Hunting Irish Setter Bird Dogs

Brophy Red Dog Camp Underway

2011-08-05T12:19:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, August 3, 2011:

This was the coldest morning we have seen yet at camp. Cayotes kept the dogs up all night, taunting them with their howls. The crew got another early wakeup, and good thing because with more people comes a little bit slower morning, but thats ok.

Hills:

The hill rotation finally made its way back to the home pastures at triple gates.

Brace 1: Lily and Rio, 30 min, TSW

If there had been any wind, Lily would have been a fart in the wind. She acted a little dainty in the cold dew, and never faded more than a few yards from Corinne. With Lily, this kind of run is expected, and further proliferated by the fact that she just had pups. She did, however, have 1 perfect find on chickens. 12 o’clock tail that she hit very solid and didn’t move an inch during the flush.

This was Rio’s first time down on the ground and he did nice. Poor Ed has broke the shower, broke the door on the trailer, and today for the first time since camp started 22 years ago, a dog, Ed’s, caught a wild bird. He pointed, was tweeted on because of no intensity, and grabbed the bird. After taking the bird from him, it was obvious that it was probably sickly. Still a camp first! Otherwise he ran nice and was focused.

Brace 2: Sadie, Finn, Jamie, 37 min, TSE

Sadie started off a completely different dog than last week. She listened to Mary very well and went with us. The course went straight east, and once Sadie reached the pond at the end, she flipped off her ears. She started chasing tweety birds all over and not coming with. Lucas tried to get her to come with him, but she would have no part of that. She ran her own course for a bit until she ran into cattle at the far south end, in the next pasture. After she realized how big those guys were, she ran back and finally went mostly with Lucas and Mary, and Ed who came to help. She knew what she was doing out there, and was not intimidated at all by the hills, more pushed forward by them. Unfortunately no birds.

Jamie had a lot of independence and a lot of speed, but not always forward. She pointed and held for a long time in a good area for birds, but no birds were produced. Most likely at some point there were birds there, as she worked the area very well after. After 20 min, she was pretty tired, as this was also her first time down. At the end she didn’t want to stop, and took a bit to catch.

Finn ran another very impressive, forward race. He ranged very well for Bob but also listened and stayed with him. No birds, but he was hunting. He also showed no interest in taking water, even though he was obviously a bit tired. At the end he took water, which means he knows he was done. Could probably use some training to take water, whether he wants it or not.

Brace 3: Bently, Silvia, Dawn, 29 min.

Silvia had a very consistent speed forward, but got separated from the rest of the group half way out. She was very hot by the time Phil and Corinne caught her, and brought her to a windmill to cool her down. They let her go, planning on going north, but she decided to go south. Phil and Corinne pursued in chase, and Silvia actually had a couple birds. The first set of birds she might have pointed, but was out of view. On the second group of birds she busted without pointing at all. Phil decided there was no handling her so he picked her up and brought her back on the saddle.

Bently is very unlike his sister Sadie, in that he absolutely wants to please and be with you. He ran a very consistent race, always to the front. About 7 min in, he flash pointed, then went forward, seemingly working a turtle, watching his body language. A second later a chicken got up and he chased. Lucas fired, and Bently soon came back and found another bird, and then 5 more got up. Very great for this almost 2 year old. He took water very well, and was very happy to come. His gait is very nice, and overall he is a very handsome male, holding his tail at 12 o’clock while he runs.

Dawn had a somewhat similar race to last week. She started off a bit slow, and Bob soon realized she had cactus. As soon as he got it off of her, she was a totally new dog. She had more confidence as she ran, which was seen in her tail--going from a 9 o’clock tail while she ran to a 10:30-11:00. No birds, but very nice race.

***

Ken and Ed took the trailer in right away yesterday afternoon so that training wouldn’t falter.

With all of the dry days in a row, Painters have been making great progress on the haying, and started down at the ranch today! They worked all day, and got the whole first meadow hayed, and half of that baled--awesome work! Since we can now drive on the meadow, we decided to birdwork in the evening.

Birdwork: 6pm, pond in first meadow, huns

Rio: Ed handled, and the purpose was to reinforce training since he made a mistake earlier in the day. He handled it perfectly, tail at 11 o’clock. Great training at right time.

Tequi: Greenbroke dog, purpose was to start off in a positive way. She pointed the bird but took a few steps. Ken moved her back. She took another step, he moved her back again. She stayed and he flushed, but Tequi took a few steps. Ken corrected again, and moved on. Another bird was planted, and she handled perfect. Very good training for this green-broke dog.

Pups: Acey, Ragnar, Dagney, Paris

All pups were worked on checkcord, purpose was to just give them some experience with some birds, get their head into why they are out here. For all the dogs, no one had a solid point, but all had some recognition and chased except for Dagney.

Paris had the most problem finding the bird, but eventually found it and chased. Great work for these young pups.

***

Mary made an excellent dinner of smoked turkey wild rice soup and sweet corn. Since today was so cool compared to the rest of the days in the last week, so soup tasted great!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011:

What a morning! Last night was probably the Worst night of dogs barking ever! The incisive barking was spurred on by 2 dogs getting loose at different times throughout the night--each being a male and giving themselves away to Lucas by Kate and Lily in the trailer.

At 12:30, Ragnar was loose and Lucas caught him, Mary being woken up also and putting him in his trailer. About an hour later, Lucas was again woken up by Kate and Lily barking. He went outside with a light and saw a red flash by the California cul-de-sac. He then found Rio standing by his chain, a clip attached to his collar, but nothing else!

Even after both of these incidents, the dogs barked all night long. Even Lucas, having the Ruff gene of sleeping soundly, was woken up multiple times. Bob, Mary, Ed and Lucas all met outside at 5:30am, the time to wake up, but all irritated and sleepy. Whitney was the only one who slept through everything, only waking up from an icecube placed on her neck by Lucas.

The crew chatted about what to do with those darned barking dogs tonight, then finally decided to go run dogs.

***

Hills:

The crew headed over to Triple Gates (though proven today by Bob and Lucas to Ed and Mary that it is Technically a Quadruple Gate, with only 3 gates ever closed) and ran the picnic hill section with pups.

Brace 1: Dagney and Ragnar, 22 min

This was Dagney’s first time off of horseback, and Ragnar’s second time (though hearing from Mary, his first time was in Joliet, but for only 5 min). Keeping this in mind, these pups did a very nice job. They kept towards the front most of the time, but ran out of energy by 15 min. No birds, but made some good moves and at points had nice energy and drive.

Brace 2: Acey and Paris, 17 min

Acey made a long cast off to the side and took Lucas and Bob a little while to get her back on track. By the time they got her to stop chasing tweety birds far away, she was pretty tired. She didn’t have any game birds, but had lots of energy and a nice race--hunting all the while.

Paris also had a huge improvement from the Eagle trial, and even foothandling last week. She ran with energy and stayed with us. She didn’t have a bird, but saw one get up and chased it for a while. She then ran back to where it got up. Smart pup! Great job.
***

Roading:

With the ATV still out of commission, Lucas and Bob roaded the old-fashioned way: off of horseback.

Lucas’ Horse: 27 min
Galt
Tequi

Bob's Horse: 27 min
Shauna
Erin

Erin and Shauna looked like pros, pulling very hard against the harness. Galt figured the game out pretty quickly, however Tequi had the most issues figuring it out. Watching Bob’s horse and dogs in front helped, and soon all the dogs were pulling very well. Water at 12.

***

Reinforcements come today! Last minute things are being done to make their transition as easy as possible. Whitney cleaned out Old Blue, and Lucas worked on the write-up. Ed made counter-production by breaking the shower--whoops! Plumber Bob has been called!

***

The gang has arrived! The Boss and Linda pulled in finally around 5pm after a long journey from Illinois the day before. For them and us, it was like coming back home. The evening was spent helping set up Phil’s trailer and get the puppies and horses situated.

Mary made southern green beans, pulled pork and spiral cut turkey--awesome!

Monday, August 1, 2011:

With the heat index supposed to be over 100 by 9am, the crew decided to get up as early as they had been (5:30am). The ATV is also still out of commission, so no roading will happen today. Rats!

Hills:

In keeping with a good pasture rotation, we headed out to Hitchcocks section and a half just east of camp. Upon arriving, it was noticed that the field that used to be a large CRP, owned by Greg Wilke, was now all corn, with a large irrigation pipe system set up. So much corn!

Brace 1: Lea and Brenna, 40 min

Lea was handled by Whitney, as she will run her in the fall to gain experience as a handler. Lucas was helping her, staying close as to make sure Lea handled for her. At 5 min in, Lea had a good stop to flush 30 yards to the side. Whitney and Lucas walked over, but Lea started to break. Lucas yelled ‘HO’ but she was gone. Knowing that the dog knew she didn’t have a collar on, and that she would completely blow Whitney off if something wasn’t done, Lucas tried to run her down.

She started to take a dump about 20 yards from Lucas, and he jumped off and sprinted towards her. When he was about 10 ft from her, her eyes widened like saucers, not expecting this at all! She took off, Lucas sped up and dove, grabbing her by the skin of her thigh. She yelped, and he picked her up and took her back to where she made the mistake. He put her down and said very forcefully “HO”. He then had Whitney say Ho, flush in front, throw a piece of grass, and fire her gun. After this, Lea handled perfectly for her.

She had 2 backs on Brenna that she handled automatically, Whitney jumping down and giving her mental encouragement. She didn’t have a huge front race, and was very tired by the end, but most likely due to not being in shape. No reason to push a 10 year old dog, though. No other birds.

Brenna ran about the same style of race Lea did, short to medium range. She had some corrections with pointing lots of turtles, and one well handled stop to flush. She, like Lea, was worn out at the end, probably ran these girls too long. But very good training overall.

Brace 2: Mariah and Ritha, 30 min

Mariah ran a very nice, front moving race. She needed some correction on a stop to flush, as she took some steps. Very low setting on the collar is all that is needed with her. Had one more correction near the end when she started to run blow-offy. That was all she needed to stay with Lucas, and overall a nice race for a girl not competing in the fall. No other birds.

Ritha did a very nice job, but no birds. She listened well and was hunting the whole time. Was medium to far range in front at all times.

***

This afternoon was spent getting the final preparations ready for Ken and Linda and gang (Phil, Corinne, Kathryn, Nicolette). Bob, Lucas and Ed set up the puppy kennels for the 5 8-week-old Lilly/Galt pups and Ashley, the 16-week-old Mariah/Clifford pup. When the gang arrives tomorrow, they will set up the shade-a-pups so they always have good shade.

Lucas added a section of sprinkler hose to the south end for Mocha, Tootsie and Galt. Mary and Whitney came to help add a few more nozzles and make sure it was working well. Just about when you think “Man, its getting hot!” the sprinklers come on. Perfect timing!

Lucas and Ed spent a long time trying to figure out what was wrong with the ATV. Following the directions from the online manual, the chain didn’t seem to be loosening or tightening at all--very frustrating. They believe that the chain is pretty old, and therefore needs to be replaced. Hopefully tomorrow they can figure that out more.

Since today was so hot, the crew decided to have dinner in town at the Golden Steer before doing chores. Joe McBride showed up and joined us for dinner; and had some Rocky Mountain Oysters!

Even at 8:00pm, the temperature was still hovering at 90 degrees! It’s supposed to cool down tomorrow, let’s hope that happens!

Sunday, July 31, 2011:

Today has a heat advisory, so we got up early to head down far south to the two half-pastures. Ed stayed back at the ranch to road 3 braces of dogs.

Roading:

Brace 1: 21 min, time: 6:15, t: cool
A-team:
Galt
Tequi
Lily

Dogs did well, Galt and Tequi pulled, Lily off to the side.

Brace 2: 21 min
Kate
Ritha

Kate pulled the most, moved Rhett to the other group since Kate is in season.

Brace 3: 20 min
Rio
Annie

Both did a nice job, are in shape from running around the yard, both pulled.

Brace 4: 8 min
Senior Brace with Indy!
The 12 year old Indy was wondering why she was here, so Ed gave her a light 8 min roading brace for fun. She thanked him a lot!

***

Hills:

Drove to far south half-pastures. Got delayed on one hill on the way there, but didn’t get completely stuck, and didn’t have to take horses out either. That Ruff gene is just too strong!

Brace 1: Erin 35 min; Kate and Jordie 45 min; all Irish

To avoid the heat, we decided to run 2 braces of 3 dogs, and with 6 people, each handler had a scout. We rode into the southernmost half-section, then into Hitchcocks half-section to the west, with the large, steep hills.

Erin shot out at the beginning, but soon realized he was pretty out of shape. He was corrected right at the start for not coming with Lucas, and ever after listened perfectly. He’s a very mature dog, and knows the game well. Unfortunately no game birds, but we had an incident with a redtail hawk. The bird of prey flew up when the dogs came near, but landed rather close. Erin got near and Lucas shocked him to stay away, as was not listening. Luckily all the dogs avoided what could have been a very ugly situation! Phew!

Erin slowed down in the middle, but hunted well. More roading and running and he’ll be perfect.

Dennis’ Jordie was handled by Whitney and ran nice. Had one spectacular find, and one good one. Kate has been worked hard over the past week and is handling much better, but still not broke, busted a few birds. Dennis says this dog could be a two year process, but once she’s broke, she’ll be dangerous.

Brace 2: Shauna, Sol, Sammy (pointer), 50 min

This brace was run in that southernmost pasture. 5 min in, we had a pretty ugly situation. Sol went on point in front of us, in the flatter part of the pasture. Bob thought it was Shauna, and got off his horse to flush. Dennis questioned him, while at the same time Shauna went on point 100 yards ahead. Lucas yelled to Bob that his dog was on point, but he was still confused; obviously in need of a refresher course in handling (Bob wrote this!). Shauna then broke and Lucas yelled to tap her, which he did and then sorted her out. Meanwhile, Sammy came in and chased the birds Shauna put up. All the while Sol held his point, making it slightly less ugly than it could have been. Fortunately, things improved a bit as we went on.

After the messy correction, Shauna turned it on. She had one find where because of how she came up perpendicular to the wind, as she pointed, a bird got up. Then about 10 more chickens got up around her. She handled perfect. After a correction on listening and going with us, she rolled in front, fast. A little out of shape as time went on, but nice race. She had another find that seemed like a turtle find, Bob shouted ‘get outta there’, but turned out to be a bird. More of a bump-to-point, but good correction. Finished the course strong and in front. Bob needs a bit more instruction and electrical stimulation.

Sammy gave Dennis a run for his money. He had to chase him down to put the collar on him, as it was originally on Sol. Before he got it on though, she busted a bunch of coveys. After using the collar for some correction, she handled much better for him.

Sol had 3 great finds and acted like an old reliable dog. Race front and medium range, this is the dog Dennis expected to see yesterday. Solid race.

This brace, we saw in total upwards of 100 very young chickens, most all of them worked on, or busted by Sammy. Very good training with these 3, great to see so many birds!

Bob and Lucas made it back to the trailer first with Shauna, so Bob went to open the gate. As he did, because of the spring being so tight, the lever slipped and smacked him in the eye area. Luckily it HJV’ actually hit his eye, but blood was streaming down his face when Lucas gave him something to stop the bleeding. Also lucky we had Renee with us! She cleaned the wounds (2 small gouges under his eye and top side of his nose) and bandaged them. Now he just needs to go get a tetanus shot! After 23 years of opening these gates you’d think he’d have it down.

At the end of this brace the temperature had risen considerably. Glad we got done when we did! Tomorrow we need to be out there earlier than 7, like we have been.

***

After we returned to camp Jason came down with one horse and said that he was going down south to move some cattle north. Bob encouraged Whitney and Renee to help him out. So Jason went home to pick up two more horses (Taz and Jesse) for them to ride. Then they, along with Bob, drove south to move the cattle. Once there, Jason, Renee and Whitney rode off to survey the pasture to find all the cattle while Bob waited for Roger to come by to pick him up. Once all the cattle were gathered together they were driven north toward the gate. Renee and Whitney were doing quite well and all that was needed was Renee’s guitar to add a bit of local color.

Once near the gate most of the cattle went through without a problem, however, there were two young calfs that resisted and one ran the fence line south toward Renee. All eyes were on Renee to save the day but, all of a sudden, a polar front moved through and Renee froze. The calf ran by her for freedom. Jason, stuck to his horse like glue, rode to the rescue with lariat in hand to show the calf who was boss.

All in all, a successful cattle drive and a new experience for Renee and Whitney. Whitney and Jason drove back to camp while Bob and Renee went with Roger to finish distributing salt and minerals to several other herds. Then back to camp for a few beers and lively discussions.

***

Before dinner, Lucas took Whitney out in the meadows with Lea on a double-length check-cord to work on the Come command. Whitney did great!

Ed heated up some homemade tamales from an old lady from California. They were awesome!

Saturday, July 30, 2011:

Another night without rain, Painters must be thrilled! Crew got up at 5:30 on Dennis’ request--wow!

Yesterday, the chain fell off of the ATV while Bonnie was roading. Last night Dennis and Lucas took a look at it, but they need some chain oil and need to figure out how to tighten it. Roading, unfortunately, did not happen this morning. Lucas plans to fix this for tomorrow’s group.

