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For Pictures & Observations
from this years's
BMDCA National Specialty 2006
See Below

THANKS!




 

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Fun Stuff from the
BMDCA National Specialty 2006
BMDCA Specialty

Fun Stuff from this year's National Specialty
hosted by the BMDCA & Heart of Michigan Bernese Mountain Dog Club,
and held in Frankenmuth, Michigan, May 1-6, 2006



Our beloved Pat Long, known to so many of you from Berner-l and previous Specialties,
this year kicks off this page with with some observations from this year's Specialty,



Bernese Mountain Dog License Plates


What we Drive!

Just some of the license plates spotted at this year's Specialty,
pic. courtesy of Mary Rogers


Pat and Joye

Pat and Joye captured at the Specialty by Lynne Hawkinson

From Pat

"Home at last, not caught up yet, but getting there!

Got to the show site on Sunday, and bag stuffing was just getting started. Oh, my, word. The STUFF they had acquired for those bags! They had definitely outdone themselves on that one, and it took well over 3 and a half hours to stuff bags! I got pulled off to help with stuffing the registration envelopes, and then had to leave to make an airport run to pick up Sherri Venditti. (I think she had the official Trip From Hell that day! But at least we could give her door to door service for the end of it.) I got back just as the stuffing completed.

Monday was registration, Joye and I worked most of the morning, then Ann Skinner joined us, and Flash hung out as well. Every now and then Flash decided to take a cruise outdoors, and you talk about determined! What a character! I had to leave to go check on a site for doing photos, and Joye and I came within a whisker of having the week off! Thanks to the support and determination of Maria Crifasi and Janice Parky, and a wonderful hotel staff, that did not happen. The room we got for photos was the honeymoon suite, and we did want to use the Jacuzzi in the room for "Berner Bubble Bath" photos - but never found the right Berner Babe!


The next four days Joye and I did photos, and we always have fun doing those. Even as far from the show site as we were, we did about 50 sessions, and I haven't added the total yet, but it's over $3000 - all for Berners! The digital worked out well, and many people were generous with the donations and gave more than the $50 requested. I'll have to post some of my favorites somewhere.

(Ed. Here's a start, Pat!)

Berner Puppies

Christy and Butch Leone's crew.



Thursday night was the Berner-Garde Auction, and the goal was to have fun raising money for the new DNA Bank that is about to get started. The contract is in the final stages and should be signed soon - more on that later! Lori Jodar was the chair for the auction, and insisted on having proper Vannas. She did my makeup, and teased my hair - and Lynne Hawkinson even wore a skirt!!

Two Vannas

Pat & Lynn captured by Karen Connors

The highlights of that evening for me were seeing Margie Reho win the carving by Gale Werth - and then announce that it was a carving of her girl, Gita, who had been the one videotaped to help convince the AKC to lower the obedience jump height for the breed.

Gale Werth Carving Front View

And of course, the other highlight was when I got the winning bid for an escort to the Judges' Dinner on Saturday. The bidding was fierce for David Denis, but I won!

Friday morning was a scramble, non-stop photos and we had to end and be out of the room by noon. Given the hotel's willingness to accommodate us, we wanted to make sure the room was freed on time! It was nice, Joye had the afternoon off to do shopping, and I caught up on some other things. That evening was the General Meeting, and I was honored to present the Winston Neff Award for Berner-Garde - to Elizabeth Pearson. I'll share the speech next.

Saturday I got up nice and early to make sure our seats were still where we had left them the afternoon before, and I happened to notice that one person was trying to get the hospitality set up all on his own! I cannot remember the name, it was Fred or Frank (I am horrible with names and have to hear them a million times before I can remember!), but the people who were supposed to be doing it from the regional clubs never showed up, and he was doing it all himself. So from 6 - 8, I helped set up, make coffee, refill water containers, make coffee, refill water containers, make coffee, you get the idea. It was COLD.

