Three of us make a very quick trip to the Iditarod restart in Willow, then hang out with cats; how Charlie fared in the beard contest
Monday, March 8, 2010 at 4:00AM ;)
If you are looking for lots of good pictures from the Iditarod Restart, this is not the site to come to. I awoke this morning feeling completely exhausted, run down, as though I had not slept at all. I had a terrible headache, a bit of a sore throat and I felt just plain weary - barely enough energy to drag myself into the kitchen and cook some oatmeal.
I figured, though, that if Jacob and Lavina brought Jobe by for Margie to watch and then took off with Kalib to watch the dogs go, I would follow, but I would be very lazy and shoot just a few so-so pictures, just to say we were there.
After all, there would be scores of photographers seriously documenting the event for all sorts of publications, many would go on to follow the race and they would be working extremely hard and putting everything they have into it to get the best shots possible, so, really, what could I add to the mix?
I would just stick with Jacob, Lavina and Kalib, get a few lazy pictures and let it go at that.
A little after noon, Lavina called to say that they would not be coming at all. It would be nearly a 200 mile round trip for them, they were very tired (after all, they do have a newborn) and Kalib seemed to be coming down with something.
OK, then, I decided, I would just stay home.
Then Melanie called. She and Charlie wanted to see Lance Mackey take off. He wore bib 49, and was scheduled to leave the chute at 3:30.
Okay, I decided, I would go with them, but would still be lazy.
Melanie had to drop her car off at Mr. Lube here is Wasilla to get an oil change, so they would ride with me. Mr. Lube closes at 5:00, so she had to be back before then to get her car.
We left Wasilla for Willow at 2:20, twenty minutes after the race had already begun, reasoning that we had better head back home no later than 4:15 in order to get back in time.
;)
We managed to find a parking place not far from the action, but wound up trudging through deep snow the long way around, so it took us awhile to reach the raceway. We got there just about the time that the 40th musher was charging down the chute behind his dogs.
This is musher 41. Dallas Seavey. In 2007, the day after this former state wrestling champion turned 18, he became the youngest musher ever to run the Iditarod.
;)
These are the famous white dogs of number 43, Jim Lanier of Chugiak.
;)
This is number 49, Iditarod Hall of Famer Lance Mackey, who Melanie wanted to watch depart. Mackey may be the toughest long-distance musher ever, having come back from a deadly battle with cancer to take multiple victories in the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod and winning both in 2008 and 2009.
You can find a bit more of his story here.
;)
Pretty soon, we had to go. Traffic was sometimes very slow, but we got Melanie back to Mr. Lube with 13 minutes to spare.
;)
Then Melanie and Charlie came to the house for dinner, and to hang out with our cats. Here is Charlie with Royce and Jim.
;)
Charlie, Royce and Jim.
;)
Charlie and Jim.
;)
Melanie and Royce. Before they left, Melanie was trying to write a check out for me to cover Royce's upcoming vet care but I was being elusive. So she wrote it out and gave it to her mom.
;)
Charlie and Royce.
;)
Chicago and me.
;)
Now, as to that beard contest...
I am too tired to tell the whole story, but, to make it short, there was some confusion about which category Charlie was to enter. He wound up competing against men who had at least some gray and white in their beards and they beat him.
That's because it was the category for men with gray and white in their beards, although it was described as being for men with multiple colors in their beard. Charlie has brown, red and blond in his beard, so he thought that meant him.
Afterwards, he learned that he should have been in the "Honey Bear" category. Two judges told him that they really liked his beard - if only he had been a Honey Bear.
He is thinking about going to the nationals in Bend, Oregon, in June, where the categories are more clearly delineated.
I will probably be blogging light for the next few days - maybe all week. I've got a lot of work to do and I feel like... heck.
(I was going to say, "hell," but once again I remembered that ten-year old girl who I am told reads my blog everyday.)
Reader Comments (16)
Next time, Charlie should ask for Melanie's imput. I betcha she would have told him that he was definately a honey bear right away. Women know these things.
Beautiful portrait of Charlie!
Hi -- it's the 10 year old girl. I saw you typed hell. You're busted. I miss pictures of Kalib.
