I won I won I wo-on!

    (Wuh-uhn? Whatever!) Jackson Browne is coming to town early next year towards the start of his solo acoustic tour and the local radio stations have been giving away tickets including, inexplicably, the morning sports show that I listen to. I won't say that I had a premonition or anything, just a feeling that I ought to be ready when the giveaway happened this morning, since I hadn't been earlier in the week. So I found the station's phone number and punched it into the smart phone, ready to hit Dial when they asked the question. They did and I did and I heard ringing instead of a busy signal.
    Now I got this far on a giveaway of Paul McCartney tickets earlier this year, but the first caller answered correctly and that was that. This time, though, the first caller flopped. The question was, "This SEC school got its school colors from Harvard and Yale." I actually remember Tommy saying this on the show some time in the past, but it also helped to know those schools' colors. The first caller knew Harvard's and thus guessed Alabama. I both remembered and knew anyway: Ole Miss. Winner winner, Runnin' on Empty dinner!
    The contest was fun, not a bit nerve-wracking. The only hard part is realizing that you're actually on the air. (I joined the legions of callers sounding like idiots by saying, "Is that me?") The slightly nerve-wracking part was after, because they had a problem with their phone lines in that we couldn't get rid of the studio feed so I couldn't hear the producer and she couldn't hear me. But she got my number and promised to call me back and did a few minutes after the show ended and they have all my contact information.
    It's a little odd winning a prize that doesn't exist yet. (That's why they needed contact information; normally you just show up at the studio.) Tickets won't be printed for months, maybe, she said. But that's cool; I won I won I won!
    This being the last lunch deal day of the Fair and a perfectly gorgeous day (I think we can stop saying that it's Chamber of Commerce weather-- considering and just say that it's Chamber of Commerce weather again) so I went back. I hadn't even noticed that they have animatronic dinosaurs! They were a delight. The Fair in general was a hoot, although crowds seemed very light considering the superlative weather. I hope they pick up before it ends Sunday. (A bye week for Carolina football tomorrow should certainly help.)
    Then I went to Congaree National Park. It turns out that those very peremptory Bridge Out Ahead Detour Now type signs were just for traffic to Gadsden on the other side of the park. Roads to the park were perfectly fine, although the Mosquito Meter read 5 or Severe. I asked the first people I met on the trail, two British couples, if the mosquitoes were really severe. One gentleman said no, they were fine, while one lady said yes, they were awful! I didn't have any problems. It was very, very, very good to be back. You could barely tell anything had happened; water was about as low as it has been throughout our years long drought. It was nice to breathe clean air again. I may go back every day once the Fair is gone.