Alaskan's Georgio of Anadyr - 'Joey'

"JOEY"
Alaskan's Georgio of Anadyr
 September 5th, 1997 - January 31, 2013
(Alaskan's Max Factor of Anadyr x Alaskan's Keys of Anadyr)

Joey's contribution to the kennel was not necessarily in her performance nor her offspring, but in the doors she opened for us.

After watching the start of the '98 Iditarod and being so impressed with Earl and Natalie Norris's team driven by Shawn Sidelinger, I contacted Norris's, introduced myself, and inquired about purchasing a dog.

In June of '99 I flew up to Alaska and picked up JoJo.

On that trip I made all kinds of connections and friends, cherished still, that are were invaluable in making ALL my Iditarods a reality.

Joey never made my race team, but her son, Junior was a leader for us for many years.

With her bubbly personality and beautiful blue eyes, Joey was always a favorite amoung our handlers. Long time handler Barb inquired about providing Joey a retirement home. We all thought that was a GREAT idea - Joey didn't. After a week of living in luxury, Joey escaped her pen and somehow found her way the 6 miles home to the kennel. We took the hint and Joey lived out her retirement here.

With the recent cold temperatures Joey had been struggling a bit the last few days, but she did manage to drag Simone down the road at a run day before yesterday while out for some exercise. Way to go JoJo!!!

This morning though, it was her time.

Thank you Joey. You will be missed!

Cookbook Reminder - Bet

Since I've been on the road, I've neglected to do some of my other duties, so I'm taking today to play catsup (hehehe, get it) and do some of my administrationally duties for North Wapiti.

I wanted to remind everybodies about the cookbook!  We had such an overwhelming scramble on the Facebooks to get a copy, that we are going to do a second printing on "When Kibble Just Won't Cut it", the extrafabulousness cookity cook book gleaned from the history of the Musher's tasty foods, and other peoples tasty foods.  It is chock full of tastiness!

We've opened up the pre-orders because we will only be printing enough to cover the pre-orders... so if you want it, you HAVE to pre-order it.  We won't have them available for later... just warning you!

We also modified the paypal button so those peoples in Australia and the UK don't have to bug Helen (who smells of the same cookies you can find in the cookbook) to ask for a price.  It's a much easier button too, just one button for everybodies that has a drop down menu, and you can order multiple copies as well. 

Just go HERE, click HERE... right HERE!!!

If you forget to click up there, you can also click on the HUGE picture of the cookbook on the right hand side of the blog and it'll take you to the pre-order page also.  If you are on a mobile device, the reader won't let you see it, you have to go on a real computer to see the right hand side menu.

For those of you who are like "umm... I just don't know... how tasty could the recipes in this book be?  I just don't know if I want the cookbook"  I say to you... all recipes are BET APPROVED, and here is a sample of one of my most favorite recipes in the book... once you take a gander at this, you WILL want one... I said so!

- Bet

Eagle Cap Extreme The Finish - Bet

Howdy Ho Everybodies!

It's your roving Border Collie reporter, Bet, here!

I have to admit that I'm a bit under the weather... seems I caught a little stomach bug from some of the sled dogs around here... sigh.  I've been spending most of my time here

Don't worry, the Musher is taking care of me.

Anyhoooooo

As you may or may not know, the weather up in the mountain area took a turn for the worst and the race officials decided to cut the 200 mile race down to 150 miles.  The Eagle Cap Extreme race officials wisely made that decision to make sure the mushers and the dogs were safe, and we thank them for putting everyone first!

Snap developed a sore shoulder and got dropped, and Rocky... well, Rocky was having a bad day at the office and wanted to ride on the snowmachine, so he got dropped as well.

Of course this meant that we would have to stay up until the wee hours of the night to meet the team when they came in.  YAWWWN!

At least it was a beautiful night for waiting, very pretty!

So we waited, and waited, and waited ...

I took this picture

and waited and waited, waited some more, then...

Wahoooo!!!!  We saw the Musher's lights.

Of course Snap and Rocky got the scenic snowmachine taxi ride down, but the rest of the Pretty Curly Tails looked good.  They were a little upset that it was too warm and smooshy on the trail, but they did great!
 

After a bit of sleep, all of the Pretty Curly Tails got their breakfast.

Plans for the night were made

Unfortunately I didn't pack my suit... rats!

But then the "bug" hit me, so I probably wouldn't do very well in a tub of hot water... if you know what I mean.

We took it easy for the rest of the day, spending some couch quality time

Look on the bright side... you didn't catch your pants on fire

Which turned into a nap

and all is right in my world once again.

