More racing, still sick, but proud

Well, it was another weekend of racing, and it was even more fun with me hacking up a lung the whole time. The kids had a terrific time, though, and I managed to enjoy them enjoying themselves and tried to ignore the fact that I was still sick.

The boys (Brandon hates it when I call them that - at 16 and 21, they're men!) entered three races, and ended up with a second place, a fourth and another first, but this time it was Brandon who took first place in the Open Class (also known as the Unlimited Division.) Alex had the fourth fastest time with his eight-dog team, and second with his six-dog team. Brandon was racing 12 dogs on a 10 mile course. Both of them got some pretty nice prize money and they were both very happy. I thought, with Brandon's first place, that it might be fun to take a look at some pictures from his dog sledding career.

First, here's Alex with his 6-dog team, screaming out of the starting chute.

When Brandon was small, he used to take naps in one of the spare sleds at the race site with one of his trusty stuffed dog companions.

Sometimes he had a snuggle buddy - a little girl whose dad was also racing.

Here they are playing in the snow. There was never a lack of fun stuff to do when the snowbanks were 10 feet high!

Brandon with one of our favorite dogs, Cinder. I think one of the biggest perks of growing up in a racing kennel was loving the dogs and shouldering the responsibilities of taking care of them. There's a lot of work - heavy, hard labor - taking care of a kennel of dogs and training them, and he's always had to do a fair share of the work.

Brandon started out racing with Cinder in one-dog junior class races. These races were really short, sometimes only a couple of hundred yards, up to maybe a mile at the most, but always on a closed course, in sight of the nervous moms and dads the whole time.

Here he is with that same little girl, a few years later, discussing their upcoming race. This was a one-dog junior class race in Marmora, Ontario. Brandon ended up seventh and won his very first prize money - seven dollars Canadian and little bags of candy and dog treats. Kathleen beat him, but he didn't seem to mind. He made me give him $7 American in exchange, and refused to believe me that he was only supposed to get about $5.50 for it.

When he was a little older, he moved up to 3-dog junior class, which competed on the longer trails - usually about 4-5 miles. It was hard to see him head out into the woods, but he was a pro from the very beginning and handled whatever happened out there all on his own.

Now he's racing twelve dogs, going much faster than I am comfortable with, but he still handles it fine. He tells me it's a rush like no other, speeding through twists and turns, up and down hills and around sharp corners with just the swishing sound of the sled runners and the wind in his face. Being out there with his beloved dogs, doing what they - and he - love best, he's about as happy as I could ever wish for. Whatever he does in the future in his life, I think he got a great start, learning that it was good to work hard for something you really loved.

Next weekend he's not racing, but Alex has a huge race, so we have a few days to get ready. Mostly that means I'm doing laundry like crazy, getting all the gear ready for another trip. I wish the Merry Maids would stop by and take care of all this stuff so I can find a minute to get over this damn cold.