Saturday, June 02, 2012

Festival Time

Summer is festival time in the valley.  The many small communities celebrate their special products be it wine, chocolate, fruits and nuts, or asparagus.  Sometimes there are rodeos and gold rush days and jumping frog contests.  Whatever it is, it is always a lot of fun.
Today was the Apricot Festival in Patterson.  Yes, they grow apricots.  There is the requisite parade and then rides, carnivals, local vendors, arts and crafts booths, small business hawkers, and a free speech area for all things political and social.

Don's day started early for a walk in the parade and the heat being what it was, I left later, hitching a ride with Krista.  Blackeyed Susans waved their cheery heads at us as we drove past.



Krista and Adrian were celebrating the anniversary weekend of their first date.  Yes, this time last year these two went on their first date at - YES - the Apricot Festival.




 Here they are this year, not as shy of each other as they were then and still totally stuck on each other.


Always a favorite with the children are the mounted sheriffs.  Their horses are calm and friendly.  The noise and activity and the many small hands (not to mention larger ones - hello), didn't bother them in the least.

The other great kid favorite was, of course, the kiddy train.

On the way home, I played with the B/W function on my camera and as the farmland sped passed, I clicked away.






The Bend in the Road
Author: Helen Steiner Rice
Sometimes we come to life's crossroads
And we view what we think is the end.
But God has a much wider vision
And he knows that it's only a bend-

The road will go on and get smoother
And after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us
Is often the path that is best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow-
You've just come to a bend in the road.

~~~~~~~~~

Wishing you all a happy and restful Sunday.

3 comments:

trailbee said...

Apricots are close to my favorite fruit. I would have been so happy there. On Wednesday we went to the Flea Market in Galt and I got some apricots. What a disappointment.
Love those B/W photos. Which reminds me, there was a photo contest, and the overall best one was a B/W photo! It was on Peter's Bayou Reneaissance Man.

Ginny Hartzler said...

I love your rows of black and white palms. I have to get my palms on blogs because we have none here in the south. So this is last year and this year pictures of Krista and Adrian? Very cool! And they are an adorable couple!!! What did you bring home from the festival?

Annie Jeffries said...

Hah! Nothing but a heart full of good memories this time, Ginny.