Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Camels, Ostriches, and Water Buffalo...Oh my!
Camels, Ostriches, and Water Buffalo….Oh my!
As a California transplant, I had heard that the annual Virginia City Camel Races were among the area’s most entertaining offerings, but I had no idea what to expect when I embarked on a research trip to VC. One thing I certainly hadn’t expected, was to see ostriches and water buffalo being ridden in some of the races.
Now, low-slung, short-legged water buffalo aren’t exactly built for racing. Their speed leans more toward lumbering -- but not on cue. They pretty much march to their own drummer - and come to purposeful stops whenever the mood strikes them.
Long-legged ostriches appear more-likely mounts, but somebody must have forgotten to advise them of the fact, because they look like hysterical, ungainly divas as they high step around the race course with feathers flapping.
Oh, and don’t forget the camels, which history tells us, were actually imported to the Comstock Lode during the glory days of gold mining. But you won’t see any these days except at events like the eagerly anticipated camel race -- which turned out to be a side-splitting farce. The best comedy writers couldn't pen a funnier script.
So if you need a good laugh, run, don’t walk, to Virginia City for this year’s event, September 9 - 11, 2011. That’s right, they began today, but there are still two days worth of belly laughs waiting for you.
Oh, and the title of that book I was researching is SAGEBRUSH CINDERELLA, available in the Kindle ebookstore at Amazon.COM. And, yes, the camel races play a part in this lighthearted romance. Enjoy!
--Ramona
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)