County Fair

When it was about time for the Coconino county fair to be rolling into town, I was giddy with excitement nonchalantly suggested to Blake that we should go. We had free passes, after all, and I was sure Rory would love to see the animals and bright colors and all the people. And I am obsessed with corn dogs I read in the paper that Friday morning there would be discounts on nourishing fair food.

So, come yesterday morning, we loaded up babycakes and her gear and headed to her first fair! Fair amusement rides seem exceedingly sketchy to me, and carnival games hold no allure; thus we went only for the animals and exhibits and corn dogs, and to spend some time helping at the Cub Scouts area. As a side note, I think the Flag fair is just about the perfect size: not nearly as huge as the WA fairs, but not too small either (it's quite maneuverable). We proceeded immediately to the sheep upon entering, where I was completely astounded to learn that sheep wear spandex! Who would have thought? To our amusement surprise, Rory was entirely unimpressed by the animals; she was quite distressed by the baaa-ing, and was openly disgusted by every animal we encountered (most notably the turkeys). She wrinkled up her nose and said, "eh, eh" in each barn. She may have liked the bunnies, but it was closed for judging the whole time we were there (apparently the bunny judging is pretty intense). On a tip from a friend, we stopped in to watch the pigs being shown, which was highly entertaining to me and made Blake hungry for bacon and bored the baby. So, we struck out with the animals. Rory was not especially moved by the horticulture exhibit, or the fine arts. The home-ec building excited her though, and she clapped enthusiastically at the prize winning breads. There's no doubt that the highlight of her fair experience was the law enforcement exhibit, which was in a room filled with balloons. We selected a balloon for her and exited, only to find she had snagged one for herself. Aurora spent the rest of the fair on a blanket by the scouts, being entertained by her friends Jon-Jon and Daniel and experiencing string cheese for the first time. Oh, and a corn dog may or may not have been consumed during the afternoon. If fairs are meant to entertain, then our time spent there was a success.

I think Blake was a little mournful that we did not go to the demolition derby, because demolition derbies stress me out and make me sad. Instead, I took Rory and Blake to the park to swing and play on the slides together. We're enjoying a quiet home-day: Blake is threatening the squirrels in the garden and I am contemplating whether a chicken chowder would be miserable or refreshing for dinner.

Not a sheep fan

Basically what her face looked like in every barn

Disgusted

Delighted: in the law enforcement exhibit

Fair-goers

Hanging with Jon-Jon

Tomatoes and chilies from the garden!!