Lucky Request: Go To Stock Show

Posted January 19, 2011 by Jeff Prince in Blotch

This week I’m practicing with my camera to learn how to download photos, size them, jpeg ‘em, and post them onto Blotch.

This prompted reader Lucky Pierre to suggest I go to the Stock Show.

I aim to please.

The first guy I ran into was Sam McClure, who was grooming a llama named Tax Man (the critter was born on April 15).

"TAX MAN" AND SAM MCCLURE (DO THEY SHARE THE SAME BARBER?)

McClure is a talkative sort and within minutes I knew more about llama feces than I ever imagined.

“They’re poop doesn’t smell,” McClure said. (My ex-girlfriend used to say the same thing about me).

Seems llamas have a three-panel stomach that does an extra good job of breaking down food into a pile of poop so lovely and fragrant that you damn near want to roll around in it.

“And it’s great fertilizer,” he said.

A nearby barn was filled with cows, including Anela, a pretty little thing with furry ears and deep, searching eyes (her eyes mainly seemed to search for a deep pile of hay).

Kelly Salyer, an 11-year-old from Wharton TX, is Anela’s keeper or master or whatever you call it. She said Anela is a braunvieh.

“What’s a braunvieh?” I asked.

An older girl standing next to Salyer sighed and, somewhat dismissively, said, “It’s the oldest pure breed ever.”

Well excuuuuuse me for not knowing my cow breeds. I have a life.

"ANELA" AND KELLY SALYER

Next I ran into Fort Worth’s most recognizable millionaire Ed Bass, looking dapper in his Western-tinged but still contemporary outfit. He was walking west when I ran into him.

“Hello, Mr. Bass, can I take your photo?”

“Sure, you bet, glad to,” he said.

After I took the photo, he shook my hand then started walking east. That’s odd, I thought to myself, did he forget which direction he was going? Sure enough, after a few paces he spun around and headed back in a westerly direction.