Hills:

The plan was to head all the way down to 3 pastures south, but due to a minor mishap, Lucas managed to get the rig a little stuck entering the 2nd pasture south --wouldn’t be a Ruff if he hadn’t!!

Puppies: Group 1

Brace 1: Sadie, Finn, Silvia, 25 min, 2nd pasture south, west side

Mary, Lucas and Bob ran these pups with Renee’s help while Whitney and Ed helped Dennis with his adult dogs. The garmin was put on Sadie, and thank gosh we did! At about 10 min out, Sadie had ran off, after being stuck behind us a while. Lucas used to garmin to find her back near the truck while Bob and Mary rode the rest of the brace. When Lucas found Sadie, she acted as if he wasn’t saying her name or yuping her. He decided to try and run her down and turn her. It worked very well and he eventually caught her while she was drinking from a small pond. Good training that she needs to stay with the horses, and listen when we call her!

Silvia ran a nice race, very ready for the hills. She got caught behind a lot, but Mary called and waited for her to come to the front. Good training on staying in front, and nice medium range. Good stamina throughout.

Finn did a fantastic job for his age. Ran big, in front, and always stayed with Bob. He had 1 find with a chicken, pointed and held, then broke and chased. Came back on Bob’s request. Very nice male, far range, listens well, rolls. Very exciting to watch him run.

*Note* Don’t run 3 dogs without more help next time. Need more eyes and horsepower, especially to keep Sadie with the group and not get sidetracked chasing tweety birds.

Brace 2: Bently and Dawn, SW pasture from triple gates, 25 min, no birds

Bently spent the first 2 min peeing one continuous pee. Needs to be walked on a long checkcord next time. Has a slight problem with loose stools, spent the first half cleansing about 8 times. After he was done, he ran very nice, opened up more, listened very well. He was hunting nicely.

Dawn started off very timid. She was slow, near the horses, and behind a lot. At about halfway, she became a new dog. She opened up a lot, became focused, and rolled. At the end, she was extremely impressive, her rolling pattern being very fluid and natural. Will be exciting to see how she progresses throughout the rest of camp!

Hidalgo Dogs:

Brace 1: Sol and ‘pointer’

Dennis handled ‘pointer’ while Ed handled Sol. Sol was lost at about halfway, last seen heading East. Sol ended up being lost for 3.5 hours, but was finally found at camp, wondering where we had been!

Brace 2: Virgil and Big

Virgil, 1.5 yrs old, had 1 broke find, handled very nicely. Dennis is very happy with his progress! Big had a nice big race, no corrections, and one find that he handled perfectly.

Brace 3: Flint, 45 min

With Sol still missing at this point and the puppies done running, the crew decided to split up and watch for him. Bob and Renee took Dennis’ truck and drove down to the far south-east end and waited. Dennis ran Flint in the Triple Gate pasture with the large pond (SW) from the south gate where the truck was, being aided by Whitney, Mary, and Ed. Lucas stayed at the truck with his horse and rode around slowly on the large hills nearby just looking for Sol.

Flint had one piece of birdwork, but released and needed correction. He also pointed many, many turtles to Dennis’ dismay. Dennis was also having a problem handling him, so Flint ran with chains on to help slow him down. Because of this, his handling improved.

***

The afternoon was filled with many naps and chilling out. Around 5, Bob used the front end loader tractor to pick up a bunch of sand to fill in holes on the dog line. After a few loads and some shovel man-power, the holes got filled and its much easier to move around. Yay!

Fed dogs afterwards while Dennis made a fantastic home-grown dinner of pheasant fingers, salad with snow-peas and lettuce and sweet corn grown in Olathe Colorado. We’ll have pheasant fingers for a week!

Planned birdwork with pups was put off until Sunday due to a rain cloud. Never got any rain, but it wasn’t worth the risk. No big deal.

Friday, July 29, 2011:

First night without storms! The dogs also slept a lot better, all the young guys getting used to it all.

Roading: 20 min, water: 10, time: 6:30am, t: cool
B-Team:
Erin: Front Left
Brenna: FR
Lea: BR, tied to front
Mariah: BL

Dogs did very well in the cool morning.

***

Puppy Groups:
Group 1:
Jamie
Bently
Sadie

Fin
Dawn
Silvia

Group 2:
Ragnar
Dagney
Paris
Acey

Mocha
Tootsie

Hills:
Puppies: Group 2

We ran 3 braces of puppies on foot at Triple Gates from Group 2.

Brace 1: Acey and Ragnar, SW pasture, 20 min

Acey ran big and in front; rolled in front, definitely hunting and showing herself. Some concern whether she would stay with us on foot, but she wanted to be with us. Very impressive, definitely ready for horseback.

Ragnar is a bit younger, but fast. Reminds me of Galt the way he speeds off balls-to-the-walls when he smells something he likes. Big male, has a nice loping gait. Ready for horseback.

Brace 2: Paris and Tootsie, NE pasture, 20 min

Tootsie has obviously been foothandled before (Lee Jr.), nice sweeping pattern in front, good medium range. Very snappy, high tail. The dominate female personality, more like Lightning, snappy and front. Very birdy, knew what she was doing, but no birds. Horseback ready!
Paris is a bigger female than Tootsie, nearly ran me over! Has a longer, loping gait, holds her tail at about 10 o’clock. Runs around well, not intimidated at all, medium range. Horseback ready!

Brace 3: Dagney and Mocha, NE pasture, 20 min

Dagney did a very nice job, rolled in front, good range. Her timidness that we’ve noticed on the barrel was completely gone. She showed she was hunting, and focused. Very impressive, listened well. Horseback ready.

Mocha is the only pup that showed a little bit of intimidation. The only times she would run big was when she would chase after Dagney. Not quite sure what she was doing out there, but still ran around alright, never puttered out.

*All the pups were very impressive, and now its obvious why Mary has had a big dilemma choosing out of her 4. Not sure if Tootsie and Mocha are ready for horseback, are just barely 1 yr old. No birds, but good experience.

Hidalgo dogs:
Bonnie ran her dogs while Lucas, Bob, and Mary ran the pups. She was helped by Whitney and Renee.

Brace 1: Kate
Bonnie was working on keeping Kate with her and turning.

Brace 2: Houston and ??

Brace 3: Buck and Jordie
Lucas handled buck for Bonnie, while she handled Jordie. Buck ran a nice race, needed some correction for running off and not listening to turning commands. After the 2 corrections he listened very well and stayed with them.

Jordie ran around nice, not as big as Buck. She had 1 stop to flush. She was running to catch up to Lucas, Bonnie being behind still, and tripped over a chicken. At this point in the morning there was no wind and humid. As soon as the bird got up Jordie pointed and Bonnie flushed another bird. Very nice handling.

***

Mary and Lucas worked on tweaking the automatic sprinkler system, coming to 8 min off and just under 3 min off. Just about when you think “Its hot” the sprinklers come on. Perfect! They also worked on maintenance for the barrels, moving some dogs around, setting up barrels for the California dogs, and cutting up some of the ground grates that were being used to stop some dogs from digging, but were bent and in the way.

Ed Meyer is our new camp addition--and he’ll be here for the rest of camp, alright!! He showed up midday with hot dogs, horses and himself, but Lucas, Mary, and Whitney were there to help him get settled in.

Earlier in the afternoon Bonnie left and will be back later in camp, but Dennis came later in the evening. Thank you Bonnie for all of your help to setting up!!

Evening Birdwork: 7pm
Puppy Group 1:
Fin
Dawn
Silvia

Went out near hun birdpen and worked on a fence line perpendicular to the wind.

Finn pointed very nicely with a high, 12 o’clock tail. He broke before Bob could kick up the hun, so Finn grabbed it. Bob got him to release the bird, then it flew away and he let Finn chase it. He caught it again, and upon Bob calling come, he came back straight to Bob. Good start.

Dawn didn’t quite get a point in. She came straight into the wind of the bird, so crept forwards towards it. Never a staunch point, but definitely birdy and could smell it. She pounced in, bird left and she chased. Couldn’t catch it and came back nicely.

Silvia was worked first but the bird left so crew waited until end to work her again. She was very birdy, and flash pointed for an instant before rolling in. No point isn’t a problem, its their first day and probably not used to hun smell.

Overall a great start to getting the pups into their purpose out here!

***

Dinner happened after birdwork as Bob and Renee stayed in town late. McBrides showed up about while we were cooking and shared some great stories and funny jokes. Jason also stopped by with Ryan and it was good to finally see him! Finally ate dinner in the gazebo this year!! The stars were out again and it felt more like home.

Thursday, July 28, 2011:

Stormed early this morning. Lightning stopped all early morning plans to go out on the hills. Renee made potato pancakes for breakfast and they were delicious! Sat around and drank coffee while Bob read through and edited Lucas’ write-up. Around 9am it stopped raining and Lucas set up the Hidalgo’s ATV with the water pump for roading.

Roading:
A-team: 20 min, water at 10
Galt: Front Left
Shauna: Front Right
Tequi: Back Left, tied to front
Lily: Back Right

Team did very well, but tired at the end. Stayed overcast and was a very comfortable mid 60s temperature for so late in the morning. Positions are perfect, Galt and Shauna did very well in front, listen to ‘yup’ very well. Tequi needs to be tied to the front and back.

Buckaroo: 20 min, water at 10, 15.
Rhett: Back Left
Kate: Front Right
Ritha: Back Right

At halfway point, the sun came out and the temperature rose very fast. After watering at 10 min, they needed another quick water break at 15. Hot at end, but did well.

Roading path right now goes up to the top of the entrance hill, then down out to the first gate where the cattle are. Usually about 3.5 loops. Hopefully we can figure out a better plan!

***

Today was a lazy day full of book reading, writing, and sleeping. We had 100 Huns delivered around 1pm and put 50 in each half of the large bird pen. They all look very healthy and were happy to leave their small transportation houses.

Sitting around the table chatting midday, a huge semi suddenly showed up at our backdoor -- food delivery! We stored the palette up in the new barn where we have been in past years.

With the quail also being delivered in Ainsworth at 7pm, the gang decided to have dinner at Pizza Hut after and were joined by Roger and Janet! Great to see them. With it raining every single night so far this week, they have been very busy trying to get hay done.

Wednesday, July 27 2011

Storm overnight with lots of rain. Will put off mowing down here south for at least another week or two. Rats!

With Brophy dogs taking a day of rest, Firefly had a good training day on the hills.

Houston and Jordie:
Pasture a mile sound of Triple Gate.
Houston, a pointer, broke dog ran well in front. Bonnie used chains the day before to slow him down and get a handle on him and it seemed to work today, medium range. Jordie, an Irish, ran about the same range. Both dogs went birdless, but we saw about 25 birds, both chickens and sharptails. Seem to be more sharptails than last year, but still majority chickens. Most were clutches of young birds with their mother.

Kate and Virgil:
Triple Gate SW.
Kate, an Irish, had a similar issue as Houston, running off. Bonnie put chains on a roading harness, but the dog didn’t go very far. After 2 min, she took them off and she was a handful after. Got a good handle at halfway point. No broke finds, but good corrections.

Bob ran Virgil, a 1 1/2 year old pointer, nearly broke on his own. Did a nice job, had a few nice finds, didn’t catch any. Fun to watch and out front.

Put up or worked at least 27 birds, mostly chickens but a few sharptails.

***

Morning was cool from the rain last night, and the clouds hovered over the south pastures which made the 2 braces a perfect temperature. After we returned Bonnie roaded 2 more dogs out of camp.

More camp setup today, Lucas and Bob set up the gazebo in record time! Mary and Whitney worked more on the mister sprinkler system. On the way back from the morning braces, we checked the big bird pen. Seems to be in great shape, only a few minor fixes that need to be made.

All the birds are arriving tomorrow at different times, so birdwork will start Friday! Feeling well rested from the day off, Brophy dogs will officially start the hard part of bootcamp tomorrow with roading the adult dogs and running some derby dogs!

Special note: Saw the stars tonight and it really felt like home.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

2011-08-05T12:17:00.000-05:00

Circle Paw Dog Camp opens for business!

Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio crew left Iowa at 8am with a great cool morning for driving 3+ hours. Humidity was gone, and slightly overcast. Trip to Ainsworth from Iowa was an easy drive with a short detour due to a bridge out. Luckily Route 20 wasn’t affected too much by the flooding in Iowa and Nebraska, but 29 southbound was mostly underwater. Lucky for Mary the northbound was open! Crazy.

Entering Ainsworth, Old Blue automatically took Pine street like it has for the past 10+ years, while Bob went though town and headed south on Hwy 7. As we all know, there’s a bit of a competition between the Ruff family and the Geddeis’ on who will arrive at camp first. Last year Corinne and Lucas almost won, however this year Bob managed to hold the title (Amy would be proud). Pine Street was a bit slimey due to rain over night, but drivable. To Lucas, the title was worth the real home stretch feeling.

Temperature was around upper 80’s on arrival and dry. Dogs were cool from the morning drive, horses content. With barrels set up, putting out dogs was a breeze, sprinklers turned on right away.

Dogs found summer homes, all on the front line of the shelter belt. Mary, Lucas, and Whitney got their trailers cleaned and situated while Bob assembled the new bed he brought with--having slept on the old one for over 20 years!!

All gathered in the kitchen, Bob called Lucas “honey”. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again!

Bob made a dinner of hamburgers, mashed potatoes, and grilled zucchini--awesome and easy! McBrides showed up before dinner and had some great catching up chats. Big thank you again to them for mowing the front ‘lawn’!

Tomorrow is an easy day for the 23 dogs that showed up today, but we plan to run 4 of Bonnie’s on the hills.

Note: Ragner is a night barker, sounds like Galt. Decided to just let them be for the first night. Mary is convinced his dad, Galt, was whispering to him that it was ok.

Monday, July 25, 2011

2011-08-05T12:15:00.000-05:00

Bonnie and Dennis are life savers! Over the weekend they set up all the barrels and stakes, and got the house situated. Also, Joe and Lori McBride mowed the grass around the house and the dog area on a 102 degree day. THANK YOU!!!

Heather Lyons arranged for her friend, Kelsie, to clean the house prior to our arrival. They also bug-bombed the house and this made for a great head start in getting camp set up. This has to be a standard procedure in the future!

After some minor brake issues in the early morning, Lucas and Whitney left with the Boss’ rig at 9:30am with 13 dogs and 3 horses. Getting in Old Blue without Ken and Linda didn’t seem right--but they will be joining us next week! YES!!!

The crew met up with Bob and Renee Knutson hauling 4 dogs and 2 horses near Freeport and the convoy started. Bob’s rig looked like the Beverly Hillbilly Clampett’s with a new mattress and bed headboards in the bed of the truck. All he needed was a rocking chair and a fridge to complete the picture. Temperature was a bit hot, but dry. Checked animals just west of Dubuque and all were content.

The convoy picked Sioux City as the destination this year and arrived at 5:30pm. Suggestion for next year is to leave 1 hour later so arrival is at 6:30pm, closer to when the temp might be a bit cooler.

We overnighted at the Day’s Inn Motel which we picked because of its proximity to Eldon’s restaurant where we enjoyed a great dinner and wine list last year. The motel allowed us to park on a grassy area, facing north/south so we’d have more shade for the dogs. All were happy to get out and stretch their legs. Bob pulled out some chairs and, in keeping with a long tradition, offered some adult beverages. Temperature was hot and humid, but cool in the shade, and a nice breeze.

Had a good dinner at Eldon’s followed by some ice cream at Culver’s. Mary rolled in at 11pm after a 14 hour drive and then called it a night.

Brphy Red Summer Camp

2010-09-01T16:27:00.004-05:00

Saturday 8/21/2010

Roading:

Robbie, Galt, Annie & Brenna – 54 min. – lookin good!

Shauna, Hank, Rhett & Mariah – 37 min for Shauna & Mariah

the other two ( Hank & Rhett) got – hot and picked up.

Meadows:

Jamie, Bentley - 27 min. – good running, immature pups.

Sadie & Jerry Jeff - 25 min. – plenty of drive and hunt here.

Camp is quiet and chores are getting done but the wind is blowing.

We are going to the rodeo in Valentine tonight. Lee, Linda and I met

Roger and Janet at the restaurant in Valentine Cedar Valley and had

a great meal. After a few laughs and a good meal, Roger & Janet

headed home and we did the rodeo. Had a good time – not the

best rodeo but still fun. Got back to the ranch close to midnight and

had a cool night sleeping.

Sunday 8/22/2010

Roading:

Lea, Erin & Annie & Lily– 49 min.

Whitley and Rahan'

Hank & Sorrel – 35 min. – Sorrel started out like gangbusters –

reaching to the front and hunting the whole way. Hank was good and

steady on a ST – flush – just bird in air. Several birds working down a

valley and neither dog could get anything pointed. Had a poor

command back on Sorrel. Sent on, Sorrel almost left me and Whitley

went to round him up – Sorrel said – NO Way - I had to go help and
we had a talk and I put the hook on him. Hank finished hunting

nicely. 35 min. + 10 min. of roading for Sorrel.

