Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Let's All Go to the Fair!

This past Saturday, we decided to take a break from our usual activities -- which lately have involved mostly unpacking, organizing, cleaning, assembling furniture, hitting yard sales, and decorating -- and went to the Mid-South Fair. As someone who has lived 22 of my 30 years in foreign countries, I can tell you that there is nothing more quintessentially American than going to the county fair (unless it is attending a high school football game -- the two rank pretty equally in my mind).

It was a perfectly gorgeous day, as the days in Memphis this time of year tend to be (we're still enjoying summer for all you folks up north). We put Alex in his stroller and walked around for a bit, taking in the sights. Alex was especially fascinated by all the animals, especially the cows. He kept saying "Moooo. Moooo," as we walked past them. There was a special activity center for kids where they could do things like gather eggs, pick apples, dig up potatoes, and milk cows. Of course, none of it was "for real," but Alex had a good time anyway. There was also an awesome petting zoo with some really exotic animals like llamas, yaks, and camels, in addition to all the ordinary farm animals.

Of course, no trip to the fair would be complete without some of that oh-so-yummy fair food. We finished off our day with a lunch of corndogs and fresh squeezed lemonade, and an elephant ear dusted with cinnamon sugar for dessert. You can't get much more American than that!

Here are some pictures of our day:

Picking apples

Look what I found!

You want me to put my hand where?!

Giddy-up!

It's hard to tell who is having more fun here!

I love the look Alex is giving the yak in this pic!

Petting the camel

So this is a duck?

Feeding the sheep -- he wanted to try, but he would start giggling and pull his hand away when they started nibbling.

"Hey... Is your mama a llama?" (This is one of his favorite books right now.)

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:33 PM

    What a fun day it must have been. But glad that it was you and not me, We gave up on the county fair. It was only fun when the kids were home. Alex looks as if he really enjoy it, so have fun while he is this young. Lots of love. Uncle Dennis and Aunt Diana

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  2. How fun! Wish we could have gone with you! We just got back from Sucre and went to a children's park there - kind of like a fair. We rode a ferris wheel, Michaela rode a horse, and rode a little roller coaster. It was fun too - but no eating the food off the street : ) And not quite as clean probably either (although that may be an oxymoron - a clean county fair?)

    Love you guys!
    Julie

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  3. What precious pictures! Alex, you are as photogenic as your mother:)
    Love you, Nyanya

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  4. Anonymous12:07 AM

    Cotton Candy.... NEPHEW... gotta get the cotton candy, and did ya go on any of the kiddie rides?? HANDS UP ALL THE WAY... can't wait till you are tall enough,(1-2yrs away at the rate he's going)i'll take ya some real rides!!I miss going to the fair. I remember the days when I was in 4-H, and competed in those old events.. baking drop biscuts, table setting, and my friends always had the sheep. Good times!!!

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  5. How fun! We took Bennett to the fair on my birthday--it was really fun until we all got tired and cranky.

    Fair food is second only to holiday food in my book. YUM!

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  6. Anonymous10:31 AM

    Hi Rusty, Laura and Alex
    I didn't know you were back in Memphis until this past weekend. I hope you are doing great. When are you coming back to Thyatira for a visit? Alex is growing up so fast. He's so handsome.

    Patricia Moss

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  7. Hi Laura, Rusty and Alex
    I didn't know you had moved back to Memphis. Glad to hear that. Hope all is going well with you. Alex is growing up so fast. He is very handsome. When are you coming back to Thyatira for a visit?

    love to all of you
    Trish Moss

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  8. Wow! You guys get a lot of traffic and comments! I hadn't looked in a while, but totally enjoyed the pics! We love you guys and think of you often.

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