Obstacle

Look who got roped into offered the amazing opportunity to help set up one of the draft obstacle courses.

All the while this was going on the horses in the previous post were being groomed or readied for the class or exercised in the arena nearby. They seemed utterly unperturbed. 

The nefarious noodles.
These are placed so ponies have to walk between them with them touching on both sides
Ooh, scary!

Fine Farmall Tractor Lineup

At the Fonda Fair

But I liked the Case the best....because....Case....yeah

Is Your Mama a LLama

Diamond got a new fly net from Uncle Alan. I think it makes her look like a llama.

Truck Pull

Entirely by accident I attended my first truck pull yesterday. Becky and I volunteered for our annual four-hour shift in the dairy promotion booth and Alan was my chauffeur. When we were finished he was still at the pull so I joined him to wait for a ride home.

It was surprisingly entertaining. I have been to a couple of tractor pulls and they are vividly exciting, but so absurdly loud as to leave folks with any respect for their hearing running for the hills with their hands clapped over their ears.

Since I hope to continue to be able to hear the birds around me, I refrain from partaking.

However, we watched one class of trucks and a couple of exhibition tractors and it was kind of fun. 

***If you haven't made it to the fair yet, this is the last day. The open draft horse show is on and is always a thriller. There is nothing quite like those gigantic horses thundering around the arena for excitement and fun. Not sure yet if I am going to make it, but go if you can; you'll have fun.

Fonda Fair

Look who's visiting from Northview...Liz's pony Diamond

With Liz at the fair with Diamond and Alan working in the big city, it's just the boss and Becky and me much of the time. No matter, Liz came home, we milked early and headed to the tractor pull yesterday evening. 

The poor fair has been beleaguered by devastating flooding at least twice over the past few years. The folks involved, the 4-H kids, people from all over, worked incredibly hard to put it back together....and I can tell you, although some things are different, it is back to being the great fair it used to be.

What a great time we had....

What's a Fair without Chickies!

Beck and I prodded the boss off to the tractor pull and then took off to see the sights. Everything was bright and clean and looking good as we hustled from barn to barn and building to building, hugging old friends, stopping to chat, checking out every single milking shorthorn on the grounds, choosing which decadent delight we were going to eat, and generally having a ball. We laughed so much people started laughing when we went by even though they didn't know what was so funny.

We came across the president of the fair and I stopped to tell him what a great job I think he is doing with it. That the fair survived at all is a wonder and good new ideas are keeping it moving forward this year in a number of ways. Free admission during the fireman's parade is a great solution to allowing everyone to enjoy it without clogging traffic through the construction site. 

Parking last night was a breeze...which was certainly not always the case, and everywhere we went things were moving smoothly. It was great to see the grandstand packed with folks watching the tractors roar down the track.

Can anybody tell me about these tiny quail?
 I saw these canary-sized  pin balls and was stricken with bird envy.
They would contrast nicely with the peacocks I think

A dear friend won grand champion driving pony with his Dixie. Diamond, Northview's entry, spooked at the judge and flipped herself over backwards in halter class. No harm done and she redeemed herself in the in-hand obstacle class, coming in with a real fast time, but losing on penalties because she knocked down a couple of jumps. Since she is only 3 and has never been to a show before, never seen a cone, never been in an arena, or heard a train from fifty feet away, I was impressed that she did all those crazy things at all, let alone doing them quickly. I am sure next year it will all be old hat for her...

She is such a friendly little girl, she was delighted to see us when we stopped by her stall (about sixteen times.....) and poked her nose over the door nickering happily.

The moon over the entrance to the best part

We crawled home around ten-thirty feeling that hit by a truck, up past your bedtime sensation that comes with that kind of party. Raccoon circles under the eyes are the norm this morning, but it was all worth it.

Our favorite pulling tractor, the Supernatural is back in business

And look what is over its problems and roaring down the track again. The Supernatural belongs to good friends and we follow their efforts in the NYTPA every summer. The guys even have shirts.

If you come to the fair on Sunday, do stop by the dairy promotion booth as Beck and I found ourselves somehow signed up to man...should I say woman...it for a couple of hours late at midday.

Fonda Fair

Antique milking machines....sure glad I don't have to use them

Some fair goers I think I have seen somewhere before

The butter sculpture

Bling...she doesn't look her best because she HATED the water and didn't like to drink

Portrait of Thursdon Hand....we thought very highly of this wonderful man

I can remember these. I think I rode in one.

A pretty horse

There are always a few jackasses at the fair!

The whole fair was a tribute to the army of volunteers who cleaned away feet of mud and water and mess to put on a show that sparkled. Wish the weather had treated them better...what a wild and rainy week.

Take in Day, Fonda Fair

Looks like Rose Magnolia will have to be scratched. Alan starts college today and both girls have full work weeks. Nobody to stay with her, as we have to keep the ball rolling....or the hay harvesting...here at home. What can you do? I managed to get my photos printed yesterday. Wishing I had bought new little frames for the 4X6 ones, as mine are scratched and detract pretty badly from the pictures. I have to take them.,..and a Boston rocker (thank you Alan for looking around the living room and finding the biggest thing you could to enter)...over today.

Speaking of the fair, here is a link to an interesting photo posted on a blog that is an adjunct to the newspaper for which I produce the Farm Side each week. Check it out. I am expecting to see and photograph all sorts of interesting things at the fair, but this is so not one of them....just go look....I am not sure whether you will be glad you did, but go anyhow.

Becky is trying to work it out so she and I can make it to the Charlie Daniels concert. Hope that works out. Saw him perform at Saratoga back in the day, but it has been more years than I care to mention...

The Fonda Fair