10 August 2012 - Vacation!

My vacation officially started today after work! Not only that, but my sister is in town for a week. So, what does one do to celebrate?  One goes to the fair. In this case it was the county fair. It is a very small fair, so small that in the animal exhibits, there was only one small building full of cows, pigs, goats and sheep, while another smaller building was filled with poultry, pigeons and rabbits.

No matter, Jack, Robin and I had a great time. We checked out all the jams, jellies and canned goods. We drooled over the cakes, cookies, pies and breads. We picked out our favorites in the quilts, clothes, and crafts entered by 4-H-ers and other exhibitors. 

The kids' stuff was great, especially in the vegetable exhibits where ordinary vegetables became really funny creatures. 

We watched the 4-H kids wash, dry, fluff and buff their Angus calves, and show them in the ring. After the cattle had been blow dried and raked they were so fluffy you wanted to hug them.

This little girl, about 10 years old, won with her very large calf. Beyond her is a young man with a red angus who came in third.  These calves weighed between 600 and 800 pounds. Those are some big babies.

Another calf that was in the grooming stall had really interesting coloring. I especially loved the white tail. I hadn't seen one like this before and thought it was very striking. 

 The goats were interested in all the people. I think they were looking for treats. Whenever someone walked close to their pens they would stick their heads out between the bars and bleat. Head rubs seemed to be just as acceptable as a treat. 


Who could resist these soft little heads and wistful expressions?

Because we had the time, we dipped in and out of different shows. We watched a group called the New Fiddlers play some old-time, country and bluegrass music. The new fiddlers were two little girls about 6 and 10 years old who were incredibly good. 

We watched a reptile show that featured snakes from the 18 inch long rosy boa to the 16 foot reticulated python.

It was educational and entertaining. 

We stopped briefly to see what was going on with the Wild Wings program. They had a falcon in jesses and were explaining how they hunt, live, and fly. 

My favorite part?  The poultry barn. I am always awed and amazed by the colors, sizes, shapes of chickens. So much variety is here in just the colors alone, much less the sizes and kinds of feathers. They are really beautiful.  I was telling my sister how much I like chickens, when a man walking behind us said, "They're noisy and they stink." Made me laugh.

This pigeon reminded me of Lando from Babylon 5. Don't you think they have the same hair style?  The eyes on this pigeon are huge.    

A new-to-me variety was the frill back pigeon. According to one of the volunteers in the poultry house it is an ancient breed. In person, it looks very lacy. Pretty. 



These are Sebastopol geese. They have really curly feathers that are often four times as long as feathers on normal geese. They were gorgeous.

We voted to eat fair food, roamed the food booths picked our fare and we all ate -- and ate well, but not wisely, but it was fun. 

I was having a ball watching the little kids. Check out the size of the belt buckle on this little boy. It was so big it was practically pulling his pants down.  

I was also tickled by his big sister who was telling him what to do. She even has her hand in a fist and is shaking her finger at him. Who knew this behavior started so early?

Another two little boys were with their families who were riding in the rodeo. (It ain't a fair if there isn't a rodeo.) The boys had huge hats, cowboy boots, western shirts with pearl snaps, and even pocket knife holders hanging on their belts. They were tiny kids, but already were starting to swagger as they walked. 

Possibly the funniest moment was in the ladies' bathroom. Mom was changing the baby's diaper and was unaware her next youngest was wandering through down the aisle looking for her. She turned around, saw him, gasped and hurried him into a stall.

The restroom was fairly crowded but only a few people noticed the show. I was giggling behind my camera.

And if this wasn't enough, as we were leaving we walked through a car show.  Jack was smitten by a Shelby Mustang. Not me. Who needs a muscle car when there are fins! 

The bigger the fin and the more chrome there is, you know I'm going to love it. 



So yes, I worked all day then kick-started my vacation with a fabulous evening at the fair.