I'm Home! I'll Start the Catch Up Now...

I'd like to begin by saying that the Sands didn't have free wi-fi and I wasn't willing to spend $5.99 an hour (or $9.99 for 24 hours when I was only at the hotel (awake) for an hour or so each day) to get Internet access.  So I wrote everything on a Word document as I went and am starting to transfer my (oh so exciting) prose.

And now it begins....

So, today is day two.  Or is it one?  Or three?  It’s hard to tell because I can’t decide if it started Sunday when I drove to Reno, or if it started today (Monday) which was my first full day at the show.  Or it could possibly have started Saturday, my first day of vacation.

Ah well.  Any way I figure it, I’m having a great time!

Sunday, driving up and over the Sierra with the truck and camper had me spending as much time watching the thermostat on the dash as watching the road.  I’m so conscious of the age of my truck and the load it carries that I don’t want to abuse it.  So, as has been my norm for years, I baby the truck and go as slow as some big rigs.  Though I did pass all those I came up on.  Well….until I got to just before the Nevada border, where if you’ve driven on I-80 any time in the last couple years after their construction, you’ll know that they have those barriers on the side of the road with NO shoulder.  So, with a wide camper I wasn’t about to try to pass a big rig on those turns in that narrow section.

Happily I made it to Reno without issue.  Though I couldn't exit at Wells to get to the Livestock Center.  Construction and detours meant I had to get off at Virginia and follow the detour signs.  Luckily their signage is good and I made it to Wells Ave with no trouble.

Finding our barn proved to be a bit more difficult.  The Barn office was closed.  At least, there wasn’t anyone inside.  And I didn’t see any signs or maps indicating who was stabled where.  So I walked up to the main show office and wouldn’t you know, it was between the afternoon session and the evening session so it was closed.  I sat and watched some folks working their horses, and wandered around the shopping area (the facility is an indoor one and it is air conditioned – heaven in the 95+ degree weather).  Seriously Fancy was there (they’re the mother/daughter team who sells consignment and custom show clothing – the one’s I bought my first outfits from) and they had a really pretty blue top with 1500 crystals that just sparkled.  I thought it would match my new Cowboy hat that I got while I was in Vegas.  I put a hold on it and planned to come back the next day with my hat to compare colors.

  

My boy Blu (and his stall sign)

Well, now it’s 12:15am and I have to get up at 5:30am tomorrow (Tuesday the 10th) so I’m going to continue this tomorrow…..