Today is for Relaxation

I actually slept in this morning - 6:15 is when I got up because I couldn't lay in bed any longer. I took a cooling shower and then headed out to grab a bagel at the bakery.  Going out, I passed Choky, my neighbor, and asked if I was doing a good job of keeping the litter box odor under control (she constantly complains about it, and I can't smell a thing).  She said she hadn't smelled anything lately, but the sound of my fan blowing in my hallway now keeps her awake - is there anything I can do to quiet the "whi-i-i-i-ne?" She said she has found a new apartment, but she's taking the owner of Harvest Manor to court to make him pay the difference between the rents...  I really don't know about her.  Anyway, I got my bagel and came back home. The kits are playing in the yard and I've read my e-mail and all my usual news and interest sites, so it's time to sit down and blog.

Pony Penning 2011 is over, other than 3 more nights of the Fireman's Carnival (tonight and next Friday and Saturday nights).  All the foals purchased on Thursday during the Pony Auction had to leave the Carnival Grounds in an approved DOT trailer by 5 p.m. Friday.  All of the ponies returning to Assateague were herded back down the route they came up on Wednesday, to reach the Swim Point.  At slack tide, the ponies were herded back into the water to swim back to Assateague.  Once they reached the shore of Assateague, they were left to their own devices to separate into their herds and gradually graze their way back to their normal territories on that island.  -  The ponies will be rounded up again in October for the Fall Round-Up, at which time any foals too young to be separated from their mothers will be handed over to their buyers from Wednesday. (The ponies are actually rounded up three times each year for check-ups from the veterinarian, for foot checks by the farrier, and for any scheduled vaccinations. They are checked on daily by members of the Pony Committee to be sure they are all in good health, too.)

Once August 3 rolls around, I'll be very busy.  I'm scheduled to be at some one's home, pet- and house-sitting, through September 11.  It will be an interesting time.  I see Dr. Pohlman about  my bottom on Tuesday afternoon; at the moment, I'm dreading what he'll say.  I have the feeling I'm in for more surgery....  Two of the Broncos' new rookies were injured during practice yesterday.  Von Miller, the second draft pick, bruised his thigh and had to leave practice less than 24 hours after signing a $21 million deal.   And safety Quinton Carter, a fourth round draft pick from Oklahoma, collapsed from heat exhaustion less than 30 minutes after Miller was injured.  It's a great way to start training camp, guys!

Pony Penning - and Anger in Denver

Today's Salisbury Daily Times says that 68 foals were auctioned yesterday for a total of $93,725 at the annual Pony Auction on Chincoteague.  (Having been there many years myself, and taking notes of foals and prices, my numbers have never added up to what the CVFC announces - I've always wondered about that.)  I do know that the purchase price of one of the buy back foals is being donated by the CVFC to the Ronald McDonald House charities.  I will post auction photos at the end of today's blog.  Today, again at slack tide, the stallions and mares, the buy back foals and the foals too young to be weaned from their mothers, will swim back across the Assateague Channel.  There will be very few people on hand to watch this swim, as opposed to Wednesday's.  Most gates on Assateague Island will be left open, and the herds will be allowed to drift and graze their way back to their usual territories.  Then the gates will be closed once more.  I'll continue to post Pony Penning photos from this year as I receive them from friends.

My kits and the doggies are all doing well.  We're on our 15th day (in a row) of temperatures in the 90s for Boulder, and I'm so happy that we haven't been as hot as Wichita, Kansas.  (My heart and love goes out to you, Sarah!)  ....  I am very upset with some children in Denver.  A 10-year-old girl saw some other children abusing a 4-month-old kitten (now named Marvell); she ran to the group, yelled and threatened them, and was able to rescue the little grey tabby.  She had observed the kitten being swung in circles by it's tail, as hard and fast as the other kids were able to spin it.  The kitten spent more than 4 hours in surgery - it had a broken tail, internal damages to it's lungs and kidneys, it was bleeding from the eyes, and has suffered some brain damage.  Marvell had also had his whiskers burnt off with a lighter, as well as having the tips of his ears burnt.  The vets don't know how well the kitten will recover from the brain damage, nor just how severe that damage is.  The kitten was named "Marvell" because the vets were so amazed that he was still alive after all the trauma that had been done to him.  -  The Denver and Aurora Police Departments are seeking the group of children that tortured the poor little guy.  -  The vets hope that Marvell will be able to be adopted into a loving home, once he recovers.

In the horse racing world, Versus TV will show The Diana Stakes and the Jim Dandy Stakes from Saratoga live tomorrow (5 -6 p.m. EDT).  ....  The $1 million Haskell Invitational for 3-year-olds will be run Sunday at Monmouth Park.  There is a field of 8 running, and Shackleford, the only colt to run in all three Triple Crown races and come out without injury, is the betting favorite, breaking from post position 5.  The race is 1 and 1/8 miles on the dirt.  ....  Uncle Mo has now had two work-outs over the track at Saratoga for his return to racing.  Folks say that he is looking and running well.

