catchin' up

it's been too long without posting - just getting behind on things...so, to catch back up, last week was the fair, and the week before that all the pre-fair hoopla and promos and stories, along with the rest of the goings-on in the world...since i have a bit of a back-log, i'll keep the commentary short and just get down to some posting.....

first is from a community garden that kids put on at the community center every summer - was hoping for a bit more of a moment at this one, but it just didn't seem to come together, but it's the kind of picture that i like putting out there in the community, because it's a really cool thing they do every year in a much-maligned part of the town

Nevaeh, yes, the demolition derby car dedicated to her memory - the guy's been running the derby for 15 or so years, and this year, he decided to do something to honor her - coincidentally, he also has a granddaughter named Nevaeh, so her story really touched home with him - his friend airbrushed her portrait on back, and the rest was dedicated to the things she loved - like motorcycles and SpongeBob

prefair, a lot of the judging is done - the cookies and candies and craft projects and public speaking, as well as an invention contest, in which 4-H'ers have to construct a finished project reflecting the theme of the fair in under an hour and made from a grab-bag of materials they have never seen - pretty tough, really, requires a lot of quick thinking and creativity - i'm not posting up anything from the event, cos the pix were just okay, but i kind of liked the feel of this girl waiting for the doors to open at the head of the line just before the event

while i was at the grounds for the invention contest, i had to keep an eye out for a pic that went with a story about how less kids were entering this year due to the costs involved/the poor economy - another case of find a picture that shows something that's not there - i think our editors are just out to test our conceptual abilities...anyhoo, i found a family setting up their stall in the lamb barn, but the story this little girl's dad had to tell was perfect - for the first time his kids weren't showing steer, because they expected they wouldn't make back their investment come auction time - pretty lucky find, eh?

while i was there, i spotted these two kids having a rest and a drink in the barns - shot it just for whatever, but it wound up finding a home in our fair-photo-theme-page at the end of the week...nothing ever goes to waste!