But occasionally there is hugely justifiable reason for entering the parking pasture early enough to get one of the really good up-close parking spots. Today that reason was named Allara.
Allara is an unbelievably adorable 11-year-old who first met my llama and alpaca friends at last year’s Fair. I distinctly remember Allara and her mom asking Lori and Shannon all sorts of questions about 4-H and what it takes to train a camelid and how one might go about getting involved in The World of Alpacas and Llamas.
Over the past year, Allara and her mom have become part of the 4-H alpaca herd. Lori offered to let Allara train their sweetheart of an alpaca named Jean-Pierre as a 4-H – and maybe eventually therapy – animal. Allara and Jean-Pierre became fast buddies and the transformation in both of them over the last year of hard work, dedication, giggles, and lots of love is heartwarming.
This morning Allara showed Jean-Pierre in a Showmanship competition for the first time ever…for both of them. Rob and I wanted to be sure to be there to show support and cheer them on. And maybe learn a few things because we sort of suck at Showmanship. That whole lead-rope-below-the-knees snafu from several years ago still hurts.
The early morning arrival was totally worth it.
When I chatted with Allara prior to the competition, she was busy trying to calm her nerves by brushing Jean-Pierre’s fluffy head. As we talked, I scritched JP’s fluff and tried to recall if he had ever been trusting enough to let me do that before. The magic of Allara.
When I told Allara we were there to watch her in the show ring, her eyes got wide and she almost hyperventilated through her smile as she breathlessly asked, “REALLY???” So stinkin’ cute!!!
In the ring, Allara and JP did fantastic. Allara had a confident presence, control over JP, and did a great job moving around back and forth to always keep her animal between her and the judge. (That’s a lot harder than it sounds.)
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| The Junior Division is always adorable! |
And so this happened. SO proud of them both!!!
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| Blue Ribbon on her first try!!! Aren't they adorable?? |
Finding ourselves dragging a bit from that dang alarm clock, Rob and I decided to park ourselves on a bench on the midway for a spell. We ended up watching Fair people for about an hour.
We listened to the Dixieland Band play its foot-tapping set. We watched a skinny stoner dude literally fall one pull-up short of winning a prize and manly respect at the Marines recruitment booth. We watched the staff of the CenturyLink booth hone their cornhole skills as they tried to lure new customers into the game and a conversation about new internet service.
I observed that teen girls typically travel in packs of four and the alpha girl is always in the front. Skinny jeans with lots of rips in them are quite popular, as are the insanely uncomfortable but undeniably hip Converse sneakers. And the fact that I call them sneakers tells you I don't have a pair (anymore -- my podiatrist told me to burn them).
Many people of retirement age dress for a county fair as if it were a country fair – lots of gingham and cowboy hats. And Seattle Seahawks gear is a solid and safe choice for all ages.
And, when nobody is bothering to notice your muumuu dresses, pan flutes, knitted ponchos, and feathery dream catchers, all you gotta do is play a little ukulele and suddenly women of all ages are drawn to your booth without even realizing why. It was fascinating!
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| It wasn't even a song I recognized. But he played it over and over and women kept stopping to shop. |
Deciding maybe some food would perk us up, we went in search of lunch. As we sat under our favorite tent waiting for the energetic calories to do their job, I told Rob, “You know, if we were at Disneyland [I was still dreaming of the proper Dole Whip -- see Fair Food Feast Parade below], I would suggest we take the Monorail back to the hotel and take a nap for a bit.”
His droopy eyes lit up a bit.
We discussed the insanity and reluctant wisdom of maybe heading home for a few hours to catch up on some sleep and put my admittedly achy knee on ice. (Yes, it became clear this morning that 4 miles yesterday was a bit much for my post-op knee. And pain meds weren’t really helping.)
And so this happened. For about two hours.
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| Our cat Zak was confused but pleased to have a couch buddy in the middle of the afternoon |
I have to admit, I’m sort of proud of myself for being all adulty and taking care of myself instead of charging ahead with the meager puffs of steam I still had left. As a friend mentioned later, I have a lot of Fair left. I don’t want to blow my wad on Day 2. I was also relieved not to wake up with an inky blue re-entry squirrel plastered on my face.
Thanks to a ringing phone and a vocal cat, our naps ended conveniently in time to return to the Fair for dinner and some wandering. A significant chunk of the wandering was spent hoofing it in from the farthest parking space we have EVER had at the Fair. We now know what happens when you arrive at 5:30pm on a concert night.
