Prize Plate

I saw a short article in the local paper early last week regarding the Apple Harvest Festival in Fortuna. Christ! These people are as festival-happy as Oaxacans. But I thought the apple pie contest sounded like fun. It's not like I'm a stranger to cook-offs: did you know that I'm the Macworld chili champion?

So Friday after work I baked me up some apple pies, and Saturday while I was shuffling mail around G-man ran the better-looking of the two down to Fortuna. A longer drive than I (or he) thought it was, but hey, who doesn't like looking at the scenery on a Saturday drive in a car filled with the smell of cinnamon and apples?

After work he and I drove back down to see how I did and to retrieve my pie dish. Fortuna is not a large town, and the festival occupied maybe four downtown city blocks. Youth groups were selling apple pies, local businesses had booths on the street selling pretty much what they sell inside every other day of the year, and the police department was showing off its new K-9 crimefighter, Zorro. Much to his astonishment G-man had had a pleasant conversation with Zorro's human partner on G's first run to Fortuna.

The guy hosting the contest was enthusiastic because this year they'd had the most entries ever, 21, but all I wanted to do was press my face to the glass storefront and look for a prize sitting next to my pie, Pie No. 6. He opened the door and we went in: nothing. Not even a ribbon of participation! We collected the pie, grabbed a plastic fork and went off in search of Zorro and his handler to give them a slice of pie. But we realized that, while we had a fork, we had no plate, so we scanned the table/booth in front of the second-hand store and bought a dessert plate for a quarter. But we didn't see Zorro...we looked all 'round the police and sherrif's display; no dog. Ah, well. We turned back toward the car to head home, and G decided that the dessert plate would be my prize for the apple pie from farthest away.

It's an ugly plate, but it works, kinda like the apple pie itself. And now it's MY PRIZE. Kinda like G-man.