Pioneer Day Rodeo

This weekend was a busy weekend full of craziness, laughter, and the occasional bi-polar moods most commonly referred to as MY FAMILY. My dad grew up in Carey, ID which is where we spent many summers with Grandma and Grandpa Rudd. Many of these included going up for the Pioneer Day Rodeo and Parade. For those that don't know, the 24th of July is known as Pioneer Day. While the Rodeo isn't one of the bigger Rodeos's you can watch, it is a big event for this small town of 581 people. We decided that it would be fun to head up this weekend for the festivities. Dad and James decided to ride their motorcycles up and the rest of us (Mom, Jana (my sister), Hunter (her son), Jordan (Janelles daughter) and my two labs (Kendall and Sadie) drove up.

Friday was a crazy day to begin with. It was decided that morning that we would leave about 4 hours earlier than we had originally planned. That presented a little stress in itself because not everyone was ready to go (OK, I had procrastinated and wasn't ready). We finally got out of town but had forgotten to call Jason (my brother) to let him know that we were about 2 hours behind schedule. That left him in this busy town of Carey with Easton (his son) waiting for us. Janelle (my sister) also came over with her girls for the festivities. By the time that we all got there it was time for the Rodeo. It was a quick Rodeo and I think that either I am much older or the rodeo festivities are dwindling.

We decided to drive into Ketchum, ID to stay the night with much thanks to James's Mom and her husband Bruce for letting us stay the night there. We woke up the next morning to drive back to Carey for the parade. We arrived just as they were shutting down Main St for the "floats" to come through. There were about 15 floats in all besides a few fire trucks and a carriage for the "Grand Marshalls" of the parade. Grandma and Grandpa once held this title and I remember watching them drive down the strip in a convertible Ford Mustang waiving at the crowds.

We decided to have lunch at the Fairgrounds, (there is only 1 restaurant in town, so you don't have a lot to choose from). It was then time to head over to the cemetary to visit the graves of Grandma and Grandpa Rudd. Time has gone so fast, I can hardly believe it. Their head stones were a reminder that Grandma has been gone for four years now and Grandpa for 10 years. Carey might not be a big city, but it always brings back great memories for us and will always be the place where it is easiest to remember Grandma and Grandpa.