Need to know
I have a lot of cameras. I don’t get rid of them or sell them. I just keep them and my collection grows. I collect a few vintage cameras when the price is right. Cheap! Weaving and spinning stuff is a lot more bulky. It takes up real space. I have my old cameras on a few shelves at the moment. There are four looms in my bedroom. Well, three. One went to the living room – temporarily. (I hope.)
Before the auction a prudent bidder checks the merchandise. So we did. But then a bargain comes along? This time we checked in real time and it was indeed hundreds off the list price. I bid at the auction like I meant it. We got applause when we “won” it. It’s a Schacht Matchless (spinning wheel). Sure, you would know one if you saw it? But it was worth more than $1000 used. The bobbins included were worth more $$$. And the former owner was in the audience and told us what he had last spun – for the fair. We met him. He had spun up the wool for this exhibit. It was more than 75 samples. Wow! Yeah, it was quite a feat. He stayed around till his wheel was sold. And I assured him it would go to a good home. See, we even seatbelt it like a member of the family. All of this, I’m sure, is more than you needed to know.
Buttons
Something else to collect? We go to antique stores. We collect things. It’s not intentional. But it happens. We got a lot of baskets that way. Antiques can be expensive. Or not. We tend toward the less expensive. Buttons! Of course, people sell them for a lot of money. A jar for $20 and up. But there are jars to be had for way less. And the buttons can be interesting. Ha ha! I didn’t really believe all that. I’ve no particular interest in buttons.
And then we were at the fair and someone was trying to sell old buttons. Retail! Seriously? Yup, serious money.
Too good to be true
So, we wandered through the animal display at the country fair. I’m not interested in chickens or rabbits. They are caged and you can’t get a good image. Whoa! Was I wrong! Thanks for dragging me in. Can you believe the images I got eyeball to eyeball with these chickens. And one even laid an egg for me. Hairy feet? Ok feathered feet? Crowing on demand? And the colors and the patterns. Oh my! I’m used to Perdue under plastic wrap. Too beautiful to eat… This was an extraordinarily wonderful unexpected find that I was dragged into seeing. Thanks!
Got A Smile
There were hula hoops for anyone to try. It seems they live on though they are not popular. These kids were at it. And I got a smile as I shot my photos. No, they smiled after I took the camera from my eye. Missed.
Border Collie
The fair had a border collie demonstration. These are working dogs. They are trained to herd. And they are very good at their job. They are taught to work together to herd sheep according to command. And the dogs are a whole lot better than my spaniel who would be easily distracted. These dogs were totally focused and followed commands accurately and instantly. The sheep went where they were herded.
Little Red Wagon
Who can resist? Cute kid. His parents are into fiber. They have him mingling with the fiber they are hauling. I just love it when parents dress their kids cute. Thanks.
Fiber
From hoof to finished product – I’ve been exposed to a new hobby. I only have a passing interest. But the photo ops led me to see different sheep and appreciate the natural fiber as it was processed from animal to point of sale. The Common Ground Country Fair is a must stop for crafts including fiber. This encompasses much but mostly it involves wool. But there are many different types of sheep which leads to different textures and softness.
The wool requires processing and spinning before it can be woven. I bet you knew that. I just took it for granted. It does not naturally occur in Technicolor.
And the final finished product – well , the yarn – is a long way from the initial raw locks that are shorn.
Demolition Derby
In my memory of sporting events, I recall watching demolition derby. That was many years ago when TV was black and white and ABC’s Wide World of Sports would show demolition derby. More curiosity than real sport, I enjoyed the mayhem.
It was decades later that I discovered that they do this at the county fairs in Maine. The fire department is deployed. The cars struggle along trying to disable one another. The crowd cheers. Someone wins. There’s little room to maneuver so there is not too much bone jarring crashes. You just can’t rev up and have a go from a good enough distance. It does draw a big local crowd.
Woodsman Day
The county fairs in Maine had woodsman day. Excuse me, ‘women’ day also. The best group was ‘Chicks with Axes’ well at least the name. In one place they put a Coke can (full) in the bullseye for the axe to hit. Sawing, chopping and other assorted timber skills were contested. The loudest were the chainsaw events. Cut down a tree, yes, there was a contest for that as well. For the participants this was really serious stuff. The trees were erected like telephone poles. It’s the last event. The trunks are trimmed to the same diameter. Bring a sharp axe and wear a shin guard. No bleeding this time.
Beard is optional. But there are some folks who don’t seem to get out too much into the world.
What would a competition be without a two man hand saw event? You need rhythm and a good partner on the other end.
