State Fair with Munchkins

I returned a long-overdue favor and helped my sister take her little ones to the State Fair. (She had gone with me and my little girls many times, many moons ago.) We spent a whole lot of time at horse-related exhibits yesterday. My niece Sonya is in the legally required horse lovin' phase of her life.

This shot is in the 4H building. Don't let Sonya's sleepy expression fool you, the chicks are fun to hold. And Cole does look a little too cool for it all. But trust me, we all liked holding the chicks. Ryleigh needed help not squishing them and because I'm holding the camera, I couldn't help her hold a chick just then. But she had her chance and no chicks were harmed. At this point, Ryleigh is just modeling the family's patriotic look. Luckily, my sister did not make me wear matching clothing. This will ensure that I'll help her again next year.

No Poetry Friday Again

It's everybody's favorite day around here: No Poetry Friday. So if you stumbled here by accident and wanted a bit of poetry, try this: http://www.readimaginetalk.com/

City Author Visits Country Author

Want to see what San Franciscan author Lynn Hazen did on her summer vacation? Check out her blog http://www.lynnhazenimaginaryblog.blogspot.com/ to glimpse her trip to Baldwinsville, NY and Abbott Farms. There are two installments. Riveting stuff.

No Poetry Friday

Yes, it's that time again. I've looked around, but there is no poetry at the Reluctant Blogger today. Maybe you want to go here: http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com/2008/08/poetry-friday-review-my-letter-to-world.html and find some.

Summer Races By...

It's mid-August and this baby girl of mine returns to college in a couple of days. Her absence is a big presence around here. Luckily, she checks in with us often, which helps her mother with the transition. The only good thing about her departure (save for the obvious educational and social benefits) is the "butt in chair" factor for me. Writing moves back to high-priority status and I'm excited about the work I'm returning to. So even though the calendar says it's still summer, Autumn arrives on Sunday for me.

Don't forget to call home, Baby Girl. Have a great semester.

Pan-Mass Redux

The first picture is of Chris and our friend Kathy preparing for take-off; the second is just a snap of some of the five thousand-plus riders. They've raised over 21,650,000 with this years ride. The Dana-Farber Cancer Center is the recipient of all of this hard-earned money. It's inspiring to see all these bikes and know that most of these folks are riding for a reason--someone they love has or is battling cancer. Yeah Chris, Yeah Kathy, Yeah Tracey, Yeah Howie, and everyone else who pedaled across Massachusetts this weekend. See you all next year.

( I had to get home to figure out the camera workings. I think I'm set now.)

Pan-Mass Challenge

There was no time to not write poetry yesterday because I was traveling to Massachusetts. The first weekend in August means Pan-Mass Challenge, the bike ride across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to raise funds to fight cancer. http://www.pmc.org/About.asp Do I ride? um, not a bike. I am the support vehicle for my husband as he rides with thousands of other cyclists from Sturbridge to Provincetown. He's out there right now. I'm posting from our hotel room. (I'll catch up-- it's not like he can pedal 65 mph.)
I'll try to post a picture from this morning's take-off as soon as I figure out how the new camera to computer thingy works. In the meantime, if you want to check out his page at the PMC or make a donation to his ride, go here:

http://www.pmc.org/mypmc/profiles.asp?Section=story&eGiftID=CA0022

Where was No Poetry Friday?

Oops, Friday came and went. Looks like the whole week came and went. Still we ought to honor our No Poetry Friday. So while there wasn't any poetry here, there was here: http://wellreadchild.blogspot.com/2008/08/poetry-friday-roundup.html