The Weekend Report: Yes! You Read That Right!!!!

First, I must rant! I just spent an hour writing up this post, previewing along the way, and was almost done...so close. I fumbled fingered it somehow, and all my text was gone! Vanished! Not saved as a draft, just gone. ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!! Now I don't have the patience to rewrite it as I had it. Sigh!

Here's an abbreviated version:

This past weekend, Jimmy and I actually tried our hand (and my knee) at an agility trial. I needed to know where I was in my recovery. I truly didn't want the big AKC National Agility Championship at the end of this month to be our first try since early December.

Currently, Jimmy and I are sitting at Double-Q #19. We need twenty to complete our championship title called a MACH. We already have all the points we need so it's just getting that last double-Q. Ordinarily, my nerves would have been on overdrive, worrying about getting two successful runs. But, having no idea if I could really even run, let alone run fast enough to show Jimmy where to go, and also worried that it could potentially be very painful, I had no nerves at all about earning Double-Q #20! I just wanted to see if I could do agility at this point in my recovery. And I found out, yes, I can! Woohoo!

No doubt about it, I have a significant limp. I don't have full speed capability yet. But I learned I have enough to get through a course without frustrating Jimmy. And it really doesn't hurt, just feels odd or maybe twingey.Even after two days of agility, my leg was not sore this morning. This is really happy news. I still have another 10 days I can use to improve my stride now that I trust my leg more.

As to how the weekend went, course wise, let's just say we came very close to earning our championship. Each day, just one downed bar stood in our way. When you consider that my lurching stride was a big distraction for Jimmy, he did a great job. Saturday just one JWW bar, Sunday in Standard, the top bar of the triple. Other than that we had nice runs where I managed to get to where I needed to be.

In addition to our Jumpers and Standard runs, this trial also offered Time2Beat. In an effort to spare my knee too much work, my friend Gretchen handled Jimmy for those runs both days. Many dogs won't run for anyone but their owner. However, with just a tiny bit of angst and a brief look back at me, Jimmy flew around the courses with Gretchen like they had done it 100 times before. Gretchen runs her own Pembroke Corgis, so Jimmy's speed and style of running were pretty familiar and she did a wonderful job, Q'ing both days! She even finished our Time2Beat (T2B) title for us. Thank you, Gretchen!

Jimmy's registered name is now:

Fine Creek's Sharp Dressed Man RN HT MX3 MXJ4 MJB MXB OF T2B

How's that for alphabet soup?

The weekend leaves me feeling very hopeful that I can go to the big event feeling, if not ready, maybe secure in the knowledge I'll be able to get around the ring. The truth of the matter is, even before my knee, we were never going to the podium. The accomplishment for us was in the qualifying. And for me, the experience of competing at a big National event. So barring anymore unexpected surprises, we'll be there! It may not be our A game, but we will be there!

Here's are a few videos.....

Saturday Standard:





Sunday JWW






Sunday Standard:





Sunday Time2Beat:

Two for Tuesday

Here are a couple more shots from the weekend. This farm had such beautiful scenery! I am ready to pack up and move to the same area. I never realized how pretty it was down there. Unfortunately 80 plus miles is just a bit too far of a commute to work. Amazingly, though, a lot of people do it.

Oh, and if you feel like watching another agility run, check out yesterday's post. YouTube finally processed our Jumper's run so I updated with the video.

The Weekend Report - A Table for the 4th Time in a Row!

Yesterday was another fun day of agility. This trial was an outdoor trial held at a farm over on Eastern Shore, Maryland. I was worried the place would be a muddy mess after the passing of Hurricane Sandy, but it was really quite dry. The forecast was for a chilly, but sunny day. Well, the weatherman was right about the chilly, but there was very little sun. It came out for the last run of the day.

The first run was Standard. It was a tight course (the judge runs Corgis!) but not too difficult. It was Aframe to the Table, which seems to be working for Jimmy recently. I front-crossed in between and he hopped right on! Good boy! We ran the rest cleanly and it was a Q! We weren't quite fast enough to place in the ribbons, coming in 5th.

Next, Jumpers. Again, not too tough. A big circle that eventually led to a triple in a corner. Unfortunately Jimmy took this jump out, knocking the top bar. Being an outdoor trial, the ground is not level everywhere, and this jump caused the dogs to jump slightly uphill. It was just enough that a lot of dogs didn't get over cleanly. There was lots of grumbling :-) This was our only mistake but as such no Q and no Double-Q for the day. While I was a bit disappointed, I was stilled thrilled at getting the table yet again in my first run. Success on the table is much more important in the long run!

This trial offered the optional course called Time to Beat (T2B). It was a nice flowing course (as they should be, but some judges seem to forget that) and Jimmy cruised around cleanly and quickly. Now with T2B only the fastest dog get a placement ribbon, and our butt was kicked by a very speedy King Charles Cavalier. Jimmy was the next speediest so he did get 9 points toward his title and of course another leg.

I forgot my video camera so I am afraid there's no agility clips to share. This trial was about an hour and a half ride from home. To get there, I needed to cross the huge Chesapeake Bay Bridge . Well, as it usually is with agility trials, you are driving at the crack of dawn in order to arrive in plenty of time to settle in. Fortunately the clocks going back an hour eased the pain of getting up so early.  I got to the bridge just as the sun was beginning to color the sky. I didn't catch quite the picture I wanted but it gives a hint of how pretty it was to cross the bridge so early. Another reward for arising early!

And at mid-span, I liked the abstract quality of the support structure.....

I've got more pictures from the farm, but I will save them for later. I've got to conserve my blog fodder, don't cha know :-)


Tracking Jimmy's MACH progress:
Excellent B JWW legs: 24  Now he's working on his MXJ3!
Excellent B STD legs: 11 We earned our MX and are working on MX2 now.
Double Q's: 8 (out of 20 double-Q's needed for a MACH.... 40 Percent!)
MACH Points: 520 (out of 750 speed points needed for a MACH...... 69 Percent!)

Time 2 Beat legs: 5 (out of 15 needed for his T2B) 41 points (out of 100 needed) 

The City Slicker

As part of our trip to the apple orchard a couple of weeks back, we ran into these characters......

Burro: Hmmmm, Looky, Looky, What do I see? That city slicker has some big ears.......

Burro to his friend: Wanna have a little fun? Let's challenge that little doggie to an ear measuring contest! Whaddya say?

Quick! Drop your ears down, he'll never suspect a thing! We'll take him for that bag of apples by his car!

While I have you all here, can I please get you to vote for Wilson to be in the CorgiPals calendar? Go here: CorgiPals Voting Page and see and vote for all the great pictures...Wilson is in the running for a February spot. Thank you!

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

The Butter Boys

I live in the thick of Northern Virginia suburbs, filled with countless cookie-cutter homes, small yards, and endless pavement. However, there are a few holdouts who have kept the feel of old Ashburn alive. A short walk from my house, via the W&OD trail, is a small farm complete with chickens, several horses, and even bee hives! The mild winter was really a boon for the flowering plants this year. Their horse pasture is covered in buttercups right now. I got as close as I could without risking Jimmy seeing the horses. He gets pretty amped up about them and I certainly couldn't risk him going for the chase! So here are the boys posed just outside the fence. The horses were not far away but the tall weeds, flowers, and grass kept them out of sight. Good thing they weren't curious about what I was doing and came for a visit.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

And don't forget about my GIVEAWAY.

Photos from Saturday

The trial this past weekend was at the farm I have posted about a couple of other times. It is a wonderful place for a trial, especially if you enjoy doing more than just watching runs. There are acres of land and farm roads to walk the dogs on, swimming in warm weather, the ambiance of a real farm, and the list goes on and on.

Here is a small section of what greets you as you arrive...their driveway is probably a 1/4 mile long!


Once you clear the woods, it opens up to the alpaca pasture.


Wandering around, here and there, are the most charming little touches. This very small Buddha was sitting on a tree stump. He's evidently been there awhile based on the mossy patina.

Here are the boys posing on one of the outbuilding's steps. This is another example of their good sit/stay as there was an alpaca behind me about 20 feet away in a small pen. That's what they are focusing on.

And as you can see, this lovely farm has all its ducks in a row! Wilson was quite mystified by this pile of Canada goose decoys. He definitely did a double take as we walked past.

Stepping across one of the outbuilding thresholds, I noticed this delightful footprint. Now I know why this particular agility trial is often lucky for me. It has a permanent good luck charm stamped on the property.

Just past the horseshoe print, was an old boat filled with end-of-season zinnias.

And last but certainly not least, another reason I love this trial is all the Cardigans! It is the only trial where Cardis sometimes outnumber the Pems or where I am not the sole Cardi person. This striking boy was just one of eight other Cardis enjoying the day.