State Fair Accomplished.

Well, now, we are home and finished with The Ohio State Fair. 5 days of feeling clueless, a day late and a dollar short. My biggest moment of knowledge was being able to direct a fair patron to the water fountain in the sheep barn.
So, instead, I continued to learn. Some tidbits under the "Who Knew?" heading?

• You must bring proof of county dog tag license to the dog show vet check portion of registration. This is in the form of the receipt from the purchase of the tag. The dog tag itself is not sufficient.
• There is a vet check portion to check in. This is not done by a vet.
• You are not supposed to send in the health form with your registration. You are supposed to bring it with you on the day of the show.  
• Do not let your 10 year old son be solely responsible for filling out dog show entry forms.
• "Sheep will be released after 4 p.m." translated is " remove your sheep from the barn some time around 9 a.m. or they will be all alone in the barn."
• Hand shears for sheep, in the hands of a 13 year old girl, do not make for an even haircut.
• In order to get your truck from the parking garage to the ground directly below your parking space, you must leave the fairgrounds via gate 8 (1/2 mile away), go right through the boarded up early 20th century row houses for 6 blocks, then go right on 4th St. for another 8 blocks, then turn right on 17th Ave. for another 5 blocks. Then, enter gate 10 and park directly below where you were 40 minutes ago.

These, and many other lessons have now been passed my way. I can only hope to retain some, so next time 'round, it can be a bit, well, less exciting.

The winners of the pairs lead class in the Lead-In Wool show. The idea is to wear an all wool outfit and lead around your sheep. These two girls were adorable!

Eldest gets ready to represent our county in the Club Leadership project.

Eldest awaits the end of the class, displaying her project items.

Judge on right, Middlest and Eldest directly to his left. They are in the Yearling Ewe class of All Other White Wool Breeds at the Open Sheep Show at State Fair.

Eldest and Middlest showing Evelyn and Eleanor, respectively.

Post hand-shears. He's not crying, just rubbing his eyes, as they have hair in them. In actuality, having his hair look like it had been trimmed by a lawnmower with a broken blade didn't bother him a bit.  

Mrs. Winter gets out her cattle clippers in the beef barn and fixes it right up!

The Sky Glider at State Fair is my favorite indulgence. It takes you from one end of the fair to the other.  Great views and a few minutes of sitting in peace.

Baby Got Back. Maybe some views aren't so great.

Meat.

Youngest rides with Kobi, Middlest behind with Vicki, downtown Big City in background. Vicki and family came to watch Middlest in the Open Sheep Show.

Youngest enters the show arena for Dog Obedience Sub Novice B.
 WHAT IS IN YOUR MOUTH????AND WHY????

Always a fashion statement, Youngest finishes the "stand for exam" portion of the test with Tucker.

Youngest earns his stripes at State Fair, with a very nice score of 204.5, despite the massive piece of candy he popped into his mouth directly before judging "to give me fresh breath."

Accomplished.