Off to the Races...

One of the highlights of the Okanogan fair is the horse races. I said it last year and I'll say it again, this is how horse racing began. Go back to the county fairs all over the country (and world really) and there have always been races. A whole breed developed because of the county fair races. Quarter horses were specifically bred to be able to race on the short tracks at the fairgrounds.

Of course the fair also includes the fun races. One of the cutest by far is the Half Shetland pony races. It reminds me of my friend and I breaking out her little shetland pony, Sassy. The only reason she couldn't buck was that I could almost reach the ground with my legs :0)

This little pinto led the way until the little girl
slid off. She got back on and finished though.

The pony express races are by far the most exciting. The image below is after the first lap and the jockey is jumping off her first horse to vault on to her second horse standing by. It is one wild race and you never know what is going to happen.

In the 17 and under race on Saturday afternoon there was an accident while switching horses in the Pony express race. Although the image is small the jockey got caught underneath the hooves of one of his horses and had to be taken off the track by ambulance.

Cute Barrel Racers

In between the races on the track everyone was very easily entertained by these little ones showing off their horse skills. Barrel racing looks twice as much fun when the little kids are smiling as big as these guys are. I was also very impressed by how good of riders some of them were. Apparently they've been raised in the saddle.

She was getting at this little pony with her whip for the run home.

The bandanna covering this little girl's helmet slid
down to where she was bravely racing blind.

What an amazing little rider. Her little pony refused to lope and
she would smack him so hard he'd be bucking and she'd just sit on top
and whack some more. While she was warming up she even had her dad
chase them with the whip so her pony would run faster.

Such a big horse for such a small rider, but he took good care of her.

Market Sale

At the Okanogan Fair kids bring a wide variety of animals. The pamper, feed and work with them all year and the triumph is being able to sell them at the market auction to make a little money. Many kids reinvest the money to get another animal for the next year, but others just take the money and run :0)

My friend's son just after he successfully sold his steer.

I had to add this one again because I just like it so much.
It really captures a moment between father and son.

Over at the horse barn there was some relaxing and play to be had after 3 long days of showing.

Fair Flashback

In between races the crowd at the fair was entertained by some barrel racing. I really got inspired to try and get some good shots after seeing Stephanie's photos of Angel.





Every night there was a rodeo and I tried to get a variety of photos but it got dark a lot faster then I remember. I guess fall is coming soon.

More photos from the market auction coming soon. Hope to get them up tomorrow or this evening.

Fair is Over

Fair is done for the year, but it was sure a lot of fun. I've come to appreciate the small town fair and I have a feeling that appreciation will grow year after year. Walking around and seeing people you know and taking pictures of their kids is a lot of fun. The only bummer on this year is I had to work 3 of the 4 days. Granted that did not stop me from chowing down on fair food, in fact I have a bag of cotton candy next to me now.

Well I have all my photos loaded up and edited on the computer. Here's a sample of more to come, I'll be sure to keep you entertained all week long.

Market Auction

Market Auction
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Back to Routine

Well I am happy to say... Shawn is back to school. He may be a little unhappy about getting up early and having to work again, but I sure appreciate him having to work when I do too. It got a bit rough towards the end of summer break because he was just able to play while I had to work. It will take some getting used to, but I'll get there. But happily my routine is back. I get up just before he leaves, get ready for work, do the dishes, eat breakfast, check email and then veg on the couch before heading to work. It is a bit off these first two weeks because I have to work a full day while my boss is on vacation, but that's okay, more money in the bank.

Speaking of money in the bank, we need to save all we can get because we've just purchased our first house! It's all official as of today. The final appraisal came in and everything is all happy and now we just have to wait for paperwork and then fork over the largest chunk of money I've ever dished out. We are supposed to close September 25th. That will be one fun and very long moving weekend.

I'll leave you with a couple of images from summers end. We went out to Chelan a few weekends ago and I caught Shawn and his dad fishing right at sunset and then I really slowed down my shutter speed and played with some night shots. Kind of unique. The moon was so bright, I really wished it was in the correct spot to actually rise where I could get a photo, but alas it wasn't.

Father and Son

Father and Son
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Night at Chelan

Night at Chelan
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Quiz Time

A short quiz, thanks to Lisa. Not to far off... I did have a goth cape I sewed myself and wore all freshman year :0)

You Were the Arty Kid

Whether you were a drama freak or an emo poet, you definitely were expressive and unique. You're probably a little less weird these days - but even more talented!

Who Were You In High School?