Rio & Kate – had these two on the ground in the meadow and both

ran nicely but no birds found this morning. Very dry and winds

are growing.

Back to camp and Lee planning on packing up and heading home

this afternoon. He finally got ready and left late afternoon – he's

busy with work and just not able to stay.

Mary do in camp around Tuesday or Wednesday.

Monday, 8/23/2010

Roading:

Robbie, Galt & Mariah - 50 min.

Brenna, Shauna & Rhett – 47 min.

Camp is very quiet with just Linda and I here for the next couple of

days. We went to town for dinner and had some calls on Monday

night wishing me a Happy Birthday tomorrow. Rumor has it that

I'm having a B-Day but I'm not sure.

This is going to be a very sparse week as far as the write up is doing.

The weather is just plain ugly. Can't even eat out – blowing sand is

just everywhere. 90's for the entire week and winds 20-30 mpg with

gusts up to 45 on some days. Fire alert is high and getting worse

by the day.

Tuesday, 8/24/2010

Roading:

Lea, Rio, Annie & Kate – 52 min.

Lily, Mariah, Sorrel & Erin – 39 min.

Nice quiet day and just roaded and Linda and I took an afternoon tour

of the sandhills by us. Went down to Rose – over to Burwell – then

Brewster – stopped for a snack in Burwell. In Brewster, Uncle Buc's

wasn't open and most people have said it's only open on the week-

ends.

The wind is steady and miserable. A good time to hurt a dog as

everything is very dry. The wind and heat has dried up all of the

ponds – just the lake left. Unbelievable how it's changed. Getting

a bird pointed would be a sure accident.

Mary due in camp tomorrow.

Wednesday, 8/25/2010

Roading:

Hank, Rhett, Robbie & Shauna – 48 min. – roading is fine – had to

go to town and fix another flat tire. Both Hank & Rhett were

obnoxious bothering the girls all the way around.

Birds in the houses are doing fine. 40 huns left in the big pen and 3 or

4 left in the pond house. A covey of quail are showing up along the

road to camp from the meadows – 15 – 20. Also found 7 or 8

hanging around the house on the Sidell loop. Huns show up in

good numbers along the shelter belt.

Only problem is the dogs smelling them – wind and heat just don't

make for good bird finding weather.

Mary showed up late morning. She actually blew in and figured we're

in the desert now.

Thursday, 8/26/2010

Roading:

Galt, Robbie, Brenna & Shauna – 51 min.

Hank & Rhett – 27 min.

Well everyday in the mid 90's and rising. Mary worked on a place for

the pups. Cleaned out her trailer but the barrels are blowing away.

She's got them in the trailer.

Linda did the town run plus mail.

Friday, 8/27/2010

Roading:

Lea, Erin, Kate & Rio – 53 min.

Weather won out and we shut down training for the day. It is a blowin

hot. I'm tired of talking about heat and wind – from now I'll refer to

the weather as ' son of XXXXXXXX' - which means 90+ and 30 +

mph.

Our California friends are leaving home today and plan on arriving

sometime on Saturday. Vickie, Dave & Ed are coming for the week.

Bob G should be driving in from Wichita.

We went to town and did some shopping at Ranchland ( new boots for

me) and a purse for Linda plus some shopping at the Rusty Petal.

We then had a lunch at the Circle where Linda contracted 'BAR

NECK' – you need to contact her to find out her definition of

Bar Neck. Only Linda can do it justice.

Back to camp and a long nap for everyone 2 hours plus. Chores

and a plan to go see the High School football game – decided that

the wind and the bleacher seats would do this crew in so we went

to dinner at the Golden Steer. A great meal and a fun waitress and

we had a good time. Just finishing and Mike and Peggy Hitchcock

( Mike's Birthday) came in and we ended up talking forever and they finally joined us about the time I saw the whole Seidel Family. Even

the 2 year old & 3 month old grandson. (John's Birthday). They've been haying hard so we haven't seen them very much all summer.

We closed up the restaurant and moved over to the bar with our

crew ( Bob Geddeis – made it in at about 8:30). He had just

come back with his new Ford Pick up truck – Bob can play with

the big boys. now. A few minutes after we got settled Joe and

Lori McBride showed up and the party went on. We just had

fun telling stories of our - Adventures in the Sandhills – soon

to be released as a Reality Show for Cowboys and Trophy

Wives ------- you have to be there for that one!!!

We finally headed home after a fun evening.

Saturday, August 28, 2010 HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN!!!!!!!

Roading: Linda had a caffeine headache and Bob a stress headache

from his long trip ( and a couple of scotches too smooth the stress)

Go figure but the lights were a little wobbly this morning. I decided

to give Linda a break and did the roading.

Quite cool but the wind was a blown very hard. The coolness made

it bearable.

Robbie, Annie, Rhett & Sorrel – 53 solid minutes. The best I've

seen Sorrel road as he is definitely rounding into shape. All of them

are looking good.

Galt, Brenna, Mariah & Lily – 54 min.

Dave, Vickie & Ed arrived around 4:00 PM. They had a long trip and

lots of wind the last few hours. We had a great dinner – a special cut

steak (hanger) and southern green beans. A very nice evening.

Sunday, August 29, 2010 HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDA!!!!!!!!!

Still warm forcast for today but not as bad. We're planning a lot

getting done.

Roading: I took over the Roading duties for Linda on her birthday.

Lea, Erin, & Shauna – 55 min.

Hank, Rio & Katie – 45 min

Shelter Belts:

Finn, Dawn & AC – 20 min. – these 3 show lots of hunt and plenty of independence.

Ragner & Sylvia – 15 min. took off like…….. crazy pups – reaching from the get/go – they were gone for most of the brace.

Dagney & Paris – getting hot and these two didn't show a lot of

independence but did stay front and hunted.

Meadow:

Jerry Jeff – Bob took Jerry on the hills and worked him on come.

he's doing fine and showed a desire to listen.

Bird Work:

Jamie – 2nd birdwork on a checkcord – she worked in and jammed the point. Gorgeous style and great intensity – unhooked her for

picture and rehooked her – never moved. She's showing a lot of

class – want to see her point one on the hills! I let her go to chase but she was so focused on where it had been that she didn't see where it went.

Bentley – good work and ended up being pretty close to the bird but a good point. We let the bird go and he never caught the flight path so no chase.

Jerry Jeff – worked him in and got a slight point – showed a desire to

point but not a rock solid.

Sadie – she wasn't in the right places with the wind but she showed

a nose and desire to dive in – we let her play with one – soft mouth –

liking the bird.

Meadows:

Red & Rt Shoulder – hunted around and got in the cover – showed

desire and good running gear.

Blue & Rt Side : Red still #1 with Blue and Right side tied and Rt.

Shoulder no slacker - v/good job for only 14 weeks old.

A long morning working a whole bunch of dogs. Dogs are looking in

good condition. It was warming up in the early afternoon so we

called it a day. Mary starting to pack up – she leaves on Tuesday.

Dave, Vickie and Ed are unpacking as they'll be here all week. We

had Pheasant Ala King with Vickie's famous Chocolate Cake for dessert. Several Happy Birthday tunes for Linda. Jason & Heather, Joe, Lori. Whitley and Rhe'Ann came over to help celebrate. A fun

night as we closed the party down. Happy Birthday to our Roading Queen.

Monday, August 30, 2010

A cooler night and nice morning. Possibility of rain this afternoon.

We'll have a better day for the dogs.

Roading:

Robbie, Galt, Annie & Brenna – 59 min.

Rhett, Sorrel & Mariah – 49 min. Warmed up for the 2nd brace

and we cut it a bit short. Dogs all look fix and ready for the work.

Birdwork:

Jamie: - couldn't get it pointed and dove in on the bird. Let it fly

and put her up. She doesn't need to catch one.

Bently – Great point, wonderful style and solid.

Sadie – Better point but not perfect yet.

Jerry Jeff - worked the fenceline and gave Dave a very nice point.

Storm moving in or so they say. We did more chores as the heat was back up pretty high in upper 80's. Storm rolled in and let loose – some of us braved sitting in the gazebo and got a bit damp. Linda & Vickie stayed inside to work on the puzzle. Storm was dumping water but didn't last long. Less then ½ " and about 1" up by Rogers. Town got hit with a microburst that knocked down 2 buildings and many trees with lots of tree damage at the cemetery. No injuries so that was good. We have no power and might have to change plans about dinner. Vickie & Linda used flashlights to work on the puzzle! The whole town was out but it finally came on and we cooked ½ of our Lou Pizzas for dinner.This was followed by Lori's Lemon & Orange Sherbert Ice Cream Cake – delicious and very pretty with frozen lemon's on top. Vickie & Mary had to remove the lemons in order

to cut the cake. The cake was so refreshing that Mary said –

"I wonder if we can eat these lemons" as she popped one in her mouth.

The frozen lemon slice lodged on the roof of Mary's mouth – like

licking a flagpole in winter – running around the kitchen trying to

pluck the lemon from her mouth and looking for something more soothing to replace it – Mary exclaims, "Oh 'Thit' – the 'anther' would be NO!!!" Linda & Vickie unfortunately couldn't help poor Mary because they couldn't stop rolling on the floor! The three girls laughed

about it for the rest of the night and ever since. Mary did get to put in

the last piece to the puzzle. Good times at camp! Very cool out after the storm – great sleeping weather.

Break #3- midday on 8/21/2010

2010-08-21T13:15:00.000-05:00

……………… and so the story goes. I hate to keep mentioning it but

did I tell you how hot it is out here. Another blazing afternoon with

dogs needing a break. We got the misters going and shade a pup for

all the young dogs in the front yard.

Many good dogs in spite of the weather. Lily's comback is continuing

at a very good pace. Young dogs continue to shine and show me they

are destined to be very competitive dogs. The young 'green broke '

dogs – Rio ( he's at the top) and Galt – now moving forward at a good

rate.

Relaxing afternoon – did the write up and just copied some notes. Roger finished up mowing and bailing. Start moving equipment home. Hay, while not in the huge quantities they had last year, the quality was outstanding. We've seen a few dinner but not a lot. Birds continue to show up in different places – that's a good sing.

Monday, August 9, 2010 – Monday has Bonnie coming to camp today. I have the typical Monday backlog to handle for work.

Roading:

Lea, Erin, Sorrel & Mariah - 40 min.

Robbie, Annie, Brenna & Rhett – 41 min.

Bart – on the IR list – got an abscess in the side of his jaw – he's been worked the least and get's hurt the worst. Go figure!!!!

Meadows – birdwork

Jamie – worked on a checkcord – got a so/so point. Working with Bob on the come routine and he's doing good.

Jerry Jeff – good checkcord bird – wouldn't fly well so we couldn't let him chase. Bob worked several days on come and he's doing goo.

Bonnie arrived late afternoon and got set up – we decided to hit town for Supper – went to the Golden Corral and had a very good meal. Saw 'Boss Hog' at the restaurant. Him and Bev are off to St. Louis for their son Scott's wedding. They're sure looking forward to a vacation. Both work at the Hog operation and are doing great.

A pleasant evening with a chance of thunders showers tonight. We could use some rain.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - Wow!!!!! big windy storm last night – long rolling thunder,

sheet lightning and about 1" of rain. Pretty noisey in the trailers and

we have a pretty good leak in the bathroom.

Roading:

Robbie, Kate & Houston(Bonnie's dog) – 42 min.

Lily – 32 min. – doing good.

Shauna & Sol - Sol pointed while Shauna failed to acknowledge the

find and got corrected. Sol went as she knocked and went on to chase

a deer. Not a pretty brace 31min.

Hank & Gus – this started out rotten with the 2 standing each other

off and finally going at it toe to toe. Finally broken apart enouch to

use the collar and we regained control of the situation. Not a pretty

picture. 20 ugly min.

Meadow:

Sadie & Stoney – Sadie ran around pretty nice with Stoney hanging

to Sadie's tail. 20 min.

Bentley & Jimmie – Jimmie made a few nice moves and disappeared

appearing to have gotten birds. Bentley not bad but not up to Jim-mie's performance. No Birds for Bentley. – 20 min.

Young pups are all doing fine around horses.

Plenty of naps around for about everyone.

Roger decided to move cattle on Monday and had all kinds of problems with some young bulls. Not a good day for Roger & Jason.

We had a good dinner and just relaxed – waiting a cool front that hasn't appeared on the radar yet!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

97 degrees predicted for today and very hunid right off the bat.

We had a birdwork session planned for today. Let's see what we

can get done.

Roading:

Lea, Erin, Sorrel & Mariah - 46 min with all kinds of puddles for

the dogs to get cool in. They loved it – Lily is quite sure about just

juming into the water.

Lily – 35 min. – no sign of lameness or stamina problems. She is

coming along just fine.

Meadows:

Galt – still by himself and under control. 1st a NP at the spot we had

dropped a bird but too thick to relocate a green dog. The 2nd one was

a solid, stylish point with good manners on flush and shot. He went

on nicely and we ended up on a positive note.

Shauna & Sol - A STB for Shauna and came back to Bob when whoa

Another STB as we crossed the field then a NP on the SE side of the

pond followed by a back on Sol. Sol a back, a point with manners

and a handling race.

Acey & Jimmie - from camp – Jimmy a big race and a sign he was

chasing – and Acey – good hunt with speed and range. No bird.

Tippy & Fin – a little plaly out of Fin at the beginning & Tippy had

2 contacts, catching one and a flash point and chase on the 2nd run.

Fin – nice job – shows he likes the edge and ran nicely.

Dawn & Stoney - Tippy showed up and then everyone was gone

for awhile. Dawn some real nice moves and good independence –

Stoney hooked Tippy for a ride. Dawn did a very nice job. All

these pups are showing promise.

We had one more brace to run but the weather was already sultry. A afternoon with basic chores getting done. Bob got the timer going on the water misters and it's going a good job of keeping the dogs cool.

We went to McBride's for dinner and had a fun evening. Joe & Lauri are off to Chicago for a fun weekend. Go figure – while we're here.

Bob still trying to get Linda's computer hooked up to the wireless

with very little success. We have to make some changes next year.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Road:

Galt, Annie, Brenna & Katie – 45 min.

Rhett, Rio & Mariah – 42 min.

Hills:

Houston & Robbie – Both started a little slow with Houston getting

stronger as the brace went on – 1 contact that he chased. 40+ min.

Robbie being worked on to stay front – did okay the 1st half then had

a shakey piece of work – stopping but roading in a bit as they flushed.

Worked and sent on – she never got totally on tract – made some very

nice moves but tended to negate them. 45 min.

Buck & Sorrel – Buck a nice reaching forward race but no birds as it's

heating up early. Sorrel – started very strong and then had a bird in the

air chase – corrected and sent on – came back at 20 and was wasted –

took him to water and he perked up at the end but never as strong as

the early part.

Meadow

Jamie & Jerry (formerly Jerry Jeff) - Jamie – hunted around with

some big moves after tweety birds – pleny of drive and a nice way

of going. Jerry has good speed and shows bird desire – some hook-

ing his bracemate but finished with Bob calling him in and he did it

quite well – good progress on the 'come'. 25 min .

Another day of hot weather. Bob has several projects going on as he's

planning on leaving on Saturday. Bonnie gone tomorrow to Wiscon-

sin. At least she got a few days out here this year. Dennis will be back for the weekend with his friend Scott.

Devin, Shannon & Mason came to dinner. We had a nice visit. Devin

has a hunting trip planned with Dennis over the Labor Day weekend.

Sounds like fun.

Very warm at bedtime but it cooled during the night.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Bonnie got off fairly area – heading to Wisconsin for Julie's services

her son's wedding next Saturday. Julie was Jim & Pat Gleash's

daughter who passed away recently.

Dennis is due in camp with his friend Scott for the weekend. They

will get in late tonight.

We're going to work the meadows today. We had to hold off as there

is a large rain storm coming our way.

Meadows:

Galt: worked him off foot on the meadow and had a good find on the

1st bird and clean on 2nd but was a bit tentative with the flush.

Shauna: Worked her on birds – did pretty good and made her stand a

long time before flushing. Great style and intensity.

A good storm marched through – more noise then rain but still held us

up for the day. Bob some time packing and getting ready to leave very

early on Saturday. He also got the front end loader going and filled in

some large holes dug by Galt, Katie & Rhett. We had to move Bart

to the trailer and Galt got the end.

Saturday, August 14

Denny rolled in about midnight and Bob left about 4:00 am. He has

work to do and trying to buy a new vehicle.

Roading:

Robbie, Annie, Brenna & Hank – Dogs did good for 47 min but

Hank isn't too happy some days.

Lily: 35 min at a steady 7-8mph.

Hills:

Erin & Sammy – Erin appeared to hunt well with decent range but

Sammy a bigger SD race. Bird seen but nobody got them pointed.

A distant STF. 46 min.

Big & Lea: No birds for Lea but Scott had work with Big. 35 min.

Gus & Rhett – my intention was to work Rhett for just a few minutes

- we cast the two off together and Gus growled but Rhett went with

me and no problem. Gus was encouraged to go on and did so. From

that time on we had 2 powerful dogs reach for big country. Rhett in

the area when a large covey left and had a 2nd stf – not the best work

but it got him thinking. 30 min.

