Pink Poodle Lady on July 4th in Cody, Wyoming , originally uploaded by Deb Trotter, Cowboy's Sweetheart ~ click image for detail
Quite a pair, huh?
Without fail, this lady and her poodle appear in Cody's July 4th Parade each and every year. One year they might be blue. The next? Maybe green. This year they are PINK. No question about it. Orange might be fun, but I'm hoping for purple next year. (grin) Too cute!
I promised more parade pics, and here they are.
And while we're on the subject of "cute," not only is this little mini horse cute, but what a mane! Bet I could have picked him up & carried him home.
(I guess you noticed the "horse poop" in the photo? If you didn't, I guess you see it now! Sorry 'bout that. But, hey. It comes with the horses -the poop, not the "hay." I just pity the poor city workers who have to clean up when it's all over.)
Like everyone else, we like to feature our fire trucks in the parade. But OUR trucks are escorted by Smokey the Bear...
Good ole Smokey. I remember back in the 50's, he was the mascot for that slogan, "Remember. Only YOU can prevent Forest Fires." Now, it seems the officials let half of the forest burn before they even ATTEMPT to stop the fire. Seems kind of wierd to me, but I'm no expert on the environment and ecology.
Speaking of being "no expert," I'm no expert on mules, either. My son insists they are smarter than horses and says that one day he'd like to own one. I don't care how smart they are, though, if they are as darling as this miniature pack mule...
Right after the little mulies came this Mountain Man.
He appeared to be a pretty tough old bird, but I'll just bet he was getting a bit on the toasty side before the parade was over. (It was only 80 degrees, but still - all that fur.)
Right behind him came this Mexican guy and his brilliantly-trained horse. They are entertainers at the Buffalo Bill Stampede Rodeo every year, and I'm always amazed at the things this guy can get his horse to do - like jump in the back of a moving back truck. Can you imagine how hard that is for a horse?
There's beauty in our parade too. The girl, the beadwork on her saddleblanket, and the horse were all magnificent...
And last, but not least, Cody wouldn't be the same without the Cody Gunfighters. They put on a show in front of Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel every night during the summer. You gotta love these guys. Everything is very authentic, right down to their hairstyles. For them, reinacting those Old West Days is a passion - as much a passion as cowgirls and cowboys are for me.
This was just a glimpse of it all, folks. July 4th in beautiful Cody, Wyoming. (People don't believe me when I say we head off to town at 6:30 a.m. to set up our chairs for the parade, but it's true. And believe me, it's worth it.)
Life in Cody is a blast.
I love my life. I love being an artist. I love my family and my friends. And I love the good ole USA.
Yee Ha!
I can't wait to do it all over again next year.
