Tired but not exhausted!

So far so good on the Let’s Get Some Sleep thing!  I’m tired but I’m not exhausted.  That’s pretty good for the end of Day 4 of Fairing!  My tummy is a little gurgly, but that's not terribly concerning. Or surprising.

Rob and I reaaaaallly wanted to ignore our alarm this morning, but we had our second shift volunteering in the Gazebo starting at 10am when the Fair officially opens. We arrived at about 9:55am. 

I love the Fairgrounds when it is first waking up. It is filled with vendors and food folks and 4-H kids getting ready for the day. It’s quiet and freshly hosed, filled with not-yet-caffeinated greetings and the hum of small vehicles delivering restocking supplies.

Our Gazebo shift was super fun again, even if it wasn’t quite as crowded today.  I’m surprising myself by having fun chatting with grade school kids.  I thought I really only liked teenagers.  Who knew!?

Our fairing this year has a bit of a twist beyond us being 2 years out of practice. This year – for the first and only time ever – Rob is trying to be a student while fairing. Yes, he’s coo coo for Cocoa Puffs. He started a master's degree program in Fall 2020 and has just two classes left. The first of those two final classes officially started today. We clearly didn’t think this through two years ago because, well, there was that whole pandemic thing that stopped the world so schedule conflicts weren’t really a thing.

We had a very short fair day yesterday (we arrived in time for dinner and a hypnosis show) so Rob could get a jump-start on his assigned reading. Today, he toted his laptop to the Gazebo and typed out a draft of a 500-word paper while I directed folks to the First Aid station and various animal barns. He adeptly appeared by my side, though, every single time a line started to form at the Gazebo window. His timing was both freaky and impressive.

Rob’s got a hectic several days ahead – including a super duper fast trip out-of-state for a family event. Add Highly Skilled Juggler to Rob’s list of talents. I remain amazed and in awe and grateful to have such an amazing and dedicated Fair Buddy.

Horribly un-ergonomic yet effective

We’ve had a blast spending the past couple of days chatting with friends we bump into as we’re fairing along.  There are several couples we typically only see at the Fair, so it has been wonderful to reunite after such a long and unsanctioned hiatus.

We spent a leisurely and delicious afternoon today with neighbors-turned-friends as one daughter prepared a snack for us as part of her 4-H project while we chatted with the other daughter who is leaving for college for the first time in just three days.  We talked life, Fair, 4-H, college, baking, and road trips. Although we see our neighbors often throughout the year, some of our best and longest conversations are at the Fair.

The 4-H competition included cooking
a meal, serving it, eating it, table manners, 
conversation with the judge, and 
clean up. She could probably teach me
a few things.

The concert series in the Grandstands came to an end tonight with Blood, Sweat & Tears (it’s killing me not to use the Oxford comma). Between them, Cheap Trick, and Daughtry I have had a BLAST attending large concerts for the first time since Covid. I have missed live music and the energy of a crowd.  Well, a crowd at a distance.  I’m still a little twitchy in large crowds even if they are outside.  

Each concert we attended, the performers took a moment to express gratitude for fans sticking with them and for them having something (a career) to come back to. The crowds were not especially large but they were definitely appreciative both of the performers and the experience.

Even though I only recognized about 3 songs in each concert, I thoroughly enjoyed Daughtry’s “He’s Not on American Idol Anymore” total rock star show, Cheap Trick’s enthusiastic fans, and BS&T’s impressive horn line.

I actually burst out laughing when I first spotted Daughtry’s Rock Star Costume complete with flowy head band, ripped pants, muscle shirt-dress, and sunglasses.  But when he spoke to the crowd, he was still that humble, self-effacing, down-to-earth guy that earned my vote and respect week after week in 2006.

Eventually the Axl Rose-ish headband
and sunglasses disappeared, but I sort 
of missed the basic jeans and t-shirt
look he had going on American Idol

I loved watching Cheap Trick’s fans – many fellow Gen Xers and older – rock out without care about how their knees or hips might feel in the morning. The proximity of the Beer Garden might have helped.

And tonight, I learned that Blood, Sweat & Tears is a rockin’ jazz band who has had nearly 200 members over the years and whose biggest hits came the same year I was born.  The current lead singer is a 30-something former park ranger from Tennessee who was discovered on the TV competition “The Voice.” He, like Chris Daughtry, seemed acutely aware of how Disney-esque his rise to fame story is and won me over with his humility and sincere gratitude.

At the end of the concert, I told Rob we really need to get a Blood, Sweat & Tears “Greatest Hits” album, as I really enjoyed the songs I had never heard before and started imagining listening to them on our patio while relaxing in the warm late-summer air sipping adult beverages.

With a barely concealed smirk and eye roll any teen would approve of, Rob informed me we already have this album (in CD format) in our possession. 31 years of marriage and keeping the mystery and magic alive! 

Three BS&T fans sporting earplugs.
They would not have survived the 
the Daughtry concert

Food wise, I’m still going at a slower pace than I anticipated.  And despite what I thought were brilliant plans, I wasn’t able to acquire food for snacking in the Gazebo this morning.  So I went a solid four hours without a feeding. I’ve got two more shifts to get this highly concerning situation figured out.

Yesterday’s Fair Food Feast Collage:

Top Row:

• Raclette (cheese) sandwich with ham and cornichons (chopped pickles) from the new Raclette booth. Waaaay too fancypants for a Fair.  All the ingredients were good and high-quality. I just wished there were more flavor.
  
  
• Mediocre lemonade from the Deep Fried Heaven Truck aka Sweet Cheeks because I wanted the souvenir cup. And Smashers was on a break.

Bottom Row:

• Somewhat forgettable but still edible chocolate chip cookie from the booth that inexplicably sells clam chowder and mini pancakes.
  
  
• Strawberry Mango Smasher!  My favorite blend!

Today’s Fair Food Feast Collage:

Clockwise starting in top left corner:

1. The only scrambled eggs to be found on the premises, smothered in ketchup and Cholula sauce

2. New entry from Smashers!  Fresh-squeezed orange juice with strawberries.  It was DELICIOUS. And too small, as I basically inhaled it and sent Rob back for a large Smasher as I was frantically looking for my credit card (eventually located at the Lost & Found)

3. Ms. Burger from the Burger Buggy -- a hamburger with a slice of deli ham on it. Such a simple addition to a burger but SO GOOD!

4. My Strawberry Mango Smasher as I pondered potentially calling my credit card company to report a lost Visa.

5. A beer?!?  I rarely (never??) drink beer at the Fair.  Largely because I typically only like dark beer and because you are pretty limited as to where you are allowed to consume it on the Fairgrounds. But I felt spunky and celebratory (found my credit card!) so I got a Blue Moon Belgian White.  I have no idea what that means, other than it was pretty light and tasted beer-y.

6. Chocolate-vanilla ice cream twist from the Church Ladies Pie booth -- best prices at the Fairgrounds.  And because it's Fair, I ate the cone, too! (If I have ice cream the rest of the year, it is always in a cup.)

7. Pre-concert snack of the White Cheddar popcorn I'm still toting around

8. Dinner of fried chicken strips from the Lions booth.  It came with a cup of what I think was Ranch dressing but it was super watery. I also stole some Sriracha sauce from a noodle booth.  VERY tasty and oddly the strips were a lot bigger than past years. Not complaining -- just surprised.

9. Homemade crepe with homemade cream filling and topped with fresh berries.  OMG -- it was SO good!  It was exactly what I wanted at that moment -- lightly sweet, not too heavy, fresh, could pretend it was sort of healthy but also felt like I was eating a treat.  4-H -- and my neighbor -- ROCK.

10. Bacon to go with my eggs.  It was better than I expected -- not overcooked or crunchy, about 4 strips instead of 2, and sufficient amount of fat -- not that turkey bacon stuff.

Center: Hawaiian shave ice from the new vendor near the Pirate Parrot Show. They don't have my favorite Lime flavor so I got Green Apple and Cinnamon. They offered to mix the flavors instead of having them side-by-side. I said yes but I won't again. I wasn't really a fan of the blend. I couldn't really taste either flavor. I could have used more syrup, too. I will try another set of flavors -- next to each other instead of blended -- before I weigh in an official verdict.  Stay tuned!