Just a quick post since I am trying to go at a sane pace. I’m getting sleep!!
We had another 5-hour shift in the Passport to Fun Gazebo
yesterday. In all honesty, I was a little bummed at first to discover we had a
partner. The Gazebo definitely needs 2 people but 3 seemed a little crowded.
Plus, even after 32 years of marriage, I really like hanging out with Rob all
by myself. So when we learned that 25-year-old Ashley was going to be joining
us, I had to quickly adjust my expectations for the day.
Turns out Ashley was a pleasure to chat with! She picked up on the Passport Spiel very quickly and – being the mom of two young adorables (I saw photos!) – she was able to connect with the parents who stopped by in a much more knowingly authentic way. There are only so many parallels between human kids and furry ones.
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| We're now following each other on Instagram! In her spare time (which doesn't really exist), Ashley also just started a small business making the most adorable sugar cookies! I'm seriously tempted to order some Fair-themed ones for next year. Check her out here! I LOVE supporting young entrepreneurs! |
Pre-shift, we wandered around, chatted with friends in the
Food Court (always look for me there first!), met some really tall sheep, and
visited Curly the Camel. He’s a local celebrity. He visited the Fair a number
of years ago, hanging out with his camelid partners in the Llama Greenway. But the
set-up wasn’t to Curly’s liking and he made it known. He packed it in and went
home after only one day. But this year, he’s got a shady spot in a nice breezy
barn where people are at an appropriate gazing distance. Curly was super chill
when we visited him yesterday and seemed to be enjoying The Fair. YAY!
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| Llamas, alpacas, and camels are all part of the camelid family. A fun fact I wow'ed (or bored) the occasional kid with at the Gazebo |
A super duper highlight of the day was the introduction of a totally-new-to-the-Fair milkshake flavor. Yes, really! In my Fair World, that is as BIG DEAL! I was SOOOO excited to see this when we walked by on our way to get lunch:
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| O.M.G!!!!! |
In all the almost 15 years of Fairing at the Clark County Fair, never have I seen PEPPERMINT as a milkshake option! The Dairy Women are known for their fresh fruit flavors, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t offer a syruped flavor. But OH MY GOODNESS! Rob procured me and Ashley Chocolate Peppermint Milkshakes while we were Gazeboing and it was SOOOOO DELICIOUS! We clearly were not the only ones coming out of our lactose-laced skins with excitement, though, because when we walked past the sign several hours later on our way to dinner, “Peppermint” had been erased. GOLD STAR, Dairy Women!
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| Oh, how I love this man! And yes, his hat says "STAFF" It is his Fair Hat, as he considers himself my staff during Fair. I am one lucky girl! |
We closed the Fair down for the first time this year,
exiting the Green Gate as vendors were clipping tarps closed around their
booths and the re-entry stamper was folding up her chair. As we headed home by
moonlight, I realized I finally feel like I am Fairing Well. I have settled in,
I have my Fair Feet under me, I have found an easy pace, I am breathing more
deeply, vendors and entertainers are smiling at me with recognition as “A
Regular,” and the outside world blissfully barely exists. That is quite possibly the very best part.
FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE
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| Clockwise from top left: Mojito Spindrift! I have been missing my bubbly water, so I grabbed this recently discovered lime-mint favorite from the fridge as we left Woodhaven's garage. Spindrift is my current go-to sparkling water -- I like the tart flavors. Their Arnold Palmer is good, too. Hush Puppy from Daddy D's. Nice battery crunch, good spices, right texture. Overall, the best offering at Daddy D's BBQ. You can get a side order of 12. We might end up doing just that. Pulled Pork Sandwich from Daddy D's. I got it without the bun, both because I've been low-carb for a couple of years now (I know, hard to believe from the photos so far!) AND because I end up with more real food that way. The pork was pretty good -- it was super moist and the sauce had a nice flavor. But pretty much all the flavor came from the sauce instead of the pork. If I hadn't been chatting with friends, I would have returned to the booth to ask for more sauce. Overall, it was fine but I probably won't get it again. Orange Creamsicle Smasher! This is usually only available towards the end of the Fair! Tangy, orangey, and not too sweet. In fact, Rob decided it wasn't sweet enough and will be returning to his favorite Peach Pear. I, however, love tang and tart so I was pretty stoked. Roasted corn drenched in butter and then sprinkled with quite a lot of Tajin. SO GOOD! There is only one corn vendor this year, so I am grateful they do their corn well. Just wish they had a few more condiment options...like maybe Parmesan cheese? Supposed Chicago Dog from Boppin' Bo's inside the Food Court. It was very tasty but it wasn't traditional at all. No relish, no sport peppers, the tomatoes were diced instead of sliced, and if there was celery salt, it was barely a grain. BUT...it had a pickle spear! And I really liked the banana peppers as an addition. I think they need to rename it, but I think it's a keeper! My only gripe is the dog is pretty small - I got the ear of corn as a second course. The Heavenly Chocolate Peppermint Milkshake! Perfect amount of mint, too. Enough to flavor it but not so much it tasted like a breath mint. PLEASE have this on your menu all the time, Dairy Women! Coleslaw from Daddy D's. First, eating something approximating a salad at a Fair is problematic. I mean, why?! But it came with the pulled pork... Sadly, though, it just didn't cut it. It wasn't nearly vinegary enough. No zip, no tang. Not even really very sweet. Just sort of blah. As my face suggests. |
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| Cherry Pie! Although a number of kids told me they were raspberry. They could be right... |
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