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Horses, heat and happiness

A former equestrienne*, it’s always a treat to hang around a horse show, even if it’s an outing disguised as work. Here are some shots from this year’s Arkansas state 4-H horse show. Temps hovered around 100 degrees and I left the show covered in horse, dog and dust, but supremely happy.

Chestnut horse trotting.
The horses kicked up a lot of dust and I loved the way it softened the background.
7-11 Waiting to Come In
Contestants waiting to enter the ring for their class. At more than 90 degrees, the jacket rule was waived, but nearly all the competitors in the hunter classes remained fully turned out.
7-11-PrizeBox1
What waited at the end of the class.

*Once a horse person, always a horse person, I’m afraid.

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Weekly photo challenge: (Agri) Culture

Whether driving a combine, raising catfish and show horses, or selling honey at the farmers market, in Arkansas, about one in six folks is employed in some facet of agriculture.

Catfish farming – a big part of Southern aquaculture
Horse parking. Contestant waits his turn in the ring during a 4-H horse show.
Rice. Arkansas is the nation’s No.1 rice grower.
Campus had a little lamb. Lots of them on the U of Arkansas campus farm. The university was among the land grant colleges created by the Morrill Act just over a century and a half ago.
Apiculture, or beekeeping, is a fast-growing part of agriculture.
Geese love the harvested rice fields of Arkansas during the winter.

More views of culture than you can shake a stick at:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/photo-challenge-culture/

Including:

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Weekly photo challenge: A (fraction of a) day in my life

This is really only a couple of minutes in a day in my life (yesterday, for that matter.) You could hear the peeping from down the hall: A basket of little yellow chicks. Not for Easter, but for the start of a 4-H project teaching kids how to raise chickens. One chick, cradled by a co-worker, fell asleep in her warm palm, or simply found our department boring.* A more detailed post, perhaps, after Easter.

BIRD IN HAND — Chick visits the office.
BORING — What chick thinks of our office after just two minutes.

*No, having poultry or other livestock in our office is not typical.

The grand challenge page: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/photo-challenge-day-in-the-life/

Other days. Other lives:

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Under the microscope

A couple of somewhat random shots that had been on deck,  just waiting for an excuse to be posted.  Not really sure what’s under the microscope. However, that is a real and very small bark scorpion who passed on, never reaching its full adult size of about 2 inches.  Scorpions are among the venomous neighbors that live around us in the Arkansas Ouachitas.

LOOKING LARGE — Shot into the eyepiece of a microscope set up as part of a 4-H learning activity.
TINY — Bark scorpion and penny under an 8x loupe.
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Making a splash!

One of the most fun places in Ferndale is the 4-H Center.  Last night, 4-Hers ages 10-13 designed, built and paddled their own cardboard boats in a race across the lake. Only one boat tumped and with the temperature still in the upper 90s at 8 p.m., the sailors didn’t seem to be complaining too much about being in the drink.

Cardboard boat racing hit the national media scene as part of an annual July event at Heber Springs. The boats at Heber may be more elaborate, reflecting months of planning. The 4-H boats were seaworthy with just a couple hours devoted to design and construction.

Start of cardboard boat race
The four entries make way at the start of the cardboard boat race.