Cute and Featherly

Aren't they adorable?? When we were getting ready to walk to work the other day Shawn saw these little guys outside the house and yelled for me to get my camera. I took all these photos from inside through the window. Good thing I decided to clean the windows recently. We saw them today again and it looks like they may be down a few in numbers.

Tall Grass

Tall Grass
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Baby Quail

Baby Quail
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Fair Time

Well... not quite, but fair is sure getting closer and instead of my last minute entry from last year I've actually gotten my act together and selected a total of 4 photos for 2 entries. It is a really hard choice to try and pick the photos you think will impress the most. I still have time to enter more photos if you may have an absolute favorite.

Here's what I have entered so far...

I have a three frame setup highlighting Dawes Glacier that we visited while in Alaska for our honeymoon.


Then I had to add the local flair of the courthouse highlighted by a beautiful sunrise I captured while walking Shawn to school last fall.


I just sent the order for the photos tonight along with hundreds of photos from our wedding and honeymoon. I'm excited to get the hard copies and really see what they all look like in print.

This weekend is supposed to be a killer when it comes to weather... almost literally I'm sure. Saturday the temperature is supposed to be 106. Luckily we'll be at the lake for teh weekend and able to hide in the water. Who knows, maybe Chelan will actually be warm enough for me to enter the water.

Suicide Race 101

I had my first introduction to Omak's Suicide Race that coincides with the Omak Stampede every year. The had practice runs and swim tests for the horses tonight. I called up Tim and asked if he wanted to go watch with the cameras. We headed down and the light was perfect, but of course things didn't start on time, so the light quickly disappeared. It was interesting chatting with Tim about the race as he's a 20 year plus resident and he had some facts that he shared with me. We may go back tomorrow night for more elimination races.

The sunset was awfully pretty tonight, too bad it is because of the fire burning at Green Lake. We could watch the smoke rising from the Hill and the planes circled around us constantly. Kind of felt like WW2 with all the big tankers flying back and forth from Omak Lake. We even watched one dump a big load of water or retardant right the crest of a hill. The last number I heard was 12 structures threatened. There are a couple of teachers up that way that I hope are faring well with the family, house and animals.

Suicide Race Hill

Suicide Race Hill
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Big Splash

Suicide Race Practice
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Downhill

Suicide Race Practice
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Into the Sun

Suicide Race Practice
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Wedding Photos... AGAIN!

Stephanie has all her proofs up from my wedding, take a look, they are amazing! There are some great shots and she really captured the details of the day... and my butt, but it was so fun. Leave her lots of love on her blog.

Cruise Photos are Here!

Hard at Work... Really

Just letting all my readers know I'm hard at work editing all these Alaska photos... can't you tell? I really do have the computer in front of me while enjoying that cigar :0)

Back on Shore

We're back on land after a week of being busy and eating... alot. We're at Shawn's folks in Granite Falls waiting a day before we head home. There will actually be a one night detour to the cabin on Lake Chelan because we have to drop his dad off.

Well, among the 1500+ photos I'll give you a small sample and it wasn't even from my camera. As soon as I get a chance to look through and edit the photos a bit more you'll be getting a small tour of Juneau, Skagway and Prince Rupert, BC.

Cruising in Endicott arm with Dawes Glacier in the background.

Off to Alaska!

We're off to Alaska, actually slight detour to Granite Falls and then on to Alaska. We'll head to Shawn's folks tomorrow after dropping the kitty off at the vet and then the cruise ship leaves Friday night. I'm really looking forward to all the great food and no dishes.

There are plans for tons of photos and I hope to actually do some updating while cruising when we stop in Skagway and Juneau, but no guarantees.

I'll leave the loyal readers with one more wedding shot, since I guess technically we are leaving for our honeymoon. This wonderful shot is from Stephanie.

More Wedding Photos

Expect to see lots of these in the next few months as I get my favorite ones. Stephanie is one of my photo friends who made it out to the wedding and did some photography for me. She just posted a preview on her site. What great photos! I'm so excited to see what else she captured.

Pond Path

Pond Path
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Cow Pond

Cow Pond
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

The pond the cows are drawn to on the property.

Pink Weed Flowers

LEDSC_5810
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

It may be just a weed, but it looks pretty with funky focus.

Building Fences

Building Fences
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Helping Scott and Denise put up some fence to keep the cows off their property.

Preview From Tim

I got an email from Tim Patrick today giving me an update on photos and he sent me one I really liked. There's an old barn on Amy's Manor property that we did some photos in: