CA State Fair 2012

Had some big fun at the state fair on Sunday at Cal Expo.

At the UC Davis station, watched a goat get milked. Also saw sows with nursing newborn piglets, and saw pregnant cows ready to drop.

In the livestock area were colorful Jacob sheep fleeces, newborn and old.

Dairy cows were judged for udder size, teat resiliency and capacity for production.
"They're being treated like animals!"
"Oh, they ARE animals!"

A 4-H contestant and his goat wait.

A judge speaks to each 4-H entrant about their goat while others wait their turn.

Janice Kang, Spun Yarn. Fiber dyed by Lisa Souza.
This is well spun with uniform consistency; something to aspire to.

Janice Kang, "Haapsalu Shawl", knitted garment.
Pretty with intense nupps; beautiful lace that would have benefitted from a more open display.

Kurt Thomas, detail from "Donn and LaMoyne", paper mosaic.
Meticulous work.

Victor Chaney with "The Flying Marbellos", kinetic sculpture.
This was especially fascinating and engrossing. It took 2 years to construct and was one of at least 5 of his sculptures displayed at the fair.

Linda Mihara, "Blue Wave Dress", Wet-folded mulberry paper (36" x 12feet).
Exquisite. I'd love to wear this as paper or velvet. Blue-black is one of my favorite colors.

Ianna Frisby, "Archaeoacoustics", mixed media.
References drawn upon include ancient pottery, lasar reading, a bell-flower amplifier, and "his master's voice".

Dave Lane, "Device for Creating Stars, Model A", Sculpture.

There were corndogs!
I got my annual ration.

There were corporate sponsors!
Reddy Kilowatt was taking a break. That's a joke! he was not there and hasn't been for a generation. This is the second reference that date-stamps my memory of corporate advertising.

Of course, some things are fleeting and don't last long enough to be recorded - here's a remnant of the late afternoon.
We looked at a thermometer on the way home: 104F. Unbelievable but clearly tolerable - good thing we didn't look beforehand!