OC Fair

I know some people assume that Barbara, Irene's PITA sister, must be inspired by a sister of my own.

Nope. I have great sisters. And a great brother, too. Allow me to brag about one of my siblings, at least in partial penance for all the nights I kept her awake by reading under the covers with a flashlight, or insisting that all the stuffed animals had to sleep with us so that they would be safe from the goblins that were probably lurking under the floorboards in our bedroom. (I also made her sleep next to the wall, because I had been completely freaked out by an episode of The Twilight Zone, "Little Girl Lost," and was sure that if I slept next to it, I would fall into another dimension. Since we didn't yet own a dog, I was pretty darned sure the portal would close before anyone knew I was missing.) Trust me when I say that these are the mildest examples of the ways I tortured her.

Sandra Cvar, my younger sister, is an art student at California State University, Long Beach. I'm very proud of her! She's studying printmaking, and entered three prints in the Orange County Fair. All three received ribbons -- including a blue ribbon for first place, a white for third place, and a purple ribbon, for an award given by the staff of the visual arts area of the fair.

(I've put a photo of the three prints above -- the reflections of the overhead lights on the glass of the frames was never going to make a good shot possible for someone with my lack of skill, but I think you can make out that one is of a pirate, another of two women, and the third of a daschund with its ears in curlers.)

Fairs are a writer's dream. The people-watching possibilities are endless. And where else will you see a sign advertising deep-fried Oreo cookies? Yes, if I can learn how to download the photos on the cellphone, I'll share that one.