Picture Perfect

 

Kinley's face said it all. 

She and I had a mighty good showing in open class photography at the Stafford County Fair.

This was Kinley's first year in 4-H photography. We worked together on it all year, and she also took several photos on her own. While the girls were here, we chose and mounted her eight 4-H entries for the Shawnee County Fair. (That was the maximum number allowed at her fair.) 

Kinley and her 4-H entries for the Shawnee County Fair

 

But, once those decisions were made, we still had "leftover" photos. Since the girls were going to be here for the Stafford County Fair, Kinley entered nine of her photos in open class.

Her colored pencil photo won Reserve Grand Champion overall - chosen from among all the youth, teen and adult entries. My photo of aspens, taken as we traveled toward the north rim of the Grand Canyon last fall, was Grand Champion overall.

"How would you have felt if I'd gotten the first place, Grandma?" Kinley asked as we stood in front of the exhibit.

"I would have been just as happy," I told her. And I meant every word. What fun it was to help Kinley with photography, a hobby I love to do!

In all, she got seven blues and two reds in the youth division at the Stafford County Fair. She got a ribbon on every entry, so she did better than I did. I had eight blues, four reds and two whites, with six of my entries not receiving ribbons.

She entered a similar photo in the 4-H division of the Shawnee County Fair. (It was just cropped off center for the classic Rule of Thirds photo principle.) And she got overall Reserve Grand Champion at that fair, too! (Grandma and Kinley were pretty excited yet again!)

And another of her 4-H photos - featuring Crayons - got reserve champion in the 0-3 years of experience color division. In all, she only got one red out of her eight photos entered in her first 4-H competition. All the rest were blue or purple.

We told Brooke that part of Kinley's success was due to her fantastic action model. (I also had some entries featuring Brooke on the soccer field.)

 

I think this was the first time ever that I didn't enter any photos in the "Agriculture" category. That's not to say I never will. We still own our ground, and agriculture is all around us. But the wheat wasn't pretty this year, so it didn't get paparazzi sessions like it usually does. 

I'd never had so many travel photos entered in one fair. 

From Zion National Park, Blue ribbon, Scenic landscape

From Arches National Park, blue ribbon, selfie

 

From Grand Canyon North Rim, black and white, blue, Human Interest

From Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, black and white, Landscape

From Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium, Springfield, MO, jellyfish, color Miscellaneous

But I also had some blues in my own backyard ... literally.

Backyard nest, Blue, black and white, Nature

And even from my bathroom.

View from my bathroom window on a frosty morning, blue, black and white, miscellaneous

I was also pleased to place in the Stafford County Economic Development photo contest. The photo I took of story hour at the Nora Larabee Memorial Library won the Places category and a couple of others got honorable mention.

I also got a blue ribbon on the retirement book I gave to Randy last Christmas.

All in all, it was a great fair season!

It may be hard to live up to the "photo finishes" at next year's fairs. As I reminded Kinley, judging is one person's opinion on one day. Different judge, different day, different results. But we'll happily celebrate the results this year. 

More from the Shawnee County Fair in the next blog post.

The Judge's Perspective: One Person's Opinion on One Day

It's one person's opinion on one day.

It's something I've repeatedly said to my kids ... and anyone else who would listen. When you are being judged - whether that's during a 4-H fair or a music contest - your rating is at least somewhat dependent on one person's opinion on that particular day.

I served as the judge for the Photography Contest during the Kansas 4-H Wheat Expo on August 4. I believe in the 4-H program, of course, which won't come as a surprise to anyone who is a regular reader. 

But my saying "yes," probably was just as much about not turning down our county agent, Amy. This was the last event of her tenure in Stafford County/21 Central Extension. (We will miss her after she's been a part of us since 2005!)

I told her that I haven't received any of the specialized training for 4-H judges. My training has been more "boots on the ground" - or more accurately, "tennies in the dirt" as I've photographed our Kansas farm through the years. I also volunteered as a 4-H photography project leader back when Brent was involved in 4-H. And, as I've said before, I probably learned more than any of the 4-Hers I escorted to local photo shoots, garden shows, 4-H workshops and other field trips. 

