WRIGHTSTOWN GRANGE FAIR 2010

The annual Grange Fair is always a great opportunity for photographing. The first day of the fair I went to photograph the harnessing exhibition. The draft horse pictured is a Belgian. They are gorgeous animals which stand over 18 hands in height. The draft breeds are noted for their gentle, calm, and sweet dispositions.

Here is the Belgian in full harness. He will be hitched with a team mate to pull a wagon and offer fairgoers an opportunity to ride behind the horses. Always a very popular event.

Here is a 4-H girl showing off her turkey. He was a very sociable bird, and the kids loved him. They were feeding him blades of grass.

A beautiful face belonging to a pony giving pony rides. It's always hard for me to see these wonderful creatures hitched to a wheel, walking in circles for hours. The children love being on the ponies, but my heart aches for these gentle souls. I often ask myself if this is exploitation of animals for man's entertainment? But then, I suppose, I could say that my use of my own horse for dressage was also exploitation? However, the ponies were clean, in good flesh, and their feet were well trimmed, so it was apparent they were well cared for. AND, best of all, they wore no bridles or bits, so the children could not yank on their mouths.

What's a Grange Fair without animals and farm equipment?

There were tents where different non-profit organizations and businesses interacted with the fair goers to raise money and provide information and education. This one-eyed screech owl was helping spread the word about AARK, a certified wildlife rehabilitation center, badly in need of donations.

It's always heart-warming to see the bond that 4-H kids have with their animals. This young lady was relaxing with a couple of her sheep.

Cows are a huge part of the fair. Many different breeds are represented and shown. 4-H kids even get an opportunity to judge the cows. Here are a Holstein (b&w) and a Guernsey. The two of them seemed to be having a conversation about what was going on around them.

OXEN -- I found these huge animals fascinating. They had the most beautiful faces, and were unbelievably gentle. They were yoked together. This was a demonstration to show how yoked oxen are used for working. I wondered whether oxen were a breed so I researched and found out they are simply steers of any breed of cattle, that are at least four years old, and taught to work. A steer is a castrated bull. A full-grown ox is usually larger than a bull because it is allowed to live, and, therefore, reaches full maturity. When farmers choose an animal for an ox, they choose one with horns. The horns keep the yoke on their heads when they back up. The horns grow as their bodies grow, so the horns can get quite large. Different breeds have different shapes and sizes of horns.

I loved this shot I got of the ferris wheel just as dusk was falling. You won't get me on one of these things!

There are many displays, and I liked this quilt. Different "bug" fabrics were used to suggest bugs in jars. I thought it was pretty clever.

One of the produce tables with many different types of home-grown vegetables and the ribbons awarded.

The Grange Fair reminds me so much of the Shippensburg Fair in the town where I grew up. It was exactly the same with animals, 4-H, fair queen contest, rides, food, vendors, a horse show, and competitions in many categories. There's a part of me that will always be a "farm girl."

A WALK IN NEW HOPE

New Hope, Pennsylvania is about 13 miles from my home. Last weekend I drove up to walk around the town and photograph. It had been a number of years since I had walked the streets, and I spent about 2 hours exploring.

On my way into town I stopped at one of the New Hope-Ivyland RR crossings and put my camera on one of the rails to get this picture.

Here is a shot of the bridge that crosses the Delaware River into Lambertville, New Jersey. If you look closely you can see many people walking to Lambertville. It's a popular thing to do. Lambertville is also a very fascinating town popular with tourists.

New Hope is a very arty town, and the window displays are always interesting. Here is a sculpture against a beautiful backdrop. The reflections adds a bit of intrigue.

This is a street shot which shows how quaint the town is.

Beside one of the more unique shops in town, I saw this arrangement of mannequins. How many faces can you see?

John and Peter's Place is a very famous nightclub. Many well known musicians have played here, and Ken Burns filmed part of his documentary AMERICAN JAZZ at John and Peter's Place.

New Hope once offered Canal Mule Barge Rides. This is a shot of one of the holding corrals for the mules that pulled the barges. There are still halters and ropes hanging from the posts. The canal is nearly dry due to a leak, so the rides have not been offered for about 3 or 4 years. In this picture you can see the canal in the background and the tow path.

This shop always has a very colorful fabric and clothing display when the weather is conducive.

CHICORY

In his "Humble Bee" Ralph Waldo Emerson, too, sees only beauty in the "Succory to match the sky;"

Chicory is an elusive flower. Highly reactive to weather conditions, one has to be vigilant to find them blooming. Most of the summer the chicory blooming near my home was very pale and washed out. I wanted to find that lovely, unmatched, periwinkle blue color for which chicory is known.
I finally came upon chicory early one morning as the blooms were opening with the morning sun. They were in a field in the country, and in a shady spot. There was that blue I'd been searching for all summer! I did a tight macro of this bloom on the tips of the opening petals.

I love this shot because it looks like there is a glowing light in the center. The stamens have beautiful blue lines, and the tips sport curliques like the dandelion -- in fact, chicory and dandelion are both in the same family.

Another macro emphasizing the center of the flower. In this one you can see the tips of the stamens that will eventually curl.

Do you recognize Chicory in these languages?
French - chicoree
Spanish - achicoria
Portuguese - chicoria
Italian - cicorea
German - chicorie
Dutch - cichorei
Swedish - cikorie
Russian - tsikorei
Danes - cicorie

SUNRISE

"Life is a great sunrise. I do not see why death should not be an even greater one."
~Vladimir Nabokov

The other night I could not sleep. Finally, at 5:30 a.m. I decided to get up, get dressed, and go photograph the sunrise. I knew of a spot about 20 minutes away where I thought I could see the sun come up over the horizon -- horizons are not friendly in my area. When I arrived, there was a pink tinge where I thought the sun would appear. Got out of the car with Hannah and walked around a large field and watched the sky change.

Given that it was cloudy and a bit foggy, I did not see the sun appear over the horizon. My first glimpse was through the clouds just above the hills and trees.

This was my first glimpse of the full orb of the sun. The clouds were very dramatic.

After I left the field, I decided to explore the back roads. It was cool, and I had all the windows open in the car. Hannah was very excited by all the scents and kept popping her head in and out of the window. Normally I do not permit this because I think it is dangerous, but I was driving slowly, and there was very little traffic. This was an interesting barn which caught my eye. I love the contrast from the brown to gray.

As we continued to explore, I came upon this small house -- so many old farms had these stone out-buildings which were often spring houses. Some are root cellars and well houses. But the wreath caught my eye. Loved the weather-beaten door and the potted plant.

All photographs can be viewed in larger sizes if you click your mouse directly over the image.

THERE YOU ARE!

There is a quote by Confucius : "And remember, no matter where you go, there you are."

In times of grieving, people often think they can escape emotional pain or run away from difficult situations, forgetting that no matter where one goes, one's emotional landscape does not change. This quote has come to mind frequently these past few months since the death of my mother and 24/7 caregiving. Some days are very difficult -- the house is very quiet -- I am overcome with feelings that I'm not quite able to sort. I think that once I can identify those feelings, I will be able to acknowledge them and move on.