Parade Day

Today was a slow day for me. Just the World Wool Handling round one. I was very pleased with how I did, 19th out of 29. Leanne also had a good showing for the USA placing 17th. 

The rest of the guys also had the first heats for the world machine and blade competitions. Our guys had a good showing and overall we are pleased:)

Alex Moser- Machine 26th (out of 49)

Mark Hoogendorn- Machine 31st 

Doug Rathke- Blade 13th (out of 20)

Kevin Ford- Blade 12th 

I also had the unique honor of taking part in a "Taste of Ireland" cook off with Colette against an Irish celebrity chef. I learned how to make Risotto and it won! 

It was a fabulous time:)

Had a chance to look around a bit today as well, saw some lovely Irish breeds in the breed display tent...

For Laura and Sara, Irish Texels!

Irish Rouge

Charollais...the devil...

The biggest boned Suffolk I have ever seen...

Random mix sheep...

Zwartables?!?

After that we took part in a parade through Gory. the weather was traditionally Irish being cold, drizzly, windy and very cold. We had some lovely Hurling kids (hurling is a sport here in Ireland that mixes hockey, lacrosse and rugby, it's brutal) escort us down the road. Since it was so cold I stayed warm by taking selfies with innocent bystanders:) 

Team USA

Our sweet innocent hurling escorts:)

Manager Selfie!!!

The parade route...

Random cop:)

The welsh team bringing up the rear:)

Sneak attack selfie/photobomb!

Team USA 

Holding up traffic selfie

Dinner at our Pub and met a lovely local who really liked Mark and Anna...

Nope she really just wanted Mark lol!!!

Golden Shears- Day one of competition

Today was a crazy roller coaster day. This blog post is mostly pictures but first a rundown of the current placings for team USA...

Alex Moser- 65th Open Shearing

Mark Hoogendoorn- 67th Open Shearing

Leanne Brimmer- 17th Open WoolHandling

Emily Chamelin- 20th Open WoolHandling

7th Intermediate shearing

Kevin Hickman- 50th Senior Shearing

Our rental car is ridiculously small. They say it has 7 seats but the jump seats allow for no leg room.

They haul sheep in these little trucks!

My first ever wool roll:)

They had a taste of Ireland food court that served all lamb! I had curry:)

It was freezing in the tent this morning!

My final score:) so proud!!!

Day 3...Gorey Ireland

Things in Ireland couldn't be better! The flights here were on time and otherwise uneventful. Arriving in Dublin we were exhausted and jet lagged but we managed to find our rental van, find our way to the hotel in heavy fog and check in. Dinner at the hotel (which is quite a swank place) was amazing. Finding out that going to bed at 9:00 (4:00 pm EST) is pretty tough and waking up at 6:00 (1:00 am EST) really sucks. But other then that we are rocking and rolling! 

The weather has been quite a roller coaster, heavy fog, heavy rain, sunshine, more rain, cool and cloudy. 

The hotel we are staying at is called the Seafield, it is quite a place. Meals are gourmet, the rooms are lavish and it's right on the beach (on the Irish Sea).  

Yesterday we explored the lovely town of Gorey. Most of the businesses in town have adopted a country team and our team business is the Coachman. We had a lovely time walking around. 

The official proceedings begin this morning with a competitors meeting and tonight is the parade and gala dinner. I'm ready to wear a dress;)

Here are some photos taken over the last few days...hope you enjoy:)

All our luggage wedged into the renal car

Warning signs in Ireland tend to be pretty graphic...

Seafood chowder...bliss:)

Irish mutton stew...so good!!!

Flying high!

It's that time! I am one flight in on my journey to Ireland. It was so much fun hanging with my Michigan family and getting finishing up my work here in the states for the time being. This last week has been one of the toughest I've had to work through in a while. Everything from cut puzzles, fleeces being drug through the straw by an angry ram, two sheep down and every manner of disgruntled client coming out of the woodwork and yelling at me because its hot and their sheep won't survive 2 weeks till I get back in June. Oh well...in this line of work you have to let it go but the accumulated effect has been a very emotional and exhausting week. 

From this moment on I am looking forward...

Forward to the world championship contest and doing the best job I'm able.

Forward to spending time with Kevin, Leanne, Alex, Alison, Mark and the rest of the USA team.

Forward to seeing a new part of Ireland and enjoying Irish hospitality.

Forward to eating as much shepherds pie, bangers and mash and fish n chips as is humanly possible.

Forward to enjoying the longstanding tradition of Irish pub culture.

Forward to having a couple days off!!!!

I hope to be posting frequent blog posts full of pictures and to give all of you sofa seat travelers a taste of Ireland. I'm hoping everyone will share my blogs and I'm going to do a special drawing. Everyone who shares my blogs will be put into a hat and I'll pick a few names to bring home special souvenirs as a special thank you for your encouragement and for cheering on myself and team USA Sheep Shearing!