8/28/15

Oregon State Fair 2015

Today was Day One of the Oregon State Fair. Sue and I headed out this morning to see it. The day started out a little rough when I was issued a traffic citation for turning left at this right turn only intersection. Bummer.


Without going into all the details, I'll just say that I did not see the sign. I so didn't see the sign that we went back to look after we left the fair. Sure enough...there it is. In my defense I'll say that I'm not familiar with the roads in Salem. As you can see, there are a lot of signs and there was a lot of fair traffic. My biggest defense is that I pulled up to the limit line and stopped, and the sign was no longer in view. Oh well. I broke the law, and this time, the law won. It's an expensive ticket. I'll just write a letter of explanation to send along with my fine and throw myself on the mercy of the court. If I can get them laughing, maybe they'll reduce it. We didn't let it ruin our day.

So then we walked what seemed like a long way around to the far side of the fairgrounds where there was no line to pay for admission. We headed directly for the quilts and mine was hanging right above the ladies who were welcoming visitors to the show. There was the Blooming Sunflower with a pretty red ribbon. Okay. I was feeling better about that traffic ticket by now.


Then we walked down a row of quilts and came to Psycatdelic, hanging there with a blue ribbon! Yay!


And around the corner from that was A Gardener's Journal...also with a blue ribbon!


Shoot for the Moon was not a winner, and that's okay. I still love that quilt, and let's face it...you can't win 'em all. I'm declaring the 2015 Oregon State Fair showing suh-weet!


For whatever reason, I wasn't much in a picture-taking mood, but I did take a few pictures of quilts and other stuff. Here are the two "Best of Show" quilts.


The one below was in the youth category.


I just thought these next two were adorable.



We looked at a few more displays before heading over to the livestock pavilion. I can never pass by an orchid without thinking of my mother. She loved orchids.



The sheep were being groomed for showing.


We were suspicious of these guys. Just what do you suppose they're up to dressed in these disguises?


They look a little like terrorists don't they? And what about this guy below? We suspect him of being their leader with that getup he's wearing.


And then there were some pigs who were obviously good friends.



We were hoping to see piglets, but there were none this year.

I haven't done any more sewing since Wednesday. We're expecting quite a downpour of rain over the weekend, and we really need it. It will be the first significant rain since March. I have another pile of tomatoes that I'm going to dice up and can just as tomatoes. These are from our CSA shares, but the two funny-looking ones in the lower left are from our plants.


When they're all diced and cooked, I should be able to get about four pints. Then, the rest of the weekend will be devoted to sewing. It'll be nice to be inside listening to the rain after the hot summer days we've had.

30 comments:

quiltzyx said...

I'm so jealous - you're going to be enjoying RAIN!! It was 102* when I got to work at 11:30 this morning. But at least I was at work with the a/c & I'll be here until 8pm. :)

Congratulations again on your ribbons! And how cool that the Blooming Sunflower was right up front, so no one could miss it?!? Sorry about the traffic ticket.

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Barb....you are such an amazing quilter!! You inspire me so very much!!!

Quilting Babcia said...

Nothing like a couple of blue ribbons to sooth the sting of a ticket. For my money the blooming sunflower quilt was especially deserving of a blue ribbon. Hope you get that much needed rain, and especially the eastern part of the state and Washington where all the devastating fires are still running amuk.

Quilting Babcia said...

Nothing like a couple of blue ribbons to sooth the sting of a ticket. For my money the blooming sunflower quilt was especially deserving of a blue ribbon. Hope you get that much needed rain, and especially the eastern part of the state and Washington where all the devastating fires are still running amuk.

Marlene said...

Congratulations on the ribbons and well deserved they are. Could you explain for me what is the difference between a Blue and a Red ribbon-we don't use that system here.
Those animal shots are so funny- have never seen those terror suits before and as for the pigs!!!

Barbara said...

Thanks, Marlene...Blue = 1st place, Red = 2nd place, and White = 3rd place.

gayle said...