Ringside was a lot of fun on Saturday. It was COLD. We all had on as many layers as possible, people had down comforters, blankets, you name it! The poor BMDCA booth, Vicky Hall and Dottie Schulte were trying to close down to get to watch the show, but were selling anything warm faster than they could put more out! Those ladies needed some help! I saw people helping them out off and on all week, but you talk about hard workers, and they never did get to see any of the show.

By midday, the sun had come out, and layers were peeled off. The sunscreen showed up (THANK YOU Barb Lindman!!), and sunglasses were definitely needed. Watching Mary Alice make her decisions, well, all I can say is better her than me! There were so many wonderful dogs in the ring, and how she winnowed them down, I just don't know. But she did find some magnificent dogs, and used all of the Award of Merits - well deserved each and every one!

But then, it was time for The Date! David Denis showed up at my door carrying a beautiful wrist corsage, and a small ring sized box, and a lovely bottle of white wine, called "Cheap White Wine". He was dressed to the 9's, well, the 1969's that is! His clothes would have made Austin Powers quite proud, with the green and yellow striped jacket (with purple lining). But the true topper was the Scottish tam with red hair fringe - and Joye Neff decided he must be a member of the Scottish clan MacDuffus! Oh, the ring box? Contained a lovely chocolate, the man knows how to wow a woman! Coral better just watch out! <G> We had a lot of fun, and it was a fun way to raise a bit of extra money for health!

The Date!


The Date, photo courtesy of Laura Lopez-Mendez


Some thanks to just a few special people, there are so many, this is by no means a complete list!

Joye Neff, as always, the hardest worker, and always cheerful.

Ron Smith, for manning the Berner-Garde booth almost the entire week.

Ann Skinner, for all the help on registration, and manning the BG booth most of the week as well. And thanks for helping with Flash - I really did mean to be right back!

Lynne Hawkinson - for everything. Vanna extraordinaire, and thank you so very much for Monday, I can't tell you how much that meant to me.

Maria Crifasi and Janice Parky - I think you know how much your help meant on Monday. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! $3000 worth of thanks!

Sherry and Rob Hartung, thanks for keeping things under control on Friday, it's always a crazy day!

Vicky Hall and Dottie Schulte, for not only working their keesters off at the BMDCA booth, but then working the Auction as well. You ladies work too hard!!

Fred, or Frank - did you work hospitality every day? It was an awesome spread!!

Cheryl Waterman, who always seems to be right were help is most needed, and quietly finds common sense solutions that no one else ever seems to think of.

And to everyone who helped put on a wonderful Specialty - it may even have been the best I've attended!

Terrific site, wonderful hotel and staff!

As for Frankenmuth, they don't hold a candle to Texas for Margaritas, but if you like chicken and large portions - well, Frankenmuth is the place to be!

Pat Long, Brew (& Luther) Berwyn PA"

Judges' Dinner

This wonderful collage of pics from the Judges' Dinner
with thanks to Laura

The Tattoo

Ruth Nielsen's Tattoo, photo by Maria Crifasi

"I confess to the tattoo - it's actually a picture of ZenMaster Max - done from a photo taken by Janet Wissman.

It seemed only fitting that the dog who introduced me to the fabulously insane world of Berners and who was my constant companion for 10 1/2 years would be the one indelibly inked on my arm. I had fun showing it off at the Specialty, and I now know that I am not the ONLY one with a beloved Berner tattoo!"

Mounties Hospitality

This photo is Sue Wilkinson with Wolle, and Toni Davies with Iris.
The photo was taken by a friend of Toni.

Sue with Coral

Sue and Wolle with Coral Denis

Sue in a LBD

Sue Wilkinson in her LBD (little black dress)!



More pics on these pages,

Vilma's, Bean, does Agility

more to come


Feel free to send your fun pics and tails from the Specialty!

jean.cheesman@lineone.net

or pat@bmdinfo.com









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