The Show! Part II

Picking up where we left off yesterday - after lunch, we hiked over to see the cattle...

Cows. Working hard.

...the big cattle...

My first cow. This is where I learned that you shouldn't use a flash when taking photos of a large flightly animal. Whoopsiedaisie.

...the really, really big cattle...

No really - this was HUUUUUGE.

...the beautiful gray-blonde cattle...

I know I have limited experience in cattle-gazing, but these were truly the prettiest cows I've ever seen.

...and my favorites, the WOOLY MAMMOTH CATTLE!

OK, they're not really wooly mammoths...but look at them! I didn't even know cows like this existed!

I was sad to leave the enormous hairy cows, but the cat competition called:

Ben's favorite - a chocolate Oriental.

When we saw this, Ben fingered the lace edging on the cover with a pained expression on his face, then leaned over and whispered to me, "This is how you can tell that this is an old lady competition."

Then it was time to examine the wool display, which I was irrationally excited about (no, I don't get out much - why do you ask?):

I actually referred to this as "sheep fur" when I first saw it. I think Ben may have hidden behind a pillar in shame.

I was so pleased that they let you touch it - I've never felt wool in this loose state before. So soft!

I didn't realize there was a specific kind of wool for spinning - my Handsome Hand Model is kindly demonstrating the texture in the upper photo, and waiting patiently in the background in the bottom photo while I took a picture of the ladies demonstrating wool spinning. Since Sleeping Beauty has been my only exposure to spindles thus far in life, I tried to surreptitiously check the spindles for sharp stabby needles. No dice.

Continuing with our move indoors, we hauled ourselves over to the flower competitions:

*swoon* I love these. Love.

And lastly, we dragged our tired feet to the baked goods display:

That is the thickest apple pie I've ever seen. First place indeed! They can bake for me anytime.

In retrospect, one of my favorite things about the show was how inclusive it was - anyone could participate in anything, from major events to minor ones. I especially loved how all the children were included in different categories, like the garden vegetables...

I love how carefully arranged everything is. It's like my nirvana.

...the arts and scrapbooking...

I was startled not only that there was a junior division, but that there was even a scrapbook page competition! Not something I would have guessed.

...and even the baking!

There were a bunch of plates filled with pre-made cookies that children had decorated with icing and toppings. I think it may be the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Unfortunately, I never did see the alpacas. We just couldn't find them anywhere! We also missed seeing the pig races, much to my disappointment:

The official pig racing venue. Empty of pigs and racing.

Oh well - there's always next year. Oh, and in case you're wondering why there aren't any photos of my coveted showbag...it's because I didn't get one. There were six or seven stalls and it was just too hard to pick!

They will be mine. Oh yes, they will be mine. Next year, anyway.

Too much more of this and I'll turn into a redneck for real - I had a great time! A little bit of sunburn, a couple sore feet, and a whole lot of fun. Who knew livestock could be so entertaining?