April Showers?

This Saturday we went to an agility trial at Absolute Agility, it was hard to get up so early but off we went in the dark to play our favourite game.  It turned out to be a very nice day; the only nice day we got this weekend.  Today, we have freezing rain and tomorrow they are calling for snow, at this rate it will be May before all the snow and ice is gone.  Unless it really warms up, it's not looking good for me to have my Christmas decorations down before Easter.

But back to agility, in January I thought Beckett got his Silver Expert Jumpers and his Silver Versatility titles but I had miscounted his qualifying scores; we were short one Jumpers qualifying score. In Feb, we only did one trial and Beckett got a refusal in the Jumpers event at that trial, I worried that we would take forever to get that last Q.  At this trial the Jumpers was the first event, I didn't really think we would get it, not that the course was really all that difficult but because first thing in the morning, either I'm off or Beckett is. We were the last dog of the event.  We had a clear round and well within time. It wasn't our best run, I never felt connected with Beckett but we got it done. And that was really Masters Jumpers qualifying score number 25 for Silver Expert Jumpers; that is Beckett's fourth Silver Expert title giving him also his Silver Versatility title. We did the Silver Versatility title the hard with way with Steeplechase as one of our Silver titles.  For Silver in Steeplechase, you need 50 qualifying scores.

Masters Jumpers

Keltic also did me proud, getting his third Masters Snooker qualifying score, one more and he gets his Masters Snooker title.  He made me work for the Q though.

Masters Snooker

I had planned to do red jump, the tunnel number four, then red jump and jump number 7 followed by the red jump to the left of the tunnel with the jump 7 again. We got the first two pairs done but Keltic knocked the bar on the third red, I could have started close then but I knew we wouldn't have enough points to Q; so I thought we might as well go for the 4th red and do number 6 which was a combination obstacle, a tunnel, a jump and another tunnel.  We got over to the red, got number six done then started the close, where you run the numbered obstacles (2 through 7) as numbered. I was sure the buzzer would sound before we had enough points but we actually finished the close in a time of just under 53 seconds; you have 55 seconds to collect your points.

So each boy came home with Q ribbon. I'm not sure they were happy about having their photo taken with bunny ears.

I did take some without the ears too, but it's not as cute! Don't you agree?

Now hoping that we get some warmer weather, we have our next agility trial at the end of the month.  It's in a horse arena that is not heated so it would be nice to have warmer weather.

GOAL!

We had our first agility trial for 2019 this past weekend.  Both boys ran very well and we achieved our agility goals for the year. My goal with Beckett was Expert Silver Jumpers and with that Silver Versatility.  That was a pretty easy goal as we finished 2018 needing only one qualifying score.  For Keltic, the goal was to get his first Masters Q.... in any event! Not really as easy as it sounds as he's been in Masters games for quite awhile now and some little bobble always seemed to happen that prevented us from getting a Q.

At this trial, I put Keltic in the first three events two Masters Gamblers and one Masters Snooker. He didn't Q in either Gamble but he ran really well for me; he almost got the second Gamble but once again would not go to the distance obstacle.  Then it was the Masters Snooker; I don't think I'd ever entered him in Snooker before, as last year I was working to get Beckett's Expert Silver Snooker. Any way, luckily this Snooker course had no weaves and no dog walk which made me think Keltic really had a good chance at a Q.

Masters Snooker 1

I originally planned to run the two of red jumps nearest the teeter using the teeter as our obstacle of choice followed by a red jump then the A-frame as our opening but a friend pointed out there was a better line to jump 2 to start the close if I finished the opening with the teeter.  So that's what we did, a red jump, then the A-frame, followed by red, teeter, red, and teeter then the close. Keltic needed to finish obstacle 6 to get a qualifying score.  The course ran beautifully until I got myself out of position after 6 and as a result did a blind cross which Keltic didn't read, leaving him on the wrong side of me for the teeter.  We got a refusal for the teeter but we had already Q'd with 41 points. We finished our run in just over 47 seconds and you have 55 seconds to collect 40 points. We would have had plenty of time to have done the teeter.

