My Trip to Tampa

I am officially home, rested and ready to head out this weekend to Memphis for a flyball tourney. So I thought I would tell you all about my trip to Tampa.  I truly had a blast.  Annette Alfonso that owns Poison (Jedi X Dart 2007) was flying in from Colorado to Tampa on Friday and connected through Dallas.  That "just happened" to be the flight I was on.  So Annette and I got to fly together which made my flight a lot less boring.  Once in Tampa we went to the KETCH agility training center.  I got to "re-meet" Wendy and Mike Pape.  Their facility is AWESOME, not to mention the gorgeous land....WOW!  I met tons of people, was flooded with names (dogs and people) to remember, and finally I got to have a name as originally I was just refered to as "Poison's Breeder". 

Flash back nearly 10 years ago, Wendy Pape was competing in Purina Incredible Dog Challenge with her red BC Riot, and Flyer was debuting/competeing in the flyball portion of the show. What an amazing dog Riot was to watch.  I had never seen anything like it.   We briefly spoke that day and would see each other for years to come at these events and exchange a few words but one thing is for sure I would always remember Riot.  So back to present day, here I am at her training center with Flyer (nearly 11) and Riot (now 13).  Both incredible dogs in the own right without question!  The reality that they were a decade older seems unimaginable to me. Best words I can use is just bittersweet. 

I was on "phone watch" this weekend as well as Touch and Go flyball team was racing. Sometime that after noon I get a text that I have picture mail from Colleen on TNG who has Psycho (Jedi/Sooner 2008). The text says I have new picture mail.  I click on the link (mind you I am surrounded by people) and up comes this image of the digital time clock with the numbers 14.963.  I just start crying, everyone starts to get concerned or weirded out, not sure which until I manage to get out that I think the world record not to mention the 14 second barrier was just just broken.  I immediately call Colleen back and Katy Kaylor (she has Warrant from Vixen X Maverick 2005) answers the phone.  First thing I ask "was that clean".  "Yes", she says "it was clean.  The line up was Chef, Warrant, Urgent, Raptor".  OK now I am REALLY crying for many reasons.  People are handing me tissues, wet paper towels, pats on the back etc...  We talk for a few minutes longer I get off the phone crying happy, proud tears.  Proud of my puppy, proud of the team but most of all proud of my friend that had worked so hard for this moment for years.  When it came down to it, she pulled her dog, she wasn't even running in the line up but instead put the four fastest dogs that day on the mats and coached her team into history.   There are not many people that would have done that especially since two other dogs in that line up are hers.   Simply Amazing!  

I got to watch lots of dogs run and had a very nice time. The whole weekend was spent visiting with lots of people including with Laurie Dana and Triumph (Brick/Sooner), Annette and Poison as well as her Sooner/Saga daughter Legend, Maria and Preesa (Shiver/Blur), Jordan and her family (getting an Olé/Sooner puppy), Gayle with Neece (Saga/Sooner) as well as lots of other new people.  I got to meet dogs related to mine both past and present.  I took over 1500 photos!!  

The best part is my mom came down to stay with me for the weekend to hang out.  We had a lot of nice talks, great dinner and get this people....I was in BED ASLEEP BEFORE 11pm!!!  

My mom and I  saturday night got lost several times, thank god for my blackberry navigational system.....however it only works if the battery is actually CHARGED!  Damn it!  So one leg of the journey we had to wing it but made it to the hotel just before the rain!!  I had great time with her :) 

So trial is over Sunday, everything is cleaned up and we are sitting around.  I get Flyer out and she proceeds to PLAY with Legend.  They run around the huge arena for about 20 minutes.  The thing is Flyer doesn't play these (as I call them) reindeer games. Weird, but whatever she is having fun.  Everyone keeps saying "how old is she?", they still don't believe me.  Next on our agenda was Wendy, Mike, Annette and myself were going to go herding.  The Pape's have tons of land and very nice multiple size herding pens.  Before our venture out there I gotta pee, so off to the bathroom I go.  I walk in the bathroom and looking at me is a poster from Purina 2001.  Everyone has seen certain parts of this poster.  On "part" is Riot, Wendy's red BC.  One "part" is Katy Kaylor's dog Streek.  Well this poster were all those "parts" but instead of the cropped image we new it was the whole photos.  So the cropped photo I knew of Streek coming over the jump with the ball in his mouth, this photo showed both flyball lanes.  Streek was in the close lane, the dog in the far lane was Flyer.  Very cool!  

Herding has never been my gig but taking Flyer out with Mike, storms only minutes away was really fun.  Lots of photos are up on Flyer's page so go check them out.  Then Poison went in and she did VERY well, guess she got that from her daddy!  Then Legend went in and she showed lots of potential.  Unfortunately, the down pour started, Wendy and I retreated to watching from the covered golf cart (so no photos-sorry Annette).  Back to the arena, we dry off and feed the dogs, then head out to a mexican restaurant.  I ordered a margarita, they ask if I want the big one or the little one?  Wendy says get the big one....it isn't that big.  OK Wendy you really ARE blind aren't you.   Jeez, my borderstaffies could SWIM in that glass!  Great dinner, great company, great close to a great weekend.

So in closing, I missed my home and my dogs but I had a blast time in Tampa!!

Off to Memphis this weekend!!