Jamie, Jimmie and Stoney – Jamie and Jimmie had strong races with

Jamie running 20 plus 15 on the meadow.

Dennis & Scott ran some more dogs up into the hills and working birds. They moved a couple of bunches in the Bull pasture.

We got a lot done today and waited for the heat. Dennis took Scott around to meet a couple of ranchers and visit. Naps were the order of the afternoon. Roger and the whole Painter clan were coming over and we were planning on pheasant paprikash – great meal and a fun time visiting. The evening was quite pleasant – hoping for a general cool down. Everyone from the Painter family came except Heather who was off on an adventure.

Sunday, August 15

warming up again. We're going to work some dogs and then Dennis and Scott will be heading back to Denver. Devin came down and road - working on training some horse time on Dennis's horse. He's a good hand and fun to have him out there.

Roading:

Galt, Shauna, Kate – 46 min.

Mariah, Lily - 36 min.

Shelter Belt:

Fin, Dawn & Acey – worked these 3 up the belt to move some of the

Huns running in there. Good for the pups – some pointing from Fin &

Acey – couldn't see Dawn.

Meadow/ Hills:

Buck and Rio: 35 min for these two no birds for Buck but a big race

while it wasn't one of Rio's best times , he still had a nice find.

Big & Sorrel - 35 min. Big had a NP followed by a good find with

Sorrel having a back and Stop to Bump crowding a wild chicken.

Sadie & Bentley – ran all over the meadow with Tippy and Sam – not sure which ones were braced but Tippy had a good covey of quail fine.

Jami - took her out on a checkcord – got solid points and she let me style her up – we flushed and killed the birds for her – she ran over to

them to investigate. She like this for sure!!

That was it for the Colorado gang as Bonnie and Dennis have other commitments but at least they got a few days. As always we had some great food and lots of fun. It appeared that Scott had fun and some very nice dogs.

Camp is quiet now with Linda and I alone until Lee makes it out some time on Wednesday. Lots of work for us but lots of quiet time too.

Monday, August 16

This became a total day off. We did house things and trips to the

dump and shopping but no dog work. A bit cooler today but we still

needed a break.

We went to town for dinner on Monday night.

Tuesday, August 17

A cool morning with plenty of dew. No one due in today so we're on

our own.

Roading:

Galt, Annie, Brenna & Rio – 61 min. This is the first group to break

the 1 hr. mark. Linda is doing an awesome job of getting the crew in

shape. They are all very well settled in and the young dogs are doing

great.

Shauna, Lily and Mariah: This was Lily's 6 month anniversary of

her surgery. She's clear from the doctors to do it all!!!!!!! She had

been gradually roaded and is now up to 42 min. @ 8-9 MPH. She's

doing great – we'll start birdwork this week.

Fin, Dawn & Acey – worked the shelter belt with these 3 and they

hunted around good – mainly front and a ccuple of birds leaving.

A good spot to work these dogs.

Devin and Shanon came over and visited this evening. Had a great

great visit with them and Mason.

Wednesday, August 18

Happy Birthday Stan!! It's a good one – but don't party too hard

with that bad back. Mr. Geddeis is back in town - he can party for

you.

Our day was highlighted by heat and a flat tire on the truck – must've

picked up something at the dump. Got it all fixed – Lee was coming

in this morning. Devin, Shannon & Mason came over to visit and

have some mean stir fry. We did a little celebrating for Stan's B-Day

too.

Roading:

Lea, Erin & Robbie – 40 min.

Thursday, August 19

Cool morning but the heat is coming back. We'll do a bunch this

morning.

Roading:

Galt, Brenna, Shauna & Hank – 47 min.

Kate, Lily & Mariah – 44 min. – Lily getting up with the big guns

@ 8 mph

Shelter Belt – cover

Joy pups – 4 together – all had a great time. 15 min.

Galt - collar moved to his neck and haven't used it in quite awhile.

2 finds both mannerly and stylish. 2nd one very difficult over the

head flush – acceptable mark – little settle but solid.

Robbie – Stylish tight – 10 am style point. VG manners with no

voice commands.

Hank – Mannerly w/high tail but not a lot of pizzazz from Hank

today.

Rhett – mannerly and stylish for this boy and plenty of Pizzazz –

the light switch is on for this boy.

Rio – good nose and a nice find with good manners. A long walk to

him but waited. 2nd find – more of a running bird and ended up

with STF – still okay and manners are solid.

Sorrel - nice run bu he knows the game and he is working the area

pointing as he goes. A solid and very stylish find with good

manners on the first one – 2nd one he crowded – corrected gently

- no collar on him – just doing it – getting very fit and maintaining

his weight this trip.

We had a big day and many naps around camp. Misters doing there

job and keeping the crew cool. Joe & Lori with Whitley and ReAn

came to a Mexican dinner we had – courtesy of Lee (Skirt Stakes –

etc) and Tamales from Ed. Great meal.

Friday, August 20, 2010

The heat is back – plans to say for 5 more days. A trip to the vet this

morning to scan our Joy puppies – there shaved spots had grown

out quicker then we expected.

Road:

Lea, Erin, Rhet and Annie – 52 min. – Had Robbie on the

schedule but she was not comfortable with the harness. Rather

then take a chance – Linda switched her and we'll check later.

Meadow:

Fin, Dawn & Acey – 15 min – on the meadow and just letting

them hunt. More and more indepence for this group.

Meadow:

Sorrel – ran around nicely and hunted – very hard point and very

good manners the worked him in on a 2nd. Should've stopped at

one – he pointed, then crowded and then dove – no bird but he

thought there was – and I just called it a day.

Rhett & Mariah – Rhett rolled – Mariah a short meat dog – got them

going down the same line and Mariah pointed nicely with Rhett a

very well done back. Both dogs perfect manners – onward Rhett

was ready for another brace ( been roaded 52 min. this morning).

Lily – we just wanted this done right and she went out and had a nice

move down an edge. Classy point with good manners – great job for

such a long layoff.

We had a good morning and time to call it – Heat is rising. We all did

some chores and went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Came back and nap

time – then time for chores. The Beat Goes On – Roger hung out for

supper and we had a fun night.

Break # 3 – midday on 8/21/2010

Break #2- dog camp blog - 8/8/10

2010-08-08T14:17:00.001-05:00

Break # 1 – midday on 7/31

The day was very warm and we just took it kinda easy. Checked on birds and watched the boys – mow – getting the home meadow done. That's great. We got some rain at night – less then .3 – good for the hills but they want the meadows dry to bail.

I was still a bit under the weather and just hung out. Plenty of nap time. Roger, Jason, Janet, Devin and Mason, Ryan & Heather all were around and stopped in to visit.

By the time everyone was fed and picked up we were late – so off to the Golden Steer for dinner. We had a very nice meal and got back to camp it was close to 10:00. Had a movie out ( Snow Dogs) and some ice cream and we were set.

Sunday, August 1, 1010

I had done a bunch of work on Friday and realize I have to head to Pittsburgh for a day this week. About a 2-3 hour meeting but 3 days to make the connections and get there on time. Sure hope it's worth the trip.

Linda got her first week under her belt and was looking forward to getting back to the main operator of the Roading Rig!!!!!!! She does a great job and has a keen eye to watch for soreness & injuries.

Hills:

Shauna & Hank: Daylight brought an end to a 70 degree night.

Hank still not in shape but working at it. A strong race early for Hank.

He bent the wrong was at the start of the Picnic Pasture but handled around for Ed. Good flowing moves – got down to the bottom of the hill by the lake and still pretty strong – pointed up the hill and his tank was getting heavy by the time he crested it. He worked his way to the windmill but had lost his pop. Very hot – he got plenty of water but after 20 he was pushing himself.

Shauna ran a big front running race – probably in the best condition of

any of the adult dogs. A smooth forward application went unrewarded

with birdwork but still a very solid 40 min. for the '08 Futurity dog.

She's shaping up well.

Jamie & Bentley – big & fast – brings back the images of some past

young stars like: Boomer, Rita, Rex & Kirby - Flash, , Dolly,

Bandit Picabo & last year's Gault. – these all fine young Derby's that left a high standard on the prarie. Except for Gault ( too young) these all went to great careers & wonderful performances.

Jamie & Bently are only 10 months along with Sadie & Jerry Jeff are showing tremendous raw talent. A week of foot handling and almost loosing them – on the hills off horseback. Off to the races – constant big moves – independent and fast. They even manage to come about 10 min. after we're done but that's okay right now. These are shining young dogs. 30 min.

Meadows:

Red, Blue, Right Side and Right shoulder – had their 1st time on the course. All showed hunt, speed, good tail set with cracking tails and desire for independence. Some nice moves for this young crew born only a few months ago. What a fun way to start them.

We finished up the weekend with some nice dogs and a good meal.

The first 2 weeks are done and I have to say it's been hot and difficult to get all the work done we wanted. We made progress and got several dogs exposed to the hills.

A warm night with a really loud barker who kept the whole string popping in – not sure who it is but we'll find out tomorrow.

Monday, August 2, 2010

A very warm night and bad sleeping due to all the barking. We got

got going with myself mainly doing office work. Monday's are a big

work day. Still everyone was doing there best and getting dogs all set

up.

Roading:

Lea, Erin, Annie & Sorrel

Solid roading but the boys were brats – still have a couple of females

on the edge of heat. 30 min.

Lily: Big day for Lily – her 1st on the big machine after months of

rehab. She did great after Linda worked her out every day with a

special rehab program designed by U of Wisconsin. I cannot say

enough good things about the Vet program they have and the care they

took with Lily. Now ready to get back on the program.

Linda and Lily came in all smiles – 10 minutes on the rig at 5 mph

for the 1st day. A great start.

Mariah - she's been in season and is just out so Linda got her on the

rig and got her 1st session. 18 solid minutes.

Fin, Dawn & Acey: All 3 showed a keen desire to go places at a

high rate of speed. Dawn might be the most objective orientated with

Fin and Acey showing the drive- Fin – big moves and mainly front –

these are 4+ month old pups for the Irish and Acey a 5 month old English who fit right in. These are our 2nd set of 4 litters of young dogs. Thisis the Gault/Brenna litter.

Robbie - on horseback with Bob & Ed handling. The goal was

to handle her front and stay with her to get it right. She ran down the

first edge and made the corner only to run up some chickens and off

to chase – Bob got her stopped – worked on for the first 15 min. and

did the off the horse correction only twice. Making progress – got

tired in the heat the last 5 min. 20 min.

For the record and easy referrel:

#1 – litter born out of Clifford( part Norwegian Breeding) and

Joy. They'll be 1 year in late September.

#2 – litter born our of Katrina ( Clifford's mom ) bed to Galt.

Litter born at the end of March this year.

#3 – litter born out of Galt bred to Brenna ( a Bitch Bob G.

out of Brie. Pups were born early April.

#4 – Repeat breeding of last falls litter – Clifford/ Joy. born in

early May.

Phil Ruff & Family ( 2 Joy litters) , Mary Pavelco and Bob

Geddeis all raised these litters at their homes and gave them awesome

young upbringing. At a very young age they're learning to travel,

be part of a string but still getting plenty of TLC and learn about life

on the prarie.

Hills:

Sadie & Jerry Jeff – Jerry Jeff is Dave & Vickie's dog ( only pup) out

Suzie and Sol. Same age as Sadie. They rocked and rolled – as all

these pups are doing at this point. Sadie – smooth and fast – Jerry Jeff

a bit on the gangly side going through a growth cycle but still very

athletic. They ran and stretched– top of some big hills and barely able

to get Sadie to go with Bob– Jerry Jeff took the fenceline between us

Seidel's place and went through the gate and up the hill as he was

coming back – Sadie hooked him and they were up in the hills. Jerry

Jeff came into Dave to get water and he's learning to handle – Sadie

knows nothing about handle yet but we're patient. This is 4 very

powerful young dogs. 35 min for Sadie – 30 for Jerry Jeff.

Meadows:

Rio – Using released birds on the hills for these guys – just trying to

get it all right before we cut them loose.

Rio handled nicely and went willingly with Ed – Ed's doing a fine job

of following the program and developing relationship with Rio. First

bird was smooth and very stylish – he pointed – handled with perfect

manners and not a word from Ed. As Ed was taking the dog off – he

hooked Ed and went back to the area where he just was – making an

error when Ed sent him off and he went back to the hot spot. Gave

him a correction and put him away. Ed was very silent throughout the

session only mild commands used.

Galt - Galt actually went first and went up a hill where we are

working and by the time I got there he was 300 yards away rolling – I

turned him and he responded nicely – brought him back into this area

and he winded a bird – roaded in for maybe 15 yards and pointed. He

was a bit soft but firmly planted. As I got to him he styled up

perfectly and had a very solid find – bird flushed. We shot over him

and called it a day.

Mild day today – for a change. I continued to do business stuff and

Bob G. had a major test of patience – fighting with HUGHES Satellite

about our wireless. This has been going since the start of camp. No

working internet – lucky for us Phil sent out his Hot Spot set-up and

we've been able to work with that. equipment. Now there trying to

charge us extra fees to upgrade when they were the fault of the problem. Ed worked on his projects and we did some rearranging of

dogs as the bitches in season come out. Roger's crew had a full head of steam cutting hay on the meadows. They have found several grouse

on the meadow as they were making hay. Good sign.

The mowing crew came through and all visited for awhile with Devin

stopping in talking about his bow hunting trip with Dennis H. and my

son Bob.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Another warm morning on the agenda. Jimmy Ferguson is due about

10:00 am to work on our 5 horse's teeth. They needed it.

Roading:

Robbie, Shauna, Hank & Kate – 30 min.

Mariah & Lily – 17 min.

Meadows:

Rhett & Rio - working with Rhett and make sure he doesn't bump off

the line. They cast off was smooth and no indications from either dog

that there wasn't a problem. A solid point by Rhett with Rio backing

50 yards away – very nice job. A borderline STF on Rhett's part with

Rio taken away. Overall a good job by both dogs.

Mariah – hadn't worked since trial season but she handled 2 birds like

the pro she is – class on both with long range points on both birds.

She's ready for the hills.

Jamie - worked on a checkcord and got a point – not as stylish as she

could be due to the fact she could see it but still pointed.

Bently - good checkcord piece for this young dog.

Annie – she pointed but then left the bird. Not what Ed wanted today.

It's now way to hot for dogs and the air is dead. A quiet evening at

dog camp.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

A bit cooler and a touch of rain last night. I'm up early and getting

ready for my trip to Pittsburgh. I got packed up and down the road to a

flight from Omaha. I got to just west of Norfolk and had a call letting

me know the meeding had been cancelled. I turned around and head-

ed back to camp. Good to be back.

Roading:

Lea, Erin, Brenna & Rhett – 30 min.u

Lily – 17 min. – 6 mph

Hills:

Annie & Shauna 35 min – A strong race for Shauna but no luck

around birds. Annie pointed one then left it. Not good! She ran out

of gas at this point and called it a day.

Bart & Jamie – Bart hasn't been run all spring or summer. He'll

make someone a nice pet and hunting companion. 20 min. and a bit

tired while Jamie rolled – too much dink bird hunting but very high

on the stamina and drive. 30+ min.

Arrived back in town about 12:30 or 1:00. Bob had a sign made

for the highway 7 board – Circle Paw – will put on the Blog. Looks

great.

Very warm afternoon. Kinda hung out in town. George Newcomb

game by the bar and we visited for quite awhile.

A lazy night and a good dinner with the McBride's coming over

after dinner. We had some good music player and a very nice visit.

Whitely will be around after football practice.

Thursday, August 4, 2010

Promise of it being cooler today. We'll see!

Roading:

Whitley was in camp this morning and helped us bird work dogs. He

has football early in the morning. He comes right after and digs right

in and helps.

Lea, Galt, Rio – 31 min.

Robbie, Hank, Katie – 30 min

Hills:

Mariah & Brenna – Mariah running the hills nicely – had a bird flush

wild – Ed command whoa and as he dismounted and walked to her – more birds were flushed in groups – very stylish and mannerly for the

for the rest of the 15 bird covey. In the meantime, Brenna chased the

ones that flew past her. 30 min. – good hunt for Mariah but she's short on conditioning.

Meadows:

Sorrel & Rhett – We continue on to find Rhett a bracemate he

doesn't like and I've yet to find one. Cast off was perfect. Sorrel

backed on Bob's command and handled Rhett's STF – which he moved

on. They went on and Rhett had a good find and Sorrel a command

back that I had to firm him up. 22 min. Coarses for both dogs were

pretty good.

Rio - Still on foot – forward and roaded in on an area that had birds

he handled STF but wanted to move on as more flushed. Not his best

day but sill more good than bad.

Galt – Galt was hunting nicely around the pond. Had birds planted

on fenceline – and pointed very nicely – bird stood up and he took

stopping across the fenceline and settled a bit – we corrected worked

on – not pretty and finally got a bid planted in good cover and he had

a stylish mannerly find. Ended on a positive note.

Fin, Dawn & Acey – a nice race with dogs and horses – Fin and

Acey put up 5-6 chickens – 1st wild contact – great for them. Dawn

good but not with the other guys when they got birds.

