Laurel Housden Photography Blog

During the Memorial Day Weekend we headed over to Palatka, Florida for their annual Blue Crab Festival. Being a Marylander - I was drooling for some crabs. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Not to rain on your parade Palatka - but you can’t beat a good blue crab that’s being gettin fat in the Chesapeake Bay! Anyhoo - my 10yo Rowan is the kid who beats  the odds at claw machines. Every time we hit a restaurant with a claw machine (can you tell the places we eat at?) we tell her not to waste her money at the claw machine - the chances are slim to none that your going to win anything and your going to be sad that you’ve wasted all your money for nothing. 80 percent of the time she walks away with something and with that goes a cocky smile and a glint in her eye that  screams - I told you so!  So on to the carnival. Rowan loves carnival games - I think you can see where this is going - and she wanted to try and win a bunny. All she needed was to get just one ball in to a bowl the size of a dime that was floating in a wading pool about 100 feet away from where she was standing. All it cost was only $5 and she got a bucket with about 20 ping pong balls to try. Wow, 20 chances for only $5 bucks. That’s the deal of the day! We were standing there watching other people try for about 20 minutes and no one even came close. I walked away for a few minutes and when I came back - Stuart (my DH) had given Rowan $5 to play. I told him that he was CRAZY for letting Rowan try but he assured me the it was mathematically impossible that she would get it in - the odds were not in her favor. I asked the man running the booth that if my daughter were to win - what did the rabbit come home with? He said - nothing. I said - well how would I get a rabbit home -  we live about an hour away from here - do you have a cage or a bag? NOPE!  was his reply. Your gonna have to keep em on your lap, Mam. Really? I said. Not to worry because it is mathematically impossible that Rowan can win. Just as I was about to turn around and gather up my clan to go home I heard screams of excitement. The man behind the counter says: We’ve got a winner! Oh please don’t be Rowan - Please don’t be Rowan - Look Mommy! Look Mommy! I won! I won! Without even turning around to confirm what in my heart I knew  to be true I begged the the man behind the counter - Are you sure you don’t have ANY bags!  The moral of the story: Never, Say Never!

I have to admit - Maggie the Rabbit is fitting right into our crazy Housden clan! We love her.

Keep Smiling,
Laurel