But it’s the chainsaw that has made all the difference. They even compete in souped up chainsaws to cut the block in the fewest seconds. It’s way too loud. They actually hand out ear plugs among the audience.
There are always the old ways and you compete here by chopping this block as you stand upon it. Watch the axe. Don’t cut yourself.
Remember I mentioned Chicks With Axes? They had their own T shirts. Aim and fire away.
At one point they put a Coke can in the bullseye so the reward of a soda spray resulted if you were accurate.
Harness Racing
You bet?! It’s a big money maker for the organizers. The riders are coming from far and away to compete. The advantage for me is that no one seemed to know what to do with me. I just wandered all over, along the rail, in the infield, in the paddock and was never really prevented from getting up close. Everyone ignored me. Later I found out you can’t do any of this. No one from the audience is allowed in the staging area. But a big camera and looking like you belong can go a long way. I had a great time all along the rail in the infield. With all this freedom to roam, I was stuck trying to get the best action shot. You do your best. Unlike stock cars, there were no crashes, at least while I watched.
Bullriding
http://rodeo.about.com/od/bullridingfaq/f/bullbucking.htm
Nothing is done to intentionally hurt the bucking stock.
This includes binding of testicles (a popular lie spread by certain groups against rodeo), drugging, beating, burning, etc.
It’s written in “bold” on the website. Where did I see this? In Maine in the autumn of 2007 at a county fair… It was a serious competition for points. It was not a mega event. It occurred on a very chilly evening in the dark, a highlight of the evening’s activity.
I arrived early to ‘scope out the venue and pick the best place from which to get photographs. I brought a flash expecting to need the extra light. I was really to far away to be in an ideal position. At the earlier hour of sunset the bulls were peacefully standing in the coral, perfectly docile and crowded together. To look at the bulls you would never consider them to be a ton of angry bucking muscle.
If you look closely there are two ropes. The first is for the rider to hold dearly hoping to make 8 seconds and get a score for a ride. The rope wrapped around the bull behind the rider is (not?) attached to the testicles (remember it’s bulls not cows). Whatever the rope does it certainly gets the bull’s attention. Riders are thrown and they are injured. This means an ambulance is on standby. Some of the riders now wear flak vests and crash helmets. It’s not too western looking but it’s a bit more protective. Stomping usually doesn’t involve head injury, mostly broken bones. I make this assumption because, by my estimation, access to a competent neurosurgeon is not high on the priority list. But please keep in mind no animals were hurt in the making of these images.
Dragon Boat Down
Here’s a dragon boat. They are long and thin and carry no outriggers. And in the foreground, here’s a dragon boat that just sank. There was no particular mistake on the part of the crew. I think it does take some team discipline to sit calmly lined up in the boat as other teams pass you by. It’s good that the lake is very shallow. Everyone had their life vest. Oh, and notice the dragon at the prow of every boat. It’s why they call them dragon boats.
Dragon Boat Races
Annually in Flushing Meadow Park, the Dragon boat races occur. There is a linear boat course marked out for teams of paddlers. The dragon boat teams are quite spirited and everyone has good time. This group had a lot of energy. Dragons are good luck. And the noise is to ward off or scare away bad spirits. It was very noisy. It works.
Ferris Wheel
This shot was taken in the days before digital. Now it’s hard to miss. (See post for 9/13/11.) You have auto ISO and VR and ability to instantly know you have an image. In the old days, I would shoot with my best guess. The meter couldn’t really help. You would get some ambient light and the lights of the ride. But how to balance the two light sources? Bracket your shots. I’m glad I wasn’t a professional. I took this one shot. Just one. If it came out – ok. And the blur, who could have predicted it until the film came back from developing? Yes, there are better and easier ways to insure that a good shot was taken. I’m just amazed that I got shots like this and took such a casual joy in succeeding with so little film and effort.
Hot Air Balloon
I have many shots of hot air balloons now. Someday I hope to visit the Albuquerque balloon fest, which I understand is a granddaddy show of them all. One of the most exciting shots is when they begin to inflate the balloons. Propane tanks, intense heat, and a flammable material make for a tense moment until the balloon starts to expand.
History lesson
2/23/12
Here’s a historically interesting photo from an era similar to the times as in the previous post. It is a street fair from the ‘80’s with a rock band performing. The background is interesting in the political posters for Mario Cuomo, the father to present New York governor, Andrew. Who knew how history would repeat? Everything old is new again.
