A Fair End

The Boy (barely seen running from the photo below) and The Girl came along with me on Thursday to see the fair. They had seen everything they wanted to see in about an hour. Though The Girl did enjoy the horse show...we almost left her there to watch, but she had to get back to work.


This little guy is a LaMancha goat. These have very little external ear--thought otherwise perfectly normal like the other breeds of goats. I had a few of these growing up and I LOVED them. So full of personality. This little guy was showing in the meat goat division, sadly, but her reminded me of my own babies. You've just gotta love that face!


This little girl is about the size of our goatie babies when we'd get them from the Green Gold Valley dairy for 4H projects growing up. We'd raise them for about a year, showing them throughout the season and then give them back to the dairy so they could be bred and become milkers. Then we'd get a new batch of babies the next year. My first doe, Klara, remembered me and came over nuzzling me two or three years after she had been brought back to the dairy. She was a mama and big time milker by then, but it was sweet to see her again--healthy and happy, and still remembering me. Good times! And to think they started out this size with us, on bottles and learning to eat grain and hay, and walk with a collar. Too cute!


Here Darling Sierra is showing her lamb, Keven, for the first time. She was nervous but she did great. I was proud of her that she was trying something new and different! Good job, Sierra!


My darling Betsy, from trek, showed her lamb, Erma, for the first time too at the fair. The girls are in the local HS FFA and Betsy is the FFA president this coming year. I love that the girls were learning about their animals and really caring for them. Livestock take a lot of tie and effort and love to become show worthy. These girls did great! And it was so nice to see them each day of the fair taking care of their lambs.


And this? Well, this was the last event I covered: the demolition derby.

All's Fair

I just got back from my almost a week long gig at the fair. I'm pooped. I tore it up today by shooting almost 3 GB of photos and wasting both battery packs. Ran out of juice just after the demolition derby started.

I am a born 'n raised gear head, and naturally I enjoy car stuff, but this was the craziest thing I have ever seen! The motors revving up high, and the smells that come with hot motors were great--then they started running into each other. Sad, even though I know that is was they are meant for...still. I guess I don't get it.

Photos of the fair will certainly appear here in the next few days. For now, just know I spent 10 hours today--mostly on my feet--and ate only a funnel cake and a jumbo strawberry lemonade.. As far as fair food goes, not too bad! Not at all like the corn dogs for a week I remember well from my 4H days.

The Fairest?

This is the kind of thing I love about the county fair. This is my darling trek girl, Betsy, and her lamb, Erma. Kids raising animals to compete and then head to market where the animals are sold and the kid makes good money to use for school, college, buying the next animal.

Oh wait. Our county fair doesn't have a market auction. The kids have to show their critters at the STATE fair for that to happen. YIKES!

I grew up in the south end of the California Bay Area. Santa Clara county included the Silicon Valley, i.e., San Jose, Sunnyvale, Alameda, Cupertino, etc. Our end was the more rural section, but still.

Our Bay Area--Silicon Valley--major metropolis area--county fair had more 4H only animals than this county has ALL animals combined. It is weird to compare. And probably not entirely fair.

Get it? Fair? Yeah, we're off today again. What this county fair lacks, it makes up for in free admission and free parking. California NEVER has those!