It wasn’t on my bucket list and I certainly would have never expected to find it in Maine, but I went to a rodeo last night. Barrel racing, pole bending, cash cow and, yes, even bull riding.

I stumbled on the event in Charleston, ME, on my way back from my St. George experience Friday. And, since my new mantra is to seize every new opportunity possible, I decided to go.

It was … different. There were plenty of boots and cowboy hats {in Maine? go figure} and, of course, horses. Most of the events centered on barrel racing with a full field in three divisions — adult, junior and pee wee. The skill levels were evident, with most riders finishing the course in the 20 second range. The adult winner posted an 18.15 time and the junior winner finished the course in 17.98. Don’t ask me for their names or their horses’ names. The winners culminated the night with a barrel shootout. I was there, but in line for fried dough, so I don’t know who won.

The highlight — and what I thought was the main attraction of a rodeo — was bull riding. There were six competitors … none of whom stayed on their respective bulls for the eight second ride. One young man appeared seasoned with chaps, boots, riding spurs and even a feather in his cowboy hat. He lasted one buck. The others appeared to be locals and rookies who signed up to show off for their significant other. One lasted about four seconds and, obviously, no one made it to the eight second horn. But the rears, kicks, spins and twists brought the crowd of 200 or so to life.

I ate at a corral wagon {food truck} with a “waffle cone” — which I thought was a corn dog but turned out to be a thick sausage link dipped in a pancake-type batter, wrapped in bacon, deep fried {I hope my doctors aren’t reading} and served with Maine maple syrup  — and onion rings. I can’t figure out how it got its name, but I was pleasantly surprised with the sausage.

All in all, it was an enjoyable diversion — for $5, one of the perks of silver hair. I was able to not only put “rodeo” on my bucket list and cross it off, but I have now earned the right to truthfully tell people, “What do you think this is, my first rodeo?”

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: What if we stopped blaming inanimate objects for the violence we see in this world and started taking our responsibility as parents seriously.