A GRANDMA DAY

Laila's sleep over spot in the motor home.

Grandma is helping Laila pick out a new rodeo shirt.

Yesterday was the last of the 3 slack days, and there wasn't a whole lot going on. This was a good day for Patty to spend some time with Laila while I worked in the trailer. I open up for business every morning around 8:30, even though the only people inside the rodeo grounds at that hour are either contestants, or workers. During rodeo performance days, the gates don't open to the public until 11am, but we catch a few early sales, and I have time to take care of some daily housekeeping chores.

The only activity yesterday was barrel racing that began at 10am, and some senior team roping after that. Everything was finished by 1pm, and I closed up at about 1:30.

While I handled a few sales, Patty & Laila had a leisurely morning together in the motor home, and Laila had her favorite breakfast of pancakes. The two of them made it over to the arena at 10am, and they watched the ladies turn and burn around the barrels. When that was finished, Laila decided that she was hungry again (this kid sometimes has the appetite of a sparrow), and wanted a corn dog for lunch. So, she and Grandpa walked over to the one food trailer that was open, for a corn dog, and of course I had to have a cheeseburger. Couldn't let my granddaughter eat alone.

After lunch, Patty and Laila returned to the arena to watch some of the roping action, and by 1pm, it was all over. No matter what day it is, we always stay open as long as there are people wandering around, and by 1:30, it was once again a ghost town.

It must have taken Laila a half hour to finish this rainbow ice cream cone, but she didn't allow even one drip onto her hands.

The ice cream is almost gone, and somebody has decided she doesn't want her picture taken.

After we closed the trailer, we walked over to where the wagons were being prepared for this mornings parade. We had a couple of hours before Marc picked up Laila, and they were off to meet Aunt Claudia and Uncle Marty, where Laila's spending the weekend. We'll get together one more time on Monday after the rodeo is over, and before we head to Yuma for the Gypsy Journal RV Rally.

Today is day 6 of 9 here at the Tucson Rodeo, and this is an event that we thoroughly enjoy working. In fact, I don't even consider it work. Over the years, we've gotten to know a whole bunch of people who are part of the Tucson Rodeo Committee, and it's an opportunity to visit with all of those folks who make us feel like part of the family.