I've decided I'd rather be on the receiving end of that old adage than on the "judging" end of it. 

Jennifer, one of my fellow competitors in the open class photography division at the Stafford County Fair, was also at the Wheat Expo, serving as a tour guide. We've often stood in the hot exhibit building at the Stafford County Fair and contemplated why this photo placed over that. She has heard my "one person's opinion on one day" almost as much as my kids, I suppose.

And, before she left to lead her tour groups to Stafford County farms, I told her I wasn't sure how I felt about being that one opinion.

As my family knows, I'm not the fastest decision maker. (I like to make the RIGHT decision. And when there's not necessarily a RIGHT decision, it can be a struggle.) 

But I got the job done. There was at least one person happy with my class placements that day. And I figure a lot of the others were happy with their purple or blue ribbons, too. Maybe those to whom I gave a red ribbon weren't as happy.

But on everyone's entries, I tried to write comments about how I would improve the photo. 

The photo I chose as the winner used what I called "Hobby Lobby" wheat in my comments. As a Kansas wheat producer, I would have preferred the wheat come out of a Kansas harvest field, especially for a Kansas Wheat Expo competition. However, there was no stipulation in the rules, and it was - in my opinion on that one day - the best composition. And, some farmer somewhere grew that wheat and marketed it to craft stores. (Good for them!)

Anyway, Jennifer let me know later that she'd visited with the young photographer, who was amazed that the judge knew that she'd used wheat from Hobby Lobby. That made me laugh. Yes, that long-bearded wheat looks a lot different from what I've seen for 60-plus years in Kansas fields. 

The photo contest wasn't the only contest. Another judge got to sample a table full of baked goods - celebrating Kansas wheat's journey into flour. Randy thought that would have been the thing to judge, since he might have gotten to taste, too. (Randy couldn't complain too much. They served cinnamon rolls as the 4-Hers and families were gathering.)

Another judge evaluated wheat samples in quart jars. Still another judged posters and displays, a couple of which involved a lot of time and legwork in raising and evaluating crop conditions themselves.

While I was back at the Stafford County annex agonizing over my decisions, the 4-Hers and their families toured three different operations. They went to Stafford County Flour Mill, the home of Hudson Cream Flour (the best flour around).

Tour photos by Danielle Kasper, used with permission

They also toured Spare Produce, which markets their produce primarily at farmers' markets, and with a farm owned by Jill Stimatze, who grows 30 acres of pumpkins, 10 acres of watermelon and 10 acres of cantaloupe, most of which are marketed to grocery chains.

Photo by Danielle Kasper, used with permission

 

We didn't stick around to hear the verdicts from those who may have disagreed with "one person's opinion on one day." No matter what, I know events like the expo help "make the best better" as 4-Hers learn more and make new friends.

Celebrating Wheat

Judge: vt 1: to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises; 2: to sit in judgment on: TRY; 3: to determine or pronounce after inquiry and deliberation; 4: GOVERN, RULE, used of a Hebrew tribal leader; 5: to form an estimate or evaluation of; 6: to hold as an opinion: GUESS, THINK (I ~ she knew what she was doing) vi 1: to form an opinion; 2: to decide as a judge.

That's what my handy-dandy Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has to say about the word judge, including the capitalized words, squiggles and italics.

Of course, it just wouldn't do to argue with the king of dictionaries. But I do have a few things to add to the list when considering the word JUDGE: nervous stomach, chewed fingernails, painful pondering, questioning why I ever say "Yes" when asked to judge anything.

I was the photography judge at the state 4-H Wheat Show last Friday in Larned.

I know why I said yes. The person asking in this case was our Stafford County extension agent Glenn Newdigger. Since I sincerely appreciate all he did for my kids when they were in 4-H and all he continues to do for the county, it was a little tough to tell him no.

He originally asked me to judge cookies. Through circumstances beyond his control, the request then evolved. What they really needed was a photography judge.