- Bet

Eagle Cap Extreme - Day 1 - Bet

Howdy Ho everybodies, it's me, your roving Border Collie Reporter, Bet, reporting from the Eagle Cap Extreme from the reporting nerve center... the Musher's bed.

Hey, somebodies have to keep it warm for her!

Here are some more pictures we got from the start of the race yesterday!  These exciting photos were given to us by the awesome Ken Woodard, so everyone give a thank you to Ken!

Here is the Musher with her adoring fans

Here is Helen (who smells of cookies) Handler, handling a wiggling Pretty Curly Tail... I'm pretty sure you all know who that is... eeesh, such a serious competitor.

Look at all the people required to hold back the awesome power of the Pretty Curly Tails!

Here is Helen trying to multi-task during the positioning at the start.

Once again, Helen preparing the Pretty Curly Tails for the start while she plays Angry Birds.

Here are the Pretty Curly Tails leaping forward (and if you note... on top of each other) at the start.  Simone is trying not to fall off the snow.

Here come the Pretty Curly Tails out of the start

More Pretty Curly Tails

There's the Musher and the Pretty Curly Tails

There goes the Musher and the Pretty Curly Tails

Just one last picture of the start from the Musher point of view

Then back to business of mushing for the Musher

Another day at the office

Speaking of food (ok, nobody was, but I'm gonna), we'd like to give a big ol shout out to Embers Brew House for their tasty tastiness and a sponsor of the race and so we really love them.  Check out their interwebs site and if you are in Joseph, Oregano, please go eat there.

After all of the hoopla, whooping and excitement... well...

yes Tramp, I know Tramp, shut up Tramp

There's not a whole lot of stuffs and things to do.  We're kinda... unemployed and waiting for stuffs and things to do.

We decided to go find something to eat.

I held on to Simone so she wouldn't fall out of the truck

Ate at that fantastic Embers Brew House  did I mention tasty?  Then pretty much came back to the wonderful and really cool Wallowa Lake Resort where we have a little cabin... and honestly... it's actually bigger than my house!  I think I'll try to convince the Musher and Musher Mark to just move us here, it's really nice.

Anyhoooo, we all got some sleep because it was a very busy day, but the problem was that Simone and Helen had different rooms.  I don't like peoples and Pretty Curly Tails being all scattered around, everything needs to be in one area and organized, so I spent most of the night trying to convince them that they NEEDED to be in the Musher's room with me, and that I would be nice and not make Simone sleep in the bathtub... but they totally ignored me!

Helen and Simone took care of Q and Tramp in the morning, then we had a conference call with that annoying Nyquil swilling Cartoonist.  As you can see, I was paying close attention and taking notes.

After that, Helen and Simone wanted to take Q and Tramp snow shoeing up on the trails... in the cold... with Tramp... um.

I offered to sit in the room and wait by the scanner to see if there was any exciting news from the trail... and warm my toesies by the fire.

Apparently Simone and Helen were shocked that Pretty Curly Tails don't walk well on leashes... in the snow.... at a sled dog race... go figure.

Here is Q attempting to pull Simone off a gigantic mountain cliff.  Luckily she didn't fall off.

Here is Q attempting to drag Helen (who smells of cookies) off another cliff... he's consistent at least.

Helen used the tried and true snow brake technique.  Q is looking for tasty mice goodies.

Yammer, yammer, blah blah, blah, yammer yammer... and Simone.

The weather took a turn for the worst, so they've cut the race down to 150 miles.  That means the Musher will be back sometime very late tonight.

More later, including answers to all of the questions posted on the Facebooks.

- Bet

Eagle Cap Extreme Start - Bet

Howdy Ho Everybodies!

It's your roving Border Collie Reporter, Bet, here!

Boy am I excited to be back in my reporter chair doing reporting on stuffs and things!!!

Quite the exciting time we're having!

First off, the drive down here... ugh.

Oh sure, it was pleasant and all, but I couldn't get anybodies to start a 100 bottles of beer on the wall sing fest going, all they wanted to do was look out the windows and oooh and aaaah over the scenery.

Anyhooo, we did a lot of stopping at Timmie's to pick up supplies... just the necessities of course.

The border peoples were very nice although I thought the frisking I got was a bit too personal, if you know what I mean... I hope they swap out those gloves after each body.

We stopped at a place called the Frank Slide site. That is where a giant slab of Turtle Mountain crashed down upon the unsuspecting town of Frank in the middle of the night many years ago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Slide). Turtle claims his innocence in the matter, but we don't believe him.

We let the Pretty Curly Tails out for a stretch and to admire the scenery.  

Another view of the Turtle rock thing

Turtle protesting the accusation that he flattened a whole town.

I have an alibi, I was framed!!!!

