An Unplanned Day at the Beach!

Yesterday I was supposed to do some agility with friends. Last week I went all the way out there and left my lights on in the car, so everyone had to wait around while I waited for a tow truck to find us in the middle of an orange grove.

This week I trekked all the way out there but my directions I had printed out from map quest missed one CRITICAL turn, so I found myself almost in Sacramento. I got stuck going up the grape vine where there is apparently no way to turn around, no offramps for long periods of time and I have never been in that area. Ughghghg, my friends have to think I am such a nim rod. I was so far away that I could never make it to the field before there were other people scheduled to use it, I felt like I had been driving for days, and it is stressful not having any clue where you are....so I figured it was a good time to remember when live hands you lemons you gotta try to make lemonade.

Luckily it was close to the Contact Point Ranch, so I asked Karen if she would mind if I stopped by to work on shaping Cricket to get measured nicely with a wicket and if I could use her aframe. When we got to the ranch the sheep were being sheared, so I watched them, visited with Karen, got to say Hi to Cherry, my buddy that lived with us for quite awhile Then we went and played at the agility yard. BY THE BY......Near as I can tell even with the wicket Cricket is just right on the line of being 18 inches, sometimes I got 17 3/4, sometimes right below 18 and sometimes just scotch over 18. I think she could jump 20 nicely but it sure would be nice to have the option ;-).


When we got done at the ranch Breeze/Cricket/Liz and I headed to the beach. Is there anything that ales a person that the beach can not make better? It was hot everywhere else, but gorgeous at the beach. I did not see another person the entire time I was there, it was about as perfect as it gets.




AFRAME PROGRESS
We are now at full height and sequencing after the aframe. What Rachel Sanders says is that you sequence after the aframe first with some front crosses and pushes because when you start sequencing TOO the aframe you will have some off balance tries as the dog works to figure out how to handle their body. Well, I have seen a few of those hits where instead of landing with the first hit, getting all four feet down then pushing into the second hit of the aframe, ....Cricket sort of flies over the aframe a little too hard, ends up trying to save it and just puts her front feet down then passes her back feet past the front and sort of falls into the box. I have only seen one of two of those so I figure she is just trying to work it all out now that we are adding in more factors.
The other funny thing is the last 3 new aframes we have tried, Cricket has rushed right past the aframe like she does not see it. It is the same set up each time, and I do it in the same manner and seriously most aframes look pretty similar and are hard to miss. OOOH Cricket.
Overall I am very happy and it is going FANTASTICALLY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmQTz377dAE

WEAVE CHALLENGE:
A couple more people are up for the challenge, anyone can join anytime of course. Dare and Marie are going to take up the challenge ihttp://www.dare2train.com/2011/06/weave-pole-challenge/ and got their first jump position done and they look FANTASTIC, check out their send and Jive and Geraldine, Jive is Crickets fantastic brother who is an amazing dog-Cricket loves her brother!
Also Amber gave me critique and on the recalls she says they do them from about eight feet in front of the poles and face the poles, so ....I will have to do it that way the next time we work on them! ;-).