Rob's State Fair Ramblings, One last look

As strange as it may sound coming from me, I am glad for a night of rest, in which I can be off of my feet and not putting pressure on my knee. This is a night of vegging. Oddly, I thought that this year had been the year in which I had done the most walking. In fact, I walked more LAST year than this. Last year's step count rounded out to 193,000, while this year's count was 179,000, which is 14,000 lass than last year. How about the weight issue? Did I gain or lose? While I will not tell you what the number was on the scale, I can tell you which way it went. The answer is... I broke even. I am the exact same weight at the end of the fair as I was at the beginning. Imagine if I had not done the walking I did! Last year, I gained 1/5 of a pound. How did less walking allow me to maintain? I attribute it to eating much, much less than last year. I cut back considerably in the area of eating. I saved a lot of money by doing that.

The activities I enjoyed the most this year was the exhibit in the Lair White House for starters. They detailed the history of the Midway rides down through the years. I also was thrilled with winning the 1st place prize for chocolate chip cookies against 18 other competitors. One of the best parts was running into so many friends, some who I haven't seen in a long time. I got to see a lot of free entertainment and enjoy some good food, the which I only see once a year. I enjoyed picking up free stuff from the buildings, such as pens, pencils, cups, and etc. I made quite a haul this year.

Just for fun, I researched the California State Fair. This fair in in Sacramento, which is a looong way from San Diego. I doubt that will ever get a chance to visit the California State Fair. However, there is a county fair right there in San Diego. I checked out the website, and it looks like a lot of fun. This fair sets up and runs for a month! I probably will not go every night of this fair. I looked at the rides and foods they feature, and many of them are the exact ones that we see at the Kansas State Fair. So, if God does see fit to move me to San Diego, there is a fair that I will be able to attend. Would you good folks be interested in the San Diego County Fair blog? Until moving day comes, I'll keep attending the Kansas State Fair as long as I am in town.

I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging the Kansas State Fair for you. I actually looked forward to getting home from the fair to share my insights and thoughts with you. I hope that you enjoyed it as much I enjoyed blogging it for you.  When the fair is not going on, I keep this blog going throughout the year, sharing whatever might be on my mind at the time. I invite you to continue reading as you wish. I always post the link on my Facebook page. God is doing amazing things in my life, and my blog is the best place to see what's happening.

Again, I thank you for reading, and I pray that God will bless you!

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 10

In some ways, it seems like the Fair just started, and in other ways, it seems like it has been going on for weeks. I have enjoyed it thoroughly. The only negative impacts are sore feet and a sore knee, something that should be an easy fix, now that the walking at the fair is over. For the first time, it is unsure whether or not I will be attending the next fair. Since my call to missions, I have no clue when God might take me there. It could be in a few months, next Summer, or a few years. I don't know God's timetable, so I'll just wait in Him right now. People have asked me, "what are you going to do in September when you are in San Diego?" I guess I will have to enjoy the fair by way of people's Facebook posts and pictures. I'm sure I'll miss it, but I'll be doing a greater good where I am.

Today, I was able to meet former Senator Bob Dole, and have my photo taken with him. he was at the KU booth (Rock chalk!), but didn't have the security or crowd around him the last time he was here. The lady hosting him asked if I'd like to meet and greet with him and have my pic taken with him. He was impressed with my name, Robert, and he informed me that he was a Robert, too. There was a reason I wanted to speak with him, and it had nothing to do with politics. I shared with him that about 20 years ago, his foundation sponsored a booth at the fair that provided free mammograms. My mom had not thought about getting a mammogram, but when she saw that they were free, she thought, "Why not?" The screening detected a lump that turned out to be malignant. My mom underwent a mastectomy, months of chemo, and has been cancer-free even since. I told Senator Dole that if not for his free mammogram booth, my mom might not be with us today. Senator Dole is a hero in our family, and we see him as our mom's lifesaver. He shared with me that he is working on a plan with Senator Pat Roberts to bring back the men's free prostate exams they used to have at the fair. I'm sure that Mr. Dole has heard similar stories like the one I shared with him, but I wanted him to hear one more. To remind him of the good he has done. It was a special and emotional meeting, and I'm glad I got the chance to visit with him.

