After a good long couple weeks in the South Cariboo, I have some wicked stories and photos to share.

We stopped in Clinton on the way up and I browsed through this little antique store, mostly filled with trinkets and furniture. They had these Frye-ish boots sitting on a stool, size 9. I don’t think I’ve snatched anything up so quickly! Made in Canada by a company I can’t quite decipher, they are in need of a little TLC but for $25 were a major bargain:

The weather was pretty scuzzy for the first week, so when my younger brother presented me with this bracelet he bought for me in Turkey that is meant to ward off bad spirits, I hoped it would also ward off my sagging, weather-induced mood. It, and the sunshine that appeared the next day, did just that:

Also during the week, I went to visit my alpaca fiber supplier for larry. They are so curious and friendly, and one of them, Mystery (pictured below) was like a puppy, loved attention and would nudge you if you stopped scratching his neck. He reminds me of E.T.:

Then finally, it was the long weekend, and the Interlakes Rodeo. We had gone last year and it was strangely sweet and reassuring to see many familiar faces in the beer garden! This year we went to the exclusive Rodeo Dance, and that was certainly memorable. My sister-in-law was eventually persuaded to dance with a toothless old cowboy, while I danced with a pseudo-cowboy from Vancouver. People were two-stepping circles around us, literally. A rodeo dance wouldn’t be complete without an all-out brawl…this fight, likely instigated over a young lady, ended up in a massive dogpile as the older cowboys tried to break it up. Even the band, Skidmarks (no joke), threatened to jump in – there were some swollen and bloody faces as we made our exit in haste.

The rest of the time was spent playing cribbage, rock poker, reading, keeping warm by the fire, and being totally and utterly amazed by the abundance of stars that emerged at night.

Good times in the Cariboo!