Pretty much being a newcomer here, I hadn't really seen Royce "real good" like in today's pics. Well I'm here to tell you Bill, we just got a carbon copy of him 2 weeks ago. This little guy (less than a yr old) turned up on Craigslist as a stray, so the household couldnt keep him. Lucky for us, this home also had a Golden Retriever (like us) and the kitten got along with the dog beautifully. Brought him home and he fits us to a TEE.
Anyway...after todays post, I will look at "Mr. Bo Jangles" * (Bo for short) and think of you and Royce.
* Playing on radio after we picked Bo up.
*gasp*
Bill ~ now look what you've done...
hope you all feel better soon, love the dogs
Oh, my, I've been looking at cat blogs today. We do not have a cat in our house. Maybe someday. But not soon.
Those dogs...look at 'em run! I think we should have them in the lower 48 ... we could put wheels on the sled and use a shorter team. Pretty cool way to make a run to the grocery store, wouldn't ya think?
Okay, I want to know where you were standing to get those shots of teams coming out of the chute. Of course, you were there later on, so the crowds had (?) thinned out compared to when we tried to see things. I have some great pictures of construction webbing with a couple of dogs running behind it... :-(
Beautiful photos of the dogs. And loved the photos of Royce, and of Charlie too. By the way, Riana is learning lots about Alaska from the blog. Thank you again. And we both giggled this morning. She was tickled to see another reference to her.
Forgot -- we both forgot to say "GET WELL QUICKLY"!!!
OmegaMom, next yr head off to one of the lakes in Willow the teams cross! We went to Vera Lake and the teams went by right in front of us, no webbing, no crowds and time to chat with the mushers as they went by. It was a tad windy on the lake but compared to the weather the night before it was an absolutely gorgeous day to watch the race!
Bill, love the pics of Charlie and the cats! One can see how much he truly enjoys them.
I love the close up of Charlie! Also the cute couple pic from Saturday's start. Thanks Bill.
Charlie's Mom, Cyndy
That Royce should have been the next "Morris the Cat:. He's a natural camera magnet -- seems to have a natural affinity for the camera as well as his humans.
He's looking better (it's the eyes) albeit still a bit thin. Hope he continues to do well.
Loved the strong-contrast sunlight pictures, especially the ones of Charlie with and without the cats. You're good even when you're lazy... ;-)
Lovely pictures.
Oh hai... Charlie should have won. His beard is AWESOME.
We need Charlie in the correct beard category. :)
Debby - Not to wax stereotypical, but I believe it to be a fact that, in general, we men cause lots of problems for ourselves that could be avoided if we just listened more closely the women in our lives.
Manx - thanks.
Riana - I hope you see today's blog. I included some Kalib pictures just for you.
aview - I think you are going to be very happy with Mr. Bo Jangles. And sometime, should I find myself knowing that I am in your neighborhood, I would love to photograph him.
Debby again - A finer thing I have seldom done.
Thanks, Twain.
Whitestone - If you have been wandering about cat blogs, then probably you should invite a cat to come and live with you. There are people up here who do just that in the summer time, so it works. Some also hitch their dogs to their four-wheelers, put them in neutral and let the dogs pull them around.
You can also hitch dogs to a boat and then have them run along the shore, pulling the boat. I have never seen this, but have heard of people doing it in the old days.
Omegamom - I hate to give away a trade secret, but there are crossings at intervals along the chute, along with folks whose job it is to keep those crossings clear of people when the dogs are coming. So if I want to see down the chute, I just hang near the opening of one of those crossings and then when the dogs come, I scoot in to the max I think I can get way with, drop down low so I am out of everybody's vision and shoot.
Grandma Nancy - Myabe Riana will learn so much that one day she will want to come up and see for herself. Should that happen, and should I still be alive and blogging at that time, she can come by and I will put her in the blog.
and thanks to both of you.
Lisaj - maybe next year we will do that. I look forward to seeing your pictures.
Cindy - Charlie is a good man.
Karenj - It is strange with Royce. He stays horrifyingly thin, but is still filled with energy and desire. I hope so because, truth be told, as ambitious as I truly am, I am always tired and lazy. Always.
ac - we agree.
Blessings for Royce. We've never had but one yellow cat at a time - they're all mega-personalities.
Based on your symptoms, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were in the Ohio River Valley - sounds like that Tree-Pollen Crud we've got going around here! Feel better soon - I'm looking forward to Kalib and Gracie!