Here in Idaho rodeos are a BIG thing. I don't know how many out there enjoy this type of sport but when I saw this picture it cracked me up. It is amazing what people can do with images any more. I guess we need to encourage LUCE to do more things like this.:)

Man is it hot. I am gettin grumpy from the heat and that is just not like me. It is amazing what mother nature can do to a sweet, loving, good natured Irishman; he is a whole different person.

I was talking the other day to a truck driver and we started swapping stories. It reminded me of the time I left my daughter on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. If I have blogged this story please forgive a failing mind.

I was pulling mobile homes for a while and each day I would go from Idaho Falls to Boise and return. During the summer I would take the kids with me for two reasons; they needed a break from Mom and she needed a break from them and I liked the company. This particular day I took my daughter Katie and my son Mike who were about 6 and 8 years old respectively.

Naturally they got bored and would start hasseling each other back in the sleeper berth. Being the patient person I am I just ignored it and let them do their thing. I picked up the home and was coming across an open stretch of Idaho when I thought I had blown a tire on the home. I pulled over, looked at my kids, told them to wait in the truck while I walked around to see if everything was all right.

It was, so I got back in and proceeded to head on down the road. Mike started tapping me on the shoulder and asked, "Where is Katie?" By this time in the day their constant jangling had gotten me to ignore them completely so that is what I did. Again Mike asked, "Dad, where is Katie?" Again I just ignored him. One more time. "Dad, where is Katie?" I looked at him and said, "What in the hell do you mean where is Katie?" I knew she was in the sleeper fooling around.

I turned my head so I could see the sleeper quite well and about had a heart attack. No Katie. The wheels locked up on truck and trailer and my heart sunk to my toes. I just knew I had run over her. Mike and she liked to play on the tongue of the trailer while I was checking things out at the plant. I looked in my mirror and all I could see was a tiny black speck running just as hard as she could to catch my truck.

About that time a highway repair truck came along and called me on the CB. "Hey, wideload did you lose something back here?" You can't imagine my relief and at the same time my anger. He came back and said, "I don't think you are going to have to do much to her, she is one scared little girl." I thanked him and he brought her up to the truck.

After she got in and set in the passenger seat she didn't say a word, not one word. I looked at her and said, quite calmly, "Are you going to do that again?" A very pale face looked at me and shook her head NO. She was a model citizen the rest of the way which was about 150 miles.

Kids, they give you gray hairs at any age.

Have a nice day everyone.