Dan and Bonnie: Our Day at the Uruguay Stock Show

I know we have mentioned several times how the locals keep telling us how cold it is and it doesn't strike us that way at all. We have mentioned how most people are bundled up as though it really were cold. This is a day when all I was wearing was a long-sleeved shirt and I was perfectly comfortable (actually I would get a little to warm after walking for a bit).

Notice the only green thing in the tree above are the wild parrots since it is winter here and the trees haven’t leafed out, although we have noticed many more are beginning to leaf, or have leaves, since we first arrived three weeks ago.

There are flocks of these wild (and very noisy) parrots in the parks and some trees are filled with their large nests, which look like gigantic mud dauber nests. You can see the outline of a nest in this not-very-good photo taken against the backlight of the sky to the right of the Parrot silhouettes.

Speaking of trees, they are a little different here as you can tell by looking at the trunk of this tree. Someone told us they say there are more trees in Montevideo than people. So many side streets are lined with them (not like the one above) and they are so tall and look like they will be very full so I can hardly wait to see how it looks in the spring and summer.

There are some very nice parks. This one was near our hotel and it features this little lake (you can rent paddle boats) with this cute little island that has large rabbits living on it. I almost expect to see Alice showing up anytime!

The park also features some of the kinds of ducks I have seen at the zoo, but could never imagine them actually living in the wild. Meet the origin of the saying "an odd duck"!

Here come the rest of the mutated clan!

No blog from a foreign country can be complete without a picture of a poor restroom facility. In the restroom of a small restaurant I was reminded of my old days in Spain. In the restroom was what we missionaries referred to as a “bomber”. However, most places have modern facilities, although in many cases the tank is attached to the wall several feet above the toilet. In our home we have one of that type (tank above the toilet- not the bomber!) and another of the standard type we are accustomed to, so no need to fret when you come to visit us! I won't mention that the concrete wall on the left serves as the urinal and there is a trough that runs along the bottom of the wall with a drain in it because that would be very crude and crass, which I am not!

Well, let's get moving on to the stock show. No foreign country blog is complete unless it also has a McDonald's picture, so I snapped this one of a cute senora at a McDonald's.

No it is not a double exposure, it is just the reflection in the glass of everything behind me! It was run just like a McDonald's, but a definite upgrade on some of the products.

On the left is our new friend, Suzie Archer, the Australian sheep farmer. She met us at McDonald's but before heading to the stock show, she had to take us around the corner to introduce us to Selene a local artist who makes jewelry out of silver, copper and bronze. Suzie is trying to figure out how to help her market her stuff more successfully than on a street corner.

OK, let's get to the stock show!

As luck would have it we managed to arrive at the stock show just in time for the parade of champions so we got to see all the different animal champions of all the different classes. Above are the two main sheep champions which happen to be Corriedale which is the breed Suzie raises in Australia and is introducing into other Latin American countries. Sheep population in Uruguay is the largest in Latin America and sheep products such as wool, sheep meat, sheepskins and breeding stock make up the majority of Uruguay's exports. In fact, Uruguay is the second largest exporter of sheep products in the world. Not bad for such a small country. Oddly enough, very little sheep products are used in Uruguay so almost everything produced is exported. BTW, the first place champion sold for $10,000 dollars, and, oddly, the second place champion sold for $15,000.

The Corriedale sheep is a sheep which not only produces massive quantities of wool, it is also good for eating. You can see above how thick the wool is on the champion. As for the quality of meat, we had a Uruguayan Corriedale lamb "chivito" (a hamburger with steak as the meat). All I can say is yum, yum!

This is how far my hand goes in with the fingers fully extended before I make contact with the actual sheep underneath all that wool!

This is a Uruguayan champion of a dog breed called the Cimarron (Spanish for a domesticated animal that has escaped to the wild and is now a wild or fierce animal). The Cimarron's forefathers were escapees from Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors which crossbred to develop this breed which survived in the wild. Descendants were later domesticated and excelled as cattle-herders, big game hunters (especially wild boars), and guard dogs. They look strong and fierce, like they should be very menacing, but, in fact, are very docile, well tempered, and very intelligent dogs. No worries at all with children or visitors invited to your home. They are extremely loyal and should someone menace or attack it's owner(s), it will defend to the death. Interestingly, in the late 1800s the Cimarron's wild ancestors were killing so many cattle the government tried to exterminate them. Many of the landowners of the Uruguayan province of Cerro Largo, knowing the breed's qualities as cattle herders and guard dogs began breeding the dogs which preserved the breed. It was only 20 years ago the Cimarron breed was recognized by the Uruguayan Kennel club. Since then it has also been recognized by the World Canine Organization (2006) which is made up of most of the world's country kennel clubs, except the American Kennel Club, which has not yet recognized the Cimarron breed.

Look at the sweet, loving face of the second place champion Cimarron. There are some Cimarrons who are yellow, but it is this striped pattern that is so striking to Bonnie and me.

Here is the second place champion striking his pose at the command of his very attractive handler. Unlike champion sheep prices, champion Cimarron puppies may be purchased for $500 which sounds like a heck of a price if anyone is interested in starting the breed in the USA. Hmm... We miss Lancelot so much, Bonnie wants to plan on going into this business so we can buy a Cimarron now and enjoy him for the time we are here. I think she is being totally unfaithful to Sir Lancelot! As for me, well, here is a picture of a great dog!