Keltic - Masters Snooker Q, his first Masters Q

Next up was Beckett, he had one Masters Snooker and two Master Jumpers events to run.  Snooker was just a warm up event for him as we arrived at about 11:45 am and it now was close to 5 pm.  Beckett ran well in Snooker getting a Q but that's not the Q I really wanted. The next event was a Jumpers, it walked really nice and ran really nice too but Beckett had the very last bar down. 

Masters Jumpers 1

It was late and I did think about going home.  The second Jumpers course while nice was a little more technical and quite similar to the first. I worried that with so few dogs in the event I would forget which course I was running and incur an off course.  I told Beckett if he was going to knock a bar to knock an early one so we could relax and run the course.

Masters Jumpers 2

I shouldn't have worried so much, Beckett ran beautifully and I didn't forget the course.  That was Masters Jumpers Q number 25 which gave Beckett his Silver Expert Jumpers and, because Beckett has three other Silver titles, his Silver Versatility title. Although we did it the hard way with Steeplechase as one of our Silver titles; in Steeplechase, you need 50 qualifying scores for Silver Expert.

Video of Beckett's Masters Jumpers runs

Beckett - Silver Expert Jumpers and Silver Versatility

What an extraordinary way to start off our 2019 agility season!  Now though I have to come up with new goals for the year. For Keltic that's pretty easy,  a Masters Snooker title.  But for Beckett, he's a long way from any other title, so maybe it's just time to have fun and see where any Q's take us.

Catching Up!

It's been awhile so this post will be a little of this and a little of that.

After the week in Granada, my sisters and I headed to Brussels for my next round of meetings. Since we had already been away for a week, I didn't extend the trip so there wasn't a lot of time for me to play tourist. We arrived in Brussels on Sunday morning, once we got settled into our hotel we walked down to Grand Place and over to see little Mannekin Pis.   There was a folk festival on in Grand Place with bands and these giant puppet characters. Mannekin Pis was dressed in one of his little costumes.

We ate out one evening at the Hard Rock Cafe Brussels.  Now I've been to the Hard Rock in Rome, Berlin and Brussels and will probably add London and Orlando to that list early next year.

Once my meetings ended on Friday morning, we did have the afternoon and went to visit the Atomium, which was part of the World's Fair held in Brussels in 1958.  For me, it was the first time I had been out of the downtown core of Brussels.  We walked through a park and to another wonderful old church.

Once home from this work trip, I wasn't in the office for long before I headed off to western Canada for my nephew's wedding. My brother and one of my sisters flew through Ottawa from Moncton NB so that we would be on the same flight to Calgary. We met in the Ottawa airport where we had lunch together.

There had been a lot of snow already in Airdrie, Alberta but by the time we got there, thankfully, most of it had gone.  The wedding was on Saturday and we arrived Thursday night so on Friday we went to the Calgary Zoo to see the pandas that are currently there on loan. The pandas were resting which I hear they do quite a lot.  We did see many other animals including the lions who had just be returned to their exhibit after meat had been hidden around for them to find.

The wedding on Saturday was a small but fun affair. My nephew and his new wife did a lot of the arrangements themselves with help from family and friends.

One of my nieces with her partner 

One of my sisters, with her daughter and son-in-law

The bride and groom with the groom's sister and mother.

Me, my brother and sisters (less one)

We weren't flying out until Tuesday so we decided to drive to Banff for the day on Sunday.  You can see the mountains from Airdrie but you need to go a bit further west to really see them. It was quite a scenic drive; only takes about an hour and half to get there.  Once we arrived we got a quick lunch at MacDonalds and then walked around and did a bit of shopping. We even went to the Fairmount Banff hotel as they have the best views of the Bow River off the back terrace.

