Grand Visions

I have just returned from Phoenix, Arizona.  I attended the American Veterinary Dental Forum.  The population distribution was actually global.  There were veterinarians from Europe, Australia, Canada, Brazil, England, and even French Canadians from Quebec.  There were lectures, laboratories and even a fun night. 

This event was at the "Corona Ranch" where the group was bussed for a late evening meal and a presentation described as a Mexican Rodeo.  This was more of a show and demonstration.  This had three young adult gringo women riding barrel racing.  While their horses are probably good it was obvious, their horses did not have much exposure to racing barrels with the Mexican mariachi band with trumpet playing near the far barrel. 

There was a demonstration of an Andalusian horse showing moves like the Spanish Walk.  It was a very interesting demonstration.  Any horse person understands the attachment and endless hours of training involved to meld the horse and rider into a single unit of motion.  It reminded me of a variation of Spanish Dressage.   Those that have seen a performance of the Lipizzaner Stallions should understand the grace, beauty and power controlled by the rider. 

They also had a demonstration of eight young women doing a sidesaddle team event.  This was remarkable not knowing the intricacies of the event you were able to notice the teamwork and athleticism of riders and horses.  This was done wearing a sombrero, a fluffy dress with multiple slips and modesty leggings and with the right leg over the enlarged pommel during either a trot or a fast lope.  They were very good.  They had great enthusiasm, riding talent and youth in their favor. 

There were two other events worth reporting on.  These had audience participation.  The two separate team events involved two men and a woman.   They faced the crowd and the lady put on a pair of bloomers.  Then they were told they had to catch a bull and put the bloomers on the bull.  It was comical to watch.  Two teams got it done.  The last event was described as a drinking event.  Two teams were given three minutes to milk a nanny goat.  The team with the most in the cup would win, after they drank the milk.  One young lady just tossed over her shoulder.  One drank most of his and another just could not drink it.  Most of the participants were veterinarians.  I was in the stands wondering if the goat had Brucellosis, was she negative for Tuberculosis, what score would the goat get on a California mastitis test, did the goat kick dirt in the cup as  they were  real close to were that horse urinated in the arena.  Veterinarians are trained to observe and process information differently than the general population.

The lectures started at 8:00 AM with an hour lunch break and went to five PM.  Wet labs if you were in one were in four hour segments.  I did two laboratories and attended lectures the rest of the time.  I have lost the ability to set in lectures or labs for eight hours a day for three days.   I heard a saying that describes the weekend, "The mind can absorb only what the butt or back can endure." It was a fun packed time.  Yes, I did learn a lot.
There was a fun day prior to the Forum.  The day gave me an appreciation of living conditions I had only read about or had seen portrayed in movies.   There are parts of our country you need to view with your own eyes to give it proper perspective.  I, Sue and two other veterinarians and a retired couple went on a tour of the Navaho Nation Reservation on the way to the Grand Canyon.  That day started in a thriving metropolis of one and a half million people.  We started from the Scottsdale Westin Kierland Resort at 7:00 AM.  (They did have a bagpiper playing nightly.).  We went through five of the seven world climate zones during our day trip.  We ate lunch in a restaurant run by Navaho Indians.  I had fry bread Tacos.  We had a marvelous tour guide that was encyclopedic in his knowledge of Arizona.  Seeing the Navaho family clusters with their Hogan as a focal point was a stark revelation.  The Hogan is for their religious ceremonies and as a burial place for family members.   Twenty percent or so of the modular, mobile or constructed houses have electricity.  The primary animal kept is sheep.  There are occasional cattle and fewer horses on the reservation.   There is not enough vegetation to support large numbers of big livestock.  The area has about 230,000 people in an area the size of West Virginia.  That is not a lot of footprints per square mile. 

The Grand Canyon defies an artist's ability to write about or capture on canvas or film.   The sheer visual impact is overwhelming.  We come in the East entrance at Desert View.  We were able to see eighteen miles across the canyon.  We were able to see a thirteen thousand foot mountain in Utah, a mere one hundred and fifteen miles distant.  The colors, hues and light reflections were magnificent.  We drove the twenty-five miles or so along the south rim.  Each turn of the road seemed to have a more spectacular breathtaking vista to take in.  Our visit was slightly one tenth of the two hundred and thirty seven miles the Park covers.  There are actually people that willingly will get close to the edge.  I am not one of them.  There is the Phantom Ranch people hike down to for supper and spend the night.  They then hike the ten miles to the north rim the next day.  It involves a five-hour two hundred and ten mile ride getting back to their vehicle on the South rim.  We did see Mule deer and Elk driving back to our hotel.  Luckily, there were no rattlesnake, bear or cougar encounters while we were in the park. 

It was a day of contrast in living conditions and there is no comparison of man made attempts of grandeur to the magnificence of God and his outdoor cathedrals.  Standing beside oceans, mountains and in this case a six million year dig helps you understand the phrase I feel so small.  There is majesty in the phrase "Oh my God".   I hope someday you are able to see The Canyon. 

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The outside of a pet is good for the inside of a human.