Remembering Zena

Julie Matthews is a good friend of mine. After living, loving and generally raising hell in the US for more than 20 years, we've lost her and she's gone home to New Zealand, but I got to thinking about her today and the too few years we spent traveling and trialing together and thought I'de share some of that with you. She's about to become the reserve champion at Meeker in the photo below with her amazing dog Moss who was 11 or so at the time. The pair went on a week later to become the USBCHA Reserve national champions at Sturgis, SD. We gave Julie the nickname Zena because she looked like a warrior in the black outfit shown in these photos. She's wearing tight, black wranglers and a leather bustier that I laced her into.

This is where I met Julie, at Chris Jobe's Come-bye trial just outside of Calgary, Alberta. Chris had invited me to her trial and to stay over for the Stampede a week later. I got Julie as an added bonus.

Julie and Chris on the patio of the Banff Springs Hotel the day we went touristing in between Chris' trial and stampede.

Me and Julie with Ron Gale in the ag barn on the grounds of the stampede waiting for the arena trial to start. Julie made the finals that year and ended up with a very cool Carhart jacket.

On the stampede grounds with a mock up of some famous Austrailian mounted fighting regiment that she knew all about. She was so excited about those guys as they were of her. That's her tough, little bitch, Meg on the left with Moss, a dog she was training and trialing for a Customer.

I took this photo of Julie and Elvin Kopp on the shuttle back to our cars after the Stampede. There's a bar in the ag barn where you keep your dogs across from the Saddle Dome where the trial is actually held. This photo was post-Stampede and post ag-barn bar.

"Dogs on the Bow" is how I affectionately refer to this photog. The Bow River runs through the Stampede grounds and here is, from left, my Price with Julie's Moss and Dodge posing alongside. The picture I didn't include here is the one of stripped down Julie (no pants) standing in the river with Dodge after washing his butt. He was a little loose that day and had crap all over him, so she took off her pants in the middle of the Calgary Stampede and waded in. She hadn't counted on my little camera being ready and in the picture is waving me off saying "bugger off !" in that wonderful NZ brougue.

With Mark Petersen at Soldier Hollow the year we both made the finals. A true team effort, we encouraged, counseled and cheered for each other throughout the trial and it was one of the few times I beat her. I came 4th and she retired when the set out crew was late getting out the second packet of sheep.

Motely crew, from left, me, Julie, Margie Jameson, Chris Jobe and Wilda Bahr at Wilda's for a training day.

One of the merriest Christmas' ever at my house with from left, Tobey, the parrot, Chris Jobe, Lena the Yorkie, Mimi Wilson, Margie Jameson, Derek Fisher, Julie and me. These friends and more stayed at my house for a series of trials seriously mis-named the Hospitality Series by the producers. It was agreed that no one would buy presents for anyone, so Margie went out and bought them for all the animals, so we would have presents under the tree.

At the trial with from left, Chris Jobe, her old dog, Tuck, me, Julie, Malinda Hanley, the judge and Geri Abrahams of New Mexico's Free to Be Ranch.

Me and Julie doing what we did best together.... eating, drinking and raising hell in excess.

Reflecting on the trial field at Meeker the year she set up her massage therapist in Amanda Milliken's 5th wheel trailer so we could all be relaxed for our runs. I miss you Jules.....