A Day at the Fair - Part Two

Photography, of course, was not all that was on display at the Cowichan Exhibition. Inside Mellor Hall were many hundreds of exhibits, from flowers to fine art, collectibles and crafts, baking and quilting and even old treasures and stamps and homemade wine. It was a feast for the eyes and fun to see what people’s creativity enabled them to produce.

Inside Mellor Hall

But the indoor exhibitions are just a small part of the fair. Outside are rows of farm machinery, portable sawmill demonstrations, barns full of animals, riding competitions, the mini-donut trailer and other fair foods, and countless other things to see and do.

Lower field

I meandered down to the lower field where the farm equipment and other outdoor displays were on show. School kids favoured this display of old hand pumps and spent ages pumping and watching the clear water spill out, letting it splash on their hands and shirts:

Kids having fun

Farm machinery in bright reds and blues and greens and yellows made for a colourful sight, though my friend and I couldn’t help wonder about the company that came up with this name for their machine:

I think I prefer "John Deere"!

Returning back up to the barns, I watched an interesting demonstration of sheep shearing using hand shears, then a manually powered set of clippers, and finally today’s modern electric clippers. Having helped with alpaca shearing myself, I found the differences between how sheep and alpaca are sheared interesting. The shearer at the fair, an Australian who ‘retired’ from full time shearing but still does it on the side, was highly skilled and had a kind and gentle touch with the animals. This girl didn’t seem to mind the process in the least and never showed any signs of panic or stress:

Shearer explains the process



Just a little off the top, please!



Mmmmmm.....Old Spice, or is that Shearer's Special?

Aw shucks, did I say I wanted a buzz cut?

Here, the children in the audience helped power the hand-cranked machine for the early prototypes of electric shears.

The necessity of annual shearing was brought home when the shearer’s daughter told us of a sheep left unsheared for four years, whose coat, when soaked with rain, weighed hundreds of pounds. What a relief that sheep must have felt once all that fleece was removed!

And then there were the horses. Ohhhh the horses – thoroughbreds and standardbreds, Norwegians and Icelandics, and one that I had never seen before but heard of just recently on someone’s blog  (though now I can't remember where and can't locate it on the ones I read regularly) – a saddlebred.

Saddlebred

I was puzzled by the saddlebred, for it looked positively deformed and terribly thin. The huge dip behind its shoulders accentuated the clearly visible ribs and gave it an awkward stance that made my own back hurt to look at. I asked a horseperson nearby if this was how a saddlebred was supposed to look – if it was a good example of the type and close to the ‘standard’ of the breed – but she didn’t know much about them though she did point me to an information poster.

I’m still at a loss, and I know I have horsey readers here so I’m hoping for some enlightenment. What I want to know is this – does a typical saddlebred have such a pronounced dip/swayback? Do their ribs usually show? Are they a fairly rare breed or is it just coincidence that I’ve never seen them before? Do they require a different type of saddle than other riding horses to accommodate that sway back? Are they prone to orthopedic problems more than other breeds? (I can’t help thinking of the German Shepherd show standards that favour a sloped back to such an extent that the breed is now plagued with hip, leg and spine problems!). Here's a closer shot of the saddlebred at the fair, though I must say it doesn’t look quite as shocking as it did in person, partly because I couldn’t get a good angle to take a photograph without the fence rail being in the way.:

This post is quite long enough, so I will leave one more set of photos (including more horsey ones!) and another topic with some food for thought for tomorrow.

It's a winner!


  A few posts ago, I mentioned having entered some photos in the Cowichan Exhibition. There were nine categories , and each contributor could enter a maximum of five photos in total, with no more than two in any one category.

I entered one in "Nature", one in "People", one in "Pictorial", and two in (what else??) "Domestic Pets". The domestic pets category was the one for which I had the most trouble choosing my entries, given that I have literally thousands of photos of dogs, pigs and other critters. I narrowed it down to three, decided definitely on one of them, and then wavered back and forth, back and forth, between the other two. I made the final decision just hours before the deadline for submission. Of course - the one I almost didn't enter was the only one of my five photos to win! Ha!

Here it is - the third place winner in the "Domestic Pets" category:

One Tired Dog

It is a photo of my friend's whippet, Kinley, which I took during their visit last June.

Here are my other entries, none of which placed:

Sadie on a misty morning



Spearfisher at Swallowfield

Dinner Time!

