Rodeo Week has come and gone but what a whirlwind that always is. This year, I was able to grab a few parade photos on Saturday morning before leaving town for a trip to San Jose for back-to-back professional sporting events later in the day.

Then on Sunday, it was off to the rodeo grounds to photograph some of the action in the arena. Both reporter Dennis D. Cruz and I were there on Sunday afternoon and though it wasn’t a mud pit like it was a couple of years ago, the rain on Saturday did result in a few sloppy areas.

Probably the most harrowing moment was when one of the bulls, after bucking off his rider, charged toward the area behind the fence where Dennis and I were stationed. The bull made a sharp right turn before crashing into the fence but some mud clods went flying and both myself and Dennis did our best to avoid the splatters.

Rodeo is such a tradition for the Cowboy Capital and the surrounding communities; it truly is a fun event to cover.

After the Saturday parade, though, it was off to San Jose, where my daughter Ally and I first attended the ‘friendly’ soccer match featuring the U.S. Women’s National Team, taking on Japan. We met up at PayPal Park with Ally’s best friend Katelyn and her husband Clayton, along with Katelyn’s mom Edy. Friends and competitive travel soccer teammates going back to their days as 11-year-olds up through the age of 19, Kate and Ally were in each other’s weddings and still get together every week for a visit or two. Katelyn’s first child, Bennett, was born just four months before my granddaughter, Lorelei, so they are starting a second generation of best friends. Lorelei has even told us – at four years old – that she plans to marry Bennett.

During our travel soccer years, we would often ride with Edy and Kate to games and tournaments. Both Kate and Ally at that time had the last name of Jackson and even though we are not related, they had everyone in high school believing they were cousins.

Edy and I had a great time not only watching the game at PayPal but also reminiscing about some of our travel adventures during comp soccer. I was banned from driving back then because of my ability to get lost no matter how simple the directions. Our team won its share of games and brought home trophies, even getting excluded from one tournament after taking the title a few years in a row. We logged plenty of miles and share a lot of great memories.

Meanwhile, the professional soccer game was amazing, the U.S. team won 2-1 and it was a great experience, joining in to cheer on the athletes with several thousand other fans.

For Ally and myself, it was then off to SAP Center to watch the final home game of the season for the San Jose Sharks. Of course it went to overtime. Then a shootout. Which lasted six rounds before Vancouver escaped with the win. We would rather have won it, of course, but there was so much to celebrate with the Sharks this season, the turnaround they made and the fact that they were in the playoff hunt up until the final couple of games.

Can’t wait for next season.

Marg Jackson is editor of The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News. She may be reached at mjackson@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.