Color choices for Fair

I'm just going to go ahead and do this fair photo...thing!

I've never liked my work judged but here are some choices.

There is a category called Water Scene.
Here are some choices:

I like all three of them.

It could be classified as a Water Scene or Winter Scene. I'm conflicted!

For the Roads/Trails category, hands down, I chose this one.
It would have worked well for a BW shot too, or a Winter Scene:

I have a choice for the Flower category.
My thoughts are this.
A pretty flower is a pretty flower.
However, a flower that has something going on??

But it isn't really all about the flower at all in this shot.

So...

This is my choice:

And I have to work on Nature, Reflection, Weather, Autumn Scene, Summer Scene, and Spring Scene.

So many choices!

Fair Picks of pics

Last year and well, ... in previous years, I've had friends encourage me to go ahead and enter the Fair Photo exhibition.
I'm sort of shy about my work. I don't like the thought of putting it out there for the 'public' to see.

Well that isn't the smartest thinking because I have a Flickr photo-stream which has had something like 3 million views. And those views are from around the world, not only that, I post them here on Blogger.

I may as well print some and prepare for the Vernon County Fair. However, I have to submit my paperwork by tomorrow. Eeek gads!
That is okay, I have to consider what I want to 'show' and since I have to be in town for my mid summer hair cut anyway, I may as well, put in my Fair paperwork.
It is due August 1st. Nothing like waiting until the last moment right?
However to be honest, I didn't get the Fair Book until Saturday.

Black and White Category:
Silhouettes:

 Summer Solstice

Water Scene:

Plucked

Still Life:

Thank You

Macro:

It's a Small World

Winter Scene:

Ice Falls

...or this shot taking with my pocket camera...I sort of like it better?

People at work:

Hot Shoeing

I'm going through them a bit at a time.

It is so hard to choose what I'd like to display.

These photos are unedited except to make them black and white. 

I'm working on my color stuff now. 

Decisions, decisions....

Mules, Pigs, Apples, and Stars

Here is to hoping that Rich and Mica stay out of semi retirement from mule riding. Mica is about 21 years old and has always been a 'hard' keeper. However she had a hard job in her younger years. She was a 'heeler' and a trail mule. After we acquired her she was used for trail riding and team penning.

The view from Mica is different than any other mule I have ridden.

I could really like this view...a lot!
Mica gets a little grain in the morning and a little bit at night. None of our other mules really need grain. They can stare at a piece of grass or some hay and gain weight.

I plan on riding Mica much more this fall. She is tall enough to get me through those thick weeds in the valley. After she and I break open a trail, I'll rotate with Sunshine and Siera. Fred gets a break after all of his hard work training youngsters this summer. Although he will put up a huge fuss if he is left behind.

Apples.
After juicing the wild apples the old fashioned way.

I took the left over pulp and ran it through a food mill.

And viola! I had the makings of apple sauce or apple butter.
I put the apple sauce in the crock pot with some cinnamon and sugar to slow cook while I canned 4 quarts of apple juice.
Now common sense would say that it is less work and easier just to buy apple products, but there is some sort of satisfaction in making it yourself.


Pigs.
Swine.
Vernon County Fair.

Regarding Pigs. Hmm. Well we purchase our hay from a local farmer and have for 9 years now. I met this farmer through work. Rich and Ed hit things off right away and have been friends ever since.
Ed's daughters started to show swine at the Fair along with other projects.

This year Rich and I actually went to the Fair specifically to watch the Swine judging. Rich has not been to a Fair in a very long time.

I'd forgotten how intense showing an animal at the fair can be. Months of work are then judged in an arena with a lot of people watching. The judge looks over the animals and places them.

Learning how to walk a pig and show off your pig is really quite the task. Just say I was very impressed. I'd seen the farmer's girls raise these pigs and train them.

Stars.
Last summer Lily asked me if we could see the Milky Way. So I've done a bit of studying including using a program that would show me the location of the Milky Way on any given day.
I studied and practiced in taking photos of it too.

I wanted Lily to know that indeed the Milky Way does shine right above "Grandma and Grandpa's" house.

I obviously need more practice for 'shooting' stars, but as always, ... I love a challenge.