Cowboys in Vegas

Matthias and I went up to Las Vegas last week, because his motorcycle was finally fixed and ready for him. We took Mr. Pono with us, because it's getting to the point where he gets so traumatized when we leave him with the pet sitter. (Even though I know he loves her - he just hates being left behind.) Pono is a really good traveler, and mostly just sleeps in the car. Plus, we found an inexpensive hotel room that takes dogs. Pono was a really good dog in the hotel room, although he did bark at a drunk guy that made too much noise in the hallway. Who can blame him for that? I was proud of him.

We did go to our favorite hotel, Southpoint, because we like the breakfast buffet there. When we got there, the parking lot was packed full of big diesel trucks, and there were cowboys in wranglers all over the place. As it turns out, the 50th Annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was taking place. Southpoint has an equestrian arena inside of it, and during the first weekend of the National Finals Rodeo, there was a horse sale at the equestrian arena. Walking into the hotel felt to me like walking into my past. I grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and cowboys ran rampant there. It very comfortable for me, being around all of those cowboy hats!


Breakfast was delicious, as it usually is, and we were glad we stopped. It was fun people watching, with all of the cowboys there. One thing I noticed about the women was that they were sparkly. They either had sparkles on their belts, on their purses, or their shirts, or for some, all of the above. The women were not as likely to be wearing cowboy boots, which is something I found interesting. Personally, I love cowboy boots. (I have two pairs!) Of course, I am nothing more than a poser, since I have never lived on a ranch or had a horse. My sisters and I did ride horses in South Dakota, growing up, and I did learn how to barrel race when I was in high school at summer camp, but I don't think that qualifies me as a real cowgirl. (I am only a cowgirl in spirit.) It's too bad we didn't know about the rodeo, in some ways. I think I would have enjoyed seeing some of it. Of course, with Pono along, we weren't about to leave him in the car while we went to the rodeo.

After breakfast and a bit of shopping, we did finally pick up the motorcycle. Matthias rode it home, while Pono and I followed behind at a much slower pace in the car. We didn't take Gordita the wondervan since we knew we weren't going to camp. It is a beautiful drive, going through the Mohave desert, but I didn't take any photos. I haven't been good about taking photos lately. You will notice that even my cowboy photos are all blurry. ??? I don't know why. At least you got some cowboy shots. I will make a concerted effort to take more photos next time. I promise! Maybe I will even be able to hold the camera still.


Five things I am grateful for:
1. cowboy boots
2. diversity
3. People who appreciate my art
4. my blog readers and blog friends
5. That my friend Nora introduced me to the Griffin and Sabine books