off to the fair

Every year, DH takes the Friday before Labor Day off from work and we go to the State Fair.  We always get there right after they open, so sometimes, the kids are still in bed.

 But it's never too early to be beautiful.  Here are three sheep getting the final primping before their 4H owners lead them into the show ring.  They get groomed to a fare-thee-well, even getting polish on the hooves.  This must be a fairly odd experience for the average sheep.

 And once they've been buffed and puffed enough, they have to wear a pretty coat until it's showtime.  Otherwise, being sheep, they'd go find something to roll in.  Sheep are not known for intelligence.  Their primary aim in life is to die, preferably somewhere inconvenient, ideally, in your water supply.

This little guy was just too cute.  Had to get his photo.

We walked all over the fair.  Next year I have definitely got to enter some things!  The poetry competition was puny, and the quilt show was poorly represented as well.  Even the photography competition was sparse (though I haven't a clue what makes a good photo.)

This is one of the fun activities.  The pool has about three feet of water, and you pay to get inside the buble, have it blown up, and then flail about with glee.  I was reluctant to risk my wrist right now, but if they have it next year, I'm in!  It's sort of like bumpercars without motors.

I looked all over for deep-fried beer or Kool-Aid, but the oddest I could find was deep-fried PB and J.  And one place offered corndogs about three feet long.  They were cooking the fish and chips, and the blooming onions in the same vat of grease.  We passed on the deep fried everything.

But, one activity I did participate in - the State lottery commission had a tent, and we won a chance to grab "dollars" for a chance to win lottery tickets.  I got in the booth, they shut the door and turned on the air for 20 seconds and I snatched paper out of the air and stuffed as much moolah down the front of my shirt as I could.

 Right up till they opened the door.  I had 23 "bills" in my clothes which won us 6 free lottery tickets.  Woohoo!  That was wonderfully silly fun!

We walked at least five miles wandering around the fair.  But DH feels we needed more exercise, so today, we went for a bike ride.  There is a paved bike trail along the East side of the Willamette river, right down the hill from very urban life.  The hill is city land and heavily forrested.

And just across the fence from the bike path, we saw a doe, calmly enjoying some yummy blackberries on a late summer morning.  I could have hit her with a rock.  Heck, if I had a watermelon with me, I could have spit seeds on her.  And she just ignored the hell out of us, and all the other riders and walkers who happened by.  I do love living in this city!