Fun in the Summer Sun

I had a fabulous weekend.

I actually managed to call the radio station on Thursday and win a pair of tickets they were giving away to Cirque De Soleil when it comes to Jacksonville on June 29th. That was super exciting considering that I’ve wanted to see the show for many years, but the cost was always prohibitive. Scoring about $200 worth of tickets was a great way to get rolling into the weekend.

On Friday night, Buster and I used the gift certificate that my terrifically generous uncle Gary had given him for graduation to eat at Tento Churrascaria. This was an interesting experience, as neither of us had ever eaten at a place like this. The “gauchos” travel around the restaurant with an assortment of meats ranging from filet wrapped in bacon, to grilled flank steak, sausage, turkey, chicken, and more varieties of steak. There is a buffet of sides including salads, vegetables, and potatoes, but I wouldn’t recommend filling your plate with them. With the gauchos constantly bringing savory meats to add to your plate, it’s impossible to eat fast enough to keep up! We left feeling extremely full, and the biggest surprise of the night was the grilled pineapple with a hunt of cinnamon that was absolutely delectable!

Saturday morning came early as the alarm went off at 5am so that I could get out to the field and set up to teach class. I was able to play with Xan for a bit before my students arrived, and enjoyed two really great classes, in spite of the heat. We were thrilled not to be choked with the clouds of smoke that had been prevalent the day before. All of Florida is wishing for some much needed rain! However, I was glad it didn’t rain out the fun on Saturday. After finishing with classes, the dogs and I headed home for lunch and a nap. I no time at all, Xander, Buster, and I were packed up and heading out for the 16th annual Florida State Frisbee Championships.

Given my limited finances, I essentially cannot afford to compete in agility AND Frisbee, except when the Frisbee is in my back yard. So although we will probably only compete once a year until I win the lottery, I truly love the “Frisbee folks.” Everyone is SO friendly, welcoming, and supportive, it is impossible not to enjoy yourself. I would really like to be able to travel more, but at least we have this event once a year. Our friends Chris and Carol even made the trip into town to cheer us on, and for Carol to practice with her new camera. This annual event is particularly enjoyable because of the venue, which is on soft, green grass at Mandarin Highschool. In spite of the heat earlier in the afternoon, by 7pm we were quite comfortable and enjoying the show. I entered the intermediate division this year, as it is a new category for less experienced competitors. It was only our second time competing in freestlye, our first having been one year prior at the same event. After our week long, last minute cramming, I was pretty happy with our routine. I was thrilled to be the third team in the ring, so I didn’t have to stress out for long! We were certainly not world class, and my difficulty level was low, but we still made the finals in 5th place. (Out of seven competitors. ;) It was great to enjoy watching the other, much more skilled handlers before they announced the running order for finals, and I was surprised to hear that we would get to play again! Xander was pretty tired by that point, and barking his grumpy “ready for bed” bark, so I was concerned about getting him to even play. I decided to just go out and have fun, and we did! Our second routine felt much better than the first, and he did a great job maintaining enthusiasm in spite of the heat and a very long day. We moved up a spot, and ended in 4th place.

It was a terrific event, well photographed, featuring many fun vendors and spectators. I will look forward to next year! I also had one very laid back border collie the next day. He got a well deserved day off!
Sunday was a delightfully lazy change of pace. Buster and I spent the day just hanging out and doing a little of this, and a little of that, but nothing much. It was awesome. We grilled in the evening with our friends, and went to bed full and happy.

Next weekend I will be heading to Gabrielle Blackburn’s house to hopefully learn the secrets of her fabulous 2o2o and running contacts!