Minnesota State Fair 2007

Here is the essence of the Fair: food, shiny pretty colors.

The apple trees were blooming along the walk, and smelled so good! This was the last picture we took before it started raining on us, then we walked back. Luckily, J. had brought raincoats for us. Cocoa didn't mind getting wet, and by the time she was dry back home, she was all soft from the fresh rain.

Cocoa partakes in the roadside attractions of doggie pools, for cooling off and for drinking.

Aw, cute with the barrel on the St. Bernard.

Dogs in strollers and wagons.

There were a few cats on the walk. Most of them looked about this happy (as in "Get me the hell out of here!")

We got a late start so we ate lunch before the beginning of the walk. We had veggie hot dogs and chips, and Cocoa got Frosty Paws doggie ice cream, all provided by the walk sponsors for free.

Here are J. and Cocoa on the shuttle bus from the off-site parking to the beginning of the walk. This is one of the best and most entertaining parts of the walk, riding on a bus full of dogs!!

Cocoa having a swell time.

I don't remember this guy's name, but he was sweet and I pet him. He's one of the oldsters who went walking that day.

Tatanka

Look, it's a baby buffalo! Just kidding. But his name really is Tatanka, which means "buffalo," if you'll remember your Dances With Wolves trivia. He was very sweet and calm. And big!

Aviator goggles for dogs? Cute.

More Animal Walk pics

These ladies had a snake and a lizard-y thing. It was their first time on the walk and they surprised it was mostly doggies walking.

Walk for the Animals 2007

Cocoa all gussied up ready for the walk. We're waiting for the shuttle bus to come take us to the starting point.

I think you can figure out most of these details, except maybe the photo of the young woman. Hint: small houses, prairies, writer. And the body on NM at the bottom is duh, an alien! From Roswell, of course. For Colorado, I chose two factories you can tour: the Celestial Seasonings Tea company, and Hammond's Candies. I've been on the CS tour, that was really fun. But then I love factory tours.

More 50 states ATC's!

Just sent these off yesterday for a swap. The funny photo on the Kansas card is from the annual Pancake Throwing Race, started in the 1500's in a city in England, and taken up in Kansas in the 1950s. Kinda weird but funny, it originated from a story about a woman who was cooking on her griddle when the call came to go to church and confess her sins. She ran out of the house, griddle in hand, to get to church on time. So now people do this silly race and they have to carry a frying pan with them! I don't think they have to have pancakes as well, but this photo is great. In the Oklahoma card, there's a pecan pie (my favorite) signifying the largest pecan pie ever made (created in OK), and the funny beaver statue is holding a giant cowchip to signify the world cowchip throwing contest in Beaver, OK.

Ah...Spring, finally

Our plum tree this morning in the backyard. Smells really good, too.

new carved stamp ATCs

The bird is a carved rubber stamp I made recently. The image is from a drawing I did after seeing a Walter Andersen exhibit at Bell Museum. J. says the bird looks sorta Aztec-y. Maybe I shouldn't have put those blue beads under his butt on the middle card, they look like he's pooping.

ATC's: Wisconsin and California

For Wisconsin, I went with a background of cheese (orange cardstock with punch holes) and a poster for the Ringling Bros. circus, since they started in WI. Then I have the Mustard Museum marquee, and bottle of mustard. For California, I went with a surfer/60's kind of background, an old poster for the Swiss Family Treehouse in Disneyland, an old photo of the Winchester house, and a dragon head made of flowers and plants from the Rose Parade this year.

ATC's: New Hampshire, Hawaii, Michigan

I made these for a swap with a theme based on each state in the U.S. We all have to do the same states at the same time, so this round was New Hampshire, Hawaii, Michigan, California and Wisconsin. All of my cards have one element in common: The postage stamp for that state that came out in 2006. For NH, I have a background of fall colors and leaf outlines, a jug of maple syrup, a postage stamp for the longest land bridge, and a photo and caption for Robert Frost. For Hawaii, I did a blue background for the gorgeous water around the islands, then a photo of an erupting volcano, a shot of the largest maze in the world (with a pineapple in the center), and a portrait of Queen Lili'uokalani, the last ruler of Hawaii. For Michigan, I have an old Kellogg's cereal box, a kid eating some Kellogg's corn flakes, a bowl of Michigan cherries, and a petoskey stone, a weird fossill found only in Michigan. Oh, and the background is supposed to be a blooming apple tree but now I realize I used a picture of plum blossoms instead. So sue me.