Isanti County Fair

 

I am definitely a bigger fan of the smaller county fairs then the Minnesota State Fair, although this one was really small! Since I went on a Friday there were not to many people there but I was surprised by the number that was there.

It was fun watching the smaller kids on the little rides. The girls expression to the left just made me smile. They were having a good time on the ride, that is for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thing I liked most was watching the teenage females doing the barrel races. You could really get a feel for how comfortable the rider was with their horse when they went to turn around those barrels. Actually, you could also tell how comfortable the horse was with the ride that was directing them around the barrels. I think they can detect any nervousness in the rider.

 

 

 

The horse pictured above is the smallest one I saw in the barrel race, but it did really well.

 

 

 

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to this fair is because of the promise for a skateboard park and all the great shots I could get there. Well, the set up was so lame I didn’t even bother to get out the camera. Maybe next time…

Twin Cities Caribbean Festival - Carifest

 

 

Carifest brings the rich culture of the Caribbean to the Mississippi Riverfront. But this festival is not just about Caribbean culture, it seemed to be a melting pot of cultures. When I walked up I heard rock music. As I was leaving there was a band playing music of India. They also had many other styles in-between the two.

There were rows of Caribbean food, most cooking on the grill. Good food and good music, this was definitely unique festival.

 

 

 

 

The festival events extended to the Mississippi river where they had the Centurion 2010 World Wake Surf Championships. I have never heard of wake surfing before, just one more sport I would now like to try! The female in the picture to the left came all the way from Switzerland to compete.

 

 

 

Wake surfing is when one side of the boat is weighted to cause the wake to be on only one side of the boat. At 11-12 miles per hour the boat creates a wake big enough to ride. Once the rider gets up they throw the rope back in the boat and rides the wake. The surfer is able to ride the wake for as long as they can stay up, it could possibly be an endless ride.

 

 

 

The festival also had dance performers. I watched the Capoeira dancers. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance. It was created in Brazil by slaves from Africa, sometime after the sixteenth century. Participants form a roda, or circle, and take turns either playing musical instruments, singing or ritually sparring in pairs in the center of the circle. The sparring is marked by fluid acrobatic play, takedowns and with extensive use of leg sweeps, kicks and headbutts.

 

 

 

 

 

For some time, Capoeira was criminalized and prohibited in Brazil. It was nevertheless practiced by the poorer population on public holidays, during work-free hours and on other similar occasions. Riots, caused by police interference, were common.

 

 

 

 

 

This was a small festival but a very interesting one. The mixture of spectators that attended the event was indeed diverse. I love how all peoples of this city can come together and enjoy different cultures, peacefully. The festival is the 3rd Saturday in July every year. It will not disappoint!

Air Expo 2010

 

Air Expo 2010 was going on at Flying Cloud Airport over the weekend and was hosted my Wings of the North. It was a beautiful day on Saturday, perfect for this kind of event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wings of the North is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization founded in February of 1998. Our mission is to preserve and present aviation history.

Their long term goals include plans for a major, world class museum and educational facility in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. This will involve a tremendous amount of effort in fundraising, acquiring aircraft and memorabilia and creating displays and events for the public.

 

 

 

Wings of the North is dedicated to presenting and preserving aviation history. To accomplish this mission we put on air displays, symposiums, school presentations, as well as many other programs. To keep our mission a reality, we need your help! We are looking for monetary donations, equipment donations (copy machines, office equipment, tools, and computers), an postage to keep our operation going. We are also looking for donations of aviation artifacts such as flyable aircraft of any type, restoration project aircraft, aviation memorabilia (military aviation uniforms, wings, maps, and photographs), and hangar space.

 

 

 

I was fortunate enough to meet a few of the pilots at the Expo.

This is Col. Bob Wright, he as had an exciting military career including shooting down 41 aircraft. I don’t think he was much for getting his picture taken though! LOL The look I got when I asked was one of hesitation. I do thank him for letting me capture him with his airplane!