Speaking of concerts, they sort of suck this year. Or, rather, I’m not really interested in any of them.
Last night was a metal band I deftly avoided in the ‘80s called Queensryche. Tonight was Trace Adkins. Tomorrow is Los Lonely Boys, then some dude forgettably named Chris Janson, and then something called Foghat rounds it out. Blessedly on Wednesday, the stage disappears and bulls and cowboys take their place. After bull riding, motor sports and things crashing into each other are the grandstand entertainment for the rest of the Fair. I CAN'T WAIT!
Back to the boring music...
Trace's concert was the only one I heard anyone talking about with anticipation and plans to attend. Since I had watched him on “Celebrity Apprentice” a few seasons ago, I decided we needed to check out some of his concert to see if he had any talent other than not being fired by Donald Trump.
We sat through about four songs, Googled his play book, and still recognized absolutely nothing. Since a number of people around us were singing along, I presume he was playing some hits?
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| He was not wearing Converse sneakers but otherwise his outfit was on point. |
All I know is, that man is TALL and his voice is DEEP!
I don’t really remember his voice being so notable when he was talking to Donald Trump and Penn Jillette. But on stage, oh my gosh! Trace’s voice was so deep, it made my seat vibrate. And by that I mean the metal bleachers rumbled in a way that I might have paid for the experience.
It was so unexpected and multi-sensory, I laughed every time he went all bass. I think I confused a few fans around me. So we left and I discovered a 12-week-old angora bunny named Prism whom I pet for an awkwardly long time instead. Because The Fair.
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| She was SO SOFT!!!! I eventually realized I was hogging her and reluctantly let some kids take over. Sigh. |
STATS:
Walked 7,238 steps or 3.0 miles.
Re-entry hand stamp = SQUIRREL!
Tums = none!
FAIR FOOD FEAST PARADE:
With the three hour nappy hiatus, there wasn’t as much time for eatin’ today. And you will notice that I have yet to partake of the Deep Fried Heaven Truck. BUT no dry heaves last night, no greasy sugar-laden hangover (yet), and so far my tummy and I are still friends. So I am pleased so far with how I am easing into the gluttony this year. Never fear though, I shall be reporting on deep fried weirdness in the days to come.
Also of note: We will NOT be attending the Fair tomorrow (Sunday). What?!?! Yes, you read that correctly. We will instead be attending a first-ever food themed expo thing in Portland. I anticipate it being bloggable…and perhaps food paradeable…so check back tomorrow night for a recap of a slightly different sort.
But for now, here is today’s Fair Food Feast Parade!
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| Starting off the morning with a not-very-breakfasty Chicken Teriyaki Wrap from Sweet Al's. It was pretty good but could have used a little more ranch dressing. Because at The Fair I am allowed to eat ranch dressing so I would like a lot of it, please. |
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| A new offering: The Dole Whip! But it's not really an authentic Dole Whip like what you find at Disneyland. There it is frozen yogurt. Here outside the Big Air Conditioned Building, it is a slushy. The flavor was similar but it tasted a LOT more artificial. I think the creaminess of the yogurt is critical so I'm going to say BOO on this version of the "Dole Whip." However, if instead you would like a pineappley slushy drink, this is worth trying. |
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| Yes, it's a salad. BUT it's an unhealthy CAESAR salad. With croutons and heavy dressing. YUM! I rarely have Caesar salads in the off season. This hit the spot. And a few strangers noted how healthy it looked. I guess in context they were right. Also, I'm not sure how long that dab of dressing remained on my chin. |
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| My favorite fruit drink stand is back! I tried the 4 Berry Smasher first. More tangy than sweet -- which is how I like it. And part of their proceeds go to a local homeless shelter. Feel good all around! |
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| Refreshed from a nap and hungry! LOVE the corn dogs from the Lion's Booth! |
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| CHOCOLATE milk!!! I NEVER drink chocolate milk! It was like drinking dessert. YUM! |
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| OK, this really was drinking dessert. The highly recommended and not-on-the-menu Strawberry Cookies n Cream milkshake from the Dairy Wives Barn. It can sometimes confuse the Barn ladies but it is worth the wait for the remake! And yes, they make them rather thick. Why do you ask? |
1 comment:
How wonderful for Allara and awesome for you for supporting her! Congratulations on her blue ribbon! Loved the faces you're making as you eat. Rob is doing a bang up job as Staff. Loved your food choices..can't wait for more!
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