 They all wanted me to go take a look over the mountain thing and kept telling me to get closer to edge so they could get a good picture... I think they were trying to kill me.

URP!

 
While I kept trying to concentrate on my "on the road" updates, Simone kept poking me.

MUSHER!!!!  Simone keeps poking me, make her stop!

The Musher threatened to turn that truck around if we couldn't behave.

 We spent the night in a rather nice hotel.  They had really big clouds and I chose this one.  I made Simone sleep in the bathtub.

When we got to the Wallowa Lake Resort, hoooo boy, now that's a nice place!!! None of this one tiny cramped room with not enough bed things, oh no, it has a FIREPLACE and I was able to unwind and warm my crampy toes in style.  Go "like" them on Facebook and tell them Bet sent you!

Photo courtesy of the © Wallowa Lake Resort

The Resort place knew me (of course) and gave me the V.I.B.C. (Very Important Border Collie) room with all of the best amenities.

We were all a bit bummed because it had started raining!  We were worried that it would be icy on the trail the next day, and we didn't want the Pretty Curly Tails to be sliding around.  We also remember what happened to Musher Mark that one time when it was icy. Ok, I wasn't around for that, but I heard about it from Kara.

Anyhooooo we all had a nice sleep and all and got up and it was busy, busy, busy getting the Musher and Pretty Curly Tails ready for the race.  There was all sorts of sorting and unpacking and connecting, and strapping, and harnessing and bootying, and running around, and getting more stuffs and things, and meeting all of my... I mean the Musher's fans.

While Helen (who smells of cookies) and Simone (who hasn't fallen off of anything... yet) got the sled and Pretty Curly Tails all ready to go, I gave the Musher some last minute instructions.

Remember... dont' set your pants on fire!

Then we had to pose for some photos for the fans

Don't mean to be a spoilsport but I have to pee so can we hurry this up?

This is me pointing her to the starting line.

Seriously... no pants fires this time, ok?

And with that... it was time for the Musher and Pretty Curly Tails to do what they love to do... race!

In case you are wondering... Kelly and Roscoe made the team... we have to put up with  Q and ... ugh... yammer yammer yammer Tramp.

- Bet

Eagle Cap Extreme Team - Bet

Howdy Ho Everybodies!!!

Your roving Border Collie Reporter, Bet, here!  Reporting to you ON THE ROAD!!!!!

Yep, you heard me right, we packed up really early and got out of town... driving is slow, as usual we have to stop at EVERY Tim Horton's along the way, but we're making progress!

I made sure that I was going this time... nope, they weren't going to leave me behind, not with all of the fun, adventures, and reporting that I have to do!!!!!

I chose my tried and true blue ensemble for the trip down to Oregon (which turns out isn't a spice commonly found on pizza).

Anyhooooooooooo, I figured all of you would like to know which Pretty Curly Tails are on the truck with us!

Ok, without further adoooooo, here is the Eagle Cap Extreme Mean Team... ok, they aren't really mean, but those football peoples always come up with a nickname for their teams and stuffs and things, so I thought I'd try it.

Wifi

Barbara and Jerry Lake, Hampton, TN proudly sponsor Wifi again in 2013

Smartie

Smartie is sponsored by   Karen Ernest and Trina (Chiclet)

Todd

Sponsored by: Joli Jurcak: GTG - Love following this rising star!

Turtle

Turtle is sponsored by
Kathryn & Pete Trussell, Frank & Paula Langenstein

Rocky (aka knobby knees)

Sponsored by: Mary, Greg, and the Halvorson Huskies

Astro

Astro is sponsored by Dana Joyner

See

Sponsored by: Marlene and Doug Daniels who are thrilled that See has turned into an outstanding leader! Go See!!

Boo

Sponsored by:  Tammy Taylor

Tess

Sponsored by: Marlene Daniels who is proud of how well "her girl" Tess did in Iditarod 2012, often running single lead.

Snap

Snap is sponsored by Heather Walls and Dan Rehak!

Then, if the trails are hard going, the manly men dogs on the team will be:

Q

Sponsored by: Donna Quante

Roscoe

Roscoe is sponsored by John and Nancy Hermle, Lazy S Samoyeds, Oakton VA

But if the trails are hard and fast, then:

Tramp

Tramp is sponsored by the George family, Chugiak Kennels, New Zealand

Kelly

Sponsored by:  Deb Bok

And now you know!!!!!

And yes, for those of you who are wondering, I did mistakenly call Brittany "Tiffany" yesterday for some odd reason.  I told Briffany that I would always get her name right from now on.

Speaking of pizza, the Musher made us tasty, tasty pizza last night... don't mind the Musher's mooshed hair, that's normal... and the pizza did have Oregon on it!

- Bet