Nick Raymond (l) and Tyler Marks  hold onto a rearing foal during it's auction

William Webb (l) and Bryce Hurry try to get this foal's feet on the ground

John Wayne Rhodes (l) and son Cody handle a bay foal

Justin Lappin (l) and Alex Tucker hold a palomino pinto foal

Shy foals huddle together before being put on the auction block

Sarah Sickels (r) pets the buy back foal that she purchased.  The monies from this foal will be given to the Ronald McDonald House charities.

Nearly $100,000 Raised at Pony Auction

I hope to have many more photos from the Pony Auction when I blog tomorrow - This morning, 69 foals were auctioned at the Chincoteague Firemen's Carnival Grounds.  Sixty of the foals are going to leave for new homes with caring and loving families; nine of the foals were designated as "buy backs."  A buy back foal  is put up for auction with the announcement that due to it's markings, or bloodlines, or confirmation, the CVFC wants to keep the pony in the herd as a breeder.  A person can "purchase" the pony during the following bidding session; but that person cannot take the foal home.  It goes back to it's dam and continues living it's life on Assateague.  The buyer has the right to name the foal for the Chincoteague Pony Association registry, and can have their photo taken with the foal.  They can visit and see "their" pony running wild on Assateague for the rest of it's life.  But one cannot remove the buy back foal from the herds or take  it home.  It's essentially a giant donation to the CVFC - but it's a super way to be able to give: then you can go to Assateague and say, "See that pony?  I bought it from the Fire Company, but I gave it back!"  ....  In any event, the lowest bid on a foal this year was $450; the highest bid (which was for a buy back) was $6,700.  WBOC TV states that the CVFC raised nearly $100,000 through today's auction.  I have one photo from the auction at the moment - it's a buy back foal that sold for over $4,000.

If I'm not mistaken, it's the little guy that I have a photo of during the walk down the beach to Tom's Cove.  I believe that the photo is of the foal with the very Arab-type head.

Pony Swim 2011

What can I say?  No one has really come through with photos as of yet...  The ponies entered the Assateague Channel right around 1:30 EDT this afternoon.  From the time the first pony left the Assateague shore until the last pony stepped ashore at Chincoteague not quite 5 minutes had elapsed.  A lot of the folks waiting for the swim were unaware of having to wait for slack tide; a lot of adults turned into whiney children.  Most people came prepared for the wait and the heat.  About 140 ponies - mares,foals, and stallions - made the swim this afternoon.  After a 45 minute rest, the herds, surrounded by the local Saltwater Cowboys, moved out onto the paved streets of Chincoteague and proceeded to the Carnival Grounds.  As usual, a few adults and a handful of hard-headed foals, tried to go their own way, but the Round-Up men  brought them back with their mounts and the popping of their bull whips.  The Pony Auction will begin at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning and should end about noon.  -  People are encouraged to get to the Carnival Grounds and the Auction area at the rear of the grounds early, if they want a good place to sit and view the proceedings. (Speaking as a short person, believe me, it's sometimes very important.) 

A few odds and ends:  Tim Tebow was the second player to enter the gates of Dove Valley (the Bronco's practice place) yesterday for a non-required day of strength training.   One of his offensive line players beat him to the driveway.  The Denver Post reports that the number one quarterback in the depth charts, Kyle Orton, will be traded almost immediately, opening the way for Tim Tebow to lead the team (with Brady Quinn as his back-up).  ....  The kits and all of the pups continue to be great.  I'm walking all of the dogs very early due to our heat and humidity.  We stop frequently at creeks where the pups can drink and/or swim.  ....  The Rocky Mountain National Park had to send out a rescue team for a 68-year-old man who slipped and fell while climbing on Long's Peak, injuring his arm.  It took more than 8 hours to reach the  man, and almost 16 hours to get him down the mountain.  Guess what?  He was rescued from a trail on the western side of RMNP just three weeks ago, after supposedly injuring his ankle....  Hmmmmm.....

Today is Pony Penning Day!

No big storms have shown up off the coast of Virginia and Maryland, so it looks as though the Chincoteague ponies will be swimming the Assateague Channel between 12 noon and 1:30 this afternoon.  The ponies will then be rested, and then be herded down Beebe Road to Main Street, and then north to the pens on the Carnival Ground. As soon as I receive word and a few early photos, I'll blog again.  (I need to go walk two sets of dogs, myself.)
If you're interested, in 1876, American author and artist Howard Pyle visited Chincoteague at the age of 23.  An open letter, with drawings, was then sent to his local Delaware newspaper.  That letter and drawings were then re-printed in Scribner's Weekly Magazine in 1877.  The text and drawings may be found at:  http://howardpyle.blogspot.com/2010/09/chincoteague-island-of-ponies.html   It doesn't seem that things have changed much, and the families that Pyle wrote about are still on the island - and they are all relatives!

Pony Penning 2011

The following photos were taken by Jay Diem for the Salisbury Daily Times newspaper.  These are shots of the northern Assateague herds being moved down (southward) the beach to the Holding Pens near Tom's Cove.

Assateague Island sunrise on the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department's Saltwater Cowboys

Keeping the herds moving south on the beach - cousin Wesley Bloxom is smack dab in the center of this photo, wearing a red and blue checked shirt, riding a Chincoteague-bred pinto with a blaze.

Mare and foal at the ocean's edge

A foal with interesting color and an Arab-type head

A stallion warns off a young bachelor

A foal trying to get away from the noise and excitement on the beach