Checking Out the Stock

It has become a yearly tradition for me and my Lutheran Stud to attend the National Western Stock Show that is held in Denver annually. There was some cattle judging going on when we arrived. 

This cow here, I believe, is an Angus. Unlike Adriane's milk cows all the fat lives around the mid-section of these guys.

Did mention that this extra large Angus almost ran me over, but my Lutheran Stud had lightning quick reflexes and pulled me out of the way just in time.

We grabbed a funnel cake and some BBQ under the I-70 bridge and then it was time to head in to check out some bulls and cowboys.

Pyrotechnics makes everything more dramatic and suspenseful when introducing cowboys.

There were a lot of cowboys and chaps in the house that night.

The bulls seemed more feisty this year than they have been in previous years.

The rodeo clown, Flint Rasmussen, is a huge reason we attend the bull riding event. There is often dead time in between rides, so to keep the crowd from falling asleep Flint keeps us enteretained. This guy is hilarious.

Do you think he's dancing or doing push ups?

He has teenage daughters, so he knows his Justin Bieber dance moves as well as the names of the entire One Direction band. He can sing any of their songs while dancing too.

Rodeo clowns are supposed to re-direct the bulls away from the bull riders, but Flint isn't that kind of rodeo clown. He's more of an observer.

See what I mean? He's the guy in the camo shirt. ;) There weren't many 8 second rides that evening. The bulls were winning this competition that night.

This guy was the last ride of the evening. He made it to 8 seconds and he's been riding bulls in competition for 3 decades. Crazy, huh? It was a great way to celebrate my birthday and I'm sure we'll keep this tradition going for many years to come.