THE FAIR!! ~ Day 8 and...done

I have yesterday’s horse still stamped on the top of my hand, and tonight as we left The Fair for the last time in 2011, I got a pig stamped on the inside of my wrist just cuz. What an amazing time I’ve had this year!  The best year yet, in fact. Not sure why. It might be because I went practically every day. It might be because I got to share it with a number of very dear and special friends. It might be because there’s this thing called deep fried peanut butter cups. Whatever the reasons, tonight I actually felt a lump in my throat as we exited the Yellow Gate for the last time and headed to our car under a full moon. My love for The Fair is real and it grows deeper every year. I want to give it a big hug and thank it for being such a wonderfully fun friend that I can’t wait to see again next year.

So today was just a happily leisurely day. Rob hadn’t seen the Piratey Parrot show so we stopped by for a matinee. We later saw Pirate Christoper in his street clothes. I’m really thinking if he dressed exclusively in full pirate regalia, he might have staved off at least one of his divorces.

We also stopped by the Horse Arena to watch some draft horses. I wasn’t sure if that meant they were cold or were going into the military. It turned out it meant they were teams of four or six horses pulling stage coach wagon things. Think Budweiser Clydesdales. We spent quite a few minutes studying the teams as they trotted past us, trying to figure out how all the reins were arranged in the driver’s hands. It was fascinating watching the drivers control the horses through some pretty tricky maneuvers. Seeing such large animals display such nimbleness kept us in the bleachers long past my Hawaiian shaved ice.

Rob decided to stop at a booth to see how fast he could pitch a baseball. He threw five pitches. After the second one, a teenager nearby said to his friends, “Whoa, he is totally showing us up! Look at this guy!” After Rob’s final pitch, the operator asked Rob how old he was. As Rob was trying to remember, one of the teens high-fived him and said, “Impressive, dude!” Needless to say, I was very proud to be walking off with the Sports Stud, awed teen boys in his wake.

Note the teen boys in the background.
The booth operator explained to them that
one of the reasons Rob was pitching faster
was his nice form.  I've thought for years
that his form is quite nice.

Other than that and one last hysterical hypnosis show featuring an impressive performance by a young guy who thought he was Usher, Rob and I mostly hung out, watched people, ate a little, chatted with friends we bumped into, and just soaked in every last bit(e) we could of the very best summer party there is.

The Food Parade Finale I wasn’t sure how much I would eat today since I woke up feeling kinda icky. (More on the entire food experience tomorrow.) But after I got some curly fries in me, my appetite and GI track rallied and I ended the Fair with a Food Parade I can be proud of.

Finally decided to try a Philly Cheesesteak from a new
vendor.  Eh.  I've had better at a place on the other
side of town.  The Cheez-Whiz was tasty, though.

On the other hand, the vendor's curly
fries were rather yummy, especially when
we piled on the "No MSG!" seasoned salt
offered near the napkins.

Cherry-Lime Hawaiian Ice.  Aloha!

Decided to sneak in one last piece of
Church Ladies pie.  This one was cherry.
While still scrumptious, the mixed
berry is still the one to beat.

Encouraged by yesterday's delicious
Greek salad from the purple octopus
vendor, I decided to give the chicken gyro
a try.  Although I liked it last year, this
year I found it sorta bland...even with
extra tzatziki sauce.

A Grand Finale Elephant Ear.  It was grand indeed.