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The Rocky Mountain Rendezvous
To the Newfoundland National Specialty 2007; this year in Boulder/Colorado from 30 April to 5 May. Those familiar with my reports, will know that my interest is not just limited to the show itself. Hence, I flew a bit earlier than necessary, and reached Denver via Paris and Philadelphia. The so-called “Mile High City” (at 1,610m) commands an imposing position nestled on the “Front Range” in front of a 4,000m snow-covered mountain range. Drove through the middle of the Rockies, around the source of the Arkansas River, to the “Black Canyon of the Gunnison” - an approximately 700m-deep gorge, which is only 345 metres-wide at its narrowest point: a “little Grand Canyon”. Afterwards, I travelled south. However, there was absolutely no sign of warmer climes as I drove through the 3,360 metre-high “Red Mountain Pass”. The pass, which greeted me beyond Ouray, was in fact covered in ice and snow, although this did not pose much of a problem for my Jeep. I suffered less than I might have done, in spite of the cold and the fact that I was well equipped for a rapid hypothermic demise dressed in a summer shirt, jeans and shoes. However, I was travelling together with Mr Smirnoff, better known as “vodka”, who managed to keep the frost at bay.
I allowed myself the luxury of a train journey in Durango. This train journey was indeed an extraordinary experience. The carriages, which were built in 1925, were being pulled by a steam locomotive from 1923. However, I did need a good scrub afterwards as I had soot in every pore.
The next goal was Albuquerque (New Mexico), a remarkable city, especially the historical downtown area. I stayed with my friend Swecha for two days. Swecha was born in Nepal and is a second generation American immigrant. I met her on a language course in Spain - the world is getting smaller. She had organised a surprise for the following day.
“The Gathering of Nations”!!! (www.gatheringofnations.com). The event is the annual assembly for all North American, Canadian and Alaskan Indian tribes, among others: the Arapahos, Sioux, Pawnees, Navajos, Hopi, and Zuni. The German carnival processions appear drab in comparison. Imagine approximately 2,000 Indians dancing to an inferno of drums, in a baseball park. In retrospect, this event posed the highlight of the entire trip, in spite of my affection for Newfoundlanders. I bought some Kachinas, wooden dolls used by the Pueblo Indians (e.g. the “Hopi”) to symbolise natural spirits as well as those of their forefathers. I reached the strikingly beautiful Pueblo Taos, which is still populated by Indians and is on the UN Cultural Heritage List, via Santa Fe (the trail that lends the settlement its name ended downtown, in the old city) and Taos, on Route 66 (with yet another historical town centre). The “San Geronimo” church is a magnificent example of Spanish adobe architecture, and represents one of the rare examples of cultural heritage that has managed to survive the wonton ravages of the white immigrants.
I travelled southwards through the San Luis Valley, where I was greeted by the snow-covered peaks of the “Great Sand Dunes”. The dunes, which are the highest on the entire continent, are formed by wet sand deposits from streams, and are, therefore, pretty much immutable. Shortly after, I was confronted with a sand storm, yet another new experience (dry sand was being blown towards the dunes). It was a creepy experience: vision was down to 60 metres, and there was a strange crackling sound on the vehicle’s windows and bodywork. After a night’s sleep, I started out on the final stage of the route I had planned: rolling down into “Boulder”. I stopped along the way to have a look at the highest suspension bridge in the world near Canyon City. Whilst driving through a thunder storm, I had trouble keeping on right side of the road, which had turned into a clay track, without any markings - fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic to contend with until shortly before my destination. This track spanned 36 miles and led down to Cripple Creek, a former (?) gold-digger settlement. The area was strewn with stone buildings, which, from approximately 1890 onwards, characterised these sites as much as the rummaged landscape. Travelling via Colorado Springs, I eventually reached the pretty university town of Boulder, which was the site of the
The first problems arose in front of the hotel: there was nowhere to park. The problem was solved with a little industry, however. Inside the hall, I bumped into the people from Atlanta I had shared a table with at last year’s show. We went through all the latest gossip during dinner: the catalogues were sold-out on day one, etcetera. Later, Klemens Deixler (Austria / www.newfs.at) came over for a chat; he already had a thing or two to say about the event. Former Syrgenstein judges Diane Price and Larry Hansen waved from a distance. It was a bit of a culture shock to have to drink beer from the bottle: real cowboys don’t drink from a glass!! Unfortunately, the cuisine left a lot to be desired: everything was served with either bread rolls or mash potato, which is not particularly edifying, especially in view of the fact that it was supposed to be a first-class hotel. A good number of show participants did not stay at the hotel, which was very expensive and apparently overbooked. The next morning, the show started with the “Sweepstakes” category. Mrs. Jean Cave Pero and Larry Hansen were the designated judges. The competition was staged in the hotel garden, where a course had been delineated. The dogs had to wait in a tent. A tennis hall was also made available, in case of heavy rain or snow fall. The additional inspections were also carried out in this hall, but I didn’t get to see them. It was almost impossible to follow the schedule without a catalogue, and it was a tiring day. Mrs. Cave Pero presented 17 dogs between 6 and 9 months-old, 10 dogs between 9 and 12 months-old, 12 dogs between 12 dogs between 12 and 15 months-old, and 10 dogs between 15 and 18 months-old. Many of these “youths” were astonishingly self-confident; others were intimidated, however, which had a lot to do with the way they were handled.
