Summertime, and the Living? Well, It's.....Not Always Easy

 Summer arrived in southwestern Utah last week. I "puppysat" Stella the grand-golden doodle and it was 105* in the afternoon. That poor thing, she didn't want to play fetch after the third throw at the dog park at their apartment complex. I couldn't blame her. It was really warm.

The rest of the heat of summer will only intensify.  Today, it's 102* this afternoon. But I can roll the windows down in the car and drive on the freeway and still enjoy the air moving around me. When I sit out in the sunshine in the backyard it feels great for about 12-15 minutes, and like a piece of meat on the grill, I have to flip over.  Another 12-15 and then I need to jump into the pool for at least a half hour then I can start the process again.

While the weather is not a real problem for me here, work fluctuates between BUSY and so slow I can get three e-books read during the week. That just seems to be the way of things at this new job.  I don't enjoy the slow times, but I have learned to always have a book on my phone to keep my mind busy. I much prefer being actively, productively busy.  But on the days I am, the time flashes past and then it is the next day already.

My post-Covid recovery is still coming along.  I think I am doing better and nearly completely recovered when I have a week like this week and I can't get enough sleep no matter how early I get to bed. Genius Golfer reminds me this is a process and there is no time or speed limit. I haven't felt the brain fog I had right after the two weeks of complete immobilization of the virus. SO that is a plus.  Other times I think maybe this is a menopausal issue and not Covid related at all.  Where I am in my health journey, it can be hard to tell some days. But anything is better the full on Covid on my books.

I am missing my PG friends--especially as Strawberry Days is beginning today. This is the 100th year celebration of that little city event. And we aren't there anymore. It feels weird not to have an assignment to do this week--berry topping, working the concession stands at the Rodeo...etc. My heart is back in Pleasant Grove this week while my body elsewhere.  My mind?  Well, that is the question of the day.

Just One More

Last week was our city's Strawberry Days festival.  And The Girl and The Boy spent much of the week serving our community with the city's Youth Court.  I did not do a single thing in association with the festival this year.  And frankly, I missed it.  But I was so exhausted with just work and home stuff that I didn't have any extra energy I could have spent on it anyway.

But the best part, in my opinion, was as great surprise on Saturday night at the final night of the Rodeo.  The Girl was awarded one of the three Community Service scholarships given by the Strawberry Days committee.

That is a great way to cap off the week of celebration!

With a Little Help From My Friends....

Today is the finale of Strawberry Days.  And as I have mentioned I have been running ragged, and taking the chance for naps anytime I can get it.  This year's celebration allowed for some nap time thanks to two lovely ladies: Shanna and Cat.

They came on board with me as Photo Avengers!  (Well, not really.  But that kind of team name would be so cool.)  Instead we are the Strawberry Days photography team.  We divided the events and conquered them all.  Cat still has the Saturday night rodeo but she will be great.  Then we will have thousands of photos to sort though and edit and collect and turn into the committee and the City for the website and future print and web campaigns for years to come.

There is no way I could do another year like the last three.  The events are bigger each year, and they add one or two more each time as well.  I simply can't be in that many places at the same time.  So these lovely women, out of the goodness of their hearts, volunteers to share the load.

Thanks is a tiny word to express my gratitude for having nap time and cohorts and team members who are smarter and more talented than I am.  And they also inspire me to leanr more about my camera and its capabilities.

But for now I am just glad that I got the shots I did, and that they were there to lend a helping hand. 

Photo-Avengers, Assemble!!

Good Timing or Band Wagon Jumping?

It is Strawberry Days here in town and yesterday was the first big day of activities.  The biggest being the Concert in the Park with Free Strawberries and Cream...a local delicacy.

After photpgraphing that this evening I came home and realized that I hadn't watered my garden in a few (very dry, hot) days.  So I went out to check it.  Here is what I found.

Four ripe, berries from my own strawberry plants.  Do you think they were just worried they weren't getting the attention they deserved?  Or was it maybe they just were joiners, and wanted to be a part of the fun?

Either way, they were delicious.

So, We Went To Salt Lake For The Day....

