Leaving Laramie

We are in Laramie, WY right now, but it’s time to leave.  We have had overnight temperatures in the  20s several times since we arrived, in spite of the weather guessers’ predicting something warmer.  That is too cold (at least for this Texas girl).  By the end of the week, daytime temperatures aren’t expected to rise above freezing and I’m afraid my blood will start to coagulate.  

We have had another great visit here.  John was out of town several days at Gilbert's funeral, so the dogs and I just took long walks and chased a few bunnies.  What has really been special, though, is our time working with Roy Kern, range master of the Albany County Fairgrounds Shooting Range.  We can't thank him enough for his patience and skill in explaining what we are doing right...and wrong.  

Roy is a former Olympic shooting instructor, and currently coaches the students participating in the Albany County 4-H Shooting Sports Program.  You can see how successful the program is; these first-place team awards (and there are many more you can't see) go back to 1996, most of them earned by teams he has coached.  

Both John’s and my marksmanship has improved dramatically thanks to our sessions here this week and when we came through Laramie earlier in the year.  When I shoot well, I can now recognize the "feel" of doing things right.  And if I'm off the mark, thanks to Roy I know what I need to change.  Whether it's adjusting my stance, grip, sight alignment or trigger pull, I can now recognize what I need to do to improve.  You can bet, we’ll be back, and we encourage anyone traveling this way with a desire to sharpen their skills to stop by and shoot a few rounds in this excellent facility.

Since we lost Colt in June, there has been a void in the Bagley Pack and in our family.  As you know, that void has been filled.  Not that any dog can be “replaced” any more than any person can, but we are so pleased to welcome Cody.  He is a six-year-old border collie who has trialed at the Open Ranch level and who will be excited to get to Texas and begin to work sheep again.   Cody (whose original name was Cal) is out of Juan Reyes' (Wheatland, WY) J.R. Red and Anna Guthrie's (Harrisburg, NE) Raskle, but he has Texas roots.  His grandfather was W.D. Red Oliver's (Caldwell, TX) Luke, bred by Jimmie Walker of Hillsboro, TX, and his line also includes Jimmie Walker's Sam and Abby and E.B. Raley's (Crawford, TX) Imp. Glen, among others.  He has a lot to live up to, but hopefully the credentials to do it.

My sincere and heartfelt thanks to both Jo Woodbury, who trained Cody and has entrusted him to me, and to Wendy Auzqui, who knew I was looking for a dog and contacted Jo on my behalf.  I am so grateful to both of you.  (And thanks to Wendy and DH John for taking some of these photos.)

I worked with Cody at Wendy’s for a week to begin building our sheep herding partnership.  I am thankful for her insight and suggestions, and so pleased at Cody's responsiveness and his sheep sense.  I feel very blessed to have him and hope we can be ready for a trial before the end of the year.  

When we get back to Texas, we will be contacting Michele McGuire, Sheryl McDonald and other friends in the herding community to help us get there.  In the meantime, Cody is learning   important things he needs to know about living in an RV and commands that have nothing to do with herding sheep.  He is also learning the difference between Cody and Kota.  That's been a diction challenge for all of us.  He is stepping up nicely, though, and following Kota and Rue's lead.  We'll keep you posted on his progress and on our adventures as we travel east and south.