I love photography. I do quite a bit of photography. I used to be our 4-H club's photography leader. But I have never judged photography. In the spirit of full disclosure, I told this to the state 4-H guy in charge of the wheat show.

I gave him my blog address and told him that if he looked at my photography and decided I wasn't the person for the job, there would be no hard feelings whatsoever.

Either he thought the photos were OK or he was really desperate. At any rate, I was the photography judge. (I keep going back to Webster's definition, GUESS, THINK: I ~ she knew what she was doing.)

Anyway, as it turned out, Jill was home for the weekend and served as my able assistant. She was sad about the switch from cookies to photography. As a prize-winning 4-H cook, she thought it would be a lot more fun to nibble tasty cookies (and she figured she knew a little something about purple-ribbon cookies.)

But she got over it and was my recording secretary as I moved through the 20-plus photo entries.

Isn't it great when the words you've said to your kids come drifting back to you out of their grown-up mouths?!

"Mom, you've always said that judging is one person's opinion on one day. It will be fine."

Yes, Jill. Yes, I did say that. And my parents said it every time I sang in front of a festival judge in junior high and high school.

I've always been better at giving advice than taking it. I didn't particularly want people looking at my selections and saying, "Man, I wouldn't have chosen that." (I know people do that because I've said it more than once. I've helped 4-H photography judges throughout the years, and I've sometimes been baffled by the judge's choice for grand champion photo.)

But that's what the judge is supposed to do. So I did.

I was glad Jill was my assistant because I was slow. I hemmed and hawed. I evaluated and reevaluated. There should be a law against decision-challenged people serving as judges.

This particular event didn't have consultation judging, where you sit down and talk to the 4-Her. In some ways that was easier. It's easier to just circle "red" on the piece of paper instead of having to hand a red ribbon to a young 4-Her whose wheat shot had as many green weeds as golden stalks of grain. (No looking at said 4-Her's big, sad, puppy-dog eyes.)

But, on the other hand, it's sometimes hard to express how you would improve the photo when you're trying to explain it on an 8.5 X 11-inch sheet of paper.

In the end, I had my three winning photos.


When I showed my husband the photos when I got home, he inquired of my third-place winner, "That's a wheat picture?"

(See, I told you that I don't like the whole second-guessing thing I knew would happen. And he's my husband!)

But, yes, I think it's a wheat photo. It's all in your perspective. He is in the combine and doesn't usually make the trip to the elevator. However, lollipops with "CO-OP" emblazoned on them are found at plenty of elevators around the Central Plains. So, yes, maybe it's a stretch. But co-op lollipops do say "wheat harvest" to a truck driver. So it tells part of the wheat story. (I personally like the recent trend toward handing the truck driver a bottle of water or a can of pop, but that doesn't exactly say harvest like a co-op lollipop.)

The winning shot was taken by Taylor DeWeese, a Pratt County 4-Her.

Yes, I know I probably have a soft place in my heart for Pratt County 4-Hers, since I WAS one once upon a time. But it had nothing to do with her county. I liked her well-focused, close-up shot of a wheat stalk that she'd printed with sepia tones, evoking a golden wheat hue over the whole photo.

As a wheat producer, I like the idea of having a statewide wheat show for 4-Hers. Besides the photography, 4-Hers could enter cookies, a loaf of yeast bread, a poster, an educational display, a centerpiece and/or a quart jar of wheat. They could compete in a judging contest. They got a chance to choose from a couple of different educational tours in the Larned area.


While purple ribbons are nice, that's not what this event was all about in the long run. It brought families together for a fun learning experience. And it gave 4-Hers from across the state a chance to interact with new friends.

Now that's a win-win for everybody.

Judge Not

This is Allison, the Grand Champion 4-H Food winner at the 2010 Barton County Fair.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged."

I got that message from one of my Facebook friends after I posted my Wednesday activity this week.

I was a 4-H foods judge for the Barton County Fair.

