Brahman Day at the Fair

Saturday was Brahman Day at the fair.  For some reason, I've always loved Brahmans - even though I wouldn't really want to have any becuase they #1 are massive, #2 are the meanest sons-of-guns-in-cow-suits, and #3 sound like they're dying every time they moo.

Mostly I love their ears.  Just look.  You'll love them, too:

And naturally, where there are Brahmans, there are Brahman breeders.  Brahman breeders are fun because they love their breed.  I engaged in a full conversation with a Brahman breeder regarding Brahman semen. 

Because really, shouldn't everyone have at least one conversation about bull semen sometime in their lives? 

Not that this is my first conversation about bull semen. 

In fact, dad used to get catalogs full of nothing but bull semen.  I distinctly remember one year where I went through the bull semen catalog and dog-eared the pages of the semen I thought we should get - just like I did every year with the JCPenney Christmas catalog.

Then I showed dad and attempted to intelligently discuss the pros and cons of each different bull.  Although dad looked like he was seriously taking my opinion into consideration (that's one of the things I loved about dad.  He never made you feel stupid) I wonder if he was realy thinking, "Really, Erin?  You're going to give me advice on bull semen?"

And on that note, I'd also like to let you know that I received some very innovative instruction on artificial insemination (of cattle) in my high school agriculture class compliments of Don Noorda. 

Mr. Noorda somehow obtained a full reproductive tract from a butchered cow.  Nearly every day for six weeks, we had to practice artifically inseminating - toward the end of the six weeks, we had to do it blindfolded.  When the class was over, he would throw it back into the freezer for the next day. 

I wonder why we never nominated Mr. Noorda as teacher of the year because at that point, I'm pretty sure I knew more about a cow's reproductive system than I did about my own.

Anyway, my real intention in all of this was to tell you that if you're interested in some Brahman semen, you should contact the V8 Ranch over to Lufkin.  Here's the semen producer, looking manly:

Not that this has anything to do with Brahman Day, but here's a picture of the symbol of Texas (sorry about the gate there...they had it fenced off so I couldn't climb it.  Really, I have no idea why):

And here's a picture of a sheep.  Because I think sheep are funny:

We also went to the rodeo.  I don't have any pictures of the actual event. Mostly because I was too busy laughing at the two men who were in charge of loading the chutes for the steer wrestling and the calf roping.  One guy, after getting kicked in the shins at least seventeen times, took his beater stick to the head of the nearest steer until the other guy yelled at him and gave him the hand signal to tone it down.  That kind of stuff is hilarious to me.

And finally, for the record I had two pork-on-a-sticks and three pistolettes.  I felt like Templeton on the original Charlotte's Web.