“Guess you wasted that postage, Chuck.”

It’s Saturday morning, bright and early.  My car is already packed with a couple of bottles of diet cola, the gas tank’s filled to the tippy top, and I’m ready to hit the road.

Let’s Go, Cardachrome – next stop, the New York State Fair in Syracuse, where I have to drop off my copy of Poestenkill Cascade, the only one of my six entries to make it past the first round of judging at the New York State Fair’s Photography Competition.

McGreevy Pro Lab, my photo printing lab of choice, did a fantastic job with the print – it was produced on metallic paper, and was foam-boarded and wrapped in so much plastic, I thought I had taken a picture of Laura Palmer.

Anyways, it was a quick, damp ride up the New York State Thruway, and I made it all the way to Syracuse without any delays or trouble.  By 9:30, I was at the Harriet May Mills Art Center at the Fairgrounds, ready to drop off my artwork.

A little background information.  Every artwork that’s entered at the Fair has to have some information attached to the back of the picture.  A hangtag that denotes the name of each artwork and the person who submits it is taped to the back.  If there’s a “recognizable face” in the picture – as there would have been had my shot of Her Stolen Heart gotten in – the signed “model release” must also be attached.  Finally, a postage-paid self-addressed postcard must also be applied to the back of the artwork.  The judges will check-mark whether the art was accepted or not accepted, and mail the postcard back.

I’ve been through the process enough times to know that those postcards are the key to whether or not I’ll be driving to Syracuse in late August with anticipation – or driving to Syracuse with a lump in my throat, if I drive there at all.

I unwrapped the plastic from Poestenkill Cascade and applied the postcard and the hangtag.  No recognizable people in the picture, so no model release is required.  I’ve already applied postage to the postcard – as much as I would have loved to use a generic flag-based or liberty-based stamp, the only stamps the post office had that day for postcard postage were Hawaiian shirt stamps.  Just what I need.  Pele’s Curse.

Dan, the person who called me a couple of weeks ago and let me know that Poestenkill Cascade got past the first round of judging, welcomed me.  “You’re going to put that artwork on this pile over here,” he said, pointing to the right.

Okay, I placed the foam-boarded artwork on the small pile.

“Did you apply a postcard to the back?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Guess you wasted that postage, Chuck,” he smiled.  “Take a look at the sign over there.”

I looked.  Next to the pile of artworks – including my Poestenkill Cascade – was a handwritten sign.  “Accepted artworks.”

“That picture’s going to hang on the wall,” he replied.  “All the ones that got past the first round of judging will be displayed.  The second round of judging will be for ribbons.”

Fantastic.  So for the fourth consecutive year, I’ll have an artwork in the show.

While Dan and I were talking, I saw the members of the Auburn Photography Club – Drew Mosley, Don Miller, Dean Aversa and others – bringing in their artworks.  Instead of using a CD to pre-submit their works, which was an optional entry method, they mounted and foam-boarded the maximum six entries per person, and all were being entered for judging.

I chatted with the members of the APC and wished each one of them well.  Trust me, there’s some fantastic shots there, and it’s a club that really inspires its members to be creative and challenged in their execution and production.

And in two weeks, when the Fair opens… I have to make another road trip to the Salt City.  I know I won’t be the only Times Union blogger there; I’m sure Teri Conroy will bring her llamas Tank and Ella and Lisel (and maybe Aslan and Mr. Tumnus) for the llama competitions.

For me, however, I’ve done everything I possibly can with my picture.

Here we go.  It’s time to rock and roll.