Downtown Banff

View from the hotel

Since getting back from that quick trip, I've been back doing agility. We had a trial the past three weekends.  Keltic is still looking for that first Masters qualifying score; I know it will happen but I hope it doesn't take another year. Beckett has been whittling away at the number of qualifying scores he needs for his Silver Expert Snooker and Silver Expert Jumpers. Well, last weekend we got the last two qualifying scores we needed for the Snooker title.  And now we only need one more qualifying score for Expert Jumpers; once we get that final qualifying score, it will also give Beckett his Silver Versatility title for having achieved Silver Expert in four events.  A Silver Expert title means that you have 25 qualifying scores in that event except in Steeplechase which requires 50 qualifying scores.

That's it for agility for 2018, looking forward though to a good year in 2019.

Wordless Wednesday

Silver Award of Merit

We finished last year with Beckett only needing two more qualifying scores in Masters Standard for his Expert Silver Standard and his Silver Award of Merit.

For the first trial of 2017,  I entered him in four Masters Standards in hopes that we could get two of them.  Our first run was beautiful, we were in sync, it flowed, we danced; until the second last obstacle, the dog walk, I didn't tell Beckett to target and although he was slowing down he managed to miss the yellow contact zone.

I was really bummed as now I thought that things would go from bad to worse. It only takes that one little thing to throw you off your game.  I tried not to let it get to me as we still had three more runs to go.

Our second standard wasn't as nice. I came out of the ring thinking perhaps we had two refusals.  To make sure Beckett got out to the tunnel (obstacle 11), I pushed past the bottom of the A-frame and he came with me right into the pocket between the two obstacles but then scooted over to get into the tunnel. Then on the second weave entry, he came to a complete stop, I thought he only turned his head before he entered and did the weaves, but I wasn't sure.  I was very surprised to see that it was a Q. Poor Beckett didn't even get a jackpot for that Q.

Now we only needed one more Q, it was getting late and we had to be back the following morning for Keltic's turn.  Master Standard 3 was the course that I had liked the best when I first looked at them and I hoped that Beckett would like it too.

I worried a bit about the first few jumps and getting him into that first tunnel without any spinning.  He didn't, the only spinning we got was when my front cross after the A-frame was late. I was very nearly in his way for the weaves but Beckett saved the day with his awesome weave entry. Beckett certainly was rewarded for this run with real chicken, not just the chicken hot dogs he normally gets.

I was tired, my leg was sore, Beckett was even limping a little; we had done what we came to do so we pulled from out last run and went home.  But I think Beckett would have Q'd the last run too.

Video Silver Award of Merit run

I never thought when I started agility that I would be able to even put a championship on one of my dogs, now I have a great little dog who has his Silver Award of Merit for 25 Standard Q's and 50 Games Q's all at the Masters level.  

Way to go, Beckett!

True Colours - Silver

This week's challenge was to find something miniature in silver and tell a story about it. I have a little silver horse on my computer that was given to me by my youngest sister as a Christmas gift but I didn't think that made much of story.

So I decided to use a silver pin that I have from the Canadian War Museum. Not long after the museum opened, my parents came to Ottawa for a visit. My Mum was already dealing with Parkinson's. She tired easily and had difficulty walking so she decided to stay home while my Dad, my nephew, and I headed down for a visit to the War Museum. I had been told that the museum had a program for veterans so I asked at the desk if there was a discount for former members of the military. It turned out that former members of the Canadian Forces and up to two escorts were given free admission to the museum.  I thought that was a nice gesture to give free admission not only to the veteran but also to the family or friends that accompanied them.

I thought there would be other visits to the museum with my Dad but this was our first and only visit together. It will be a year at the end of the month since he passed away. Maybe it's time for a another visit to the War Museum or perhaps the Aviation Museum.

The pin above is only one of many that I have from places I had visited. I'm sure there are others that would bring back a memory of my Dad.