Evergreen Fair part deux (Speed Posting)

Jon Showing Peanut, his calf.

Gabe found the mini-tractors.

Tony

Run Away, The Fair is in town!

The Evergreen Fair starts tomorrow. It is a blessing and a curse for Monroe. There are those who do indeed run away on vacation this week every year to avoid the hassle and traffic. There are those, a majority of the locals, who embrace the Fair because of the economic boost it brings to the city and because they are involved in the event. And then there are those of us who complain a lot but don't leave, in fact we go at least for a day and eat sauteed onions, deep-fried snickers bars, elephant ears and (my favorite) scones with strawberry jam. We have a HUGE farming community in our area that come from the Snoqualmie, Skykomish and Snohomish valleys to converge on grounds this time every year for displays and competitions. There are many such stickers in the area.It is quite the event and there is a ton of stuff to see and do. Jonathan has taken on the task of showing "his" calf Peanut this year for the second year in a row. Last year was his first experience with 4-H showing, it went well and was a great experience. We are affiliated with the Bicycle Tree 4-H out of Snohomish. It is the same club the boys are involved with when they give the tours at the Wallace River Salmon Hatchery in the fall. It is a great group of caring folks. Preparations for showing Peanut began a few months ago when Jon began practicing leading Peanut out in the fields at the farm. Now they are buddies and very comfortable with each other.He has been improving bit by bit, and Peanut is responding well to him. They spend a lot of time together and it shows. Here he is with brother having his calf inspected by the official vet. prior to being allowed to enter the barn.He has even been doing his studies of cows to know all the body parts, a few breeds, and a ton of general knowledge. Preparations for showing and for general display to the public include decorating the barn, washing and grooming the animals, and finally bringing them in to rest on the fresh pine wood chips. Jonathan will also compete in a "Start to Finish" tomorrow where he will be paired up with and older 4-H member and they will take a calf and prepare the animal for showing from start to finish in just a couple hours. He will be showing his beast on Saturday. Tony

World records!!

View day 2 and day 6 afternoon video footage. Lets hope he tests clean as he has in the past.

http://berlin.iaaf.org/video/index.html The other footage is great too, for those of us addicted to T and F.

In other news:The Fair is coming to Monroe as it does every year. This year Jonathan will be competing in the Dairy classification, showing with his calf "Peanut". Gabe will be the supporting brother with sugary goop smeared on his face screaming for his brother.

Cheryl is prepping a collection of photos for a showing at a local business.

I am busy memorizing maps of Edmonds and all the gear on Aid and Engine 16. Day 1 was Wednesday; it went well.

Gabe is chugging along being the little brother. He will be a supporting cast member for the fair next week. He was the most messy volunteer last week during Servefest as we spread bark and painted a fence at the Fairgrounds. Oh yeah and we spent a day with friends at Jetty Island in Everett, it was great.

Tony

Fire Academy is done!

Friday I graduated for the Washington State Fire Academy receiving international certifications for Fire Fighter I and II, Hazmat Awareness and Hazmat Operations. (Honey let's move to Germany and fight fire.) I was voted by my peers as the most inspirational recruit. I also received awards for the Bulldog and for leading the class. Capt. Baker gave the commencement address with a charge to continue our adventure to strive to always continue to become better firefighters.

As Jonathan snapped photos I stood to speak. I opened with a quote from him, "Daddy are you going away to fire camp again?" My address to the 300 gathered friends, family and brass was one of thankfullness to all on behalf of WSFTA class 09-02. It was an honor I will never forget. The class plaque seen above was a project of love made from recycled fence wood and an antique extinguisher.

The last week of class was a blast. We completed a lot of fun training and a few not quite so fun hours of lecture on PAPERWORK. Below area few training shots of stadium raises on a regular 24' and a 50' Bangor ladder and a shot of Shannon, Tony (the other one) and Me on top of Mailbox peak.

Thanks to all of you who supported me and Cheryl with prayers and support. And a specail "Thanks" to all of you who came to see the cerimony. It was a pretty specail day for all of us.

Love you all,

Tony

FFI, FFII, Hazmat Ops, "Dork"