2026 Clark County Fair – DAY 2

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday was tough. It was hectic, it was hot, I arrived at the Fair already exhausted by life, and I was honestly a bit shell-shocked most of the day. I went to bed wondering where I was going to find the energy for 9 more days of fairing.

But a good night’s sleep, less of a shot-out-of-a-cannon start, and cooler temps today made an enormous difference. Today I was in much better shape to Fair.

We arrived at the Gazebo in plenty of time to get the first shift situated. It’s nice having grown-ups in the Gazebo. Our afternoon shift was entertaining, though.

The two teens spent a lot of time sitting, eating, separating out the Beanie Babies they thought were the coolest (we swooped them all back into the tub after the girls left), and needed to take frequent breaks together. Rob and I ended up spending about 2 hours in the Gazebo filling in for the teens who were either totally oblivious about what it means to volunteer, or totally gamed the system to get into the Fair for a free day of fun. Either way, that’s why Rob and I are onsite every day, to fill any gaps that suddenly appear.

I personally think this little monkey
is the cutest. And yes, shameless
plug for my Instagram account.

We spent some quality time watching the Open Class Dairy Cattle competition. Reason: Katelyn. She is engaged to a dear friend of ours, and she had a quartet of cows to show. Remember Apollo from yesterday? The adorable little 3-month-old calf? He belongs to Katelyn. And today he did quite well!

Apollo's first time in the Show Ring!
Not Katelyn's first time by any stretch.

I don’t really know what the cows were being judged on. Things like “sound structure” and “angle to rear pasterns” and “femininity” and “udder quality” and “fleshiness” were mentioned as being important.

They all look pretty fleshy to me...

When the boy cows (bulls) were in the ring, the judge pointedly complimented one steer’s testicles, which prompted absolutely zero reaction from the spectators. Even the young ones. The audience also didn’t applaud when champions and reserve champions were announced, which was super weird. Cow people are apparently a rather solemn bunch.

My friend Terri took this picture of lots of 
girl butt. We both laughed a little too hard.
Sorry, quiet cow people.

Rob and I spent some time in the afternoon watching the 4-H Performing Arts competition. A surprise to nobody, Rock Star Karoline commanded the stage with a piano performance, prompting tears from me and a job offer from some audience members.

I'm so sad I won't get to witness this
again. Thank you for the honor of
watching you grow up, Karoline.

A bewilderment to everyone, Intermediate 4-Her Hank took the stage with what was billed as a Comedy Skit. It was a 5-minute string of non-sequiturs linked together by some sort of storyline involving a To Do list taped to a television set. A crock pot, a raccoon, a scuba diver, and moldy spaghetti were involved.

I did love Hank's Space Invaders
t-shirt!

Two 5-year-old girls thought Hank was hysterical…twice. It was cringingly the only laughter during the seemingly hour-long set. With Karoline’s departure from 4-H after this year, I am resigned to reporting on Hank’s performance arc in the years to come. Buckle up and stay tuned!

Noel perfectly summed up the consensus reaction
to the peek inside young Hank's mind.

We took a tour of the commercial side of the Big Air Conditioned Building. I scouted out where I plan to get my ring cleaned on Day 10. And I discovered some awesome new hot sauce to liven up pizza and white cheddar rice cakes. A box set of 3 bottles is now sitting on our kitchen table for post-Fair enjoyment.

My nose started running shortly after
this photo was taken. Hot Sauce
Happy Place!

We ended the day with an impromptu dinner with our friend Ali, chatting about life and friendships and Fair stuff over mediocre burgers in the midst of a Mars exhibit.

Pretty much a perfect day at my fair.

 

FAIR FOOD FEAST PARADE!

Four Berry Smasher to start the day!

Excellent Chicken Potato Smasher
from the Raclette booth near the Pie
Stand. Lots of fresh ingredients and
probably verging on healthy. At 
least for Fair Food.

Sampling Pepper Song's array of
hot sauces. The Habanero Carrot
was my favorite.

Carmel apple before it got really
sticky and messy. Super juicy and
worth all the napkins!

Not a fan of the Mac and Cheese Burger
from Boppin' Bo's. Zero flavor, the
mac and cheese was boring, and the 
burger was overcooked. Not happy
with this decision.

