Learning to drive is always a rite of passage. For me, it was a terrifying experience when I was 15 years old and in driver's ed class. The instructor figured everyone had already driven, so he put me on the street and said go, not bothering to find out that I had never even sat behind the wheel of a parked car. After nearly sideswiping a whole line of cars and making him so nervous that his face was wet with perspiration, he decided maybe we needed to learn in an empty parking lot. I couldn't have agreed more.
When it came time to take my driving ed test with him, he flunked me before I even took the test. But I could perform in a high stress situation and passed with flying colors (well, he only had to use the instructor brake once). So he had to unflunk me and then I got to terrify my parents as I put in my hours before I could get a license to drive on my own.
Out in the desert, learning to drive is a little easier. There aren't the inconveniences of parked cars. And there are plenty of roads. And living on a ranch, young'uns are encouraged to drive at an early age so they can help move the tractor to the other side of the field. My husband learned to drive when he was five. That does seem like a very early age, but he had his older brother to help him. His older brother was six.
Last week the California cousins came for a visit, and my sister-in-law decided that it was time for her oldest daughter to learn how to drive. She got behind the wheel of her cousin's work truck and before long was driving it, only slightly scaring her mother. It was a stick shift, which really impressed me, because that took me forever to learn how to drive.
Desert Boy didn't want to be left out of the fun. Here he is practicing with his Pony Express Rider cousin (update on the ride coming soon). His cousin is laughing because Desert Boy already knows he needs to shift. While he's "driving" he makes vroom, vroom noises.
And now that we get a wider view, you can see he is ready to live it up, taking his cute California cousins for a ride. I'm already sweating the real driving!
What do you remember from your first driving experience?
This last weekend we went to the local county fair. It's not real large, partly because we live in the desert and there aren't that many people here, but it's still fun. We wanted to make sure that Desert Boy got to see some of the animals and to support the cousins who had entered several animals.
We went over to see one of the cousins get her sheep ready for auction. She won a blue ribbon the day before. 
When it was her turn, she took the lamb into the auction arena and walked him back and forth to show off his best side. I'm not quite sure what that best side was, but maybe the person who bought him knows. The ranch bought some animals from the auction to help support the 4-H program. Sometimes it's hard for the kids to say goodbye to their animals, especially after they've spent so much time raising them. But the money they earn from the auction often goes into a special account and helps them pay for college.
Other cousins and Desert Boy are in the stands in the auction arena. Desert Boy manages to get their attention. He likes attention a lot.
Later we get to see this beautiful cousin's steer. The steer didn't particularly like other people, but he was well-behaved for her.
Nearby were these goats, belonging to a different cousin.
She's so young that she's in the Cloverbuds, a junior 4-H program. She was the only one to have goats at the fair this year, so when she showed one of them on Saturday she and the goat had the arena to themselves.
Nearby were some sheep in the pen. They look so soft. It's fun to listen to them go Baaa. I obviously don't know much about sheep. 
Then we headed to the pig barn. I think pigs are so cool. Well, actually they look a little hot here in the 90+ degree heat. But they've got nice places to lay down.
This was one of the largest pigs, probably over 400 pounds. I don't think I would want to get anywhere near it!!
Desert Boy checks out one of the smaller pigs with his cousin. She's encouraging him to pet the pig, but he's not too sure about it. He's never been this close to pigs in his life.
We'll end with a bit of piggy love. I always enjoy going to the fair and am glad that the cousins are getting such great experience. It won't be that many years before they're showing Desert Boy (and me) how to care for and show animals. 
