Oct 22, 2006 15:49
I was supposed to post on the Doodle romp. I've just been so busy and emotionally involved with stuff that I haven't gotten to it.
So, here's a quick recap. When planning to go to the Doodle Romp, which was in Connecticut, we (my collaborator and I) thought it was an all weekend event. It wasn't! It was actually from 2-4 on Sunday. Who knew? We did not discover this important fact until we checked in at the hotel.
We drove down Saturday, arriving around 2. We stayed with our subject at a Residence Inn, in a 2 bedroom suite. We had a common area and 2 bedrooms/bathrooms. My collaborator and I shared a bed. Our subject slept in the room and her 15 y.o. son slept on the couch in the living room. Anyway, it was close quarters, which was excellent for working on our relationship with K (the subject). We were supposed to meet one of her best friends, a breeder named Barbie, but Barbie was being weird and didn't want us to come over. So, we just hung out for a few hours before going over to a couple's house for dinner. Chris and Robin (both female) and Frodo live in a lovely home with an awesome back yard. They live next door to an Apple orchard/farm. We had a great time with them and their friend Darryl. Darryl, especially, was a hoot. She taught Frodo (one of K's dogs) how to jump over her back. We had a great dinner, including homemade chocolate chip ice cream (that I just tasted). It was so much fun.
On Sunday, we thought, once again, that we were going to see Barbie, but that didn't happen. So, we went over to the training facility where the romp was going to be held to watch Frodo's agility class. It was interesting. The romp was held in the agility pen. And then, there was the romp. The romp was basically just a bunch of labradoodle and some goldendoodle owners getting together with their dogs and socializing. They sold Doodle paraphanelia (see my pics of the doodle rocks, there were also doodle bags), cider, coffee, and treats (for humans and dogs). The dogs ran around like crazy playing and their owners talked. Some romps have competitions or demostrations. There was a mobile groomer there, but she didn't do a presentation or anything. It was outside and chilly. I took lots of notes/played with dogs.
Then we drove home.
Now, I'm in the fray, nearing the end of the fieldwork stage of my project. Our first draft is due the first friday in November. AHHHH! And, my collaborator and I are, apparentally, having some issues that I'm praying won't escalate into big drama. And, if you don't know, I do love labradoodles ;)!