My Facebook friend hit a little close to home with his observation. I have judged 4-H foods a few times. However, I've been asked to judge a whole lot more. I am usually reluctant to do it.

Judging at 4-H events is much different than when I was a 4-Her in Pratt County many years ago. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, we checked our food in at the exhibit building. Several hours later, we went back to the display area and discovered our fate.

The judge didn't have to look me in the eye when she persistently gave me a white ribbon on my yeast bread loaf.

Conference judging has changed this annual 4-H tradition. The 4-Her sits down with the judge, often accompanied by a parent. And the judge has to look said 4-Her in the eye and break their heart with a red ribbon.

On Wednesday, I judged Level 4 foods. This was the first time I had judged the older 4-Hers. I was nervous about it. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough tips to share or advice to give these 4-Hers who have been baking for several years now.

When county extension agents call, I have usually said I'd prefer to judge the younger 4-Hers. But this time, all the slots were full for the younger kids, so I reluctantly told her yes. (She hit me at a weak moment: She had just emailed me a refrigerator dough recipe from the 3i show, so I felt obligated to say yes to her judging plea.)

But, after Wednesday, I have discovered I prefer judging the older 4-Hers. By the time they are in Level 4, most of them have been in 4-H foods and nutrition for several years. There were a few novices, but most had been bringing foods to the fair for at least 5 years.

I found it much easier to give a red ribbon to them, if that's what they deserved.

When I look at the eager, enthusiastic eyes of a beginning 4-Her, it is much more difficult to hand them that red ribbon. I do not want to be that person who dashes their hopes and makes their exuberance fade.

However, there's a downside to handing out lots of purple ribbons. At the end of the judging, you have to wade through all those exhibits to pick out the champion and the reserve champion. It's a much bigger "weeding" project if the judge has given predominately first-place ribbons.

Don't get me wrong: As a 4-H parent and a 4-H volunteer, I am a big advocate of conference judging. Jill and I learned a lot listening to foods judges throughout her 4-H career.

In Great Bend on Wednesday, I enjoyed interacting with the 4-Hers. One theme I stressed during the day was that the 4-Hers should bake year 'round - not just in the pursuit of a purple ribbon at the fair.

That's something I discovered as an adult. Making bread once a year for the Pratt County Fair just doesn't do it. That old adage embroidered on samplers everywhere, "Practice makes perfect," is still alive and well today at county fairs everywhere.

And I also encouraged the 4-Hers to help with family meals. It's somewhat ironic that we ask 4-Hers to bring cakes, cookies and pies for judging. 4-H, like other youth organizations, is trying to focus on healthful living. It's a necessary shift in these days when obesity is on the rise.

But as a foods superintendent, I also know that most fairs don't have the capability of displaying perishable foods. Fair boards want exhibits. You can display a pie for several days. A salad in a 101-degree building is another story.

So, I told them - in front of mom - that they should help with family meals. They should be responsible for making supper a few times a month.

(And, back to my Facebook friend: I'm glad my efforts in the kitchen aren't getting judged. Everyday cooking is a little different from fair baking, thank goodness!)

I hope I shared a hint or two along the way as I visited with Barton County 4-Hers and their parents this week. If so, my nervous stomach was worth it.

I had a different kind of stomach after a day of sampling yeast breads, cakes, pies, cookies, muffins and quick breads. Let's just say I was ready for some protein after a sugar overload.

If you'd like to try Allison's winning recipe, here it is. I speak from experience in telling you that shaping the ring is the hardest step of this process. But this Great Bend 4-Her did a beautiful job.

Pistachio Ring

1 pkg. (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 tbsp. plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup shelled salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the milk, butter, salt, 2 cups flour and remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. On a floured surface, roll into a 16-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with pistachios and sugar. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; inch ends together to form a ring. With scissors, cut from outside edge, 2/3 way toward center of ring at 3/4-inch intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show, slightly overlapping with the previous piece. Cover and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes. Brush with egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

When cool, glaze lightly with powdered sugar icing and sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios.