Bumper-to-bumper fun this week

Mother stands proudly with Caitlin Warner of Liberty Lake, Wash., winner of this year's "Harold Tibbs -- Toby I" memorial belt buckle at the conclusion of this week's Spots of Fun Open Horse Show.

The award goes annually to the most versatile horse in the two-day show. Caitlin rode English, won at games, participated in trail classes and cleaned up in Western, taking the high point Western horse yesterday also.

Another proud moment for our family and for a very deserving young lady.

Caitlin went to equine school in Wyoming and has since returned to her hometown of Liberty Lake.  She joins four other winners of the award.  Two have won twice.  We're delighted to keep up with their lives as each year the circle grows. 

I'm sure Harold is pretty pleased too.

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The show went well, except for the sound system glitching out about midday yesterday.  It put out sound but more than any of us wanted----a continuous nervous tick and frequent cut-outs made for an interesting afternoon of announcing. 

As always, it was a fun event, and from what I saw at the end, most folks enjoyed themselves.

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With that over, I'm looking ahead to the adventure beginning tomorrow when three ladies I've never met in my life make their way down this way from Calgary.   There's always that unknown concern of "Are we gonna like each other?"

If this trio of Aussies is anything like my penpal from New Zealand and her family, whom I finally met in person after 20 years of exchanging letters, it should be a great experience.  

Sadly my penpal died last year, but I still keep track of her family who are wonderful, wonderful people.  I have a feeling from the few emails that Polly and I have exchanged, that this experience will be just as meaningful.

They're watching their last segment of the Calgary Stampede tonight, and Polly says she's calling before they head off for that. So, at least, I'll have one voice to hear before we connect at the Canadian Border tomorrow. 

Today will include some last-minute touch-ups around here, and then I'm figuring the rest of the week will be like one grand vacation, showing them around the area, taking a trail ride at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch and just plain learning about each other's cultures. 

So, I'm excited and hopeful that this week will be another great one for the memory books.

With that, I'll post a few more photos from the show and call it a day here at Lovestead Blog Central.  Stay tuned for Aussie fun as the week rolls on.

Caitlin Warner and her horse; seems to me the mare's name is Sertainly Suntanned aka "Chattie."  I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.  Congratulations, Caitlin.

Spots of Fun Horse Show organizer Moreen Leen.  To use "dedicated" is understating the energy Moreen and her family and friends put into making the show both successful and fun every year.  

These sisters are from Connell, Wash.,  and they've always loved coming to the Spots of Fun Show.  Elaine (left) won the "Harold Tibbs -- Toby I" belt buckle last year.  Rachel is attending college in Dallas, and her sister Katie on the horse is a recent college graduate.  Always fun to see them.

Miranda Yetter takes her horse Cappy on the required showmanship pattern.

Horse-show judge Tom Selberg had some challenges with high-quality classes like this group of adult showmanship competitors at the Spots of Fun Show.