I knew the photography exhibition at the San Diego County Fair was big, but had no idea it was this big.  4000 submitted photographs?  982 different photographers?  Wow.

Received an e-mail this morning providing the list of accepted entries: this photo from a February 2009 rugby match made it, this photo of Diego at last June’s vacation doesn’t seem to have made the cut.  Awards won’t be announced until June 11.

Randy and I took my Exhibition of Photography entries over to the Fair Grounds this evening.  I am now officially an Exhibitor for the 2010 San Diego County Fair.  It only took a few years of talking about it to actually get around to mounting up some prints and actually entering some shots.   Technically I guess I won’t know if my photos will actually be seen by anyone for a few weeks, but I still got Exhibitor passes and invitations to the Artists Reception when I dropped off the photos, so I’m an Exhibitor, even if I might end up being an unseen Exhibitor.

Yeah, it terrifies me that next month I could be at the Fair listening to other people discuss my work.  They’re good shots, but for nine years here I’ve been able to be a little bit of an Exhibitionist while not actually meeting very many of you.  People who don’t like what I do don’t tend to hang around, with the result being that the sites can serve as a bit of an ego boost with the occasional criticism easy to dismiss, if not outright delete.

On a mostly unrelated note, Diego was with us and got to go out on the Del Mar Racetrack due to the lack of adult supervision at the drop off site.  He looked every bit the thoroughbred out there, even if the chances of him being retired to stud range from slim to none.  Just thinking though, that maybe if we saddle him up with one of the bobbleheads and sneak them back out there we’ll have our photo entry for next year.

Over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping my dogs safe.  I’ve learned to stay clear from the big dogs and keep the Christmas candy stored safely.  I’m used to seeing signs for rattlers in season.  I was still a bit surprised this morning to see signs at the local dog park warning of circling hawks.  What exactly am I supposed to do to keep my puppy safe from flying killer birds?

Up until two years ago we could sleep in. We could stay out all night. We could leave food and books (the other white meat) on the coffee table. Then all in an instant, everything changed.

Haven’t looked back for a moment.  Glad you’re here Diego.

I wasn’t completely sold in the concept going into Thanksgiving dinner, but last night’s buffet experience at the Treasure Island in Vegas has completely sold me.  No cooking, no cleanup.  Ten members of the extended family, including my brother who flew in from Salt Lake City around a big table eating all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, plus chinese, seafood, pizza and cotton candy made it a great time for everyone.

And just in case our own family couldn’t supply enough drama, there were the hundreds of people at the tables surrounding ours adding to the evening entertainment.  Highlight of the evening: the waytooskinny blonde Asian chick who upchucked her first course but stayed at the table as her dinner companions kept fetching her more plates.  Gotta admire the professional staff who brought her a tub without batting an eye – that’s when you know a buffet really, really, means the meal is ‘all you can eat.’ 

Still enjoying the weekend.  Spent the Black Friday away from the malls, but took Diego and Spinner to the beach to stretch the legs and see some new sights.  Boulder Beach at Lake Mead might not be a great surf spot, but it allows us to keep with the family tradition of always hitting the beach on vacations and Diego had a blast chasing the birds.

Dog park beats a walk,

Open space and lots to sniff,

Diego runs wild.

Buttermilk pancakes.

Good swim, even though I did

double-knot my suit.

One year ago, almost to the minute, I was bouncing off the walls, stressed almost to my limits.  It was the day of our wedding reception.  The caterer had just called to tell us someone had poached our spot at Crown Point, and because of that we needed to find tables and chairs for about 80 people.  Spinner was off hunting down the cake.   Diego was probably being a pain – nothing unusual – he just gets that way when he thinks he’s being ignored or abandoned.

Everything worked out though, and it was a wonderful day.  Hands down one of the best days of my life.  The June wedding’s right up there too, and it’s hard to put one over the other.  Yes, I’m still proud to be a June Party B but always love a good party.

Small, intimate, peaceful ceremony to express our commitment versus large, public, and just plain FUN party to celebrate that commitment.  Tough call.

For years, assuming we’d never get “married”, we celebrated the anniversary of our first date.  Since then we’ve celebrated that and the anniversary of the June wedding.  We’re both remembering today, but there’s nothing special planned.  Two anniversaries per year is enough for any couple.

I don’t think this last year has been easy on anyone.  The fabulousness was so much that the H8ers felt they had to step in and try to end our marriage, and the most fabulous cake shop around was a victim of the recession.  But I’m definitely happy we’ve taken this route and appreciate everyone who came out a year ago to help us celebrate.  Now back to meeting Diego’s need for attention.