The disappointing burger was redeemed
by the Chocolate Cherry milkshake.
Unfortunately, I forgot that my body
does not enjoy chocolate after about 8:00pm.
Long night...

2026 Clark County Fair – DAY 1

Oh goodness. What a day. We came home at about 9:30pm. I dumped everything on my new kitchen counter, headed straight to the shower, and then crawled into bed. Beyond exhausted.

My version of the First Day of School
photo

Talking to a few other Fair Folks and 4-Hers, Fair Day 1 was a circus for a lot of people. There’s always the First Day Chaos, but yesterday was a special version of Tasmanian Devil swirling. We all assume Day 2 will be better.

Rob and I spent most of the day making sure the Gazebo was running smoothly. Hence the exhaustion. We arrived onsite about 30 minutes before the Fair officially opened. There were already parents and littles stalking the Gazebo wanting Passports. We weren’t ready. But who wants to disappoint an eager little Fairgoer?

The Gazebo needed some love. Not a lot had happened in it since last year. Dirt, cobwebs, a dusty box of recycling. We managed to get the Gazebo into shape almost in time for our official opening, but we were missing supplies and materials. Marketing Maven Jenny got to test Amazon’s 3-Hour Delivery service. It worked! Yay for ink pads!

By the time we closed up the Gazebo at 8pm, it was mostly under control. I walked a few miles over the course of the day tracking down more Beanie Babies and Passports since we were plowing through both at record speed.

Snacking in the Gazebo!

We directed a lot of folks to the First Aid tent (I suspect the heat was a factor). I trust little Fred was eventually reunited with his parents after I gently handed off the teary 6-year-old to a nearby fireman with a radio. I hope the leopard Beanie Baby I gave him to hold helped. And we got to learn about the Gazebo’s electrical panel and which breakers to flip so that we could successfully plug in a box fan.

Shoehorned in amongst the Gazeboing was a little bit of Fairing. We visited our friend Katelyn and met her quartet of cows. Little Apollo is just 3 months old and stared at me with a plea to take him home. He’s got a long 10 days ahead.

Poor little Apollo

I ran into friend Hannah in a restroom. She was with 7-year-old niece Isabella. I learned that Isabella is in 4-H as a Cloverbud (brand new, not judged, just being introduced to the program and learning LOTS of rules and expectations). I was THRILLED to hear that Isabella is embarking on her 4-H Goat Career! It’s been a number of years since we had Goat kids to root for in the show ring! We got to be there for Isabella’s inaugural Show Ring Appearance!!

Rob and I got prime seats, chatted with Isabella’s family, and were totally impressed by how well she and Grace the Goat did. Isabella maintained control of Grace, she was attentive and listened to the judge, and hours of practice paid off as she danced around Grace with grace to keep the animal between her and the judge. We are now officially Isabella Fans! Mom Melissa has been instructed to alert us of all Isabella appearances in the Show Ring. This year and all years going forward.

Isabella walked Grace like a pro!

More typical Cloverbud behavior
Dawwwww!!

In the 6 o’clock hour, I snuck out of our shift in the Gazebo to watch rock star and neighbor Karoline participate in her very last 4-H Fashion Review. Karoline just graduated from high school (valedictorian, homecoming queen, drum major, president of multiple clubs, and heading to college next month to start her path to becoming an ER doctor – ROCK STAR!). This is Karoline’s last year in 4-H. I know I am not the only one terribly proud and terribly sad.

Karoline modeled the outfit she sewed herself. She made a jeans skirt complete with pockets, belt loops, and gold stitching in all the right places. She paired it with a pleated blouse with a beautiful row of buttons, a collar, and ties in the back. AND. AND. And she made the burgundy pleather purse as an accessory. People, Karoline MADE A (FAUX) LEATHER PURSE! It had lining and piping and handles and a sturdy zipper. I was astounded. I hinted she should open up an Etsy store and sell them. I will buy one. This young woman is simply extraordinary.

Karoline did not make the shoes,
although I wouldn't put it past her

I also got to eat a few things. I started slow. I drank a lot of water. Still had a headache and popped an antacid when I called it a night. Day 2 will be better.

Breakfast of champions!
So buttery! And happy I packed
dental floss.

Corn dog from the booth across
from the Lions people. Fine, serviceable
corn dog.

Strawberry Mango Smasher!
I had about 5 refills of water in
that nice big cup.

Strawberry Blueberry milkshake.
A new combo for me. Highly
recommended! Lots of fresh
LOCAL fruit (sadly a requirement
these days).

Chicken Yakisoba from the Noodle 
Palace. Pretty good! Chicken was moist,
noodles were a little too soft, but it 
was Day 1. Also, sauce was a little
too sweet for me but livened up
with a big swirl of Sriracha.

Tim was almost gone. And…FAIR!

Yesterday I put away the last few things to fully move into our new kitchen. But I am too exhausted to celebrate.

The After!
We are thrilled with how it turned out.

The Before!
A friend recently said, "I never thought your old kitchen
was outdated until I saw the new version." Truth.

It looked like Tim had his bags packed and was at the front door to leave. YAAAAY!!! But then a schedule changed. BOOOOO!!!

We had planned to have Woodhaven’s exterior painted while we are Fairing. Brilliant, right? No reason to be here for our every-seven-years protection from the copious wind and rain that slams Woodhaven’s cedar siding every winter. Same colors, same locations, with new storm doors installed afterward to hopefully stop the rainy leaks once and for all.

That’s all going along according to plan.

The curveball was our painter’s sudden availability and discounted rate to roll right into the interior painting we had anticipated for the Fall. You know, when it’s raining outside and interior projects are all the rage? 

But nope. Woodhaven is also getting all spiffed up with fresh interior paint in a couple of weeks (same colors, same locations – we like what we like and we’re soooo tired of making decisions). The interior excitement starts right after the Fair. Meaning…the time for prep is now.

Rob had just put all the wall hangings back up. I had just reclaimed our dining room. Our bedroom was almost a sanctuary again. I was down to just a few boxes to move into a pantry. The light at the end of the tunnel was shining bright! Tim was almost gone!

That lasted for about 24 hours.

Pictures are down again. The dining room is once again a staging area for furniture and plants and decorations. Our bedroom is naked. Our front porch looks like we have moved. The almost five months of being ungrounded and in disarray and chaos have suddenly extended. The finish line moved in the final stretch. I’ve been on the verge of tears ever since.

I was thisclose to putting the tablecloth back on.

In the midst of this, we’ve been grieving the death of Rob’s dad…and then reeling from the death of a stepbrother just a month later. Colin was 44 and had lived a troubled life. He didn’t treat his body well, and it finally gave up. The grief for Colin is different, filled with sadness for reconciliations that now will never happen. My heart aches deeply for my mother-in-law who has buried a husband and a son in the span of weeks.

December 1991. Colin and I sat on the curb for
a long time, chatting about all sorts of things.
He had sooooo many questions. That day on the
curb is one of my favorite memories with Colin.

When friends have asked how we are doing, Rob and I just sort of stare into space, grappling for the right words to capture so much sadness, shock, exhaustion, weariness, numbness. We are overwhelmed. And we are surviving.

Adding to the swirl...tomorrow is The Fair. I am trying to muster the energy for exclamation points. Hopefully they will come tomorrow as I enter the Fairgrounds – my home for the next 10 days. I’ve lost track of how many “homes” I have had over the past five months. At least this one comes stocked with comfort food and fluffy animals.

Rob and I are in charge of the Gazebo again this year. We had a blast last year managing the ad hoc Information Booth that is officially The Spot for a fun scavenger hunt for fairgoers. Spreadsheets, notes, emails, administration galore. Totally my thing. I was honored to be asked to oversee it again this year. Now I’m praying I have the energy to serve it and my beloved Fair well.

We officially greet you with information.
And Beanie Babies. Lots of Beanie Babies.

Marketing Maven Jenny has printed up all sorts of signs. We’ve pow-wowed with Trisha in the Prizes & Awards department. Mark at the American Red Cross has filled nearly every slot with volunteers. Our parking passes are hanging from our rearview mirrors. Our new badges are on old lanyards. We are ready??

I have no idea how much Fair blogging I will be doing this year. I’m trying to give myself space and grace. But I also know there’s a very real possibility that once I enter the protective, joy-filled bubble of My Fair, energy will come, sadness and weariness will be paused, and I will get a much-needed escape from far too much reality. Stay tuned.

 

 

It's About Time for a Tim Update

Remember Tim? The rather overwhelming remodeling project we have going on here at Woodhaven? The one we started in March? The one that we left the country for two months to escape?

Yeah, he’s still here. But he’s starting to pack his bags to finally leave. YAHOO!!!

Ugh. And that was with a dust barrier.

I haven’t posted much about Tim because, well, we weren’t here. And blessedly, there wasn’t much to write about.

While we were frolicking about, Randy very kindly sent us progress photos, and Mel texted a few updates. Largely, we went on the “no news is good news” theory and correctly assumed that our implicitly trusted contractors were handling any minor questions that arose.

Tim (and Randy) in late May right before
we left for the 33-day cruise.

I spent a few panicked weeks from afar after the walls were painted. The warm yellow and soothing blue that we so carefully chose suddenly looked BOLD and BRIGHT in the photos. I kept telling myself to trust the process and our decisions. To trust the extensive time I had spent with the "La Luna Amarilla" and "Vast Sky" paint chips placed in so many locations in different lighting at different times of the day.

It's crazy how different the color is even in
different parts of the room. Regardless, it's
a lot of yellow. Or, rather, La Luna Amarilla.

At times the blue is even bluer.
But this was bluer than I expected. 

The very late night we returned to Woodhaven, I tried to sneak a peek at the yellow to calm my nerves. But our back door wouldn’t open. I was too tired to sleuth (it was an over-achieving floor trim piece that has since been replaced), so I waited until the next morning to look. I sort of freaked out. The yellow and blue were indeed bolder and brighter than the little one-inch swatches had promised. I cringed.

Even more yellow. And you can see a VERY
blue wall of our breakfast nook poking around the 
corner. Also note the first 4 panels of the cabinetry
compared to the second 4 panels. We call this
foreshadowing.

I told myself again to trust the process and our decisions. And thankfully, as the swirly quartz countertops arrived and black appliances were installed and the next round of protective floor covering was pulled up, the colors – and my nerves – calmed. I now love the yellow and blue, even though we still have another week or two to go before I see all the decisions come together.

It’s been hard being home the past few weeks. Our wisdom to leave for 2 months was confirmed quickly, as we had multiple contractors flowing in and out, a driveway filled with construction trucks, so much noise and dust, and the need to deftly bounce from decision to task to conundrum. By Day 2 of Re-Entry, we were pretty fried and longing to be back on a cruise ship. Jet lag didn't help.

Countertop installers. I think the 
electrician was also there that day.

On Day 6 of Re-Entry, we got new carpeting in our master closet. We had quite a bit of surplus from the recarpeting of our dining room, so it seemed genius to replace the 22-year-old stuff in our closet “for free.” Genius until we realized we had to completely empty the closet to avoid covering all our clothes, shoes, and accessories in carpet dust. Fabulous.

Still jet-lagged and trying to quickly regroup to fly to Southern California for a family situation on Day 5 of Re-Entry, we interrupted laundry and breathing to relocate our closet to the only surfaces we have access to: our bedroom. We stayed in a hotel for two nights until we put the newly carpeted closet back together. It looks fantastic! And it is so delightfully squishy! So as the frantic Closet Relocation memories fade, I can say that the effort was totally worth it. Especially since we will not have to do it again for another 20 years. 

Not shown: the source of me finally
conceding I perhaps have a lot of shoes.

I’m profoundly relieved to say that Tim has behaved quite well throughout this adventure. The biggest surprises have come from the cabinet maker, and all since we have returned from our travels.

One wood panel was stained incorrectly and had to be removed, remade, and reinstalled. I felt sorry for the uninstaller, as that panel was never supposed to budge. 

When we were texted the photo, we hoped it was
just a cell phone lighting thing. Nope. Not only was
the stain different, the finish was different, too.
We're all mystified how it got as far as being
installed without anyone noticing.

We also discovered a section of the toe kick under the wall oven was strangely stripey. That fix is still in the works, along with some missing hardware and a few other decorative pieces. I was starting to lose faith in the cabinet folks, but Randy assured me they are very good and are making fewer mistakes than average on a kitchen remodel. Yikes!! I clearly have high expectations, which I thought were just normal expectations. Sigh.

The best guess is the stain wasn't dry when the
board was put on a rack.

In MUCH better news, there have been significant signs in the past couple of days that we are nearing the finish line. YAHOOOOOO!!!!

Melissa (BLESS HER!) started the “post-construction deep clean” today. She will be back tomorrow. And probably a third day. So. Much. Dust.

We got the green light to schedule Yury to come next week to move back all the heavy furniture he Jenga-ed into our living room back on March 26. Almost exactly 4 months of using our living room as a storage unit.

Our Amazon account has been re-awakened with deliveries arriving soon of curtains and chair pads and placemats. I will get to nest and decorate soon!

And today our bedroom door to the rest of the house was unsealed! We are free to move about the cabin!! We don’t have to traipse through the backyard to leave the house, go upstairs, do laundry, answer the front door, or get a snack out of the garage fridge! The freedom is heady!!! I can retire my extra house key and flashlight!! The exclamation points are not an exaggeration! This is a GLORIOUS DAY!

I never appreciated how awesome
this door is when it is open.

With any luck, we will have Woodhaven largely back together by the time my beloved Fair starts on August 7 (FAIR!!). I’m already having chats with my eager, goal-oriented self about the importance of balancing what my heart wants with what my body can do. Prayers needed and appreciated!

The painters are coming tomorrow to deal with all
the little blue tape markers.

Here’s the Story – Part 2

Back in February 2020, right before the world got super duper weird, Rob gave me one of the best gifts EVER. He drove me to North Hollywood to see the Brady Bunch house.

I won’t go into detail – my February 6, 2020 blog about that visit can fill you in. Suffice it to say, I am a HUGE Brady Bunch fan. HUGE. Enormous. Big Time Brady Fan Girl right here.

Back in 2020, the best a superfan could do was drive up to the house and gaze at it from across the street. There was a security guard positioned in the driveway preventing any lingering, and absolutely no approaching the front door. But that was good enough, since visiting the interior was completely incomprehensible.  

Fast-forward to September 2023. HGTV decided it had gotten all the ratings it could from totally renovating the house’s interior to match the studio sets the series had been filmed on. The network put the iconic house on the market and a fellow Brady Bunch Superfan named Tina snatched it up for a groovy $3.2 million. Reportedly Tina’s husband, the former CEO of HBO, had only one question for her: “Have you lost your mind?” Apparently he thought his Gen X wife wanted to live in the house.

Oh, to be so lucky!

So what did Tina actually want to do with the house? Well, first she got it designated as a Historical-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles. Then she decided to share it with fellow Brady Superfans.

The Bradys' house is the first property in
Los Angeles to get this protection
as a filming location outside of a studio lot.
The designation protects the outside AND
the inside. How groovy is that?!

WHAT?!?

Yes, you can buy tickets – with proceeds going to Tina’s favorite animal shelter – for a one-hour visit inside the totally furnished Brady Bunch house!! Truly! Yes, I pretty much bounced off the couch chanting, "Take my money!" when I learned this.

When I first read about this opportunity, I thought for sure it was only for fancy people. Connected people. Industry people. Not for a 58-year-old woman whose only Hollywood connection is once posing for a photo with Ted Danson and an alpaca.

Back in 2011 when we were all
much younger.

Because I have the most amazing and supportive husband EVER, today I was a passenger princess as Rob drove across the trafficky Los Angeles metro to make my dreams come true.

Yes, we spent an hour INSIDE the Brady Bunch House today! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!

I was just a few yards ahead of Rob out of 
unbridled excitement to GET INSIDE!!

When I knocked on the front door as instructed, it slowly opened to reveal a friendly woman in a blue maid’s dress welcoming us inside. We were asked to take off our shoes, wear provided socks and booties, and not touch anything or sit on the furniture. “Treat it as a museum.” We could, however, take photos with abandon and wander on our own.

The door knobs are PERFECT!
It felt surreal just standing there.

Fortunately, all of this information had been provided ahead of time via email. Because once I was inside The Bradys’ house, my listening ears turned off. Instead, I heard the voices of my adopted TV family speaking a mishmash of dialogue from 117 memorized episodes. I spent the next hour walking around with an enormous smile, wide eyes, and a couple of times, tears.

OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!!!!!

I was not expecting to feel so emotional in The Bradys’ house.

I gasped at the sight of The Staircase. I smiled at the couch in Mike’s den where Jan sat and lamented, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” I stared at the groovy 1960s rectangular art at the foot of the staircase, realizing how it is instantly identifiable by any fan. It was all absolutely perfect.

I wanted to touch EVERYTHING!

There it is!! Every Brady fan knows
that paneling!

The tears came when I entered the Brady girls’ bedroom upstairs. I stood in the middle of the room, taking in the three pink bedspreads, the giraffe stuffed animal in the corner, Kitty Karry-All on Cindy’s bed. It was so familiar, so comfortable, so nostalgic. Suddenly, it struck me.

“Oh my gosh. I grew up in this bedroom.”

This was after the tears. And please ignore
the fashion booties.

And that was it. That was the emotion. The Brady House was home. My home. I grew up there. I watched multiple episodes every day after school for years. When I told my mother-in-law a few days ago that we were going to see the inside of the Brady Bunch house, she asked if there would be a tour guide. My reply? “I don’t need one!”

It was fascinating to me which rooms I felt the most drawn to. The girls’ bedroom was the strongest. The kitchen, too. And Mike and Carol’s bedroom. And the dining room table. And the couch in the living room.

I hate to cook and yet, I totally
wanted to hang out in this kitchen.

The screen behind us really got me. I have
no idea why. But wow, it was important
to me to see it.

Sadly, the best photo I have of the
dining room table. It was hard to balance
being present, being in awe, and being 
a photographer.

I wasn’t as emotionally drawn to Greg’s attic bedroom or the family room or the boys’ bedroom or the backyard. I have no idea why.

It took me about 30 minutes to take my first lap. I then sat on a step in the entryway and tried to be fully present in one of the most surreal moments of my life. It sort of worked.

I still can't believe I was there.

On my second lap, I tried to notice all the little Easter Eggs that were scattered around the house, each a reference to a well-known storyline.

The architectural drawings of Beebe Gallini’s powder puff-shaped factory. Marcia’s drawing of George Washington that was mistaken for Mrs. Denton. The box of Safe Detergent in the laundry room. The egg on the pylon at the front of Mike’s convertible. The stack of letters to “Dear Libby.” The book about Jesse James that got Bobby in trouble. The typewritten gossip column written by Peter. The silver anniversary platter. Alice’s white sneakers. Jan’s wig.

Mike's drafting table in his den!
The powder puff is on the left, the
plans on the right are HGTV's plans
for renovating the original structure.

Marcia drew George Washington.
Then Paula found it and added the unflattering
note about Mrs. Denton. Marcia was in 
BIG trouble when the teacher found it.
Luckily, Paula fessed up and all was well
within 24 minutes.

The letters each of the kids and Alice
wrote to an advice columnist.

Alice's Keds!

The recreation of the Bradys’ house was astounding. The attention to detail was incredible. I kept forgetting the series was not actually filmed in the house. It was so real, so perfect, so complete. I was even more incredulous when I was told that there was only one original item in the entire house; everything else had been tracked down through antique stores and online searches to replicate what had appeared on the show. The Love of Brady runs deep.

The red sleeping bag is the only 
original item. It was in the episode
where Marcia has a slumber party.

Rob and I were the last to leave. We found out that Tina allows a maximum of 8 people to come inside the house each day from 12:30-1:30pm. There were just two other couples walking around with us, equally mesmerized and lost in memories. We all looked about the same age, all giddy and appreciative. We were mostly quiet, with whispered, “OH, WOW!” and “Come look at this!” One woman softly laughed and asked, “Why are we so quiet?”

I smiled at her and answered, “Reverence.”

My 8-year-old and my 58-year-old
brains are both utterly flabbergasted
by this photo!!!