new lens. I bought a Lensbaby Spark! It is quite the crafty little lens that has a completely different focusing system than my other lens. The lensbaby spark has a set aperture in it, and it focuses by compressing the lens. How much you compress the lens, and tilt the lens, creates the focusing affect. All the blur in these photos are caused from that compressing motion while shooting. All these images are straight out of camera [SOOC] to show what it is like to work with the lens. Another unique thing about the lens since it is of simple construct and not the usual lens my DSLR does not pick up the lens. Therefore when I shoot with it I have to shoot in Manual mode with no exposure meter or any of the helpful tools I use to help me get my shot. It creates a whole new challenging aspect of taking photos, and one has to do a few test photos before you can figure out how the proper settings. A little tip: while working with this camera have a sheet around to build a cheat sheet of settings for later [I, however, have not done this and hope that by memory, and knowledge of light, will be able to keep this information on hand in my head]. I hope you enjoy the photos I took, and are as impressed by this lens ability to capture things as I am. For those who want more information on the Lensbaby Spark lens I have added a couple videos from the Lensbaby site about the Spark. Hope you enjoy! The beginning of October brought many falling leaves, and the beautiful sprinkling of frost on the branches. Being outside on these October days was amazing. It was being in a fairytale. The crisp frost, and the eerie fog in the morning, made the landscape feel like some Halloween tale. Which works out nicely since October is not only the Month of falling leaves, but of pumpkins and Halloween. My adventures found me in moments of interesting circumstances which included coming face to face with a surprised coyote taking a drink of water, along with watching a Great Blue Heron stroll in the creek. All in all it was a beautiful way to begin October. I also got to explore a part of the Qu'Appelle Valley that I hadn't before. It was a beautiful time of year to be discovering this part of the valley. As the leaves were turning, and everything in the valley just felt like it was at peace. The beginning of October also brought in one of Mother Nature's beautiful natural shows... the Northern Lights! I was lucky enough to have a beautiful backyard to experience the Northern Lights from. I hope you enjoy the soft greens and purples that are found in the next couple pictures as much I did. October is truly a magical time of year. So the end of my September found me spending not doing just one thing I love, but all three. Fishing, Farm time, & Rodeo. I wrote about the Kamsack Rodeo in my last post, and now I get to write about the other two here. I will start with my time down at Theodore Reservoir. I was down on there celebrating World Rivers Day by participating in a Great Canadian Shoreline Clean up Event put on by the Assiniboine Watershed Stewards. It was a beautiful September Sunday, and the day was a success. I only spent a few hours doing the clean up, and then hopped out early to do some fishing, along with go to the farm. However, with the great weather and good amount of people that showed up from what I saw the day was a great success. The reservoir itself looked like the perfect fall scene with all the fishermen along the shoreline, and all the changing leaf colors. I had lots of fun scampering along the rocks picking garbage, and stopping to capture the beauty of the fall colors. I happened to manage to find a woolly bear larva , and was able to deduce from the band & lack of spikes that our winter prediction is that we won't have much snow, and it should be a milder winter [hopefully this is correct]. It was a beautiful afternoon that I couldn't have asked for anything better. After I was done with the garbage I moved on to some fishing, and even caught myself a Northern Pike [but I let him go instead of having him for supper]. It was a perfect September afternoon. The farm looked amazing decorated in it's fall gold. It gave a beautiful "sparkle" to the yard, and surrounding fields. It, like the reservoir, looked like a perfect fall scene. I was so happy to be out there to experience it. I tried my best to capture the fall gold leaves out their true glory. Along, with spending time doing that I spent some time with my beautiful kittens that went from being garage kitty's to full on full-time farm kitties. They adapted to the change so well, and were ripping around the yard with all the full excitement that only cute kitty's can have. It was a very relaxing way to end the month, and brought much happiness to me. Then the day could not have been more perfect, Mother Nature gave me the most amazing sunset I could have asked for to end that perfect last Sunday in September. The colors were amazing, and I was very happy to be fortunate enough to be able to experience it. Rural life has so much overlooked beauty that it makes me so happy to be able to share the moments when life, and Mother Nature, line up just right. |
Categories
All
|