The Fair is Cloooseeed
Sunday we went to the County Fair, we being Kimberly, Jonathon, Byron, Anastacia, and me.
The first thing I noted was that there is now a school in the fairgrounds. Several big buildings. A Christian school.
I checked into that, and it is a curious tale, mainly positive. All legal angles were checked before the fairgrounds rented them the space. The fairgrounds need the money, and the poor school had been, despite being a good school with good teachers, jettisoned by its parent church: which is now opening a competing school!
The next thing I noticed was that there were fewer booths than last year, fewer exhibiters. One family farm is pretty much carrying the torch of agriculture, and I plan to buy as much as I can from them. Localization is good. As evidenced by the local Safeway, for the first time, putting up a big banner and offering Lake County Pears: and an excellent price. The pear growers were pretty much represented by one family as well, which was giving away pears in an exhibet hall where one was not allowed to eat them: but hey, they were calling attention to our senior crop, and deserve patronage!
Byron had been difficult, so he was not allowed to go on rides: except for the pony ride, which was a good thing as he had been afraid the last time, and now he and Ana are fine with ponies.
Finally we got to the Floraculture Building, where my entries were. I took a first for my petunia (fuschia colored), a second for my haning aloe, and a third for my niche. The note on the back of the card said that I needed height, that I should have put the bottle in a stand, and that I should have stood the bread on end: all three choices I had rejected as really tacky. But the judge really likes bottle stands, and gave the first prize to an entry with a tacky bottle stand which I had specifically NOT bought from the big shelf of them because it WAS so tacky.
But they, the person who used it did a great job, as did everyone else. The judge did think my background was clever.
No appreciation of negative space. Hmph.
I lot a day picking up my exhibet, then didn't get to Greyhaven until late Tuesday night. On Wednesday I staggered around and finally got to my hair man on time, about 6 p.m. I am not a Bright Redhead again, and the show opens tommorrow. Thursday morning Diana and I planted two iris, dug many more, pruned, and I climbed up on the scafolding to see where Tom had discovered rot under the edge of the deck. First time I have climbed that side of the house since I fell off it.
Got back to the Lodge in time to go back to Calistoga to meet with Ivan, who was vacationing there. Today was prepping, mainly.
Ivan says they have built a winery which is a fabulous Tuscan castle in Calistoga. Renaissance art and all kinds of neat stuff. Someone very rich having lots of fun. There are tours. An SCA wet dream, I gather. You have to take the tour to see the Great Hall.
You would think after this many years I would not have butterflies: but then, we have never done this kind of show before.
The first thing I noted was that there is now a school in the fairgrounds. Several big buildings. A Christian school.
I checked into that, and it is a curious tale, mainly positive. All legal angles were checked before the fairgrounds rented them the space. The fairgrounds need the money, and the poor school had been, despite being a good school with good teachers, jettisoned by its parent church: which is now opening a competing school!
The next thing I noticed was that there were fewer booths than last year, fewer exhibiters. One family farm is pretty much carrying the torch of agriculture, and I plan to buy as much as I can from them. Localization is good. As evidenced by the local Safeway, for the first time, putting up a big banner and offering Lake County Pears: and an excellent price. The pear growers were pretty much represented by one family as well, which was giving away pears in an exhibet hall where one was not allowed to eat them: but hey, they were calling attention to our senior crop, and deserve patronage!
Byron had been difficult, so he was not allowed to go on rides: except for the pony ride, which was a good thing as he had been afraid the last time, and now he and Ana are fine with ponies.
Finally we got to the Floraculture Building, where my entries were. I took a first for my petunia (fuschia colored), a second for my haning aloe, and a third for my niche. The note on the back of the card said that I needed height, that I should have put the bottle in a stand, and that I should have stood the bread on end: all three choices I had rejected as really tacky. But the judge really likes bottle stands, and gave the first prize to an entry with a tacky bottle stand which I had specifically NOT bought from the big shelf of them because it WAS so tacky.
But they, the person who used it did a great job, as did everyone else. The judge did think my background was clever.
No appreciation of negative space. Hmph.
I lot a day picking up my exhibet, then didn't get to Greyhaven until late Tuesday night. On Wednesday I staggered around and finally got to my hair man on time, about 6 p.m. I am not a Bright Redhead again, and the show opens tommorrow. Thursday morning Diana and I planted two iris, dug many more, pruned, and I climbed up on the scafolding to see where Tom had discovered rot under the edge of the deck. First time I have climbed that side of the house since I fell off it.
Got back to the Lodge in time to go back to Calistoga to meet with Ivan, who was vacationing there. Today was prepping, mainly.
Ivan says they have built a winery which is a fabulous Tuscan castle in Calistoga. Renaissance art and all kinds of neat stuff. Someone very rich having lots of fun. There are tours. An SCA wet dream, I gather. You have to take the tour to see the Great Hall.
You would think after this many years I would not have butterflies: but then, we have never done this kind of show before.