 The royalty with the ladies fro Good Things Utah.

 On the kitchen set....

 We had lunch at The Roof Restaurant at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  Shi-shi-poo-poo.

 Then the appointment at the Church administrative building was at 1 PM.

 Elder Clayton met with us, where the ladies invited him to come to Strawberry Days, and gave him Strawberry Cheesecake.  Not too righteous to bribe....

He was lovely and very curious about what Strawberry Days is all about.  The girls really emphasized the "family" centered kind of activities we hold that week and how our community volunteerism is how we can keep it that way.

This is a part of the Strawberry Days "behind the scenes" that I had never been to before and it was interesting to watch unfold.  I also heard an awful lot of "pageant-y" mom-talk on the way.  Another tangent of curiosity.  I had no idea about that world.  Hey, I just take pictures.

First Comes Love....

Nearly ten years ago, here we were.  The whole fam-damily downtown celebrating our local Strawberry Days.  These old-timey photos just crack me up.  I mean, look at The Boy's face.  Precious I tell you.

Twenty years, and two marvelous kids later, here we are.  Me and Genius Golfer.  Who'd have thought?

Is It Time, Already?

I recently got a call from a local woman who chaired the Strawberry Days committee for the past two years.

She asked if I was interested in continuing my "committee photographer" gig.

Then she told me that the first committee meeting would be at the end of the month. 

I had to ask her, "You mean January?" She said, "Yes." 

While she was quite kind in her response, I just can't wrap my brain around the idea that we are meeting six months before the week of Strawberry Days actually happens.  Really, I am just amazed that Strawberry Days is only six months ahead, already.  I guess it makes sense to give ourselves six months to get everything lined up, and ready to go.

But my gig really is just during the week itself, so the six months out kind of gives me the early-onset-impending-doom feeling.  But this will give me time to line up a couple of high school photography students to "intern" with me this year.  At least that is my hope.  I'll try to collect them as the semester gets going.  Maybe in a few weeks, or a couple months.  But definitely by June.

I guess it is good we are starting this early after all.

Volunteers Get CrAzY!

As part of the festivities for Strawberry Days, our local Kiwanis Club hosts an afternoon of Elementary school relay races--4th, 5th, and 6th grade teams from each of our local schools run against each other.  then the school with the most wins is awarded a couple hundred dollars from the Kiwanis.  Win-Win situation, right?  Well, it is until the "unofficial" race is held--after the kids run and while the scores are tallied.  The Kiwanis themselves made a team and raced the kids--whomever wanted to race the grown-ups.

Tons-Oh-Fun!

Mister LE heads off from the start, catching up to the poor little girl in the next lane.

Then docker and loafer clad, Gentleman Jeff, hands off to Miss Diana--who runs in a t-shirt and skirt.

And finally the anchor man is Dear Friend Garth.  What a trouper.  His cap aerodynamically reversed so he can "run like the wind"!  Remember, this is against little kids.

Well, from this shot you can see Mr Garth didn't win outright, but he gave a good showing.  I think if it were a horse race, you could have said he "placed".

Maybe that would have won you some money.

But it was worth whatever you'd have paid the horse racing enthusiast to see the Grown-Ups come in #2 to the kids.  With another set of kids a close 3rd. 

I am so easily amused.

Art vs. Reality

Sometimes when I am shooting an event, I get a chance to do some of the photos in an artistic way--just for me.  As much as I'd like to say this shot was planned precisely to represent the angst and fluidity of the rider on the bareback bronc, I can't.  This photo--among others--is due essentially to the low light levels that occurred at about the same the moment as the main rodeo events began for Stawberry Days Thursday night.

I shot almost 300 pictures of the pre-rodeo events, i.e., the Mutton Busting and the Cash Cow events.  But the night was overcast--following a terrific windstorm--and the arena lights came up and sent my light meter into overdrive trying to figure out what to do.

And this kind of "cowboy in action" shot is what I ended up with.

Still, someday, when I have a gallery show of my work, you may find this shot blown up poster size and hanging in a museum.  But then again, probably not.

