26. May 2010 - His Masters Truck....

One has to look REALLY close to find the truck....

Humble beginnings to a Grand Show.

The Great Luxton Pro Rodeo!

Luxton, Vancouver Island, where we stage the farthest Western Rodeo in Canada. Yes, competitors come from Montana, Alberta, and points further west (really 'east') or wherever to compete, break their bones, flirt with all the 'cougars', strut their macho stuff, and camp in their trailers accompanied by horses, cattle and girlfriends, wives and groupies. And, without a doubt, put on an absolutely riveting show. Even the rodeo clown provided refreshingly politically incorrect commentary throughout the show. Young and old filled the stands, and if they got tired of watching tough guys master wild animals, they could go and gorge on french fries and hot dogs, win stuffed teddy bears at shooting galleries or ride Ferris wheels or all kinds of other rides.

Vancouver Island came out in droves to Luxton, a nothing little village between Victoria and Sooke on the very South Coast of Vancouver Island, to enjoy a truly 'western' experience, cowboys, cowgirls and cowkids and all.

The stands fill up

Last minute purchases

from a plentiful supply

Western fashions of a different colour

Midway in full swing

Taking the missus out for a spin

Taking hubby out for a spin

Balloons, balloons everywhere.

Rodeo Hound

Budweiser aftermath

Stetson convention

Parade of the cool dudes

Future Cool Dudes Convention

Preview of man against brute force, or maybe man using brute force

The brain of the Luxton Rodeo volunteer organization running the show

Monkeying around, instead of horsing around the rodeo grounds

Finger Licking Good fries....

And finger licking good hot dogs, too.

Ah, the incredible style of a mature cowboy ...

And the concessions to femininity of a mature cowgirl

And the charms of a young filly

Oh those tresses, they would make a horse jealous

Arizona, eat your heart out

And by the way: Texas, eat your heart out, too.

Been there, done that, rode them all.

What else can one do on Victoria Day weekend but take the whole gang out to the rodeo.

Pony riding young cowboy...

Riding a Harley Horse?

One can take a horse to water, but one can't make the lady drink...

OK, let's get started on the real action here, fellows.

Getting ready for action

Gloves, lassoo, hat, now for the horse...

Positioning or posing??

Ah, those hats...never kissed the dust.

Alright, ride them cowboys, we're ready for you.

Western elegance personified

Well, lets forget about the elegance bit.

The Good, The Bad and The Injured...

It is unknown whether the contraption on the left arm is there to protect the limb or whether it is a leftover from some previous 8 or less second ride.

ETA - 1 second: Out of the gate - and into the sand.

This may be a sign of a pain in the arm or a pain in the ???

Calf wrestling lead in...this one got away.

This one did not

Bull Riding...not something I would like to do on a long weekend.

Handstand on automatic steering

The cowgirls get 16 seconds of fame, twice as long as the boys. Anyway, getting around these barrels took between 15 and 16 seconds. And the horses were better dressed as well.

Just don't get in the way of these amazons, a couple of seconds grace and off to hell for anyone who dares to wander around here.

Once more with feeling

Future dudes in training...

Well, some ride upside down.

And some ride back to the gate.

And some ride sideways.

And some ride laying on their backs.

And some get stuck at the gate.

The one and only female bronc rider - all of four feet tall.

Unsung Hero #1

Unsung Hero #2