TUESDAY. The Whole Shebang Begins!

The whole place is busting with Collies! Eight HUNDRED or more of them! Folks brushing, blow drying, spraying stuff, fluffing, slicking, trimming, chalking, (Oops No Chalking in the building...Okay, sure...), lightening, darkening, appraising, admiring---well, you get the picture...Or maybe not. Here's a few to tweak your imagination.

Brenda began her day fast and furious at the Collie Health Foundation table. She is the products manager for the Foundation, so her job this week is to sell, Sell, SELL! And Sell she did! Today, they brought in over $4700 in sales! A record amount for one day's tally! Thanks to everyone who has bought some of these wonderful products. And if you don't have a CHF grooming brush, you need to go to the website Right Now (or the CHF table right here!) and get you one! If I could only have one tool in my grooming box, it would be this brush! It's THAT good. And it only costs $15! Even my daughters (and GRANDdaughters!) use them on their own heads.

Nancy is scooting right along on her wheels.

Here's the Membership folk for the CHF. THEY have cool stuff to buy, too! Bailey Rose and Isaac and Grace and Sam all have new CHF shirts from Sunnybank!

This is a TV interview that Pati Merril gave to Chanel 8. Rob called later and said he'd seen Anne Cross on the news. Wow! NOW I know MORE TV celebs!!!

Here's a picture of our president, Bob Myers.  He Always wears cool ties.  You'll see yet Another picture of him later on in this post.....

This is Laura LaBounty. Special Collies.  She's been working like Crazy going back and forth from grooming her beauties to helping at the CHF table. (Okay, Amee....nyah! nyah!  I git to seeee Laura this week!)

James and me....Running thru our "scales" as Bikeman calls it....They would not allow us in the ring to practice after everyone was finished judging, so we practiced BESIDE the ring...Tomorrow (Wed night) is our Big Moment!  He seems Quite relaxed and comfortable in all this hubub.  But, then, of course...it's James, after all....

There are quite a few Japanese Collielovers here this week. I Know I AStounded them when I showed them I could COUNT to ten in Japanese. And then a couple of phrases I knew. They smiled very politely.

Vendors....Several vendors, but not lots. I was kinda disappointed that there are not very many vendors. But if you want/need any Collie figurines, here they are!

Shirts with Collies and Bling! on them.

Prosper comes down from Southland's Bowen Island.

Prosper and I headed over to the Agility Barn.  Just walk right across the parking lot and follow the barking.  This is the Excellent Course.  I swear, there is Nothing prettier than a Collie running Agility. And such JOY!! And such positive camaraderie.  We didn't stay too long.  Prosper kept WHINING to get Out there and Jump, Momma!!!

Here's Steve Surfman, my dear friend and photographer. If Prosper had been closer, he'd been IN Steve's lap.....Steve has taken some Amazing pictures of my boyz, running FAST.

By now it is one o'clock, and the CHF Silent Auction is over.  Here's a picture of what I won!  I got the chicken picture for Denise.  Figgered she neeeeds a Collie in her kitchen! Silver trays, specialty prizes from days gone past, Collie figurines, including a carved wooden one, a CD of Sunnybank songs, an etched glass rectangle of a Collie....I'll show you when I get home!

NOW it it Time for James to get out of the expen and let Brenda work a little of her magic on him.....

Afterwards, we decided to walk around and gather up some chocolate from all the grooming areas, and we wound up at the Crush Lounge!!!!  (Provenhill's Dance with the Devil)  Omigosh, Leigh Cohen has OVERdone it THIS time!!!  I'm thinking that she and my sister are Kin to each other....This woman is Over the top and out of Control!  But it is really pretty wonderful!!!  Lunch there tomorrow!!

Here's Brenda, Leigh, and Gerrie, waiting for their dates....I'll bring MINE there tomorrow!

Why, it's Our Miss Brooks!!!! (she probably doesn't Know what that means....YOUNGuns...Michelle Esch just got married to Matthew Brooks.  She had her Collie in the wedding.....sporting a beautiful white roo-lace lead that I made.

Okay, so NOW it is six pm and Time for the Welcome Party! 

Remember that picture of Bob earlier...Well, he and his pretty lady came dressed for the occasion.... 

The Japanese even dressed in costume!

We stood in line FOR Evah to pick up our cool bags full of cool stuff...but it didn't Seem very long, because we found a friend and introduced ourselves and visited.  They had nice sliced  beef, ham, or turkey and rolls for us...and Cake!!! Lots and LOTS of Cake!!! 

Here's Janet Hitt. She's come all the way from CA. Always such a delight to see her.  She has such a positive, welcoming way about her.  

Here's a Very Good Collie!  Even won an Obedience Ribbon.  See? I'm the very Least Crazy of these people...

FINALLY! The 50's got it Right!!! LASSIE skirts!!!  Omigosh, doncha just Love the Spirit of Fun here!!!  The "things our mothers never did..."

And.....For our evening's entertainment.....

ELVIS in Concert!!!!!

 SOMEone...(I don't know just WHO...and would never Tell, anyway) bought a pkg of Very Large...EXTRA large cotton granny panties, and distributed them out to some of us genteel ladies....Once Elvis got his pelvis rotating, we screamed and THREW him our panties.....Later on, Prosper went out and retrieved one of them still there....

Oh, yes...Prosper...About midway thru the concert, there came an announcement on the loud speaker...."There's a blue merle Rough Collie Dog loose in the building."  Well, of course Several of us got up quickly to go ck their expens (if you have ever KNOWN a blue Collie, you will completely understand)....

HOW that boy got OUT of the expen, I cannot tell you..James was lying quietly in there...Alone...

Prosper had to poop...and was looking desperately for the door...When somebody finally corralled him, he just could not Hold it anymore....So I went for some paper towels and vinegar spray, cleaned up the mess, and took that boy WITH me to finish out the concert. I wasn't gonna Trust him anymore in the expen without human supervision...I told him to "down" in front of my chair (and next to the ring gate), and he DId that for a little while...Then, as my grandson Isaac's shirt says...."I tried being good, but I got bored."  So he began "offering" behaviors (if you do not understand this phrase, then let me introduce you to Clicker Training).  He had the surrounding audience folk cracking up with his impish ways.  I DO believe that he "sees" the world differently with that one blue eye....

The last song Elvis sang, was, of course, "You Ain't Nuthin but a Hound Dawg."  The energy in the crowd exploded!  And Carl's sister Insisted that Carl go in the ring and dance!  Well, to Encourage Carl, I stepped over the ring gate, held my hand out to him, and instead of HIS stepping over, he handed me my blue Collie dog....OH! Prosper got IN to it, yall!  He Loved the music, and pranced, twirled, spun, circled the ladies in the collie skirts, weaved between my legs...and when Elvis did the splits to the ground, falling with the microphone (as the typical Elvis-move), Prosper left me and  RACED over to him, cking to see if all was okay....

Elvis was in the Well, doncha see....It could not have been more perfect (or funny) if we had Planned it.....Ah, Prosper...the Things I am learning with this boy.....