The Windy Ryon

The first time I saw the name of this rodeo, I thought somebody had spelled it wrong.  But, Windy was a cowboy from Fort Worth (not a Wendy, who would've been a cowgirl), and Ryon was his last name (not Ryan).  The Windy Ryon rodeo is an annual event, held on Memorial Day weekend, in Saginaw, Texas. Today, I had the fantastic opportunity of photographing during the women's roping competition.  My friend, Betsy Kingsbury, has roped in this rodeo for the last fifteen years. She wanted me to capture the feel of it...meet her friends, and watch the action.  What she didn't originally tell me was that we'd have to start out at 4:15 a.m. to drive there and get ready!  Betsy's husband, Tim, could be excused for sleeping in the back seat, since he'd flown in from California just hours earlier.  PJ, Betsy's horse, probably snoozed in his trailer.  But not us!

It was still dark when we arrived, but the sun quickly starting peeking out, and we weren't the only ones there. Hundreds of trucks and trailers were parked and getting ready for the day, too.

PJ is a handsome horse.  His fancy name is PJ's Prophetic Step (his daddy was Obvious Prophet). He's fifteen years old, and Betsy's pride and joy. PJ got a brisk brushing and some braids in his hair, before getting saddled, and taken for a quick ride to calm him down. By the way, I think this horse uses more product in his hair than either Betsy or I...

Our neighbors were getting ready, too.  Here, daughter demonstrates how to rope mother, before doing some braidwork of her own on her Palomino.

At 7 a.m., the books opened.  Each participant stood in line and paid $150 per person per entry. This year, there were 200 teams.

After that part was done, the Team numbers were duct-taped to a wall.  Although math is not my strong point, it appears that each person has three partners, and three opportunities to ride.  It's a progressive thing, so those with the top scores get to keep on going. It's probably obvious to you by now that this WAS my first rodeo...and there's a lot to learn!

In the meantime, many of the women got their horses ready to go in the arena.

Stay tuned for more rodeo photos!

3 Annies

I have an addiction to camera bags.  So far, I've been unsuccessful in finding just the right one, and if you are a professional photographer, you know how frustrating that can be.  I don't remember how I found them, but several weeks ago, I came upon 3 Annies on facebook.  Based in Australia, their page said they made made bags for the fashion-conscious professional photographer, and that they did not ship to the USA.  Of course I fell in love with the bags (all of them), so I fired off an email that was promptly answered by owner Margo Plowright.  I was delighted to find that they had just started shipping here, and I emailed back and forth with more questions.  That evening, my iPhone rang, showing a weird number:  it was Margo calling from Australia to make sure all of my questions were answered!  Now that is customer service.  Convinced that the bag would meet my needs, I placed an order last Tuesday, and this morning, a package wrapped exceptionally well was delivered via Express Post!

It was like Christmas morning!  Once I unwrapped all the tape from the package, and carefully zipped open the tres cool, non-destructible packing bag.  I found this artsy bag:

It was almost too pretty to open...almost!

With lots of pockets and storage spots, a comfy shoulder strap and a zippered side that will hold my iPad (which I frequently take on shoots), I'm over the moon for this bag!  Even Coco Chanel gave it two paws up!

I'll be taking my bag (sans dog) on its first photo shoot this Friday, when I'm going to a rodeo in Saginaw, Texas to photograph a group of women who rope!  Thanks, Margo for this amazing bag!

Mother's Day

What's not to love about a mom?  Here's a fine assortment!  Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Family

My ex-husband, Tom, came from such a good family. My precious in-laws have long since passed away, but his sister, Cindy, lives with her family in Houston. Even though I guess we really aren't related anymore, we'll always still be family. Her daughter, Sarah, bears such a strong resemblance to her grandmother, Mary Lou Eathorne Mahler. It's sad that she doesn't remember much about her. I know that if Mary Lou were still around, they'd be best buddies. My daughter and Sarah are first cousins, and they, too, are amazingly similar in mannerisms, things they like, and sometimes just in the way they look.I love seeing all these family resemblances.

This weekend, Cindy and Sarah drove up to visit me.  We looked at old photographs, told stories, and talked about the Mahler and Eathorne families. Cindy remembered things that I didn't, and I remembered things that she didn't. We learned a lot from each other.We finished up the weekend with a photo shoot at the Dallas Arboretum. It was a chilly but beautiful spring morning, and as my camera started to click, I swear I could feel Mary Lou watching us....she would've been so proud of her daughter and granddaughter, who at age twenty-one has turned into a spirited, intelligent, good-hearted young woman.