Fair play

Today we closed things up at work a little early so we could all head over to the Washington County Fair; our coworker Sarah was participating in some of the riding events, and we wanted to cheer her on.

As you'd expect, there were some gorgeous animals there:





Loved this appaloosa:





Sarah on her horse Thunder:





Today was the gymkhana, a series of different timed events that require the riders to exhibit a variety of skills—the one we got to see was the ball and chain. A ball, attached to a chain, is hooked to a post on the two long sides of the paddock; the goal is for the rider to grab each one as they make a lap around. Miss either one, and your time doesn't count. The rider who successfully grabs both in the fastest time wins.

With the first ball and chain in hand, this gentleman reaches out for the second:



Talk about being focused on the target:



Sarah and Thunder's turn:



Despite having closed her eyes so near to her goal, Sarah not only snagged the ball and chain but ended up finishing third overall:



Included because it made me laugh:



Since my plan for the afternoon included eating plenty of junk food, I was content to check out this ride from afar rather than risk my stomach staging a rebellion:



Broom corn. Which, interestingly enough, is actually a type of sorghum:



Just thought this combination of the steam coming off the fryers, the late afternoon sunlight, and the heat shimmer made for an interesting shot:



Sunset from the grandstand:



And, of course, I had to try a couple of shots of the rides all lit up: