Gerry, New York Volunteer Fire Department 75th Annual Rodeo

We departed the Falls yesterday Thursday to this quaint little town SE of us and about 2 hours by car. The rodeo fairgrounds itself was quiet and empty till about 5pm when the vendor stands came alive, opening up to visitors. 

This row of beef is almost ready after checking. It's been cooking all day

Sacks of peeled and cut potatoes are ready to be boiled, then fried (very tasty!)

The cooks ready fried potatoes for today's 5pm meal

Potatoes are readied to be boiled

Frying potatoes is a very hot chore on a very HOT day

Behind the potato pits, it looks all very cool and busy

Sacks of potatoes wait to be readied to be fried

Between boiling, frying potatoes and checking the BEEF, there's always time for a chat

This was also the time the line began for the BBQ meal, of which the cooking begins hours before, and keeps many hands busy! Everything related to the BBQ meal was very organized and the meal was great, including a drink of one item plus water or coffee, and even ice cream!

Our tickets for the BBQ dinner!

The meal ticket line was MUCH longer than seen here!

Serving line for veggies, beef, sauces and salad!

Sheila gets her meal

We opted for interior eating w/cool air and tables without flies

What a great meal and for a great cause too! Very tasty though I opted OUT of the BBQ sauce

Though we saw the little piggy, we didn't get a picture of the radio station 95.7 WPIG mascot pig at the fairgrounds, but thought that was very unique! You'll also be able to smile more during the rodeo with Greg Simas, a very excellent radio-voice master of ceremony, who guides everyone through the actual rodeo, which starts very punctually at 8pm, and with a surprise fireworks show after the last rodeo event.

Enjoyed this rodeo destination signs

An old fire engine restored by Gerry's fire dept!

We had camped out at the fairgrounds after the rodeo, then woke early this morning, deciding to take a slow leisurely drive home to visit with several family members, finally arriving home about 5pm. We folded up and took our folding bicycles which always causes a stir and turns heads everywhere we ride our bikes. We used the bikes to tour the little town a bit while waiting for the fair and rodeo to begin. Another first is that we used a popup tent we just purchased. We had a great time!

For those who enjoy racing, this weekend is the annual Thunder on the Niagara, and we plan to be snapping the boat races on the upper Niagara River tomorrow and Sunday, so expect to see pixs of that soon! Here's a hint of the races to come, these snapped in 2017! It's LOUD!!!

Front Door Window Glass Visitors

So, it seems today we have another visitor! It's a spider, which type I have NO idea, but I love to watch it from the other side of the glass of the front door. It seems to stop to watch ME also, as I can see that its front body has raised and its eyes are pointed down, if that can be done. I am just curious though as I hate insects of any type (but I think they are so cool), I can watch in this situation without having to go crazy with the insect world. 

Right now we have a medium-sized fly that's been annoying me a LOT, and I wish this spider would take care of my problem...

I grabbed my screen shattered smartphone, a SSG S5 and commenced snapping it while zoomed in a little. I know I lose a bit of sharpness, but otherwise I cannot get "close" enough to snap a pix, plus the phone camera refuses to focus when too close to ANY object. 

You'd think by now the smartphone companies would LEARN and add a macro/closeup mode by now, but they aren't that smart yet. I don't use the macro lens on my two bigger cameras because it's such a huge pain....   Heck, now that my S5 doesn't receive anymore system updates for the OS, every app does NOT function correctly. Even the camera system is a pain, and often I have to restart or clear the cache for something to function. I tell you this now: my NEXT smartphone will NOT be a samsung!

These are just a few of my many images, downloaded to my desktop so I can post here, and of course NO editing, retouching or cropping. This is all untouched territory here!!

No cropping here, this is the real mcCoy!

 I've seen and snapped quite a few spiders and other insects since living in WNY but this is the very first time I've posted any images like this to my blog.

In the image below, the spider has noticed me - actually I had already spent a few minutes watching it. On previous occasions, I've watched as it caught and ate a few insects of the winged type. Unfortunately, it shows no respect as it leaves insect remains sticking to my front door window glass. Yuck! 

It's already raised its head and it's looking at me. Well, not looking at me but at the big white rectangular object in front of me (the S5 in hand). I have used the smartphone flash on other times and the spider doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

It's noticed me again, and is curious about me as I am about it!

Now in this final picture below, it's looking at me again. Remember you can click on the image and it'll enlarge to be viewed bigger so you can see the details! Yup, as if you really wanted to see these details!! hahahahaaa

Look at those big black eyes!!!!

There is a big hydroplane boat race this weekend. Sheila and I will be there to snap a "few". I'll post some pixs after each day of the two day event. They'll be firing off fireworks also on Saturday, the first day, but not on the following day when it ends!

On Her Shoulders

Just watched a gorgeously sad documentary filmed by Alexandria Bombach, aired just now on PBS' POV, of Nadia Murad, a 23-year-old Yazidi, who was taken by ISIS from Yazidi villages and towns in Iraq back in 2014, beaten and raped, and watched other women and younger girls raped. 

If you want to stand for a cause, watch this film. It will move you.....

I thank Alexandria Bombach for creating this moving story. 

I commend Nadia Murad for telling her story and strong will in bringing ISIS to justice. 

http://www.onhershouldersfilm.com

Great Wellsville Hot-Air Balloon Rally

WE have finally had a chance to see hot-air balloons over the weekend!! Now we are back at home, but so delighted we were lucky to see the intense fast work balloon teams must accomplish in order to launch. Hard work, but with a gratifying launch to the sky where they look so easy soaring with the clouds, raptors and, to look down upon the glorious Earth and countryside. 

It wasn't anything even close to a "perfect" four-day hot-air ballooning weekend, but all teams made the best of it, explaining how things work, showing their equipment off, and in general, just answering a lot of questions of many who asked! Though the wind did not cooperate at all, there was a huge crowd out to see these big and colorful balloons once they were inflated!

Our thanks to all the balloonists and their teams who came out from everywhere, to make it an incredible and colorful event! Thanks also to quaint town of Wellsville for sponsoring such an event, and the great fireworks afterwards! Thanks to Mother Nature who ensured Saturday night offered  just enough wind for some of the balloonists to even launch! Friday was the first day of this rally, and it was so wet, rainy and windy that Saturday evening was practically the only launch opportunity some balloonists had, and that was after the projected launch time was pushed back as winds were still too high! Even Saturday during the night, it poured down heavily, to make it even more difficult for any launches Sunday morning! 

Here's a few pictures, and remember to click to see them larger!

BUT everyone did stay around for the fireworks which was a great noisy but colorful hit with the kids!!