The Beauty Around Us

Bob and I went to Ribfest this afternoon. As we entered the Ribfest grounds we were given two tickets to spin a wheel for a prize at a Kwik Fill booth.

While standing in line waiting our turn to spin the Kwik Fill wheel, we saw Sue and Henry. I took their picture. We’ve known Sue and Henry for a long time. Their youngest son was our music coordinator when Bob and I married. Their oldest son is dating my stepdaughter, Stacey.

Sue and Henry

Sue and Henry were leaving Ribfest; we didn’t talk for too long.

The Kwik Fill wheel was set up so that everyone wins a prize. There were two children in front of us, a boy and a girl. The boy spun the wheel and won a Kwik Fill Frisbee. The girl spun the wheel and won a temporary tattoo. She asked for a Frisbee instead. The lady handing out prizes reluctantly shook her head “no”. The boy and girl walked away. Bob and I each spun the wheel; we each won a Kwik Fill Frisbee. I looked for and found the young girl who wanted a Frisbee instead of the temporary tattoo that she had won. I gave her my Frisbee, which made her very happy. Bob gave his Frisbee to a teenage boy when we left the Ribfest.

Thomas saw Bob and me, as we were walking away from the young girl. He called out our names. I met Thomas while working at a local credit union. We have been friends with each other on MySpace for over a year. Recently Thomas joined Facebook and accepted my friend request on that social network. Occasionally, Bob helps Thomas resolve problems with his computer. Thomas was leaving Ribfest; we chatted only for a short time. I took a picture of Thomas too.

Thomas

There is musical entertainment each day of the Ribfest. Matt Maloof and the Contraband was performing while we were at the Ribfest.

Matt Maloof and the Contraband

On Matt Maloof’s Myspace page, Joe Cannizzaro of Chenoa Records, a San Francisco-area label, describes Matt Maloof as a “Bruce Springsteen / John Cougar Mellencamp, down-home, give-me-a-guitar-and-I’ll sing you-a-real-hometown-rock-tune guy”. Matt is “a big fan of Johnny Cash, Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams, Wilco, [and] Son Volt”. He also likes “old classic rock and the blues.” The music of Matt Maloof and the Contraband is “heartland music with an alt-country Americana vibe”. In addition to Matt Maloof other members of the band are Mike Chapel on bass, guitarist Jeff Atkins, and former Big Leg Emma drummer John McGuire. Today was the first time we heard Matt Maloof and the Contraband. We like how they sound.

We left Ribfest soon after listening to Matt Maloof and the Contraband. As we were leaving, I snapped a few more pictures.

You can never have enough water.

Dancing to the music of Matt Maloof and the Contraband

This is Denny and Jen.

Denny is my stepdaughter Stacey’s uncle. Denny and Jen were coming to Ribfest as we were leaving.

Do you think my mommy and daddy will let me sink my two teeth into some ribs?

Oh, you might be wondering how was the barbecue. Well, we didn’t get anything to eat at the Ribfest. We dropped by Betts Park so that I could take some pictures at the Ribfest for my blog (LOL – Laughing Out Loud). We’ve eaten at the Ribfest in past years. The barbecue chicken and ribs do taste good.