1st Place Can Be Bittersweet

I guess you could say that I have done it again. This time I won first place in the Maple Valley Farmer's Market Pie Baking Contest just this past weekend.

However...it is really really hard to lose when you are the ONLY participant. I baked up the most beautiful, flaky, sweet and tart blackberry pie for the judges. I made the same pie as the 4th of July contest to see if it was good enough to win twice or if it was just lucky the first time. That backfired. Maybe 3rd times the charm...next year.

Just look at her...

There were 7 entries in the 17 & under category, 5 entries in the 50 & over category but only one, yours truly, in the 18-49 category. What a load of crap. No one else in all of Maple Valley wanted to try their hand?

I don't want to win by default. It's hard to know if your pie was really good or not when all you really had to do was poop in a pie shell and you would have placed. I did get $25 in market bucks to spend at the Farmer's Market so that was cool...oh, and a sweeeeet real gold trophy from the dollar store. Although I sound bitter, I am actually pretty proud of my little trophy. I tried my pie that evening and I am pretty sure I would have won anyway. :) It's a good thing none of you entered...you would have gone home crying to your mama.

The one good response I had was watching the lady police officer judge mine and she lifted an eyebrow and bobbed her head up and down. She even said she was full right before that but then proceeded to finish the whole slice even sharing it with her daughter. She said to her daughter, "tasty, huh?"

A lifted eyebrow? I'll take it!

The real winners! My babies.

(Rob had to work so he missed this momentous event.)

So, will I see you all next year as you compete for 2nd place?