...Psst! Did you hear the news?

Lily the ostrich: Hey, did you hear?

Me: No, what? And by the way, nice hair.

Lily: Your woodpecker photo won 3rd place in the Fauna category at the Fair

Me: Holy sh@*!

I was secretly hoping that one of my two entries would get an honorable mention, but I was completely unprepared to walk through the pavilion and see a ribbon on my shot of dad DWP feeding his son. I almost didn't enter this picture but Hubs told me that he thought it was more interesting than the hawk that I was leaning towards. Looks like he was right. The other shot I entered is HERE. This is the first "major" competition I've entered - if you can call a State Fair "major". Anyway, it was pretty cool to see two of my shots hanging on the wall there for all to see. There were some fabulous entries in all of the photo categories, but none would hold a candle to some of the photos I see here on Blip every day. What a talented group of people here!!

So, before we went to the art/photography pavilion, I had to go through the Ag tents where all the sheet, goats, cows, swine and chickens/ducks are. I could have stayed there for hours but hubs was inpatient to get to the photo display. As were were leaving the livestock area, we passed a pen with Lily the Ostrich in it. I've always wanted to get a head-on shot of one of these birds and what an excellent opportunity as she just lay there and gazed at me with her enormous blue eyes! I confess to being a bit smitten. I hinted around to Willie (hubs) that I wanted one, but he's having none of it. Maybe he'll let me get a goat instead - they are way cute, too. :)

After the fair, we headed off to the in-laws house to finish the painting project. It is miserably hot and the house is without A/C so we are both about as smelly as that livestock we saw this morning. Hm, maybe smellier now that I think about it. Time fora shower.

Thank you for not getting tired of my hummingbird shots. I am already thinking that I am going to enter a hummer in next year's fair - this year's 1st place winner in the Fauna category was a hummer, and I really think I have some better shots. Anyway, my mission this summer is to get that shot of them doing their straigh-up aerial fighting flight. Kathee had an interesting theory on that, and I think she's right - having to do with the depth of field. Something for me to work on. All that by way of saying - prepare to see more hummers!!

Hope everyone has had a good weekend and that you're all enjoying the Olympics. Don't you just love watching the gold medalists when they hear their country's national anthem on the podium - it always makes me tear up.