Up In A Hot Air Balloon
I discuss hot balloons in my other post. (see Blog Roll: ImagedEvent)
I respond in this post to a comment about dangers of flying in a helicopter. The story expands in the gallery of my other blog. The primary slide in this sequence is the early preparation. Balloons have to be filled with some very hot gas. Fortunately I have not seen any accidents. Then you go up into the air with no way to steer except by the direction and whim of the prevailing winds. The launch is determined by the winds, which really can’t be much more than a breeze, less than 10mph. Otherwise there is danger in flight control and landing problems. What comes to mind in the second photo is Dorothy in the ‘Wizard of Oz.’ After the balloon goes up….
Still Life
The craft fairs provide so much material for photographing. I start by saying that I have no interest in stealing design or artistic ideas. Someone recently objected saying that many of the ideas were copied in China and shipped back cheaply. That’s unfortunate. Camden, Maine – summer 2006 – I was visiting again and this glassware was just a grab shot. Great lighting, good blur of the background, and nice composition make this shot a favorite still life. One might ask whether I planned or did anything special to set this shot up. I didn’t. I don’t. The image was just there and I took the picture. Instinct and experience play an unconscious role. You can walk around all day and miss shots like this. So in the end it’s just walking around with the camera ready to go and visualizing as you march along. I’m not a big planner.
Hot Air Balloon
This is my first shot at hot air ballooning. Lisa gets the credit for taking us to the Long Island air show at Brookhaven airport. She had acquired a vicious case of poison ivy. How bad? She was dipping her affected arms in the barrels of iced sodas. Balloon launches are in the evening and early morning when the winds are more favorably calm. The blast of flaming hot gas is necessary to fill the balloons. It is all the more impressive that everything nearby is so flammable.
Bullriding
There’s a lot of action in this shot. I attended a bull riding competition and wasn’t disappointed. Once again this was an advertised county fair event in Maine. A small high fenced ring is set up and a group of very docile appearing bulls were standing and munching on bales of hay. I looked around and didn’t see any fearsome bad tempered bulls waiting to throw their riders. If you’ll notice there is a strap hanging from the bull’s hind quarters. As the gate is opened and the rider and bull are released into the ring, the strap is tugged painfully. This will draw a reaction of surprise and rage every time. I won’t say what part of the bull the strap is attached but you can easily guess. It’s why they call it bull riding. Is it better than bull fighting?
Balloon Launch
Lewiston, Maine. A balloon festival occurred one summer weekend in Maine 2007. Since I lived close by, I was able to attend frequently. There were scheduled events during the weekend, but the balloon launches were weather dependent. In order to be favorable, the winds had to be calm, which was usually in the very early morning and evening. Aside from the pageantry, the balloon owners made money and expenses from giving balloon rides. Each launch period the balloon pilots would meet to discuss weather conditions. The winds were not great over the five-day period so that many times the launch was canceled at the very last second. As a result launches were extended past the weekend. When launching balloons was a go, there was always a frenzy of activity. I was fortunate to be there to watch several launches close up. There were photo ops everywhere you looked. Too many great shots were there everywhere you turned the camera. Here, I have to summarize in just one image.
Close Call Landing, Rhinebeck
I have had the fortunate luck to make friends with a now retired American Airlines pilot Charlie. He flies a Bell 47, “Mash,” helicopter as a hobby. I get to fly with him. Yeah! So, there’s a weekend event in Rhinebeck, New York. It’s an old-fashioned air show complete with a damsel in distress. The pilots, many of whom, fly their own biplanes, put on a show and it’s very entertaining. Charlie would give helicopter rides. And, I got to wander around, backstage as it were, and shoot to my heart’s content. Then we would have a greasy hamburger and call it a day. The biplanes are antique but serviceable. The airfield is grass. The winds can be tricky. I have never seen a crash although they tell me it has happened. On this day and in this photo, it was what I would consider to be a pretty close call. And the saying, “Any landing you walk away from is a good one.” It was never more true.
Axe, Woodsman’s Day County Fair
This shot is one of a series taken in Maine at the local county fairs. There are scheduled events like this during the fair that usually runs for a week in different locations throughout the summer. This day was woodsman day. It provided an opportunity to show off lumber skills. Groups like Chicks with Axes showed up. While many women had tattoos, this particular group was fit and attractive. Well, for axe throwers anyway, they were ok. Yes, some of the gals threw axes at a beer can set in the bulls eye of a target log. Just stay out of the way. This photo was admired by Lisa because of its detail and storytelling without the whole picture of the axe man. The idea is to chop the beam in half. The marks are to guide the cutting to minimize time and maximize efficiency. And, yes some folks wear steel toe boots and shin guards. The brave will hazard an ugly injury.
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