Sadie & Jerry Jeff- Sadie the race that wouldn't stop. Big but more

signs of handle. Jerry Jeff all over the place – good speed and ? hunt

he just won't come to you and ran around for close to an hour before

we got him – close to camp. Sadie is definitely hunting.

A nice night – had a good dinner and relazing evening. Ed's leaving

tomorrow after we run. He's heading home and then to Australia.

He'll be back toward the end of camp.

Friday, August 6, 2010

No football today so Whitley is at camp and riding the hills with us.

He's a big help!!!!!!!!

Roading:

Annie, Rhett, Sorrel & Mariah & a very big Buck Antelope by the

first pond. That got Linda's crew on their toes. 30 min.

Lily – Linda needs to tell this story.

For those of you who haven't heard the saga of Lily – almost 6

long months ago, Lily had 1" of tendon removed from her left shoulder

joint as a result of a tear and fraying. The U. of Wisconsin surgeon

attached the end of the remaining tendon with a screw & washer – and

guided us through physical therapy. Lily has not been allowed off lead

except to be loose in the house – and then only after first 3 months.

Only controlled exercises and walking on lead – some trotting last

month was added.

Basic rules have been –

NO prancing – NO dancing – NO running – NO playing – NO FUN !

Following is a blog written by Lily to her family and friends :

I'm Back ! by Lily Ruff

Mon. 8 / 2 – Linda finally roaded me from the ATV for only 10 min.

at 5mph – felt great being a dog again!

Tues. 8 / 3 – Linda roaded me for 17 @ 6 mph – I'm getting there!

Wed. 8 / 4 – I'm finally out of season – roaded another 17 – but this

time I decided to try a bit of "jogging" – no problem!

Thurs. 8/5 – I'm feeling fit as a fiddle and Never any lameness – I'm

allowed to be on the stake out cable to the trailer all day – I'm

really feeling Great – but no roading today – Bummer!

Fri. 8/6 – I roaded from camp – all around the Second Meadow South.

Heading back to camp, we turned around some hay bales

and surprise – a covey of quail were scurrying around the shady

side of the bales! Of course, I pointed them and thank goodness

Linda noticed and also came to a screamin' halt! My tail was about

10 o'clock – but Linda encouraged me to 12 o'clock.

The quail were trying to run around the bales – but ran into Linda

coming around the other side!

No place to go – the quail exploded to the sky – 10 of them!

Linda came back to congratulate me – I must admit – I was proud

of me too!

I even tried out some short-lopes on the way back to camp – 28

minutes – YAHOO!

What a good day – but my story continues –

Linda walked me back to hook me up to the trailer – and my good

fortune continued – I realized that Linda wasn't holding onto my

collar for only a second – so I wandered over to the other side of

the tree. Linda told me to "come" – and normally I would – but

Clint was watching from the other side of the yard – and I wanted

to tell him my story.

Linda started getting a little tense – demanding me to "come here

Lily Ruff" – so I told the puppies briefly – but they didn't get it –

so I RAN over to my family's trailer on the hill – circling but no

where to go – Linda is now becoming unglued and pleading me

to come - along with a string of swear words.

I'm obviously already in trouble – so what have I got to lose?

I've been waiting 6 months for an all stretched out victory lap &

today is the perfect day for it! So I ran full stride to the dog line –

they ALL cheered me on and congratulated me !

I then obediently went directly back to me home on the trailer –

Linda was there at the same time. She alternately hugged me and

pointed her finger in my face.

I'm sorry I scared Grammy – but it sure felt good – and after all,

I wasn't running with scissors!

I'm back!

Hills:

Erin & Shauna - 35 min. on Richardson's place west of us – a nice

solid application for both dogs but Shauna just has the speed. She is

class. Erin up the hill and a legit STF on chicken at 22. Good finish even though it was getting hot.

Moved to Roger's by the lake – more birds we hoped.

Robin & Rio – Robin is very steadily impoving – staying on her she

was bigger at the end and looked good. A poorly handled STF and

somewhere during that correction he noticed his IPhone was gone.

oooops' He and Whitley went back to scour the area but no such

luck. He's taking the ATV back this afternoon to scour the area.

Rio on the other hand ran a very smooth and attractive 35 min in the

heat. No bird contacts but not because of lack of effort. He looked

good.

Back to camp – with Ed packing up and heading down the road. He'll

be back towards the last 2 weeks of camp. Whitley will be back if he canwith football practice the main event right now.

We hit town and did some business and some visiting – 90 plus this

afternoon. Dennis is still due in camp tonight. We ate very late as it

was taking forever to cool down. We took in a movie and stayed up to it cooled down. It was after 11 for us – Dennis rolled in about midnight.

Trailer was connected, running order done – we plan on beating the heat.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Yep it's cool this morning but the promise of big heat wave to come.

Dennis had his crew ready to go. Heather called early this morning

invited us down for supper. We're looking forward to it. We're all

up early and got Linda out on the roading rig before 7:00 AM.

Roading:

Galt , Brenna, Kate & Mariah – 40 min. This is Linda's 1st 40

min. trip but lots of stops early. Still a good sign with Galt figuring

out the roading rig.

Lily – 24 min. @ 7 mph: She was not stiff or favoring at all this

morning. Linda put in 90% of the rehab on this young female and

she is really excited by the wonderful results. Corrine did a lot of the

later work as it involved gentle jogging to loosen everything up for

this more intense workout. We are hopeful she will continue.

Meadows

Rhett & Houston ( pointer ) - took them to the line and let them

meet each other. Cut Houston loose first and had Rhett give a slight

indication of a move to the male – a very light ( low 2) hit and he

turned and never looked at his bracemate again. Still his race was

less then I've seen and not really in a bird finding mood after this –

Houston showed some big moves and needed to be road for and

brought around. 25 min.

The weather is warming very fast – nice breeze helping. Devin and his

buddy Jeff came out and road all morning. Jeff's first time running

bird dogs but he's got Devin teaching him & that's a real good

teacher.

Sorrel & Sol - These were cut loose into the hills – Sorrel a very good

start with forward moving casts – he had moments that were great-

Sol had some spots that were very good but he is definitely short on

conditioning. Sol had a couple of very solid non-productives. Sorrel

was somewhat erratic in his application but showed much better

stamina and had a bird contact where he roaded up a valley with a

couple of stops and finally a STB with the birds a good distance away.

This is why you work wild birds – 15 chickens got out and he stood

with Sol backing nicely. Back to the pond and headed into camp – at

about 40 or so the dogs were slipping with Sorrel showing heart and

overall 50 min. on the ground. 51 min.

Bently & Homer – Homer was a bit on the short side and never

really pleased Dennis. Bently showed good eye appeal and some

nice application with a cracking tail. 25 min. It was not the biggest

I've seen Bently but still some nice independence and we got him into

water.

Jamie & Tippy - Jamie a rather spotty application for her – just

loves those trash birds to a fault – need to get her in wild birds and

changing focus – Tippy a very flashy smooth running bitch – we

enjoyed her moves – big jack rabbit chase – but she recovers quick-

ly. Overall these two showed great potential.

Back at camp by noon – very hot and pushing 100 – we had a lot of

kitchen time today – visiting with Denny – going to be short days the

next few days – hot – hot.

Dinner tonight with Jason & Heather!

---- great dinner with Heather & Jason's folks there and everyone

having a good meal and some good stories.

Going to be very hot tomorrow – 100+ is the rumor.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Warm morning with the high temperatures lowered to middle

90's. Devin came over and we loaded horses and headed 4 miles

south.

Roading:

Lea, Erin, Brenna & Gault – 40 min. fast brace says Linda – they

are up to speed and getting strong. She uses all the home meadow and

south meadow to get her time in.

Hank & Kate – 40 min with Hank a bit on the lethargic side. Still

they are coming along.

Hills:

Shauna & Kate (Dennis's Irish) – these two got off covering ground

with Shauna very fast and reaching nicely. At about 20 she pointed,

moved and knocked a covey of chickens. She was corrected and sent

on – a little less of a reckless step after that encounter. Kate needed a

correction after an error and Shauna came in and blinked the back-

not a good day for either one.

Buck(Dennis's-Pointer) & Rio – the old pro and young Futurity dog.

Buck started by crossing the fence line and headed south. Rio showed

good forward application as a medium GD. He has signs of being

worked on foot while being broke but he's opening up more and more.

We never connected with Dennis & Devin again – onward hunting

some low hills along the waterway. Rio casting back at us into the

wind and Bob called Point. A very slight tick as I arrived as he

styled up nicely. Nose and tail at 12:00 – I was thinking turtle do to

the heavy sand on this knoll and as I dismounted the birds began to

boil out with 4 distinct flushes of 5 or 6 sharptail each - over 20

birds in the covey. Rio was a statue the whole time and remained

solid for the shot and then the 'good boy pet' as it was completed.

What a wonderful piece of work for such a young dog. He was

sent on and finished reaching to the east as I called him back to the

truck – job well done. 35 min. Dennis reported a excellent find

for Buck on chickens and a powerfull shooting dog race to give

Rio a run for his money. We agreed to do a 2nd series next week-

end when he comes back to camp.

Now it was very hot in the hills and we had young dogs so we

called it a morning. Back at camp we put the animals up and Bob

took Brie for a run on the meadow. Found her standing along the

corner of the center cut. A well handled covey of quail – nicely

handled with good style. In the meantime, Bob's horse had seen

enough and headed back to camp. Bob had a good walk back.

Dennis packed up and headed home. Bonnie will be in tomorrow for

her midweek visit. Devin headed home and we're ready for an after-

noon siesta.

Break # 2 – midday on 8/8/2010

Ainsworth Report - 2010

2010-08-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

AINSWORTH REPORT – 2010

…………………it's been a long time coming but 2010 Brophy's

Summer camp is on the way. 2009 ended with a bang as Phil won

the National Amatuer Championship at Booneville with Lucas

scouting. This proved to be a very formidable team under very

adverse conditions.

Congratulations - a job well done for Phil, Lucas & Lea!!!

Monday, July 19, 2010

We have a bit of an early start this year as Phil, Jenny, Lucas, Corinne, and Owen are yachting the Mediterranean Sea with their friends from

England that had visited camp last year. Actually, Graham, Susan,

James and Elizabeth Morrison quickly became members of our dog camp family and we miss them this year.

So we decided to leave for camp earlier this year so Lucas and Corinne could enjoy at least a week of Circle Paw. We ended up leaving mid-day on Monday with Linda and I driving the ATV / Basil/ Puppy Trailer -- Mary Pavelko hauling horses and more puppies – with Clifford as her navigator --Lucas and Corinne drove Phil's rig out and took a load of horses while Bob Geddeis and his grand niece, Nicolette met us west of Dubuque. It was very hot and we planned an arrival in Ft. Dodge that evening with cooler temperatures. 3:30 was the final cast-off and we did manage to arrive in about 8:30 on Monday evening.

Plenty of fresh herbs, both Jenny and Susan gave me a big pot of basil along with oregano & parsley for our camp kitchen. Lots of items for special home made food we all enjoy at camp.

We had talked to Roger Painter on the weekend and learned that he had dug a new well for camp. Problem was getting the time to be able to finish it. We appeared to try and do the trip with no water in camp and decided to hold off. About late Sunday morning he gave us the word we'd have water on Tuesday when we arrived. We went for it and plans were back on line – YEAH!!!

Mary carried some of the horses and a bunch of puppies. We have puppies from 3 litters coming to camp. We have had a wonderful spring breeding season with 24 dogs born in the 3 litters. Very difficult to pick the bests so we brought everyone to camp so we had a good chance to evaluate the crew. This is fun but lots of work. You've got to keep the dogs cool and not dehydrate just like us.

Lee Shoaf got his dogs over to the house and Lucas & Corinne brought them to camp. Lee will be out later. I got all my work stuff put together and should be ready to connect as soon as Bob G. gets our Satellite working.

Tuesday,July 20, 2010

A very good nights sleep. No well to worry about so we hit the road. Sue Lloyd left Sycamore on Tuesday AM after managing a big family reunion with about 90 folks for the weekend. She was up about 3:00 am and had Kelly & Whitney with her as they loaded up and made the trip in one day. They had 3 horses along with Lucas having 4 and Mary the rest. We arrived in camp with Jason and the well crew still working on the water. Devin widened our road into camp and no sinking into the sand with our rigs ! Todd & Sonja had the barrels all out and set up with even the sprinklers ready for our arrival. Jason mowed where ever the sheep missed – camp was beautiful – THANK YOU PAINTER FAMILY ! We had to juggle things around so the well men could work and we got spots for the horses. Dogs were pretty easy with all the main parts all set up. We got them all a good stretch and fed them. We've got a lot more to set up with more people and birds due later in the week.

We stopped at Roger's house on the way in and topped off all our water tanks as we came into town so we'd have at least horse and dog water to start camp.

Sue and girls arrived a bit later in the afternoon. The well men got us some water and learned the bathroom toilet had a major problem So Bob and I planned for a quick trip to town and get a new commode. I don't know how Bob got the job but he handled it with dignity!!!!!

Linda brought all the fixens for a fresh meal of cold cuts and chips and a very tired crew kicked back and took a deep breath. Plenty still to set up but we'll wait till tomorrow. A good night for sleeping but no one told the dogs. A rather restless night for the dogs especially since a couple of coyotes were sending our guys a greeting card Howl!!!!!!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BOB !!

Puppies:

Jamie, Sadie & Bentley - took the 3 for a short walk back near the pond or tried to go that way. Had the 3 show drive and independence. Even some chase of dragon flies with tons of speed. Some excellent promise here.

Galt/Brenna Pups– worked the two females once again as I was having a tough time picking mine and Spero was coming tomorrow for his pup – had to make a decision soon. Very good eye appeal and speed – both showing lots of class. More good pups.

Linda and Sue took charge of the house and got everything all cleaned. up. Not a fancy place but definitely our summer Home!!! Feeling good already.

Bob got a new toilet installed as the well guys finished up with several hydrants installed. No more dragging hoses – again – THANK YOU PAINTER FAMILY !! This will be great for access to water for the animals.

Wednesday afternoon Spero arrived with his son Quinn. They jumped in and helped with any setups we needed. We got them a place for the horses and got him parked.

We had Jimmy Ferguson do some teeth work on 5 horses and he'll be back to do more.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Puppies:

Jamie, Bentley & Sadie – ran them down at the lake on foot. These pups all have speed and drive with Jamie the biggest, Bentley – 2nd and Sadie a solid 3rd. All usable in a good puppy stake.

3 Clifford/Joy pups – 1st time out for these pups and was very pleased with their attitude and structure. 10 weeks old – lots of eye appeal.

Bill Bryan & Bruce arrive in late afternoon. Got the pups set up and headed to town for some needed sleep. They had a good trip and glad to be in camp. They plan on rebuilding the bird house – snow load knocked it down.

Friday, July 23, 2010

The day was cool but hot weather was the norm. 90 most days. Bill and Bruce were out early from town. We ran puppies on foot.

Ladd & Jamie – Jamie the bigger and more stylish but Ladd showing hunt but not the eye appeal that Bill was hoping to see. Still a very respectable job.

Shauna & Erin – these 2 just went out and did the job – Shauna the bigger runner, Erin the journeyman with 1 good find for Erin = took a bit to get him solid but a very good piece of work. Shauna got into chasing some and needs to be touched up a bit. 42 min. 18 chickens,

Belle, Bentley, Sadie – worked the pups in the corner near where the bird pen guys were working. Dogs all got around pretty good but Belle showed more experience – Both Bentley and Sadie show good speed.

Ed Meyer arrived in camp with 3 dogs and tons of food. We were really getting it together. Needed parts for the ATV and new roading

parts as we left our bars at home. Got it all set up

Had a fun dinner with the speakers working and the Gazebo was up. Flys are bad but the bugs stay away from the Gazebo. Got the puppies set up just to the south so they can interact with us and we can watch them play and fight.

Great dinner with Joe and Laurie and their family stopping by to visit. We had a great visit. Good friends and just fun to have around.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Saturday morning appeared to be a hot one and we had a big crew that were anxious for the hills.

Puppies:

Bentley & Sadie – off for a good time with good speed and chase of trash birds. Need to get the real thing.

Clifford –Mary hunted him around the pond and had a consistant hunting race with good stamina.

Hills:

Lea & Brenna – good solid races here with Brenna having 2 stylish broke finds – tail set the best she's had and completely steady – having pups agreed with her. Lea and Brenna had a divided find on a turtle but other than that a solid 35 min. with 5 chickens.

Bart & Doc – Doc is Spero's dog and showed a solid gun dog race. Bart after a very long layoff – started slow and built – solid 25 min with a good finish.

Now it's Saturday late morning, we got the ATV completed, 3 johnie houses repaired plus the big pen fixed and we're in the mode to get some work done.

The kids are leaving tomorrow and we'll really miss them. We all went to town ( Sue, Kelly, Corinne, Lucas, Whitney, Mary, Bill, Bruce, Ed, Bob & Nicholette, Linda & Ken) all went to Valentine and donated to the local store – not like our store in Ainsworth but some odds and ends stuff and fun to see. Linda hit the bookstore and so did some of the kids.