I gave a lot of thought as to what I might eat on the last day. Then it hit me. I hadn't had a bierock yet! (Yes, spellcheck, bierock is a word!) They are rolls stuffed with hamburger, cabbage, onion, and other seasonings. They are large, and come with a bag of chips for $7.00. I give them an A. The people were friendly, and it took only a couple of minutes to be served a hot bierock. In the Meadowlark building, they had a booth called Grandma J's. They serve a wide variety of items, but I went for the mini donuts, aka spudnuts. You could get a half-dozen for $1.65. For an extra .50, you could get a cup of chocolate, strawberry, or other dips to dunk your spudnut in. I opted for the plain. They were good enough that way. They had a little donut maker that you can put dough in, and it pops out tiny doughnuts! I want one! They then dropped it into grease, and then rolled it in cinnamon and sugar. Yum! 

At 6pm, I was able to pick up my prize. I received my blue ribbon, my whopping $7.00 check, (if I say 700 cents, it sounds like more, lol), and the judges' comments. Their only comment was that I need to specify what kind of chocolate chips I use. Everything else was checked "desirable." Earlier this week, I counted the other entries in the chocolate chip cookie category, and there were 18 other people vying for the top prize. Some of the others looked pretty good. I definitely had some stiff competition. I'm just thrilled that I finally won something!

After picking up my winnings, I took one last walk around the fairgrounds. I wanted to see everything one last time. During this time, I was spotted again by my friends Leland and Brenda. On my last time around, I heard a really good Jazz band from Atchinson, so I stopped to listen for a while. They played the big band jazz, reminiscent of Glenn Miller. They had a really good sound. After that, it was time to go. I bid a fond farewell to the Kansas State Fair as I walked out of the gates. The State Fair will return next September, from the 9th through the 18th.

Tomorrow, I will post one more fair blog. It will recap some things, give you some final numbers, and wrap things up with a nice little bow. In the meantime, I think an early bedtime is calling my name. If you enjoyed my blog, would you please give me a like or a comment? This will let me know how many people were reading, and will determine if I will blog next year. I sure appreciate it. Thanks to those who have been reading daily, and I pray God will bless you. Good night.

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 9

Today was quite a busy day in many ways. There were many, many people out and about for this last Saturday of the fair. I was also very busy walking-wise. I roamed the fairgrounds numerous times. When I started my walking, I was at about 500 steps. Now, I am closing in on 22,000. Needless to say, I am pretty tired, and my knee hurts a little, but I am pretty sure I can do one more day. I can't miss tomorrow, as that's the day I have to pick up my beautiful blue ribbon! Can't wait for that!

I posted many pics and videos today. I just happened to be in the right places at the right time. I was thrilled to see that the big robot from 2 years ago had returned! The only difference was that the voice was different. Not singy-songy like before. He was still pretty entertaining, though. I also caught a stilt-walking Elvis impersonator, and a stilt-walking clowny guy. (I'm guessing he was the same person.) I'm also currently uploading the video footage of a guy named Pogo Fred, who does some amazing tricks on his pogo stick. Some of the clips are lengthy, but worth the watch. I'm surprised that we didn't have to call 911, considering some of the stuff he pulled off.

