The Motherlode: Best of Show and Viewer's Choice!

"Old Timer" by Gay VanderLinden

Who'da thunk! All year I've been thinking about this photo contest that is held in Vernal each fall. I missed the entry last year and was determined to make it in this year. I had taken a picture of this cool looking mountain man at a Rendezvous last fall and just knew that I had to enter that one. I tweaked it and played with different papers in an effort to get it juuuust right.

THEN! After all the prep and playing with my mountain man, Brandi had Gracie! She had in her mind exactly how she wanted a picture done of Grace and Paul in his uniform. The sun turned out perfect through their bedroom window and I started clicking away. A couple days later I headed back to Vernal. I assumed that there was no way that I could get this new photo to the lab and processed in time for the contest but decided to go ahead and order it anyway.

Remarkably, the print came in the mail the last day of entry--about two hours before the contest closed! I headed back out to Brandi's via Chrystal's and to my great surprise, I got a phone call asking where I was and why wasn't I there at the Contest Reception to accept Best of Show for "Defending Grace." Such a nice surprise! My mountain man took 1st place and another photo took honorable mention. Then, just to top that all off, I got another phone call Saturday and was informed that I also got Viewer's Choice (the community voted my "Defending Grace" as the favorite)!!! Yay! Unfortunately I won't be here to use the season passes to the concert series that was the award for Viewer's Choice.

Anyway, lots of fun surprises in the last couple months! A beautiful grand baby, a daughter that is still with us, having a GREAT two weeks with Zack at my house, and two win's on my photos! Wahooo!