It’s not yet 8:15pm and I am already showered, flossed, and moisturized. Yes, we called it a Fair Day after dinner, as Rob and I were both dragging our tired bodies around the Fairgrounds and didn’t have a lot of interest in a cult of the Blue Oyster variety. Despite our early departure, we still had a fun- and friend-filled day!
The biggest highlight was finally meeting Tyler and Liam!
They are the 5-month-old daughter and son of my dear friends Hannah and Justin.
Hannah and I go way back, like to when she was in junior high and I had brown
hair. We were in a mentorship program together at our church. It was a 6-month
commitment on my part to walk alongside her as she explored her faith. That was
12 years ago. As I am decidedly unclear on the program’s definition of “commitment,”
Hannah is sort of stuck with me for life.
With the new parents finally coming up for some air from the whirlwind of twin newborns, I jumped at the chance to meet the kiddos in the Llama Greenway today and catch up with two of my favorite Gen Zers. I was struck by the wonder of the moment -- to stand there in one of my favorite places, talking to one of my favorite people as I snuggled her precious daughter. Hannah and I rode some rough waters together; it filled my heart with gratitude to see her so much at peace with her new little family. I know Hannah’s daddy is watching and is SO DANG PROUD. Chatting with Hannah and Justin was exactly why I love our Fair so much – the chance to take a breath, relax, and catch up with friends without rush or schedules. Just smiles and connection and love.
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| 80% of us are looking at the camera! Victory! |
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| I was SO HAPPY to be able to hold little Tyler before she gets too big and past my back's weight limit! I gotta get my baby snuggles in before they hit 20lbs. |
It was humid again, and I stupidly wore pants, so I got overheated and a little grumpy as the sun emerged. I was excited to see the Washington State Fiddle Championships were happening on the stage known for gusty winds and goosebumps at night. We parked ourselves on a couple of adequately comfortable and naturally air-conditioned chairs and listened to a 10-year-old boy take down most of the adult fiddlers in his wake. The best part was, the kid was simply having a blast – the competition didn’t seem to be nearly as important to him as the chance to just play his fiddle. His joy made me smile.
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| Even though an adult won, this kid was in the final 3. He was amazing! Click here to listen to another impressive junior fiddler. |
The other major highlight of the day was the Cat Agility Competition. We had never seen this event offered before, so when we spied the show ring on Day 1 in the Cat Barn, we put the 5:00PM start time in our calendar and showed up at 4:30 today so we could get good seats. Which turned out to be useless since the “let’s pull one over on the cats” somewhat opaque green plastic barrier surrounding the ring was too tall to peer over from the seats and therefore required standing ringside.
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| The promise of excitement and agility! |
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| This is what dreams are made of |
With the tantalizing promo photo and the accompanying Field of Dreams obstacle course, I had very high hopes for what the specially trained 4-H felines would offer for entertainment and competition. Yes, I know they are CATS, and I know how compliant cats typically are (a 14-year-old one currently allows us to be her staff). But the catty 4-H adults clearly went to a lot of trouble to set up and advertise a course with 6 obstacles, so I quickly absorbed their optimism.
I envisioned cats darting about, going through obstacles in
the wrong order, excitedly chasing feather toys and laser beams through the
hoop and around the slalom. I anticipated it would be a timed event and the
winner would take maybe 3-5 minutes to complete the course, with some leeway
given to the rules because, well, cats.
Instead, the only cats to finish the course…or even two obstacles...were stuffies – the stuffed animals that very junior 4-H’ers start with to learn proper cat care before being put in charge of a real live breathing one. Although I didn’t have my stopwatch going, my 3-5 minute course-completion estimate was an excellent guess despite one stuffie getting stuck in the tunnel and refusing to come out for a bit.
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| The calico was the only cat to even notice the table obstacle |
The rest of the 35 minutes of captivating cat competition were spent like this:
One cat mostly made it through the tunnel at one point (others
decided instead to set up camp inside the mostly inaccessible tube), while
another kitty accidently jumped through the hoop on the way to trying to hide
near the door.
I was most impressed by one 4-H’er who never showed any
exasperation or frustration despite all the unsuccessful advice being dispensed
from her ringside mom. The girl seemed to understand better than her parent that
she was dealing with a CAT and therefore any desirable behaviors that occurred
were purely coincidental.
All in all, despite the false advertising, the Cat Agility
Competition was pretty much EXACTLY as one might expect. We will look for it next year! Check out this video for more!
The Fairgrounds were filling up as we left – most of the day
felt a bit muted. Maybe it was the lack of sun? Or the awful humidity (like
65%!)? Whatever the reason, it made my heart happy to see people streaming in
as we left. The Fair was in excellent hands as Rob and I headed home to get
some much needed sleep so we can FAIR again tomorrow!
FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE!
TOP ROW:
Strawberry Peach Pear Smasher! A delightful,
refreshing blend almost as good as the
Strawberry Mango.
Ms. Burger from the Burger Buggy! Best
hamburger at the Fair! Tasty meat patty
with a slice of ham, with juice and grease
collected in the little cup afterwards. SO GOOD!
MIDDLE ROW:
Accompanying fries with the Ms. Burger.
Surprisingly salty enough that I didn't put
ketchup on them. MUCH better than the awful
curly fries from yesterday.
FANTASTIC homemade apple pie made
by a 4-H'er in the Baking Competition.
Pro tip: sidle up to the 4-H Kitchen after
Judging is complete for free samples! Well,
it also helps to know the baker...
BOTTOM ROW:
Still working on my bag of kettle corn! Perfect snack
to enjoy while watching fiddling
Bahn mi (without the bun) from the new
vendor in the Food Court. REALLY GOOD!
I asked for the kids size, in a bowl, with extra spice ($2 extra).
I haven't had a lot of Vietnamese sandwiches, but I
really liked this one! The rice had a nice vinegary tang, the chicken
was moist, the cilantro was fresh. The extra spice was a
Sriacha-based cream and fresh jalapenos. Honestly, one of the
tastier, verging-on-healthy meals I've had at our Fair over the
years! Highly recommended! I will be back!
Chocolate raspberry milkshake. Yes, you have to pay
extra to add flavors but it is so worth it!
MMMMM!
This is Karoline, the apple pie baker, delivering
samples to me and Rob. She's also the piano
player from yesterday. Did I mention I have
amazingly talented neighbors?!?
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| In addition to being absolutely delicious (I was told the apples were a mix of Granny Smith and Cosmic Crisp -- how brilliant is that?!?), I was blown away by the lattice work. Look at how uniform those crusts are! |
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| Rob decided to try the other Yakisoba place -- the "Green" one on the north end. I sampled it and quickly deemed it "industrial." The noodles were thin and largely flavorless. We also have not been impressed by the vibe in that booth over the years. The woman in charge isn't very pleasant. Rob didn't give me details, but he said he didn't like how he saw the employees being treated when he ordered this, so we won't be going back for any number of reasons. Official Yakisoba Verdict in the absence of Patrick's: Go to the Red Booth in the middle of the Food Court. Better noodles and better service without a snarl. |
Day 1! To match my t-shirt
Day 2 - Strawberry Milkshake!
Day 3 - Buttered Corn on the Cob!
2 comments:
I love the fair earrings! And the guidance about the best things to eat at the fair.
Thank you both so much for your comments and encouragement! I'm having a blast!
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