Crofton Seawalk at Sunrise

There were about 200 entries all told, so I was quite happy with my one wee success. I learned a lot in the process. Some of my favourite photos couldn't be used as they weren't suitable for 8x10 enlargement - I had zoomed too much or cropped them wrong or not saved a version with sufficient pixels. But I was happy with my final choices, and it was really cool to see my photos up there for display.

A few photos in the Pictorial category.
My Crofton Seawalk entry is top right.



Winning entries in Domestic Animals Category.
My entry is bottom left.



My Sadie photo on display

It was especially fun to eavesdrop on people's comments as they viewed the boards. In most of the categories, the winners were clearly outstanding photos, and while there were other outstanding ones in each category, there was little criticism of the judges' choices. The one category which drew a lot of discussion, however, was domestic pets. The first and second place went to photos of horses' noses, and neither photo seemed particularly outstanding. In fact, as several people pointed out, the first place winner was out of focus and the lighting/shadow distracted the viewer from the best parts of the photo, while one photo that didn't even place was unanimously considered the best on the board:





Outstanding photo which didn't place
Original photograph titled "Feline Doorstop" by photographer Yolanda Halley


The chair of the section (a photographer, but not one of the judges) offered critiques at the end of the exhibition. When someone raised the issue of the first place photo for domestic pets, he concured that sometimes it is hard to see why judges make the decisions they do. He specifically stated he thought the cat one was outstanding and also said he thought my photo of Sadie should have placed (this without knowing I was in the audience).  But all in all, I'm very happy with the experience, and very proud to have won a ribbon for one of my photos.

I'll post pictures of other parts of the Cowichan Exhibition tomorrow - it was a great, but very hot and exhausting, weekend.

Pepper has gone to the Bridge

Pepper.  Sometime in 1995 - September 9, 2011. 
A sweet, sweet girl
A good, good, dog

Pepper passed away, unassisted, at the vets today, shortly before 1:00 pm this afternoon.  The cause is unknown still - perhaps her Cushings, perhaps pancreatitis, perhaps tainted dog food - all we know is that she became very ill yesterday and never recovered.  She was sixteen years old, twice an SPCA dog, and I was her foster mama. I feel sick that she could not die at home in my arms, and devastated to think she might feel she was abandoned once again.  I hope with all my heart that the pain meds took away her awareness of her surroundings, and that she knew she was loved to the very end.

Pepper, Boney Pepperoni, Peppy Pepsi Coli, sweet, sweet girl.  You were with me for only 6 weeks, but oh how I fell in love with you. Your big eyes hypnotized me, commanding me to get you food, take you for a walk, go to bed because you were tired and couldn't sleep without me.  There was no denying you anything - you knew how to make your needs known, and did so in a quiet but very persistent way.

You loved to go for walks, and you demanded a walk shortly after breakfast and again in the evening.  You never let me get away with being lazy or feeling rushed.  We walked.  You barreled along, nose to the ground in true houndy-dog fashion, and after a few blocks, energy exhausted, you looked at me sadly as you slowed to a plod and whispered "Could you please carry me home?"  I couldn't, so we very, very slowly plodded home together.  We had such great walks together, Pepper, and I shall miss them.

You were obsessed with food, firm about consistent meal times, ready to chase the other dogs out of the kitchen if dinner might be happening soon.  You were impeccable in your manners around other dogs as long as no food was near, and you learned quickly to respect the cat's space and right to be here too. You slept beside my bed, but only if I was there - never would you go to bed without me.  We both got up each night so you could go pee, because you were fastidious about doing your business outside and old age/weak bladders just seem to go together.  I hope you don't think that you were sent away to the vets because you soiled in the house on your last day here.  You did nothing wrong, though you clearly showed concern for those big messes on the carpet.  It's okay Pepper - it wasn't your fault.

On your last afternoon here, when I knew I needed to get you to the vet, Sadie left her spot watching over Charley and moved to watch over you.  I guess she knew it was your time. 

There's an empty food bowl on the counter tonight, and an empty bed on the floor.  But at the Rainbow Bridge, a sweet shepherd-hound cross is running free, full of life and energy and joy once again. 

Bye, Pepper.  You were one great dog.

I wonder if it's dinner time yet?

Pepper at the beach

Cooling the paws in the water

Sadie watching over Pepper on her last day at home

Pepper.  Forever Loved.

Pepper is in the hospital

Pepper, my 16 year old foster, had to be rushed to the vet's late this afternoon.  She had vomited several times this morning and seemed a bit under the weather, but after being sick again this afternoon she could no longer walk, was trembling significantly,  and showed no response to my voice.  She also cried when I tried to get her up, using a sheet to assist with the back legs.

She was xrayed for bloat, and it wasn't that.  Her chest xrays were also fine though her heart is racing (160!);  her temperature is normal.  Sad girl, they are keeping her there, on fluids, to see how she does. 

The only big question mark was a new bag of dogfood I just opened for her - I had gradually been switching her over to it, over the past couple of days, and this morning was her first 'mostly the new stuff' meal - 1/3 her old food and 2/3 new.  When I googled the brand, which is a good quality food, I was surprised at the number of reports I found of dogs exhibiting the very same symptoms after eating from a newly-opened bag.  (My dogs don't get the same stuff, so they aren't affected by it).  Of course, it could be something else entirely.  Time will tell.

Meanwhile, healing and comforting vibes for Pepper, please. 

Home Harvest

Home harvest, September 7, 2011

Throughout the summer, I have periodically taken photos of my brownish-green-thumb approach to gardening, intending to do an update of previous gardening entries (like this one and this one from last year, or this one this spring), but something more interesting pops up for the blog and those photos and stories slink back into the dark recesses of my mind or my computer.

Anyone walking past the front of my house, where this year I just let the weeds go wild and choke out all other plants before eventually turning brown and dying (those beds get the hot sun all day, and the soil there is rock hard gravel and clay in which I cannot even dig a teeny tiny hole to insert the smallest bedding out plants!) would never in their wildest dreams think I am a gardener.

Shameful, simply shameful!

Hidden from public view, however, are flowers in pots on the patio and vegetables in pots in the back yard. I won't say my gardening was a howling success - I planted very late, the weather wasn't great this summer, I used the cheapest potting soil (big mistake - it came with its own weeds!), and anything that survives around here has to thrive on neglect. The critters lay first claim to my attention. My writing, photography, family, friends, and volunteer work have second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth (not necessarily in that order) claim. Watering and weeding and fertilizing plants is waaaaaaay down the list - marginally above ironing and vacuuming.

But these past couple of weeks of summer weather and cooler nights (with the moisture the dew provides, and the cooler mornings for weeding and tending) have finally turned a lackluster showing into something moderately rewarding. Food and flowers! Yay!

Home harvest, September 2, 2011

The potatoes have been plentiful all summer - I grope around just under the soil and harvest the nuggets, leaving the plant to continue producing more little gems.

Tomatoes have also been plentiful, and I've had some pretty nice cucumbers too - nothing like slices of tomato and cucumber fresh from the garden for a summer salad, or baby potatoes cooked with some fresh garden mint and tossed in a wee bit of melted butter and garden chives.

Tomatoes, September 7, 2011

Cukes and baby cukes

The snow peas produced very little earlier in the summer, but have suddenly taken on a life of their own and are now blooming like crazy and producing many pods. Similarly, the scarlet runners and bush beans got off to a slow start, but then produced generously. The runners are still flowering and new beans appear daily.

Snow peas, second blooming September 2011

Bush beans

Busy bee making more scarlet runners

I thought my spaghetti squash were going to be wasted space as all the flowers were male except one. Then suddenly last week, the female flowers started appearing. If we have a long fall my neighbours better lock their doors lest they come home to find the elves have delivered an armload of squash to their kitchen counters.



Cukes, Squashes and a few Beets



The promise of things to come

My delicata squash plant produced one squash early in the season, which has not grown in weeks and weeks. The foliage has all died off, but the squash is now beginning to turn golden and the green stripes are fading, so I think it is getting ready to be harvested. I have never had this squash before, so I'm not sure what to expect.

Delicata Squash

The brocolli and beets and peppers did ho-hum, and the carrots and spinach were a washout. But for dessert, my strawberry plant is still producing heartily, and there are always blackberries for the taking on every lane in town.

Strawberries still ripening, September 2011

And what is a garden without flowers? I must have the latest blooming sweet peas in town - they just keep producing and producing from the hanging basket in front of my west-facing kitchen window.




Sweet peas, September 2011


The patio, with its red geraniums, red and white petunias, and miscellaneous other flowers did quite well also and continues to bring me pleasure.

If I could only teach the dogs to weed and water, and set them to work on those front dried out weed beds, life would be roughly perfect!

In her dreams!

Only if she lets us plant cookie bushes!

Home harvest, August 2011
Note the absence of dog cookies.