Saturday, April 26, 2008

Pima County Fair!

So Rae wanted to get out of the house today. (I guess that trip home less than a week ago wasn't enough to get "stir crazy" out of her system.) We had plenty of options: Mariachi Festival at Ried Park, Chalk art festival downtown – but I bit the bullet and took the girls to Rae's favorite place on earth. The county fair.

It's not that I hate the fair. Or even dislike it all that much. I just see it as shoddy rides, food poisoning waiting to happen and skeevy men with sunburns and mullets trying to goad me into winning a $2 teddy bear to prove to my woman that I'm a man.

In other words – it's great fun as long as you wear rubber gloves and don't look the carnies directly in the eye. (They can eat your soul don'tcha know.)

But Kaylee seemed to like it despite my reservations.
The first hit was the sandbox. It was our first stop on the way in – and one of our last on the way out. We spent nearly $80 – and one of her favorite things was a pile of dirt.

I think this was more for Rae that it was Kaylee – though one of her new words is "ewephun." That would be one of Kaylee's new words – not Rae.

But the petting zoo ... Kaylee's all about the petting zoo.

She loved the goats ...

... and the pony ...

... and the cow ...

... but mostly the goats.

My shoulder was as close as Kaylee got to a ride this year. But she loved the music coming from the merry-go-round ... and watching the kiddie roller coaster kept her entertained.

"American Gothic" – Monkey House-style.

The FFA area isn't a petting zoo, but good luck telling her that. We pulled her hands out of more chicken, rabbit, pig and alpaca cages ... it was rather difficult to keep up with her.

And, of course, she found the ducks.

"For some reason, my dad never gets tired of telling people that the ever-popular Big Eli ferris wheels are built in his home town. I don't get it. I just wave and look cute."

Kaylee today: Fair. (Oh, I kill me.)

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love it love it love it!

And did you that Jacksonville, IL is home to the only single-wheel ferris wheel factory in the U.S? Someone told me that once upon a time.

Unknown said...

That somebody is obviously very smart, devastatingly handsome and a wonderful conversationalist.

Anonymous said...

Not exactly sure, but the "cow" identified in the pics may be of the male persuasion. Not totally sure. Then again, this may be a whole lot of bull.

Unknown said...

I'm pretty sure you're right ... but I didn't try to milk it.

But your grand-daughter said it was a cow. So it's a cow.

Anonymous said...

This entire conversation is udderly appalling.

Unknown said...

And that's no bull.

Anonymous said...

Can we please moooove on?

Unknown said...

I also think it's time for a new topic. It's time to beef up the content around here.

Becky said...

i'm not related to any of you.


BTW, love the last pic!

Anonymous said...

Becky, you just don't realize what's at steak here.

Unknown said...

Don't make me angus. You wouldn't like me when I'm angus.

Anonymous said...

Obviously, we are milking this for all it's worth.

Unknown said...

Milking? Au jus so silly.

Anonymous said...

I've never herd of anything so rediculous.

Unknown said...

Needs more cowbell.

Anonymous said...

Seems like the perfect end to this string of needless puns.

Will Ferrell for President.