Furs, Fun, and The Facts of Life

Since Molly hasn't put this up on the blog I've decided to take the initiative before this little gem of a story is forgotten all together.

The Saturday before Memorial Day Molly, Myself, and the munchkins all went up Sardine Canyon to the Old Ephraim Rendezvous. The Rendezvous was excellent; hundreds of jolly bearded men and their indulgent families came together to escape the mundane aspects of daily life and do things their wives won't let them to at home (ie: throw hand axes and knives, shoot guns, bows, and cannons). In some cases they do all of this after drinking so much they can't see straight. So why, you may ask, would any sane person attend one of these potentially hazardous events much less bring the family along? Because it's AWESOME! Yes I fully intend to be among the fur-clad, weapon-wielding, can't-help-but-live-in-the-past droves of men and women who call themselves mountain folk- minus the drinking part. Those of you that know me won't be surprised at this; there are, however, other little tidbits that don't involve shooting, hacking, or skinning. Here's an example, and this is really the point of the post:

Many of these mountain men will bring their family dogs along with them as they wander the grounds or sit to keep them company as they sell their wares (that's right ladies there is shopping, and your husbands will actually want to go too!). Anyone who knows our daughter also knows her insatiable desire to make friends with every animal she comes across. After petting nearly every dog at the Rendezvous we stopped at one final vendor who had a multitude of furs to sell along with a dog that was in the last weeks of her pregnancy. Her doggy radar aglow, Reese zeroed in on this new 'friend' and politely asked the man if she could pet the animal. When she was done, another canine checked off her list, she looked up innocently at my wife and I and said loudly,

"Mommy, that doggie has little boobies- see?"

Dumbstruck we looked and sure enough the dog was ready for her new brood. Slightly embarrassed by the stares we received from middle-aged men and women who turned to look at the child that had just yelled "boobies" at the top of her lungs and her parents trying to stifle their hysterical laughter, we moved on towards the parking lot as Reese said, again very loudly,

"Did you see them? There were lots and lots of boobies!"

Fully satisfied with our taste of the nineteenth century Mountain Man Rendezvous, we decided to return to civilization.