Rodeo!!!

Yesterday we went to our annual 4th of July Rodeo. We go to the Vancouver Rodeo every year, but this year was especially neat.
At the very beginning of the rodeo, there was a moment of silence and a ceremony for two members of the rodeo management who had passed away recently. The ceremony consisted of two "empty saddles" - two horses were led through the arena, tacked up but without a rider, with boots turned backwards in the stirrups; symbolic of the "fallen rider". It was a very beautiful ceremony. And what was also touching about it was that the first horse with the empty saddle, a big, beautiful blue roan, was missing his right eye. He wasn't just blind; his eye was completelly gone. This horse later carried a sponser flag in the rodeo. What a beautiful and brave horse!
Another one of the horses carrying a sponser flag for a Toyota dealer was Lippy, the palomino overo paint horse mare who we horse-sitted (love my grammar??), along with two others, for one of our farrier's clients a few weeks back. It was neat that we recognized her.
Our farrier was there, too, competing in the steer restling event. He had to jump off his horse at full gallop, only to land on top of a steer, which he had to try and bring to the ground. He succeeded in a blistering time of 6.8 seconds, and won the first round. Way to go Jarod!
It was a hot 4th of July - almost 95 degrees! - but it was a lot of fun, and no one was dissapointed. While my mom completelly fried and my sister had minimal sunburns, I didn't even tan! Poor me. Just kidding!
After the rodeo, we met up with the rest of my family - grandma, both aunts, and all five cousins - to set off fireworks and eat lots of food. What a great way to end a long, hot day!