Exploring Minnesota: State Fair

When Loren and I decided it would be best for only some of us to go, I was nervous. I hadn't driven in a city without him in some time, and I wasn't sure how much walking I could handle. But I really wanted to see Greg Brown, so I put on my brave face and my walking shoes.

Shortly after we arrived at the fair, I heard a marching band. We made our way to the parade. We got there just in time to see our local marching band and some people we know, but I didn't think to get my camera out just yet. I did get it out in time for the RCMP and the mosquito. It wouldn't be the Minnesota State Fair without a life-sized mosquito.We enjoyed a few rides together, and Gracie rode the bumper boats. Why didn't I get a picture of that? I don't know. All the other parents did.

Then we made our way to the barns. That was a long hike through a sea of people that was almost more than Lynae could take. Toby must've done a good job talking up the swine barn, from the look on Grace's face.Oh, yes. They loved the swine barn. I fear there is at least one pig in our future. Would you believe all the goats had been sent home the day before we got there?After surviving the trek to and through the barns, I thought we deserved some delicious fair food: Australian battered potatoes. With cheese sauce. I persuaded Toby to try on a hat. I have a very handsome and cool son. Something about this picture reminds me of my mom.After a lot more walking and riding the gondolas and tilt-a-whirl and eating delicious fair food, we settled in for the Greg Brown concert. He was polite to the people who bugged him before the show, but we exercised amazing self-control and did not tell him we were related to the front-and-center-scarf-wearing-lady he sees so often in New England. Nor did we tell him she'd be listening from afar.
No, instead we took goofy, excited pictures of ourselves waiting for the concert to start.Here are a few concert pictures, proving that we were really there, and that I still don't know enough about photography to take good concert pictures.
Bo Ramsey is as fun to watch as Greg Brown is to listen to. It was a great time.

I bet the girls wish they had gotten up sooner to dance.

After the concert, we wandered around just a little longer. We heard Weird Al in the grandstand, bought Grace some cotton candy, and finished what would later be confirmed as the 5-mile walk. On the way home, we stopped at Tobies for some real food and relaxing conversation.

And that, friends, was our day at the state fair.

Hey, I know her!

A portion of last night's gun safety class was taught by the local conservation officer. I recognized her right away, even though she was only in 3rd grade the last time I saw her. She and I were pretty good friends, which is weird for public school students four years apart. During a break, I convinced one of the kids to go ask her if she used to have a pony named King. Yup, she sure did. (I remember riding King with her, and falling off, too.) So Dusty and I had a nice little chat.

I told Toby that he can expect to see Dusty again, since he plans to do a lot of hunting and fishing around here.

Oh, and her husband, a state trooper, pulled my husband over for a speeding violation the other night. It was the friendliest warning Loren has ever received.

I still can't get over how much my world has shrunk!