 

 

 

 

This is Scott. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. The photographer hired for the event showed up and wanted to take a bunch of different poses. After waiting a few minutes I had to move on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could purchase a ticket to ride the B-17, they were a mere $425. That was a little steep for my pocket book. And for that much I would much rather fly in the T-6, which is just enough room for 2. That, to me, would be much more worth the price!!

 

 

 

 

The aircraft I found most interesting is the Grumman Avenger, which is a torpedo bomber. The Avenger was the first design to feature a new wing-folding mechanism created by Grumman, intended to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier.

 

 

 

 

There were three crew members: pilot, turret gunner and radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. One .30 caliber machine gun was mounted in the nose, a .50 caliber (12.7 mm) gun was mounted right next to the turret gunner's head in a rear-facing electrically powered turret, and a single .30 caliber hand-fired machine gun mounted ventrally (under the tail), which was used to defend against enemy fighters attacking from below and to the rear. This gun was fired by the radioman/bombardier while standing up and bending over in the belly of the tail section, though he usually sat on a folding bench facing forward to operate the radio and to sight in bombing runs.

 

 

 

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy and other air forces of the during World War II and into the 1950s. Now this is one I’d pay the money to ride in!

 

 

 

 

A few local celebrities made a showing. LOL

TC, the Minnesota Twins mascot and Mudonna, St. Paul Saints mascot.

I saw them driving by and when TC saw me put my camera to my eye he stopped and pointed at me and told Mudonna to look at me too.

Citizen Surveillance

 

I like to go out and people watch, we can be such an interesting species. Most of the time I try to fade into the background, but that doesn’t always work. For this picture I was across the street and down the block using my 300mm lens and one of them still saw me.

I found this an interesting combo of people sitting on the same bus bench, I love how it turned out. I like how she saw me and I only image that she is wondering if I am taking a picture of them.

 

Walking around downtown you see an array of interesting people and performers. On Thursday’s the Farmers Market sets up on Nicollet Mall downtown Minneapolis. There tends to be more performers on Nicollet Mall on Thursdays too, since there are more people drawn there.

 

 

 

I also went down for the Stone Arch Bridge Art Fair. One of the performing artists there was MADIBA [Muh•Dee•Buh]. This uniquely innovative performance duet has auspiciously adopted the South African leader, Nelson Mandela's widely known nickname. E.G. Bailey and Shá Cage respectively from Liberia and Mississippi represent the diasporic legacy of the continent of Africa and the American South. Theirs is a performance collaboration blending and bending words, layered voices, and cacophonous rhythms reminiscent of Sekou Sundiata mixed with Jessica Care Moore.

It was definitely a little different but also very interesting music.

 

I also really like to watch what kids do. They can be very interesting little studies. I love the intense look on this little girls face as she is showing off her martial arts skills at the Dragon Boat Festival. She definitely looks like she is into it.

This lady was intently watching the cultural dancing at the Dragon Boat Festival.

When I was in North Dakota and stopped at the Painted Canyon over look rest stop I was surprised when a couple look out over the canyon had this little kitten with them. I don’t think cats are much for traveling but maybe when you start them young they don’t mind it as much!

 

 

 

 

More random street photography, these were taken in Wisconsin.

                

Canterbury Park, Shakopee MN

 

This season Canterbury Park has free admission to celebrate their 25 years of racing. I used to go to the horse track quite a bit but that was a long time ago. I forgot how much I love it! It was good to get back out there. I didn’t really intend to gamble this time I was just going to hang out and get some good photos. I will be going a lot more this summer, the free admission will help insure that!

 

It took a little while to get back into how it all works. I still need to sit down with a program and relearn how to read it! The first place I go is to watch them walk the horses out in front. You will get a look at the horses running in the next race. I like to bet on the feisty ones, although that has back fired more then once. Sometimes I mistake unruly for feisty! LOL I prefer to be on the second level balcony to get a better view. Plus you can people watch up there too!

 

 

This horse was definitely feisty, the guy walking him around could barely keep him under control! That’s what I like to see in a race horse. There are definitely other considerations to take into account; Lasik's (especially 1st time), trainer, jockey, whether it’s a fast or muddy track, etc. But you don’t have to get into all that, I just go there for the fun.

