carnival

in our town, we have a bowling alley that hosts a traveling carnival every couple of months.  It's really a kiddie carnival - a handful of rides that only little ones can go on, and one or two scary ones that your parent can ride with you.  Also a TON of carnival games where you can win one of a million different junky stuffed animals, and a snack bar with cotton candy, popcorn, the works.  Basically, a preschool to 2nd grader's dream-land.  Hazel and James had a blast, and I enjoyed playing paparazzi with this new nikon d40, and then playing around in picassa.  A friend suggested I look into gimp - the free photoshop download.  So I installed it, but I'm at a loss as to how the thing really works.  I guess once classes are done this quarter, I can attempt to dive in!  Any one have any stories or tips to share about it?  I'm all ears as I'm learning!