rhinebeck 2010

Still so tired out twenty-four hours later that I am having trouble coming up with coherent commentary... but it was wonderful. Once again, I felt guilty as all-get-out leaving, and I probably would have backed out if I hadn't made the commitment to the sheep breed display barn. I am so glad I went, however, because it was an all-around great weekend.

A kind friend convinced me to go up on Thursday night and share a hotel room, so I didn't have to drive up, take an all-day class, and then have to set up the breed display all in one day (and then spend the night in my minivan that night). It was incredibly thoughtful of her and made the rest of the weekend physically possible for me. Our breed display, done with the help of the Deans at Fiddlehead Farm right there in Rhinebeck (so I didn't have to haul livestock myself) looked absolutely beautiful.

Hard to convey its loveliness with my little Nikon, but  in any event, the judges agreed. First place.

I joked that I could retire on top this year, since I won the breed display trifecta (MDS&W, Garden State Sheep Breeders, and now this one).

We were mobbed with people talking to us about sheep, fleece, yarn, dyeing, spinning, shepherding, you name it. It is a great marketing tool, which of course is the point but I forget it on a regular basis. To give you an idea of the crowds, here is the breed display barn early on Saturday morning (my favorite time to be there):

And just a few hours later:

I have no idea what the attendance was but it had to be record-breaking. Quite a few people have confirmed that Uma Thurman was there on Saturday, but I don't think she wandered my way. Truth be told, I was so caught up in what I was going that she would have had to be wearing a pin that said "Hi, my name is Uma Thurman" for me to figure it out, and possibly not even then.

I got to see lots of old and new friends, and make some even newer ones. I took two great classes, one with Judy Pascale and another with Candace Eisner Strick. As mentioned I slept in my van to be close to the animals in case of emergency, but even that was a positive! Surprisingly comfortable, quite relaxing (since I didn't have to answer to anyone's schedule but my own) and of course a great commute to the fairgrounds.

And it made returning to my own comfy bed last night all the more wonderful. I'm off to it now but I will try to get a few more random shots of the show up tomorrow.