Farm Show!

For the first time I went to the PA Farm Show all by myself. It's the largest show of it's kind under one roof in the US. I've always wanted to go and really study the animals but it's so crowded I became frustrated and only stayed a few hours. I did manage to get some nice shots. 

You can see all my favorite shots on Flickr.

Fancy chickens drink Coca Cola. 

Today was carriage racing. I saw many of these teams compete at Devon last year. 

It's such an exciting event.

Boy do those horses and ponies fly!

"Lots of people talk to animals... Not very many listen, though... That's the problem."

~Benjamin Hoff

Graven Images

I have a thing for cemeteries, the older the better. I've been wanting to visit this Lutheran graveyard in Manheim, PA for over a year now. I could see from the road that the graves looked old and may have some interesting artwork carved in them, but I never had the chance to stop until this week. When I'm in a cemetery I do not dwell on death as much as I do life. Most of the graves were for people with a German heritage, some were in German, many you couldn't read at all. I wonder what these people did in their life. Did they contract a disease or illness that we have eradicated? Did they have a good life? Arrive here on a boat from Germany? So many stories that will never be remembered. I thought that Manheim's founder Henry Stiegal would be here but I couldn't find him...


This angelic face looks pretty happy.


An interesting stone with a pinkish color to it belonging to Hier Ruhl. I liked the carved flowers. The two rosettes on the corners remind me of PA Dutch hex signs.


The gorgeous carving on this stone has stood the test of time. I like how the face has a body. I don't see this very often.


A man who was in the Revolutionary War. How neat is that?


Here is a man who died when they were 25 years old in the early 1800's. I find it odd that someone who lived so long ago, and for such a short time, still occupies valuable real estate.


You see a lot of these graves with a weeping willow. I like how a real tree is trying to grow in front of it.


I like this photo. A robin, symbol of hope and renewal, in an old graveyard.

Oodles of Percherons

A gaggle of geese, a murder of crows, an oodle of Percherons. Well, maybe I just made the last one up!
We made it to the PA Farm Show today and it was insanely crowded. I am not much of a people person and it is so hard to get around with a 3 year old in tow. Top that with a husband that is not as enamored with farm animals as I am and you get a whirlwind tour of the show. Today I'll post some of the photos I took of the draft horses as they were about to enter the arena for the unicorn hitch class (2 in back, 1 in front). Couldn't really take any photos inside the arena, it's too dark and the horses are moving very fast. I'll post photos of some of the other critters tomorrow.
These horses are so gorgeous and I was surprised how geared up they were to go into the ring. One horse reared up and fell down on the pavement. You could almost feel the ground shake when they trotted past. My daughter loved the silver on the harness and the colorful ribbons in their manes and tails.
Let me know what photo is your favorite!

If you click on each photo you can see a larger view.