WE had dinner at the Pepper Mill and enjoyed it immensely. Very good food and service. I took off for Wood Lake where we met John Rabidou and Al McGonical waiting for our 1st bird delivery. Marty from Emmet, Ne supplies us with fine flying birds. Tomorrow we start getting the main schedule going.

I guess Bob G. got a reminder about the music he can play with 3 young adults and a female lead--- he still has a stuffed head ( maybe that's always's that way ). The young adults hit the bar and a round of Snooker with Jason and Devin. Devin's been around a bit with Mason growing up fast. Shannon working nights at the hospital.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

We have very green meadows with some water standing, the hills are in good shape and there seem to be an ample supply of birds. Cool crisp morning . No hills planned today but we're going over to Ken Steele's to set up a johnie house for the pups. They're already mowed and it should be great for the young dogs.

Roading: 1st day on the rig. Linda's hamstrings are doing great but she's got a big bruise and will need a few days before she can road.

Robin, Annie, Brie & Hank – old pros except for Robin and she did great. 21 min. at an easy pace.

Kate, Rhett, Shawna & Lea – smooth 21 min.

Lucas, Kelly & Corinne had someone bring a horse trailer into town and they all road their horses up there at a nice and easy place. Lunch at the Pizza Hut and they loaded up and came back home.

Bill and Bruce went to the Niobrara Park and had fun doing the tour, prairie dogs, elk and bison plus a nice ride near the Niobrara River.

Bob G. went up to Roger's and helped mow while Whitney and Nicholet went barrel racing with Heather. It's been a fun week with all the young adults – they're all leaving on Monday and we're sure going to miss all their help and fun. It's great to see young folks like this involved in our sports and activities. They worked dogs, worked cattle, rode horses and just had a fun time.

Meadows:

We have two extremely high quality 'green brokes' in camp. Galt ( Lucas and my dog) and Rio ( Ed Meyer's dog with co-owners Jay Zirkle and Sam McDonald) and manager – Dave Tompkins or is that Vickie.

Rio is fresh over breaking and challenging Ed as is Galt challenging Lucas. Right now we're working on confidence and forward patterning while we're working a large (160 acre) meadow on foot. Both have tons of run but we need control and polish. Should be big time fun with these 2 dogs.

Rio – 9-10 minutes on the ground – seen under a young chukar and directed back to handler – bird flushed behind dog – went on and had a point, semi- solid as 1 more step put 2 chukar in the air. Ed corrected and did a prolong flush, shot and picked up. Got to be conisistant with these Greenie's.

Galt – about 11 min. with Galt, - doing the same – trying to get a smooth flowing race and build the repoire between handler and dog. Galt really stretched and came back hunting hard. No birds and we weren't trying for birds. Very smooth session.

Puppies on Meadow:

Belle/Ragner – good outing w/more exposure each day.

Paris/Ladd/Sylvia & Daney- all the pup;s doing fine with Ladd a

much better time down.

AC, Finn & Dawn – big cast by AC and all dogs showing speed and

hunt.

Bill and Bruce are all packed up and heading out at 5:30 am along with Lucas and his crew. He's taking Nicholet to the airport in Omaha so she can go show her horse in competiion. She's a very nice young lady enjoying her first time in camp. Her and Whitney have become buds as are Corinne and Kelly and all get along great with Heather.

Sue, Kelly and Corinne will be leaving in the morning but at a more leisurely pace. They plan to stop and ride in Iowa.

Monday, July 26, 2010

The gang was up early with Lucas, Corinne & Nicki out the door by 5:30 and drivng to the Omaha airport to send Nicki on her way to St. Louis and a week on a boat in the Ozarks. Lucas and Corinne had to get home to get ready for the Cruise on the Mediterranean in the Greek Isles.

Sue, Kelly and Whitney packed up and left about 8:00 heading for an overnight at a place in Iowa with a horse trail. All left talking about the fun they had in camp.

Bill and Bruce got out of town around 5:30 also and headed home. They sure seemed to enjoy themselves and were awesome workers.

They can come back anytime.

Going to be a warm day today and tomorrow. We planned on working the young dogs.

Roading:

Erin, Sorrel & Robbie - 21 min.

Rio, Brenna & Kate – 20 min.

Meadows @ Steele - have our Johnie house up and stocked with chukar. We'll work young dogs there on a regular basis.

Jamie & Bently – both did a nice job with good speed and plenty of birdiness. Mainly front running the Jamie the bigger of the two.

Sadie & Jerry Jeff – not as much range but both pups show plenty of potential.

Clifford - run by himself at the first pond. He ran over a small covey of young birds – appear to be Huns. Mary hunted him around and found he holds better being circled on the flush. Good style and intensity. He's is definitely maturing and getting into the routine.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Hot & very humid. We're still catching horses and going to give it a try.

Meadows & Steele's.

Rio – We hunted him around the pasture and he handled nicely. Got into some flying chukar and stood with intensity. Not a real bad piece of work. Continued on and handled for Ed.

Galt – took a slightly different angle – let him go and he ripped – came back after a couple of minutes. No finds but good race and a bit tough to pick up.

Back to camp and ready to get horses – mid' 80's already. We called it a day and it hit 96 very windy degrees. Not a good dog day. Did projects and general r & r. Got some projects done.

Made the rest of our tamales and some pork chops. Got the movie cranked and weather just dropped 10 degrees. Joe, Lauriee, RayAnne and friends came over and we visited till late. Finished off with some great ice cream. Just a fun time.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Cooled down during the night. Actually got quite cool We saddled up and Linda took a roading crew and got the day started early.

Roading:

Lea, Rhett ( 1st time) & Brenna – 17 min.

Hills:

Erin & Shauna - a strong race for both dogs. We let Shauna out on the way to the breakaway where we saw sharptail walking. She hunted all around and finally got into birds – STF with help and minor correction. Ran both for 37 min. Shauna the bigger but both did a real nice job – mainly front and good range.

Sorrel & Kate - Sorrel's 1st 15 was very strong as was Katie's – both got into an area with lots of scents – Turtle? -- and neither really recovered their forward momentum. 30 min.

Robbie & Annie - A real good time for Annie with her pointing birds twice and staying around for flush and shot with some chase after that – showing a bit of confidence. Robbie showed excellent speed and range and pretty good forward movement. Bob G. found that she went forward well while swinging to the left but as she came across to the right she was sliding very lateral and in some cases to the rear. A slight tickling seemed to help that and over all I'm seeing progress. 25 min.

Clifford - Meadow – S – 20 + min. showing good hunt and Mary working on hot weather conditioning.

Back to the heat with the mister and hose keeping the dogs moderately cool. This is one of those very consistant 90 degree spells with only the 1st day at camp in the 70's and one other day of 80 – everything else is 90+. We're just concentrating on projects and letting the dogs acclimate and condition moderately.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Roading: Linda now back regularly doing the roading and feeling good. She's got to condition herself now – with all the bouncy terrain and hot weather – it takes some getting used to. She's doing great.

Brenna, Hank & Rio – 20 min.

Meadows – Steele's place. Nice and cool this morning with dew on the grass – went to work with the puppies.

Fin (Bob G's), Acey (Stan & Susan's) & Dawn (Ken & Linda) – took them along the uncut edges and got very solid work from all 3, lots of hunt, plenty of range and nice carriage. Acey showed the biggest move but all hunted independently. 14 min.

Dagney, Paris, Sylvia & Ragner – these 4 are going home with Mary on Friday. They show hunt and drive – chased some dicky birds and in general a positive time down. Great beginning for these pups – still having a problem with car sickness but doing better. 12 min.

Hills: took the 9 month old pups to Triple Gates. Parked on top of a hill and let them go:

Jamie, Bentley, Sadie( Joy's 1st letter) & Jerry Jeff (Suzie's Pup). This is rock and roll time. All 4 hunt from the get-go – with Jamie making the 1st huge move. We're on foot and about 5 min into the brace we decided this is the last time walking. We would've had trouble staying with them on horseback. Sadie made it way to the west appearing on the other side of the lake. Jamie up on a southern hill bringing Bentley along. Jerry Jeff cruising to the east and we had to coax him around. The best eye appeal was Jamie with Sadie close but maybe some bigger range. We had our hands full – Ed & Bob went to get the vehicles to help chase them but we eventually brought them all to us-- VERY GOOD BRACE – all could've won most puppy stakes.

No more pack running either – need to keep track of them. 20+ min.

Another hot day – by the time we were back it was cooking out so we were done for the day. Still got dogs worked. Had some awesome sweet corn and had great Pork Chots – double cut.

Friday, July 30, 2010

A nice gentle rain during the night – under .3 but still good for the hills. The crew is supposed to arrive here this afternoon and start mowing. That will help us a lot. Bob's been mowing quite a bit for Roger. Going to tri and sget some things done this morning as I have to get my truck worked on at 10AM.

Meadow:

Rio: This was really a birdwork session. Been making progress with both Rio and Galt and now we're ready to move up. Rio worked around on foot – came into the pond area and up the little rise and pointed nicely. Ed totally quiet as he approached the dog. He had to look extensively to find the bird and then a gentle whoa as he flushed – Rio perfect. Called it a session!

Galt: He ran around and handled down into the pond area – worked up to the bird – stopped a couple of times but eventually crowded the bird and dove in and caught it. He was corrected and tried to settle – I tapped him on low ( collar on waist ) and stood and was mannerly for the shot. The next one he couldn't smell or didn't want to but I had to whoa him when he was crowding the bird – a slight settle – correction and the find for flush and shot. I put him on a checkcord worked him in and he pointed – I styled him up and had a good flush with perfect manners and no commands. We finished very positive and he was happy with himself. All in all – a great session for Rio – ok for Galt.

Rhett & Erin – walked them down together – no issues – cast off a foot apart and zero issues. Ran around the tall grass well and picked him up after a few minutes.

I'm off to town – get the oil change, rear door doesn't want to unlock so we had that fixed. Did some shopping and reading and watch the temperature rise.

Back at camp, Mary packed up and headed home. She's going to cycle in aound the 15th of the month. Bob was working with the Satillite company & not having much luck. Made us change the poll and had a new unity that turns out to be defective. Lucky for Phil's set up or we'd have nothing.

We had to buy a new DVD player – our only entertainment is on the computer or DVD. Ours just broke but we got a new player and we have movings again. Rainy days of extreme heat it comes in handy.

Roading:

Lea, Robbie & Sorrel - 26 min.

Katie & Annie – 26 min.

We had a very hot and humid afternoon. Bob out haying, Ed checking all the birds and we're looking anxiously to run the meadows. Birds in the johnie houses doing fine.

We had a nice dinner with good music and dead calm air – hot just sititing around. Jason & Heather visited after he was done working and she stayed and played with pups for quite awhile.

Bedtime was hot and humid and the promise of more of the same.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

We got hot of the box again and I'm not quite up to par so Ed & Bob went to the picnic pasture and run a couple of dogs.

Brenna – we ran 35 min. – several turtles, good GD and then got a bit into turtle hunting, dropping them on command. Bob called her off a turtle - turned out to be a bird and she handled the STF . next time on top of the hill – stopped and Bob rode to her – He tried to flush from horseback ( too many turtle contacts to get down with the bird flushing from under Bob about 5 feet from the dog – she handled – not classy but mannerly.

Rio – Showed good hunt and drive – had a bird in the air but he didn't put up and never chased – onward he was in the area of a wild flush on a single – whoa'd – moved a bit and another single got up – Ed dismounted to correct and another bird flew and as Ed went to the dog more birds flushed from all around him. A great covey of chickens taught this young dog a million dollar lesson. I'm sure he learned a lot. Down for 20 min or so and tired in the heat at the end. Still a great session for Rio.

Barely 10:00 am and the heat has cooked up again.

Break # 1 – midday on 7/31

Ainsworth Report - 2010

2010-08-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

Sunday, September 6, 2009

2009-09-11T16:47:00.001-05:00

Sunday, September 6, 2009

We only took a few dogs that needed some birdwork and used them on the remaining Huns. Ed got Annie to point stylishly & intent – best she's done with him on the ground.

Sorrel had actually run over a bird upwind and had a tough STF – about sitting on the mark and then raised himself stylishly – very good job. He's had a very inconsistent camp with the 1st half being better – but I see signs he's improving.

A nice find and manners for Shauna along with Lily.

Libby had a find, no point but plenty of enthusiasm.

We were done and headed into camp. Dave, Vickie and Ed packing up and hitting the road. They made it home to California in under 24 hours – good trip and no trailer.

We did some packing then headed out to the rodeo. Saw some of our local friends and had a nice time. More packing and an easy dinner. Up early to finish the chores---------

whoops ! Forgot Striker had chewed up our RV hookup to the horse trailer. Stan had a replacement one and Ron reinstalled the wire not without having to get out the wiring diagram and redo the plugs. It took awhile but works fine now.

Monday, September 7, 2009

We'll had good sleeping weather and got going with the final packing. Bob & Stan let birds out and took a few home for some yard work. Nice bunch of birds. Annie and Linda took care of the inside whild Bob G disconnected the satilite and got us all back to normal. We drove out of camp about 11:00 am and headed down the highway.

Just about to enter Iowa and Stan had a blowout on his trailer. Bob was able to turn around and help him – back on the road in an hour. We made Ft. Dodge around 6:00 pm and had a relaxing dinner – getting up early and arriving at home by 2:00 pm.

We got the big stuff done while only being mildly exhausted!!!!!!!!

Another successful summer camp now we have to see how the dogs do in real live competition.

I'm going to attempt to keep the blog going during trial season with regular results.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

2009-09-06T08:52:00.001-05:00

Saturday, September 5, 2009

A cool morning with heavy dew. We loaded up 7 horses in the old grey trailor. We're going south to the old Hitchcock land and run some dogs. The crew was ready and the last day for some. Dave & Vickie & Ed are leaving on Sunday morning, heading west.

Roading:

· We packed up the gear for roading as we've completed using it for this summer camp. Linda came back a couple of weeks into camp and put the dogs into great condition.

Hills:

· Erin & Shauna – well this was it – we've waited a long time to see a brace this nice as a team. A field we normally find lots of birds in only produced one contact and that wasn't good but the races for these two was awesome. They cast off heading west over some mowed land and took the left hand cut edge to get front. We dropped the gate and both dogs hit to the left hills and went with us – Erin in no time was 2 hills ahead and flowing to the front. Shauna showing outstanding speed and reach. The entire time down (52 min) these 2 were constantly front and reaching and rarely near each other. At 42 Shauna got into a covey of chickens and had to be corrected. Erin near the area but not part of the infraction. They were sent front with the trailers near by – they blew off the trailers and went well to the south showing no desire to slow down. Not since the brace of Boomer/Rita many years ago have we had such an awesome shooting dog brace.

· Bart & Rio – big booming race with dogs taking the country all in – At least 4 grouse contacts for Rio and Bart had birds also but not as well defined. Both are derby dogs and they rolled with Rio being the bigger in size and range today . These young dogs kept us sitting high in the saddle for the entire 40 min. Young dogs with a future.

· Galt & Sorrel – Bob handled Galt and he gave us about 18 min. of pure all age moves – awesome and huge – in the middle he hit a flat spot but then opened up again in the meadow. Going around the pond he was found standing with great style, Bob dismounted and went into flush as a single quail left the area – Galt chased but couldn't catch it and came back to the area – this time he stuck the covey and had a big chase after Bob flushed. He went to camp and took the fence behind camp to the west. I got out the ATV and he was rolling along – stuck birds from last night and it just wound him up more. 40+ min. then 15 to catch him. Sorrel on the other hand was a brat – started strong and got into a scent trail – probably of deer. Stan got on the high hill and saw sorrel far to the south on the trail of 6 mule deer. We didn't see him even after sending 2 trucks down to look for him – 2+ hours later he was found in camp standing off Bart – the dogs hadn't even barked – they had enough of his antics for one day. Deer aren't Sorrel's strong suit.

This was our last day on the hills. Tomorrow will be birdwork and packing up. We've got our travel plans arranged.

Vickie made a wonderful meatloaf dinner with great beans and salad. We did a wine tasting test and found some great wines. Roger visited for a bit but it was a quiet evening otherwise. Time to hit the road.

Friday, September 4, 2009

2009-09-06T08:49:00.001-05:00

Friday, September 4, 2009

This is a layback day with the main chore being our annual grooming session. A touch of fog and lightly overcast made it a good time to clip nails, clean matts out, check ears and all over for cactus and sand burrs and any injuries. We found a gaping hole in Inde's chest so an immediate trip to the vet was the order of the day. Bob G came with Linda and I. They cleaned it up but decided not to stitch it up – it had already started to granulate so it was doing just fine. We the went to Basset to visit Mildred Painter. Her and Gerald had been our hosts along with Roger and Janet for 20 years until Gerald passed away last year. It was great to see her and she's doing quite well at 89 years young. A great lady who raised her family in very severe conditions during some of those tough years on the Praries.

Back to camp and many more trips to town today. Actually needed an oil change as we all did at the local Ford dealer. I was looking to get some repairs done on my dog boxes but couldn't get anyone available for welding aluminum.

Back at camp we were preparing a Lasagna dinner with all kinds of appetizers. Should be great!!!!!!!! Bought some fresh sweet corn and fresh tomatoes. Ron made a caprese salad and it was just a great meal. While it was cooking we did some bird work and photo shoots.

Birdwork:

· Midge - now this was class – great style – paw up and perfect manners for this young girl.

· Lily – a little low in front but very intent – styled up with great manners.

· Sorrel – a very nice stylish stand but was really pointing the situation –moved up he worked to the edge and hit it hard. He then dove in – not his best day.

· Brenna – good mannerly piece of work – a bit low in the tail but she styled up nicely.

· Shauna – clean and stylish – and mannerly with a slight mark.

· Annie – not in the mood today so she blinked the bird and Ed called it a day.

· Robin – a very intense find with good manners and needed to be stroked up.

· Bart – worked on a checkcord and had a very nice stylish find with good manners.

· Galt – hit the bird hard but could see it and he flagged lightly. Checkcord kept him at bay.

· Dani - worked on a cord but couldn't get her to point today so we packed it in.

· Rio – worked him on the cord and got him to smell birds but no substantial point.

· Libby – a snappy little dog – didn't point but chased and was shot over – she handled this and chased with Dani and went to her bunk while Dani chased and chased and wouldn't get caught – finally hung up on a tree and Ed picked her up.

Wow!!!!!!!!! Camp is winding down – awesome dinner and good wine and great conversation. We had a very mild night, and it's time to get things packed up.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

2009-09-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Roading:

· Lea, Midge, Sorrel & Brenna – taking it a bit easy on the dogs now and let them put back on a bit of weight. 32 min.

Meadows:

· Mariah & Brie - Brie had a nice course and a stylish find in the cover – Mariah coming in and handled a command back by Bob as she couldn't see Brie. Ed was on the control for her as Bob flushed a single that Brie broke after the shot. Brie was corrected and both sent on with Mariah doing a nice job with a point near time. Tons of class and manners but delayed chase as Ed mounted. Corrected and sent on. 32 min.

· Lily & Robin –Lily an improved race as we worked around the course w/ Robin starting to see the light. Lily sticky a couple of times buried in the woods and birds leaving her in the cover but she didn't see. No birds – 35 min.

· Rio & Bandit – Bandit a restricted race as it appears her hip was pretty sore still and she's back on the IR list. Rio had a strong race and was reaching the extremes having been spotted up in the hills on Sidell's. He ran big but no birds officially seen. He really has improved and shows a lot of potential. Handling yet independent.

Thursday evening was a great dinner with Stan cooking a beef tenderloin and all the Painter's were here for dinner. Another wonderful meal and sitting outside listening to music. Dave fixed the speakers but more repairs are needed. We've been fixing things up and trying to get the place ready for our exodus. Ron and Annie decided to stay until Monday.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

2009-09-03T10:18:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Roading:

· Mariah, Midge, Sorrel & Robin – 32 min.

Meadows:

· Dani & LIBBY – Both dogs started front with Libby looking happier to be out and about. Dani and Libby handled reasonably well going to pond. Neither dog wanted to leave the pond area. Once we got the dogs up towards the hills they entered the bull pen and neither dog wanted to come with the riders. Dani eventually came with Ed but shortened up and handled loosely back to the truck. No birds produced by horses or dogs. Libby finally came out of the bull pen and Annie & Ron were able to get her to go with them back to camp. She ranged better and spent less time around the horses. 30 minutes

· BART & TEQUI – Started at hay yard and went back up higher into hills. Expectations were high as Ken was riding this brace. Bart and Tequi broke away independently with Tequi showing no signs of Tequi wanting to tag her bracemate. Both dogs going big and front on opposite sides. Hunted top of hills then slid down into meadows. Tequi went on point in area where birds were planted but no birds produced. Bart was found at the bird pen jumping and jiving and Dave had to go pull him out. Sent him on and both dogs finished front and caught in short order.

· LEA & BRENNA - Lea handled well off of line moving forward with a gun dog race out of camp. Made the cut with Brenna hunting the heavy cover. Both dogs moved through meadow toward Johnny Box. Lea pointed near the Johnny Box at pond but then moved on. Brenna came in and pointed near the Johnny Box with style. Bob produced single and she took a couple of steps on flush. Put her back threw a stick and all was in order. Both dogs then headed up into the hills. Brenna had a clean stop to flush on the hill. Lea ran into a covey of 12 chickens and whoa’d after a few steps. Then Lea put up a sharptail as she worked the back side of the hill and was off to the races. Cowboy Dave ran her down and finally after circling her several times, got her stopped. Horses put up 20+ sharptails. We headed south and both dogs did a stop to flush on 3 sharptails with a couple of whoas from Bob. Finished at Triple Gates at 40 minutes.

· ANNIE & SHAUNA - Both dogs moving forward with medium gun dog race. Hunted to pond with both dogs moving well and independent. No birds. 30 minutes

That was the morning for dog work. We had some town trips and starting to pick up and fix things around camp. Just a few days left. Bob G. cooked a Pork Tenderloin dinner and Vickie had the salad - & while dinner was finishing up a few of us went to work Inde on a bird. Got one planted off the ATV and here comes Galt – he made a huge lap around the meadow before we got him caught. WE had given him the day off so he could start to recoup some ( a bit skinny) so he does his own lap. Boy does he like to run. A very pleasant evening and stayed out until it was time for desert.

Awesome sleeping night – put Libby, Sorrel and Rio away and had a very quiet nights sleep.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

2009-09-03T10:12:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

A beautiful day for running dogs. Over cast and very breezy which did make it a little tough.

Roading:

· Mariah, Erin, Brie & Annie - trying to taper down a bit as the crew is starting to drag.

Meadows:

· ROBIN & LEA – Robin was more forward than the last time with fewer times behind the horse. No birds but a couple of nice independent casts. Went through Sidell loop finished coming around pond back to camp. Lea ran a decent race. Coming out of Sidell loop heading toward meadow she ducked into heavy cover and popped a bird but did a clean stop to flush. Finished forward - 30 minutes.

· SHAUNA & LILY – Shauna started out big in the meadow and entered the Sidell loop. Shauna pointed the Johnny Box, Stan whistled her through it and she continued forward through the loop. She came around to point the second Johnny Box tooted through that and she came up and got birdy at midway from the Sidell gate. Headed south into meadow and Shauna stuck a bird and waited for Lily to come in for back. Lily circled Shauna, stole point and put up bird. Shauna then moved with Lily and both dogs were corrected. Sent Shauna on and she hit covey of birds at north end of pond. Birds came up all around her and she decided to exit the situation. Stan got off and put her back. She then did a stop to flush on one remaining bird and finished forward. Lily had a nice race and went on to have a nice find in the shelter belt. Plenty of style. Ken needed to relocate her and she handled the situation well with style. Finished forward. 33 minutes

· INDE & SORREL – Inde made a big move at beginning to first island then made another big move towards the shelter belt with the bird house. Dave went to the shelter belt, climbed fence only to see that Johnny did not ground tie so Ed and Ron got the horse and sent Inde on out of shelter belt. She went all the way back to the first line and went into Sidell loop with us. She stayed with us until the second bird house at Sidell loop where she ditched us towards Richardson’s property. We went on and left her. Saw her on the next brace but still she would not come with us. Ed finally had to go back out on ATV two hours later to collect her. Sorrel was not on his game today. Was behind more than front. Sorrel went to market and went OINK OINK OINK all the way home. Painful 30 minutes with all riders needing Advil for neck pain on return.

· GALT & RIO – Both dogs big. Galt took the fence line heading toward Sidell’s house. Rio keyed off of Galt and headed towards Sidell’s house but then took the hill to the top. Both dogs really moving big and powerful. Sent Vickie to top of hill and Galt saw the horse and headed back toward Sidell’s loop with Stan but at this point remainder of riders (Ed, Dave, Ron) were in various locations looking for dogs and Galt was not sure which rider he should be keying off of. Stan eventually let Galt know he was the handler and he hunted with Stan through south meadow to the pond but no birds. Finished strong to front with lots of power. Rio made the big move at the beginning but that was the only bright spot of his part of the brace as he was then spotted playing relentlessly with a skunk….. Circled it, picked it up, rolled on it Vickie was able to lasso him with the checkcord and pull him off the skunk. Jackson was the smart animal in this brace or well trained by the boss as he wanted no part of the skunk. Finally got him back to Ed and sent him on with only a couple contacts with Galt but then hunted front back into camp. 40 minutes.

The rest of the day was mainly clean up and some chores. Linda and Annie went to town and shopped. Bob G. rolled into town late in the afternoon.

Monday, August 31, 2009

2009-09-01T07:28:00.000-05:00

Monday, August 31, 2009

A very crisp morning with heavy dew and the promise of another beautiful day. We got dogs all worked and bunches of young dogs. I was at work all day so Ed, Dave, Vicki, Ron & Annie handled the chores.

Roading:

· Mariah, Erin, Annie & Robin – Mariah ran 27 min. than she got hooked up to a fence while Linda continued on and she got picked up at 57 to finish the brace. So bottom line is – 33 min. – Mariah --- 63 min. the rest of the crew. We finally admitted that Mariah is not having puppies and got her back to working out. We will try again next time.

Meadows:

· MIDGE & BRENNA - Brenna started out well forward - hit first island and disappeared into the heavy cover then busted out of cover chasing bird. Dave brought her back and threw sticks three separate times and she broke on first two sticks; finally stayed on third stick. Moved forward and pointed with good style on this side of Sidell loop - handler could not produce; relocated her and she went forty yards and bumped a prairie chicken. More stick work and held on second stick; sparatic, independent for remainder of brace. Midge started strong to front went into first island with Brenna and did a stop to Brenna’s flush of bird. Got her going forward on the line but shortened run and kept diving into cover and getting behind me. Worked edges and went on point where a hun was known to be planted but handler could not produce. Midge was relocated but no bird was produced. Midge didn’t want to leave and go with the handler; self-hunting/diving into cover and getting behind. 35 minutes.

· INDE & RIO - Inde started off well disappearing on edge moving forward. Saw her at 7 min mark making cut by Sidell’s loop into the meadow toward’s the island. Found her standing with good style at 12 minutes near the quail johnny box by the pond. Rio came in and busted the bird without pointing and both dogs gave chase but did not catch bird. Put Inde back and then cast her off. On way back in, Inde blew off handler and headed for the bird house on the shelter belt, slipped under the fence and handler had to go over fence to get her back out. Rio started off good without bumping. Took the south side of the island and disappeared. Came out running with high head/high tail making nice moves down the lines toward pond where he busted Inde’s bird. On the way back in he started running toward the shelter belt with Inde but Ed was able to turn him and get him forward. Finished strong at 30+ minutes.

· BART & LIBBY - Bart was DOD - Started out fast forward and cleared Sidell’s loop before we cleared first island. A few minutes later when we reached Sidell loop, we saw Bart moving left to right fast and forward. Bart continued moving forward on the edges. Ed released birds in front of us and Bart stuck a bird on the edge with a ton of style. Finished front going strong at 40 minutes. Libby started out forward with Bart and disappeared at first island. Came out of heavy cover and ran short with some insecurity. Worked areas where birds were known to have been but had no birds. She worked area where Bart’s bird was produced then ran further forward with Bart but then broke off into heavy cover and slowed her pace then ran directly into camp to her barrel - 30 minutes

· TEQUI & DANI - Tequi moved forward with enthusiasm, Both dogs went into heavy cover at first island. Both dogs came out of the cover and headed straight across to tree line - but then both dogs turned away and wound up behind us. Tequi then changed direction and went front. She continued forward towards Sidells and made the turn towards the pond and headed left towards Johnny house. She worked cover and got her turned to work the other edge. No birds - 25 minutes. Cast Dani off dragging a cord for capture control at end of brace. Dani ran forward at start with independence. Made some nice moves at edge of pond. Worked cover but decided to hunt for herself and wound up behind us. Was difficult to get her to leave cover. Ed was able to get her out of the cover into the meadow and handled/stayed with Ed all the way back to camp. A new world record according to Ed - only two minutes to catch her at the end.

The rest of the day had Ed & Dave doing repairs on anything they could find around camp. Linda and Annie had a marathon afternoon shopping in town with a final stop at Ranchland. I did my hours for Monday at work and look forward to running dogs tomorrow. Stan rolled into camp a little bit after 6:00 only to find his rig unplugged and refrigerator a little bit over ripe. Now a countdown to the end of camp and trying to polish the dogs ready for trials.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

2009-09-01T07:27:00.000-05:00

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Cool & Crisp – we have a good crew in camp for the finish. Bonnie and Dennis are still here with Dennis going home this afternoon and Bonnie off to judge a Championship in Montana tomorrow. Ron and Annie here, along with Ed Meyer, Dave and Vickie. Stan should be heading back tomorrow and Bob G. will be here on Tuesday evening.

We're down to the last week or so and hope to put some real polish on the dogs and head out after Labor Day.

This morning we're going over to the east Hitchcock pasture and work from there. We've had Devin riding with us the last two days and it's great to have him here. He still knows what it takes to work a dog and a horse and he's a huge help working the team. Got to get him a birddog.

Roading:

· Lea, Sorrel, Shauna & Midge - very strong 61 min.

Hills:

Went to the south and over to Hitchcock's east pasture and worked maybe some big bunches of birds.

· Sol & Lily – Lily just didn't have it together at all ( after reviewing she's been very erratic at camp. Not what I had expected – no collar on today) a very inconsistent race. Got to about 35 and Lily had a poorly handled STF – made a minor correction and that picker her up some. Sol was very stable and had some good birdwork. A NP towards the end but overall Sol was connected.

· Gus & Galt – a very fun brace as both dogs ' leaned into the course' as Dave says—they were constantly knocking at the front in SD range. Only one bird seen being chased by Galt. These two young dogs have heart. 40 min.

· Brie & Jordy – Jordy a decent GD race with 2 v/good finds and a NP with a minor turtle contact. Brie was a big oink blowing by Jordy on a covey of sharptail find. She had 2 good finds – 2 very poor pieces of work and an ugly, rear – lateral race. Lots of birds but no class. 45 min. – Lots of cactus and sand burrs in the Triple Gate pasture we seldom use.

Meadows:

· Bert & Dani - Bert only saw the bird Dani caught and delivered to him – a moderate race with Dani all over and not wanting to come in at the end. 30 min.

· Tippy & Tequi – good GD race and into birds. Both showing more promise.

We called it a morning ( after noon ) and did some chores around camp. Dennis left in mid-afternoon. Dave's lining out projects to do. Down to the last part of camp. Want to see the A-Team shine!!!!!!!!

Had some fine steaks for dinner along with Vicki's potatoes – good music and a cool night – needed jackets and eventually went inside for ice cream.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

2009-09-01T07:26:00.000-05:00

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Happy Birthday Linda!!!!!!!! This is the big day and she wants to celebrate by roading her crew. This group really enjoy her roading & it helps us all bond with these dogs and get them into the best possible shape. We moved the crew to the pasture on Hitchcock's road to the west and this is the 1st time this season. Big pasture and lots of long hills.

Roading:

Kate, Erin, Brenna & Annie – 63 min. ( 63rd b-day and 63 minutes) was this a coincidence or what??????????????

Hills:

· Gus & Bart – Bart a little slow out of the box ( now his is based on his performances ) then really into it in the middle and after 35 min. in these big hills a bit of a slow down at the finish. Gus was powerful from the get go – with a nice middle but challenged strongly by Bart in the middle and showed some wear and tear at the end. Birds around Gus – Bart pointed solidly where a bird had just left but nothing produced in front of him. Fun brace with at least 50-60 birds – 1st time this summer with more chickens that sharptail.

· Hank & Buck – moved to a Richardson pasture north of the one we're in and had a powerful race form Buck with 1 NP and 2 very good finds. He be winning this field trial. Class and power was the work for him. Hank just couldn't get the job done for Lee – too bad as Lee is leaving today and I would've liked to see Lee have a positive performance from Hank – not to be. 40 min.

· Robin & Jordy- Jordy a fair GD race with 2 very good find – 2 stf with some style issues and a moderate finish. 35 min. Robin the best 16 minutes to day – she just flowed and reached forward. We had a minor conflict making a turn and the last half was not as good but I still saw good signs & have positive feelings about her progress. 35 minutes.

· Rhett & Jordy – Jordy – 2 finds with style and good manners – no style issues. Definite progress. Rhett – pointed 1 – knocked it and chased forever – caught it and retrieved. Long correction from Lee and then knocked the next one – blatantly – more correction – then ran to the island and blinked the island – not wanting more trouble. The pains you go through working a yard broke dog and bringing them up to green broke status. 25 min.

Tequi & Jimmy - hunt and a find with Jimmy joining the chase. A nice puppy performance for both dogs – 25 min.

· Libby & Homer – Liby a good race and solid point on a covey – good job – Homer showing good moments and plenty of desire.

Linda's birthday dinner was set for tonight. Ed had gone to Denver to pick up Dave and Vickie and bring them to camp. We cooked several of our Lou Malnatti pizza's for dinner. Ron and Annie arrived this afternoon and set up camp. Mary left early AM and made it to Sycamore by last night. Lee left camp around 5:00 pm and headed home. Both Lee & Mary had a good camp and sure were a big help getting things done and working dogs. Mary took Clifford home and we've decided he needed a big wild bird hunting season from him. Lee's string looked good - just a little down about Hank but the rest all made good progress. Jimmy went home with Mary as we had limited space for horses.

The pizza's came and so did our friends - Roger and Janet came early and helped with feeding, Devin – Shannon & Mason came along with Amelia, Heather & Jason plus Todd. Ron & Annie were here as were Bonnie & Dennis. Dennis made his peppermint ice cream mixture for Linda's party. Lot's of good stories and laughs.

Friday, August 28, 2009

2009-09-01T07:25:00.001-05:00

Friday, August 28, 2009

Another beautiful morning and the promise of a great day. We're running early and Linda and I have to make the trip to the Atkinson Vet for a follow up on Striker's eye. He is doing great but want to make sure we're not cutting the treatment short.

Roading:

· Lily, Shauna, Inde & Brie. Brie just not feeling like working hard to day so Linda brought her to the dog wagon @ 32 to pick her up. The rest of the crew did great for 60 min. Linda has done a great job getting everybody up to speed.

Hills:

· Sorrel & Ritha – Ritha a good day on the hills with 2 finds, ok style and a solid GD race. Lee was happy with her overall perfomance. Sorrel on the other hand started okay but got into an area with hot deer scent. Ed saw a big buck bedded down and tried to get her away from the area. No such luck – Sorrel kept working until he got it up and the chase was on—Bonnie going full bore trying to catch him and me a half a pasture away. The only redeeming factor was that Sorrel handles birds and as he ran through a large covey of birds he STF and Bonnie was able to grab him – a bit of a tongue lashing was all we could go since he did STF. From this point on, he handled but didn't go anywhere. Boring !!!!!! - 36 min. and getting warm on the hills.

· Lea & Sol - Sol had the find of the day with a very stylish find and perfect manners. A nice SD race and good stamina. Lea had a moderate race with a bit too much of hanging with Sol early. I was watching for her to make a hill far off to the SE and Bonnie and Ed were yelling at me something about a horse ( I thought) As Bonnie later said I had All – Age eyes handling a SD. It turns out they were telling me she was making game between me and her and the next thing I now – I rode up the covey she was working – she STF and I shot and took her on. Not far away she had another STF on a single. Manners okay but don't like her crowding and couldn't blame her for the 1st one. 35 min.

· Rhett & Midge- a find for Midge with a short GD race and a decent find. Rhett a reasonable GD without a lot of style and didn't handle the bird Midge had so back to the drawing board for Rhett . He is a very young dog and this is where the statement ' Patience is a Virtue' really comes into play. 33 min.

· Galt & Bert (ES) – Galt runs as usual ' big – big –big' with a handle very solid SD race – big but looking for you and always staying front – just a treat. Bert a stylish English Setter that shows moderate SD race and a good year old puppy & very pleasing to watch. 24 min.

· Rio & Tippy & Pal – all 3 dogs show desire and hunt & ran decent races for young dogs. I think we have an excellent group of young dogs. All dogs got into birds and chase – pointing was in the cover and hot pursuit. 20 min.

Friday Linda and I went to Atkinson to see the vet. All the people there were great and happy to see how good Striker looked. He really is an extremely likeable puppy and he's made great progress. The whole team was happy. They do Penn Hips on dogs and we'll need to look at that in the future.

Friday night was a Tamale dinner that Ed brought from California and might be the best tamales I've had since San Antonio and Robin hooked us up with – mmmmmmmmgood!!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

2009-09-01T07:21:00.001-05:00

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thusday was another very cool morning with some early morning fog – we still got going good and hit the hills.

Roading:

· Robin, Kate, Brenna & Annie 55 min. Strong

Hills:

· Erin & Buck – Buck was a renegade and it was not his day – 25 min. of handling and 30 min of herding. Erin had his best day of camp with a nice forward race and lots of class. A find at 20. min coming down a hill with the wind up his back, he stopped as birds flushed and took a move to go with them but stopped and stood for me to ride over and shoot. Not the best – sent on he went back to eating up the countryside and had a stand at 32, a little tentative until I got near then really styled up. I went out and flushed a single sharptail, shot and the area erupted as 15+ birds flushed with Erin standing tall. At 40 he worked up a small hill and established nicely. I rode to the front, dismounted and flushed a nice bunch of birds – 8+ birds. He went on, slowing every so slightly and was hunting strong at 51 min. He definitely was dog of the day.

· Hank & Jordy – 2 stf for Jordy – 2nd one not quite up to the standard and then a nice find with a moderate GD race and bit of turtle work. Hank never was pleasing Lee – just lacked the spark- 45 min.

· Gault, Tequi & Homer – meadows work with birds for all the puppies and they all ran good, Gault taking the big course and the rest hunting the meadow. Just a nice brace and lots of work- knocking huns and then quail. Homer knocked one he didn't see so Gault chased it for him then Tequi & Homer gave chase onone Bonnie knocked. 28min.

· Rio, Libby & Jimmy – Rio had an emotional moment with Jimmy. Rio kinda all over Jimmy but he was plugged in and it didn't seem to work until he was properly connected. After the weak beginning, the pups settled into a nice race. Birds for all the pups in the big treeline and then another bunch at the island. 30 min.

After noon just quiet and work issues. We had a dinner invite to the McBrides & brought the whole crew for great steak meal. This a special 'designer' beef and a great meal. A cool night ahead. Shouldn't be any fog tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

2009-08-29T14:42:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Morning was cool, damp and foggy.

Roading:

· Lea, Sorrel, Inde & Annie – 53 min.

· Midge, Clifford, Brie & Shauna – 55 min.

Hills:

· Robin & Ritha 35 min. – Robin just didn't believe that Ed had the same rules as Stan. She hooked Lee from time to time and overall she wouldn't whoa for Ed. She wasn't bad like she could be and overall she improved as the brace went on. Ritha went on and had 4 contacts, good find on the Sidell edge – style and manners – STF – ok then a level tailed find w/good manners – 4 was OK. Overall a good job for Ritha & Robin needs continued work.

· Lily & Kate 38 min. – Lily not up to snuff today but did a controlled back on Kate and was mannerly. Overall Lily was not in tune and I need to drop the collar – she doesn't need it and does not like it!!! Kate did a nice solid job – forward and smooth - 1 vg find w/10:00 style.

· Dani & Rio 26 min. on the meadow - good day for both pups – hunt and reached with no play. Got to cut near Sidell's loop – very big move and couldn't see if they contacted birds. Rio big and strong – Dani made good moves with Rio carrying the load. Hard to be caught up with these two.

Bonnie arrived Wednesday, a tired puppy – she got set up and got some zzzzzzz!! time & she needed it. Fog early delayed us a bit but we still got a full morning in with the dogs. The team is smooth and we get moving pretty quick in the AM. We got our work going all day long and had a great pork tenderloin dinner with brown potatoes – Bonnie was in Heaven!! We had a very nice meal and some tunes and visits.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

2009-08-29T14:37:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

It was very muggy yesterday and stayed so even as we went to bed. During the night the dogs were much quieter ( in my opinion ) but still had room for improvement. Linda stayed after them during the night and I had a good night's sleep. Cooler this morning, a bit cloudy but mild.

There's been a story I've been meaning to tell. Last week one day Linda and Jenny were visiting with Janet Painter, they were discussing the accepted methods of euthanasia for the local flys that take up residence in your kitchen. Her new method is called the ' stun and stomp' – you use a quick, non - lethal swipe with your best fly swatter then you stomp the stunned body on the floor and kept fly guts off your eating surfaces.

Roading:

· Lea, Ritha, Hank & Brenna - 53 solid minutes.

Hills:

· Erin & Rhett - these 2 boys started out with a purpose and the young Rhett showed he had a good idea of how to run – his 1st part was a bit lateral as was Erin's - only he got huge and then slipped me sideways and to the rear. Erin had his all age shoes on but his compass was on backwards. Finally got Erin back to the front and had a very nice piece of birdwork – pointed solidly and I had a good ride to get to him, he was intent except flagging. I whistled him on and he worked running birds for the better part of 200 yards only to establish a tight point but flagging. As I rode to him birds got him and a nice 6-8 chicken covey left him – manners fine – style poor. The rest was better with still a hook to lateral and drifting back. We talked and he got the picture. Stamina was excellent. Rhett showed solid improvement and very good front running skills – more GD at times but not afraid to reach front and worked an area where we had seen birds left but couldn't pin a straggler. 52 min.

· Sorrel & Bart - I had high hopes for this brace. Sorrel just didn't have it today. A very erratic brace with many times just blowing me off going his way. He did have a good find – pointing tightly as a single sharptail almost hit him as it flushed followed by 15 more in waves – only a 1 step lateral mark – very acceptable bird work but back to turtles, junk and his own direction. I had a talk with him and let's see how he is next time. Bart a bit slow and erratic to start but ended up with a very nice race and strong forward moves. He held his own. 50 min.

· Galt & Tequi – we headed back to camp and ran these 2 from the meadow. A strong powerful race for both dogs with Tequi getting into the cover and Galt taking the big country. Probably going to be easier for Tequi to handle our cover. 30 min. No birds.

We called it a day and got ready to hit town. Met Joe & Lori at the Spur for lunch and had a nice visit. The old ATV is still on the repair list and I expect it should be totally ready in July of '10 – I hope.

Lee went our and did his yard work with Rhett – now he's working with Mary and Clifford and see if he can make some headway. A moderately cool afternoon. The string of good weather has been truly amazing. We have a great group in camp and once again everyone are great workers and pitch right in wherever needed.

Chicken breasts and pasta for dinner – plus a beautiful evening. Bonnie due in camp tomorrow and Dennis on the weekend.

August 24, 2009

2009-08-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

August 24, 2009

We awoke in the middle of the night and the dogs were barking their heads off. I yelled and threatened and finally grabbed 1 culprit – Libby – that helped but I missed Kate & the night was a very short one indeed. Not a very nice way to treat someone on their birthday. I had asked for Lou Malnalti's Chicago Pizza for dinner so we had a plan.

The day was a workday for me and the crew was running the dogs.

Roading:

· Midge, Erin, Robin & Mariah– 60 min. (32 min. for Mariah) Linda was doing her 2nd watering when she realized – Mariah?????? - what are you doing here? Somebody put Mariah on instead of Lea – whoops, well she actually did quite well and no sign of hurting any puppies. I took the truck out and picked up Mariah.

· Lily, Clifford, Annie & Shauna – Well about ¾ the way into this brace, Linda tried to cross the wet spot in the meadow and got the rig stuck. Not delayed – stuck. I had to get a truck and towstrap to get them out of the hole. 73 min but a good wait while we pulled her out. Now that's the way to celebrate a Birthday – getting somebody else out who is buried in the mud.

Meadow:

· Kate & Brenna – Brenna just a flake – wouldn't back Kate and ended up knocking birds, delayed chase and wouldn't leave the area. She neededa good talking to. 35 min. Kate – 15 min. for Brenna. Kate a solid Gun Dog with good application and 1 good find.

· Brie & Inde – Brie the good one here with a solid race and no birds. Inde went to the Hun Shelter belt and never returned to judgement – gone for 55 min. & probably rooting birds. Brie a solid 35 min.

· Rio & Dani – Dani did a nice job today and so did Rio. Both did a nice job with Rio ignoring Dani for the whole brace. 25 min.

Back to camp for some breakfast and an early nap for me. Linda went to town & Lee washed his rig and everyone kinda took it easy. I worked on business stuff until it was time for camp chores and we all hit and got them done in no time. A warm afternoon – didn't quite make it to 90 but almost.

We got the Pizza ready to cook and the sweet corn and we had a real feast. Linda had got some home made pies and we really over served ourselves. Fine Silver Oak wine supplied by Lee. Great bottle of wine.

Linda got me an awesome Irish Pub – Town Setting with the Brophy name on the pub and Brophy Cote of Arms on the minature town model. What an awesome gift!!! Linda found this several months ago and had a hard time waiting to my birthday. Let me tell you " it was worth the wait".

We had a great dinner – plenty to eat and some good tunes followed by desert. They could've rolled us into bed – we were stuffed.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

2009-08-29T14:34:00.000-05:00

Sunday, August 23, 2009

A cool night and quite breezy. Linda & I stayed out till about 10:00 and Mary and Ed had stayed up to 1:00 am swapping stories. Working on the write up and Lee arrives about 11:30 on Saturday morning and getting set up and unloaded.

Dogs on Holiday – Striker looks much improved and Mariah just might be pregnant. Should now by next weekend.

We took the entire day off on Sunday and no dog work. Watched a movie at dinner and hit the hay early.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

2009-08-23T11:54:00.003-05:00

Saturday, August 22, 2009.

Stan snuck out of camp before daylight and headed home and then on to Virginia and Stephanie's engagement party then he'll comeback on Monday a week from now. He's got some traveling to do.

Cool and crisp this morning –plenty of dew. We have a light session for today.

Roading:

· Hank, Brie, Brenna & Inde – 54 min. They're getting up

Birdwork: Out to the meadow pond with a bunch of Huns and plenty of dogs that needed some polish.

· Lea – walked her down an edge then swung to the pond – very nice style and perfect manners.

· Shauna – once again – fast moving – hard point w/ a crick in her tail. Good manners for the flush and shot.

· Cliff – this was not a pretty picture & Cliff couldn't get by the basic obedience commands commands. Last weeks problems with wild birds has kinda set him back a touch. We'll stay off the planted bird for a bit and regroup.

· Lily – worked very nicely and hunted, good stylish point ( tail @10:00) but intent.

· Sorrel – he's aware of this game and did some stalking @ 1st. He hit the bird hard and a perfect stylish find.

· Rio – let loose dragging a cord – we had moved to the pond before Triple gates and had a stylish point near the waters edge – bird flushed wild with Rio chasing. He came by the second one and pointed and knocked and the birds while being a great flyer still couldn't outrun the eagle eye of Rio and made the mistake of landing on the mowed part of the pasture. Rio is a soft mouthed retriever.

· Tequi – up on the hill now – along a cut edge, we checkcorded her in and got a very solid, stylish point. Great job!

· Annie – worked loose and hit the bird softly, when Ed came in she tried to leave. Not a good scene.

· Dani – worked on a checkcord and got her just puttering around – not very focused and barely a flash point.

We filled up the bird boxes with feed and water. Called it a day and spent our time doing other things. Striker is showing improvement and getting stronger and more excited by the day.

We had a repeat of the dinner – beef burgundy – still good for the 2nd day. Watched Man From Snowy Rive – great flick and Mary Pavelco got into camp about 10:00 PM. Good trip into camp and all is well. She's ready for the hills. Tomorrow Lee is due in camp and we're ready for some new blood. We're taking Sunday off – give the dogs a break and it's supposed to be close to 90 for a couple of days now.

Friday, August 21, 2009

2009-08-23T11:03:00.000-05:00

Friday, August 21, 2009.

Striker is feeling better. Sleeping in the house in a crate he's being a great patient and looks to be feeling much better. Let's hope it keeps up. This morning is very cool – about 52 degrees.

Roading:

· Lea, Clifford, Kate & Ritha - 52 min. – Time is going up.

Meadows:

· Midge & Robin – Robin's best day in camp showing great improvement and a very competitive course with very little time spent behind. Midge just didn't have a lick in her today – not showing me the improvement I expect but handling a chicken find with manners but not with enthusiasm. 40 min.

· Lily & Rhett – Rhett starting off very big and too the front, Lily a bit slow the first 2-3 min. Birds seen in the air and Rhett behind at a distance – couldn't be sure but I think he got us. Lily was very consistant and showed class on the ground. Rhett then crossed the front and went with a wild flush chicken – got him stopped and shot over and took front. He was decent on the ground and showed good handle with plenty of leg. Wild birds are challenging him right now. We think he's making progress – very good stamina. 42 min.

· Dani & Tequi - a couple of quick taps to keep her from tagging and Tequi was off and running. Dani showed hunt and more forward but still not putting it together all the time. A solid 30 min. for Tequi and not bad for Dani.

· Bart & Libby – Bart a big race and plenty of drive – hit the windmill and Libby never made it down. Stan looked and she saw him and just left the area – kinda slinked off – very strange. She didn't show up at pick up and we went back to camp – got the truck and went to the hills – no Libby. 35 min. for Bart.

Stan & Ed looked and looked but no luck. We were back in camp – plenty of dog barking so she has to know home but I'm not sure. About 4 hours after she disappeared, Stan was out filling water buckets and there came Libby across the meadow – wouldn't come to Stan but went over to her barrel and laid down. She was done and knew where home was. Try and figure out what that was about.

Friday night dinner was planned with the Painter's. Jason bought himself a Semi for over the road stock hauling and is working as an independent truck driver. He's back in town tonight. We made Beef Burgundy with homemade noodles and fresh sweet corn. Great dinner and good conversations with our friends. A very mild night.