2011 Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant

The 22nd Annual Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant was held last night. There were 15 contestants, ranging in age from 62 to 83 (you must be at least 60 years old to enter), each of whom had to give an opening inspirational speech and perform in the talent section of the competition. The five semi-finalists also had to answer an impromptu question in the final phase of the competition. . The winner was Myrna Foster, who thoroughly deserved first place; although in something like this, there are no losers. Last year's winner, Dr. Madeleine Paschal, can be seen in the pink dress in photo above, and she finished First Runner-Up in the national competition. . It seems to me that in a pageant like this, the competitiveness is downplayed, with all of the ladies encouraging and pulling for each other. They seemed to be enjoying simply the accomplishment of being in front of an audience and epitomizing beauty, grace, and elegance. Congratulations, not only to Myrna, but to each of the other entrants as well. . This was the second year we attended this affair. It was, as always, superbly staged by Jasel's mom, Marilyn Joyce. Liz and I had a ball. . This was also the first time I got to use my new, "Canon Rebel"camera, with its telephoto lens and its uber-powerful flash, in a big, indoor auditorium. We had fantastic seats, and the flash and telephoto really made a difference from last year, when I only had my dinky digital camera. I took 153 pics, over the course of about 2½ hours, and which, I discovered, almost completely drained the two AAA batteries in the flash. . We will almost certainly be making this an annual event. Anyone who wants to go with us to the 2012 pageant is more than welcome.