Hurrah for the ribbons! And the rain! But mostly the ribbons!
The sheep make me nostalgic - I miss my fuzzlumps. On the other hand, we are up to our armpits in piglets here. Want one?

Ray and Jeanne said...

Your quilts are amazing - congratulations on your Blue and Red ribbons! Thanks for a peek at the fair! ~Jeanne

Chris said...

Congratulations, Barbara! Someday you'll have to show us all your ribbons displayed in your sewingroom. Are you already thinking about what you'll enter next year?

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Glad you didn't let a ticket spoil your day. Congratulations on the ribbons, so well deserved! We are starting to fall into Fall. The temps for the days are in the mid 70's and the nights into the 50's - and the apples are loving it! We donated a couple of bushes to a local church for a pie auction with the funds raised to help with after school programs.

Beth said...

Oh, hooray for you and your ribbons!

Being at the fair would remind me of my mom--beginning with orchids, then right on to the livestock, and then she always liked to see what were the "new" inventions--interesting can openers or efficient squeegees, funny things like that. Isn't it silly what you miss when someone is gone? Thanks for the glimpse of those cute, contented pigs. That striped black pig in the lower picture is especially handsome. :)

Michele said...

Yeah to you for all the pretty ribbons. I hope to enter some quilts into the county fair next year.

Dasha said...

Congratulations Barbara! Two firsts and a second if my memory serves me right. That is fantastic, well done.
Your "terrorists" are too funny.

Debbie said...

Woo hoo....lots of ribbons. Congrats on the wins....much better than a ticket. So glad you entered andshowed these off.

Dana Gaffney said...

Congratulations! I really think the sunflower deserved a blue also but maybe they thought you already had two so lets share the wealth. The sheep in red behind the bars really looks like a criminal which had me idly wondering what horrors a sheep could come up with, my mind reels.

Quilter Kathy said...

What a wonderful fair experience... congrats on the ribbon winnings! Well deserved! I love the Gardener's Journal!

Lou said...

Congratulations Barbara!!!! You did an awesome job on those quilts!!!!
Our quild is having their show this weekend and I got 2 red ribbons:) One was for quilting:) yea!!!
We need to celebrate together with a glass of wine:)

make.share.give said...

Wow! Quite a sweep at the Oregon State Fair! Congratulations!!

Dixie said...

Oh, rain. I remember it.

SJSM said...

Wow! Wow! Wow! (One for each ribbon.). What a fan base you have. Do you get a synopsis of the judges comments with your ribbons?

All I can say is congratulations! May you have many more ribbons in your future. The cat one is my favorite of those entered followed closely by your sunflower.

PS. Please send rain this way. :)

Kathy H said...

Wonderful. Congratulations! I am thrilled for you. Much deserved ribbons.

liniecat said...

Many many congratulations! Thrilled for and well deserved.

Kate said...

Congrats on the ribbons! That is so cool. I love those little dresses on the quilts, very cute. Sorry you got the traffic citation. I hate driving in places I'm not familiar with for that very reason.

Lyndsey said...

Congratulations, way to go girl. Your quilts are fabulous.

Judy1522 said...

Congratulations on your fair ribbons. Sorry about the traffic ticket. It is always hard to drive in an area that you are not familiar with and not accidentally make those kinds of mistakes.

Shirley said...

Congratulations on being a three quilt winner. Your sunflower quilt is just awesome! You are very talented and I love following along with your projects via your blog. Thank you for sharing.

LethargicLass said...

Congrats on being a superstar!!

Brown Family said...

Congratulations on the wins!

beaquilter said...

congrats on the ribbons! I bet it has a little bit of $ attached too :)

Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O) said...

Rain ?~! Wet falling from the sky ?~! I don't remember what it looks or feels like anymore it's been so long since we saw Any Rain at All here.

Your quilt ribbons are so fun to see. I have been your biggest fan for years and you keep reinforcing that position with the super pieces you design and create. You have inspired me to get into the swing again; thanks.