 

 

 

Another attraction, for some, at the race track is the very large hats that some women wear. I guess if I start to go more maybe I should look into getting one for myself, yeah, maybe not. I think she knew I was taking her picture even though I didn’t hold the camera up, she just has that look about her. :)

 

 

 

AND THEY’RE OFF!!! I forgot how exciting it was to hear those words when you have a betting slip in your hand. Looking for your horse and hopefully he is making his way to cross the finish line first. And then the thrill of when he does! VICTORY!!!

 

 

 

Then we have those “photo finishes” where you have to wait, in agony, to find out if your horse won or if the other guy beat him by a nostril. You are always sure it was your horse though!

Sometimes it is…

Sometimes it isn’t…

 

 

 

But what you always hope for is your horse to come across first, all by himself. No need to wonder then! You will be holding your betting slip in your hand, throwing your arms up in true winner fashion. You will go to the window to collect your winnings, place another bet and hopefully go away with a few dollars more then what you showed up with. To me that’s a good day at the track.

 

On August 8th they are having Extreme Race Day where you can see camel & ostrich races, I’ll be there, should be fun! Every now and then I run into someone out there that I know, so I hope to see you out there sometime. GOOD LUCK & WIN BIG!!!

Medora, ND and Theodore Roosevelt National Park

First, I would like to make two corrections to my last post. I am actually staying at Red Trail Campgrounds and Theodore Roosevelt is a National Park not a State Park. Now on to some amazing scenery!

I went for a two hour horse ride thru the Badlands of North Dakota. This is my horse, his name is Spur. I originally wanted to do the 3 hour ride but they were full, but my bum & knees thank me. They were sore enough after two hours. The landscape was incredible! I guess they have had much more rain this summer then normal so everything is not normally this green. I even saw cactus out there. Who knew?

 

 

We came to the top and there was a plateau that over looked a valley. Of course, the picture can’t do it justice AT ALL. We were on private land and I just kept thinking, if this were my land I would be up here all the time! The weather today was perfect, mid 70s and there was a breeze. I couldn’t think if anywhere else I would ever want to be besides that plateau. I hope the owner of that land knows how lucky they are and they appreciate it. We stopped for a few minutes to just look at the beauty that God created. The breeze was even blowing in the right direction, against my face. I would like to find the owner and make a new friend! LOL

 

 

My horse, Spur, definitely had a mind of his own and I think they know when they have an inexperienced rider on them. I have ridden before but not to much. He would sometimes want to go his own way and not follow the horse in front of him. He wanted to make his own path. Kinda like me I guess, how can I blame him for that. I would have to rein him back over to the right direction. (A few have tried that with me, didn’t work that well tho) ;) He also liked to start a trot if we were going up or down hills. A few times almost passing the horse in front of us. Once I thought we were going down but he kept us safe.

Our guide was Katie and the other two riders were Emma & Ethan. Ethan was riding Cash and he was a naughty horse! LOL He had gas, luckily I was only down wind of him during one of his three gas attacks. Once was definitely enough tho. The ride was worth every penny of the cost. I’ll do it again when I come out here next time. I can’t wait til next time!

 

 

After riding I went back to the campsite to have my protein shake lunch and then headed to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. If you’ve never been, try to make it sometime during your life. I guess I didn’t know that North Dakota had there own set of Badlands.

 

 

 

I was coming around a curve, about to stop for a photo when I saw a wild buffalo. He was about 100 feet from the road. And he picked about as scenic as a background as he could have! Thanks wild buffalo dude! :) He just kept chewing on his meal and watching me, wondering what it was that I wanted. He especially perked up when I left the truck to get a better shot. They’re not man-eaters right? He would just charge the threatening person holding whatever that black thing is that’s being pointed at him. Oh wait, don’t tell my Mom I left the car, she already worries about me more then necessary! Hey they have hiking trails so the buffalo must not bother the humans intruding on their territory.

 

Here are some more pictures of this beautiful place you need to go see! Oh, that was kinda bossy huh? There is a 36 mile scenic loop drive you do in your car in the South Unit of this park.

        

And when the sign says Wind Canyon Trail, make sure you get out of your vehicle and walk this one. It isn’t too far and the view of the river shown in the picture above can only be seen from the trail. The wind canyon itself is a beautiful sight to see too. It will be some of the best scenery you will see on this drive.

I go home bright and early tomorrow morning. Wondering how long it will take the itch to hit the road to come back again. Probably not long. I still have til August 23rd off. Not sure if there will be another trip before then or not. My first week back to work is in New Hampshire though. Not sure how much I will get to see… I will keep taking pictures tho so check back every so often.

I Never Knew… North Dakota’s Beauty

As I drove thru North Dakota I wondered why I have waited so long to visit here. I’ve lived in the next state east all my life and never knew of the beauty that is western North Dakota. The further I drove along 94 the more I fell in love with this state! I could have been coming here all these years. I have visited 17 states so far this year alone and this one has moved right to the top of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first stop I made was, of course, at the worlds largest buffalo. There is a buffalo museum, Frontier Village and live buffalo. I think both Dakotas tend to like their attractions large! LOL I have seen many signs for “World’s Largest something or other” and remember that from my trip to South Dakota years ago. Although, Minnesota still can take pride in the fact we have the worlds largest twine ball made by one man! :)

As you can see this is a very large buffalo, that’s me standing under his chin. Also, Frontier Village has many buildings from the 1800s restored and has all the old relics of that era. The village saloon has the old bar and tables, the dentist office has all the old equipment used back then. I don’t like going to the dentist now, I couldn’t image going when they use the stuff I saw in there. Below are some images of the village.

 

Further down the road my GPS informed me we were coming up on Salem Sue, so I thought, what is Salem Sue. With today’s great technology I got online on my Palm Pre and looked it up. Well she is the worlds largest holstien cow. With my fondness for farming due to my summers spent on my grandparents farm I had to stop and see her. Sitting high on a hill in Salem, ND was Sue looking out over the region. As you can see by the table by Sue’s front right hoof, she probably is indeed the worlds largest holstien cow! When I got there a guy from Washington was photographing her. As I was leaving four ladies from Illinois were arriving to visit her. It just so happened that one of their names were Sue too.

 

 

 

Next I came across the Enchanted Highway. I found out about this highway last summer when I was looking for places to visit and have wanted to come here ever since. These sculptures are, of course, the worlds largest metal sculptures and large they are. Along 94 you would take exit 72. This Geese in Flight sculpture can be seen from 94 so you don’t miss your exit. They are definitely a sight to see and worth the drive. I had to travel about 30 miles south of 94 to see them all.

 

 

 

 

Deer crossing came next and is about 3 miles south of Geese in flight. I left the X in the photo so you could see the size of it. The next sculpture was a bit of a hike at 12 south of Deer Crossing. It did not disappoint. Grasshoppers delight had one large grass hopper, several smallers ones and very tall grass. The top of the legs on the small grasshopper where about as tall as me. This was one of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

About 5 miles south of the grasshoppers was Fisherman’s Dream. This is the most impressive of the bunch. There are so many and so much to look at here.  Even the shortest of the sculptures was much taller them me! I don’t much care for fishing but this was definitely my favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up was Theodore Roosevelt rides again. The stage coach is normal size the bucking bronco is super sized! It was cool and I’m sure very hard to do, it just wasn’t near my top favorites.

The next one was Pheasants on the Prairie. Not a fan of this one.

 

 

 

Then came The Tin Family, loved it. There is so much detail in these, just as at Fisherman’s Dream. Just look at Mom’s basket of flowers and her hair. I really can’t decide which of those two are my favorite. 

 

 

 

 

You can see just how big this family is because I am standing by the boys foot in the picture on the left.

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture of my campsite. Yes, I know, it’s a really little tent. All I had on one days notice because I just planned this trip on Monday!!! And yup, I came here all by myself. I knew nothing about the area and was lucky enough to pick it anyway, so beautiful. For you next vacation definitely keep Medora, ND, in mind. There is a lot to do and see here. I’m staying at the Red Tail Campground and would recommend it whether you have an RV, camper or just a tent like me.

Stay tuned I’m going horse back riding today and into Theodore Roosevelt State Park.