It was extremely difficult to pick a winner in these categories. I would not have ventured a prediction. It was much the same story with the Larry Hansen’s young ladies, as well. However, he managed to pick out the best of the bunch, and his decisions were made with the utmost clarity, circumspection and objectivity. The exhibited animals included 27 bitches between 6 and 9 months-old, 22 bitches between 9 and 12 months-old, 13 bitches between 12 and 15 months-old, and 11 bitches between 15 to 18 months-old. Sweepstakes Winner:Tempest’s Kilyka Girl Next Door
The food-stand in the garden not only provided nourishment, but also emitted a good deal of penetrating smoke. Mrs Cave Pero also presided over the 10 dogs in the Veteran Sweepstakes, while Larry Hansen was entrusted with 27 bitches. Veteran Sweepstakes Winner: CH Darbydale’s You’ve Got Male, an 8-year-old dog. I was absolutely enchanted by this veteran.
The “Top Twenty” were presented in the evening. I was extremely disappointed with the selection, which, in my opinion, did not represent the best animals. Moreover, apart from the three dogs that had died, others were conspicuously absent. It became apparent that the show was being boycotted, because changes in the regulations meant that the best dogs were disadvantaged. Thus, only 10 dogs were entered into the competition, and the dog officially listed as number 3, was promoted to number 1: CH. Egebaek’s After Eight, alias “Zeus”, a familiar brown beauty. The grooming tent, where the hobby hairdressers set about their work, was erected next to the tennis hall. In my opinion, it was too dark inside the tent. However, most of the dogs were already so well-groomed on arrival that they only had to be “pepped up” on the transport wagon. Much to my pleasure, I met David Helming (Pouch Cove) and, shortly thereafter, Pamela Rubio (Capriccio). A good many European breeders were also present, however, including the Salina family from Switzerland (Fairweather), Angel Maestro from Spain (Anmalamual), Evi Grosshauser from Germany (vom Riesrand) and Klemens Deixler from Austria ( of Apachee’s Home ). Sadly, there was no first-four presentation after the competitions, and attempts to recreate a presentation at the photo-stand were met with raucous verbal protest from local photographers, who even stopped Larry Hansen’s wife from taking pictures. This was deeply annoying and very frustrating. What are they trying to prove with such an action? You could only solve the problem with a good telephoto lens. The proceedings livened up considerably over the next two days. On Thursday, Mrs. Barbara A. Finch presented 12 dogs from 6 to 9 months-old, 12 dogs from 9 to 12 months-old, and 20 dogs from 12 to 18 months-old, nearly all of which had already been on display in the sweepstakes. Decisions had to be made in other categories as well. These included the Novice, Bred by Exhibitors Dogs, Open Black Dogs, Open Other than Black Dogs, Veterans 7, and under 9 years, and Veterans 9 years and above, as well as the Working Class category. Mrs. Finch had both hands full, having to inspect approximately 104 different animals for the various categories. The applause for individual animals was directly proportional to the number of supporting followers. However, neither Mrs. Finch nor any of the other judges paid any attention to the attempted manipulation. The competition was only interrupted by the smoke from the grills.
The Winner-of-the-Day was: Seabrook’s
Best Man at Pouch Cove I had planned to go on an excursion to the Rocky Mountains during the day. However, at the entrance I was told that the road had been closed off until the beginning of June, due to the snow. I beg your pardon! The day ended with a really good steak and a descent glass of beer from Coors (German Immigrants). Mr. Norman A. Belanger, a jovial yet meticulous adjudicator, took responsibility for the bitches on Friday. He was invested with the task of judging approximately 136 bitches, a number that did not allow for interruptions or time-wasting. However, every single animal received an impartial and thorough examination.
The Winner-of-the-Day was: Spillway
Beary Pouch Cove As some of the judging took place in the tennis hall, I am not able to comment on every single category. Extensive information can be accessed at the website listed below. It started to rain; it was wet and cold, and the snow boundary fell to 1,900m. More heavy showers were forecast for the Saturday, so the show was moved inside the tennis hall. Mrs. Judith A. Goodin still had to judge the Best of Breed in the so-called “Variety Group“. With a total of 94 animals, the category had to be split into several subordinate groups. In my opinion, this category boasted the most exquisite canine specimens. The big moment finally arrived, and approximately 50 animals were entered for the BOB, BOS, and Best of Winners titles. Once again, the contestants had to be divided into subordinate groups, and it could not have been an easy task to pick out the best of the best from all those all beautiful Newfoundlanders. However, a decision was made:
Best of Breed: CH Sunvalley Petitions Pouch Cove (m) Breeder: Lou Ann Lenner Owner: Kathy Griffin and Peggy Helming
BOS: CH Bear Trax Midnite Report (f) Breeder: Gail u. Russ Paceley Owner: Jan Boggio Best of winners: Spillway Baery Pouch Cove (f) Breeder: Ph .Welch and P. Helming Owner: Kathy Griffin and Peggy Helming When the tension subsided, everyone appeared to be happy with the decisions. The evening banquette was held in the tennis hall, and some of the participants turned up in traditional Western outfits. The judges held their thank-you speeches; the foreign participants, who were addressed in individual national groups (e.g. Australians, Scots, and Spaniards), were thanked for their visit. Some of the participants had already left, however. Within 2 hours, this part of the show was over. After 4 hours of sleep, I was on my way to the airport. I arrived in Valencia, via Philadelphia and Paris, a day later. Back at home, my dogs greeted me with sniffs and licks, as if I had been away for weeks. I had missed them as well.
See you next year in Warwick, Rhodes Island!!!!! 29. April – 3. May 2008
Comprehensive list of results can be found under: www.royjonesdogshows.com/Results/NewfResults.htm
Photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/558877869juCrU
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