1,200!!!

That's twelve hundred!  That's how many posts I've made to this blog, including this one.  Hard to believe.

And time marches on.  One could call this "What a difference a day makes."



Actually the two pictures were taken about 3 weeks apart but they show the contrariness of my mind.  SWMBO says she can't understand it.  I started growing the full beard at the height of the summer heat.  Then when the weather cooled off I shaved most of it off back to the goatee. 

The weather did not influence my decisions.  I don't know what did, really.  Curiousity, more than anything.  I wanted to see if I looked like Hemingway yet.  But, no, not white enough yet and since I'm now 72 it probably never will get that white.  So it goes.

IT'S A CORVETTE!

I took a drive into Prescott today to take a look at the Corvette show at the courthouse plaza.  There were hundreds of the cars parked on three sides of the plaza.



There were cars of just about every color known to man.



And some colors that were special mixes, like the purple and yellow combination on this replica of a 1998 Indianapolis 500 pace car.



And speaking of the Indy 500, there were some other cars on hand, like this 2012 Indy race car.



I used to work in Indianapolis so I've seen lots of race cars but I'm always struck by the tires.  I think they're called racing slicks.  No tread at all.



There also were a couple of relics from my era - like this one from 1949.

And the always beloved 57 Chevvy.

But today the Corvette was king.

The engine on this one stood up so high a specially designed hood had to be designed for it.



Although red seemed to be the most popular color I must say I was partial to the yellow ones.



Of as much interest to me as the cars were the clever personalized license plates their owners came up with.



So with that thought - I'm quicker - and the roar of hundreds of mighty engines, we say goodbye once again to Corvette-land.

HUGH HEFNER DAY IN P.V.

Yesterday, as noted earlier, was the first day of the Yavapai County Fair in Prescott Valley, Arizona. 

First, an historical note.  "Yavapai" is a Native American word, pronounced YAV-uh-pie.  It was the name of a tribe of Yavapai Apaches who lived in this area long before the white man came.

But on to the fair.  I always love the garish colors.

This vendor, "Sassy Lil Thangs", is a prime example.  I didn't even look at her various tsochkes but the colors certainly do get one's attention.

When I go to the fair with SWMBO, I have no doubt what she wants to see.

Just like Hugh Hefner.  BUNNIES!

There are other critters present.

Geese and ducks. 

Incidentally, the critters were caged inside a huge tent covering that had a lot of red in it.  Hence the tint.

There was a turkey or two.

There were goats.



There was even a tiny (and very pregnant) dwarf goat.

And lots and lots of sheep.  (Sorry Dr. M, I neglected to photograph them.)

But rabbits is what SWMBO wanted and rabbits is what she got.  Lots and lots of rabbits.



Maybe I should have said lops and lops of rabbits.  There were many of this variety, called lop-eared or just lops because of the way their ears hang down.  The ears on the front bunny can't seem to decide which way they want to go.



This is a prime example of a lop.  Note the ears.

I liked this little mostly-white bunny with the very black ears.

So ends our trip to the fair.  Oh, we did go inside Tim's Toyota Center and looked at a quite large photography exhibit and many examples of student art.  And, though I was drawn, SWMBO doesn't care for the carnival and midway so we left and went instead to a local Mexican restaurant for beers and nachos.

HALLOWEEN IS COMING

Yesterday, SWMBO and I met our friend Diane for lunch at the Asylum Restaurant in the Jerome Grand Hotel in Jerome, Arizona.  There is a mixed history about the old hotel.  Some say it was a hospital, some say it was an insane asylum.  The restaurant owner prefers the latter history and, as Halloween nears, the restaurant and grounds have been lavishly decorated by the staff.  One of them told me the whole staff pitched in and did it all in four hours.



The ghostly and ghastly patrons of the restaurant seem to grow scarier as the shadows creep over the building.  Our final lady of the night may have been caught in mid-scream as she got the first look at her check for the night.  Or not.

Lunch, as usual, was delicious.

CARNIVAL SET-UP

As I noted yesterday, the County Fair is about to begin (tomorrow).  And a carnival was busy setting up rides and food carts yesterday.

The Fire Ball, guaranteed to produce screams.

Maybe a little milder, the Berry Go Round.

The Tornado.  Looks nausea causing.

Pharaoh's Fury.

The Gravitron.

And one (not a ride) I posted just for my pal Dana (The Bug).

If you're going to indulge, you'd probably not want to partake of a funnel cake before challenging the rides!