Welcome to Crazy Town

I am mid-Strawberry Days festivities.  So far, things are great...just crazy!  Here are a few glimpses!

The Girl helped with the Youth Court to prepare the Free Strawberries & Cream for the Concert in the Park.

Free Family Swim Day...glad not to be a lifeguard!

Some very cute friends ready for the Children's Parade!

What's not to love about a Strawberry Days Baby contest?!  How 'bout having ot pick a winner!

More later gang, as the festivites are on going!

It Just Isn't Fun Anymore

We had a Strawberry Days committee meeting on Monday night.  Technically I am on the committee, but as a volunteer photographer, I have little interest other than what the schedule is and really no say about how things are done.  Add to that, I have only two years invested here as a committee member.  And as a citizen, I had little interest in the behind-the-scenes deals that went down.  I just wanted to know when the parade would block my street and whether or not there was an alternative way out of town to avoid the carnival.

Strawberry Days is the oldest city celebration in the state.  It has been a home grown, small town, locally run program for decades and decades.  But the meeting on Monday made me wonder what had changed.

I felt Monday that there was a discussion heating up that could be boiled down to "keep it local" or "run it like a business".  Apparently, you can't do both.  The meeting had an awkward and uncomfortable feel.  I can't even put my finger on it, to be honest.  It is just a gut feeling, and I have had enough of those to know to trust my gut.

So, I will take photos of the Rodeo Queen pageant in a couple weeks.  And I'll take pictures at each event that I can make it to during the week of Strawberry Days.  But I don't intend to do this again.  I haven enough to do in my regular life than to volunteer for things that aren't any fun anymore.  Real life is not fun most of the time too, so why muck it up with extra un-fun responsibilities?!

Strawberry Days Report

Well, the long week of Strawberry Days is over. There was a lot going on all over the city. Here is my visual report:

A Strawberry Days Debut

There is much more to share of Strawberry Days, but most of it will wait until Monday. I was crazy busy yesterday, and in a little while today we are having some family over for a little BBQ, so I'm off to do the next thing. But before I miss another post, I must tell you about what happened today.

My Dear Friend, Lisa, is in charge of the Strawberry Days parade. One way or another--whether by request of the the Strawberry Days association, or, (more likely) a volunteering by the used car lot, some guy named Julio sent about five convertibles to be used in the parade today. When the cars got there, Lisa was horrified.

The cars were dented, dirty, radios were torn out of some, and one had the jumper cables needed to start the thing in the front seat. I'd call them in general disrepair. Somewhere "Julio" missed the memo that these would be parade vehicles. Lisa was most embarrassed that the city officials were scheduled to ride in these yucky cars. Her specific concern was the mayor: who happens to live in her neighborhood and who was going to have to ride in this thrashed car.

I told her, off the cuff, that we had a better looking vehicle for a parade sitting in the garage at home. The next thing I know I am calling GG and asking him if he would mind if the Camaro drove the mayor in the parade. He said he didn't mind, and drove it up to me and he took my car home instead.

A quick change of signage on the cars and the Camaro was number 4 in the parade line up. Another Dear Friend, Sherry, was the designated driver for the mayor's car. Lucky her.

And We're Off...For Today

It is Strawberry Days and today's adventure begins with a Baby Contest. This little darling, in her Starwberry Days outfit, was at the Free Berries in the Park Concert last night. Watch out. Tomorrow's post will certain contain photos of the unusually adorable babies from our little town. Oh my. I can feel my uterus contracting as I think of it.

This Week's "To Do" List

Here is what my "To Do" list for the week is shaping up to be:

1) Get the camera in hand, and keep battery charged all week.

2) Take pictures at Free Family Swim Night:

3) Take pictures at the Free Berries in the Park Concert:

4) Take photos at the Baby Contest:

5) Take some shots at the Children's Parade:

6) Shoot a couple photos at the Carnival:

7) Get a few in at the Rodeo:

8) Get some at the Pie Eating contest, and try not to gag while you photograph that:

9) Take a lot of photos at the Huck Finn Day events:

10) Catch many pictures at the Big Parade:


11) Enjoy the fun of living in a small town with traditions that run deep, deep down.