Walking on Water and Other Delights

I

I love the Sonoma County Fair. I used to go to gawk at the diverse (not in the political sense, please) population of the fairgoers--everything from bikers, young couples, old hippies, awkward teens and teens trying to look like street walkers. Maybe everyone's fair is like that. How would I know?

But our fair has really upgraded. We have a large 4H group and I enjoy watching the young kids who work so hard on their animals. I don't want to know what happens to them afterwards, which is why I could never get my kids into 4H when they were at home. I evaluate the chickens and bunnies and donate to the bird rescue. My granddaughter and I peered into the baby chick hatchery and watched those fuzzy little yellow things cling to life and then start to run around an hour later. Fascinating.

This year they had a display of recycled things. I think I'm a recycled thing, so I spent a lot of time there. Lord knows I have enough junk around the property, if I ever gave up writing, I could become a junk sculptor. I'd be careful. With my history around fires, safety would be No. 1.

In my garden, I have two "flying pig" sculptures made from recycled oil cans. They stand guard, along with my Dobermans. There is a local artist who does huge sculptures out of recycled metal things, using washing machines, hubcaps and old lawnmowers--turns them into arcs and animals and characters. I'm excited when I see things being reused, like we did on the siding for our house.

Makes a good case for hoarding. Uh Oh. I'm still trying to get rid of books...Big trouble.

In the Arts and Craft Palace this year there were quiltmakers doing zombie quilts. Next to the two guys who demonstrated making bugs for fly fishermen.

There was a dress made from old maps. Garden bench made from the tailgate of an old Ford pickup. A fish made out of beer bottle caps.

And pedal cars made from everything you can imagine, even toaster ovens!!

I doubt I could ever make a zombie drive-in movie miniature like these creative artists at the fair. But I celebrate their creativity. I can see how they put together things to come up with an image, a story, if you will.

Just like a writer. We put together phrases, "tone poems" of words and ideas on the page. We surprise, and hopefully, engage the reader.

And show them something new from something old. Something that wasn't before we put our hands on it. How inspiring!