I was spotted multiple times today. First, I was spotted by the Wilkenings. I shared some of my treats with their kiddos. I also again ran into my friends Larry and Angie, and showed them some of the free stuff I had picked up in the buildings. Later on in the day, I ran into Nancy and her kids and grandkids. Just a few minutes later, I ran into Charlotte and Jessica. I have been friends with them for many years. Later, I ran into another of Nancy's daughters, Jessika, her husband, Shaun, and their girls. Many treats went out today. I also ran into more of my BGC and school kids, and more introductions were made. At one point, as I was walking on the Midway, I heard someone say, "Oh! We need to find Rob!" I looked up and I had no idea who they were. There must be other Robs out there that need finding as well.  My cousin Beth and her mom (my Aunt) from Missouri, who stayed with us last night, were excited to find me as well. They came out with my mom and they all hung out for a while.

The lunch of choice was a Tacone! $6.50. That's in my Top #3. In fact it's in second place as my favorite! I compare it to a walking taco with an edible shell. A taco shell baked into the shape of a cone, loaded with everything that goes into a taco. They give you a fork and napkins with it. I give it an A all around. The people were very nice, and the Tacone was amazing! Later, as it became evening, my cousin and aunt left to return home, and my mom opted to stay at the fair. She got turned around and lost (she doesn't know the fairgrounds too well), so she called me and described her surroundings. I was able to get to her in mere minutes. I said to her, "Now you see how important it is that I am out here everyday! I knew exactly where you were, and how to find you!" My mom started getting hungry, and she offered to buy my supper.  She asked me what I liked, and I described my all-time favorite food to her. It comes in a parfait cup, and is layered with pulled BBQ pork, mashed potatoes, and beans. The pulled pork parfait, aka the BBQ parfait. That sounded good to her, so we enjoyed that! I was originally going to get that tomorrow on the last day, but today was a special treat. The pulled pork parfait runs $8.00. We both gave it an A, because we enjoyed it so much. The line to get the parfaits had run all the way back to Nebraska, yet the people working were still pleasant and friendly.    I still have some meal coupons left, so I'll have to decide what to get tomorrow. Choices, choices. I have to think on that a while.

Out on the Midway, behind the big Ferris Wheel, they have a "Stunt Jump," where you can jump from a platform onto a huge cushion below. It is perfectly safe, and it is impact-free. I saw young kids jump from there, and laugh as they crawled off of the cushion. I saw adults get up there and totally freeze up, and have to turn back. I'm guessing the drop is between 15-20 feet, and it must look terrifying from up there. The guy at the top was showing them how to position their bodies as they jumped from the platform. There was a cost to jump, or else I might have tried it. It looked like a lot of fun!

I had the chance to ride the State Fair Railroad today. I was able to score a ticket from a friend who asked that I not identify them, as they can't do that for everyone. I scored a free State Fair T-Shirt in a similar way, but that's a different story. I never knew that there were 2 trains! There is a purple one and a blue one. I was on the blue one. As we traveled around the grounds, we went by a kettle corn stand. I love kettle corn! The owners were standing by getting ready to hand (quickly) train-riders little bags of kettle corn! And guess what! Yeah, I got stiffed. The people in front of me got some, the people behind me got some, and I got a whole lot of nothing. Oh, well, the train ride was pretty fun! 

It just can't be that there is only one day left! What am I going to do on Monday? Probably rest, that's what. I thank you for being very loyal readers. I know that some of you read and follow it every day. I get likes and comments, and that makes me enjoy blogging it even more. I pray that God will bless you. Have a good night!    

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 8

How could it possibly be day 8? Time's fun when you're having flies. :-)

I was "spotted" several times today around the fairgrounds. The first time was with my friends Leland and Brenda. They had their son Matthew, and three extras: Malachi, Isaiah, and Xanna. It was more of a tackling than a spotting, Lol. I gave them a treat, and then we had a photo op. You can see the pics on my Facebook home page. I guess they've been on the hunt for me for days! We had a good time visiting. Now you kids can stop asking "Where's Rob?" :-)   Later, I ran into Rhonda, who's been keeping up with the blog, and has also been keeping her eyes open for me. I gave her 3 girls some treats and we visited for a few minutes. I truly love running into my church kids. I also ran into a lot of my school and B & G club kiddos. I don't know all of their parents too well, so when the kids run up to me to give me a hug, I have to introduce myself to their very curious parents, and explain how I know their kids. That is usually followed by smiles and sometimes handshakes as I meet the parents. I  saw many, many other familiar faces, but none of them "spotted" me or asked for a prize. Guess they don't read my blog, hmmm? :-) 

If you are really into the rides and the history of the rides at the fair, you need to check out the Lair White House. This year's exhibit outlines the history of the different Midway groups that have come to the fair, and there are video clips of when the Royal American Shows brought the Midway by way of train. There are pictures and models of rides that haven't been on the Midway in many years. Personally, I found this exhibit fascinating. It is definitely one of my favorite exhibits there, and they didn't even give out free stuff! Imagine that!

Another thing I enjoy doing, which I hadn't had a chance to do until tonight, is look at all of the storage barns and RV's. I feel like I am one of the Tiny House Hunters, and imagine living in one of them. Being single, I'm sure it would be possible. I could live in a small space. In fact, when the time comes for me to relocate, I will be looking for a small place. Of course, the way the cost of living is in San Diego, a small space may be all I can afford!  

I stopped by the Channel 12 booth and chatted for a few minutes with the one and only Merrill Teller!  (Long-time Channel 12 weatherman). I jokingly gave him a hard time for interrupting the series finale of "Under The Dome" for a weather report. Then I thanked him and his crew. I will only watch Channel 12, as the other networks don't really cover Hutchinson news. In fact, Channel 12 was founded in Hutchinson. This is their home. I thanked him and the newscast for covering Hutch info. Merrill is a very friendly guy.

Some of you asked about my knee. It's holding up OK. If I have been sitting few a minutes immobile, it gives me some pain getting re-started. After a few minutes, it's OK. The brace is really helping. I'm almost at 21,000 steps today, and about 12,000 of them were at the fair.

I thank you for reading night after night. It is fun blogging for you and being your "fair guru." I've given directions, info, and etc. to many people who know to stop and ask me. In fact, as I was walking today, someone near me asked her friend where one of the exhibits was. Her friend didn't know, either. I couldn't resist. I piped right up and told her where it was. They smiled and thanked me. I love being at the fair, and am sad that there are only 2 days left. Those last 2 days will be the days I purchase my 2 favorites. Can't wait! 

Thanks for reading, and God bless!!

Rob's State Fair Rambings, Day 7

Seven days have come and gone, and only 3 days left! I began my adventure this evening by making my way through the buildings, gathering all of the free stuff I could find. Of course, I do that on every trip to the fair. It was kind of a slow day in the buildings, so I got through pretty quickly. Some of the takings were getting to be slim pickings, so either they are running out, or saving them up for the busy weekend. There is a booth in the Pride Of Kansas building that hands out little containers of toothpicks. I asked the gentleman running the booth how many they hand out every year, because they always have stacks and stacks of them to hand out. He said about 60,000, give or take a few. Wow! I also stopped to sample the dips with the pretzel sticks. The different flavors include Cajun, green onion, horseradish, spicy, spinach, and many others. They also have sweet flavors, such as key lime, that you can sample with an animal cracker. It really takes the edge off if you are hungry. The most interesting thing I sampled was flavored ketchup. They had spicy, smoky, Thai ginger, and a coffee-based one. I went for the coffee-based one, and it was very interesting. It was good as well. He was only offering one sample, which was a bummer, because I wanted to try the Thai ginger as well. In the Sunflower North building, you can sample a variety of hot and iced coffees. Tonight they had Turtle, Black Forest, Cinnamon, and about 6 others. Very good. They were also offering samples of some amazing beer breads. You combine the bread mix with beer and then bake it. The beer bakes out so that it's non-alcoholic when it's done. At least it had better be, because they were letting kids try the bread samples, too!

After the samples, I knew I had to do some walking around to burn off the stuff I ate. I walked over to the 4-H building to look at the exhibits, as I had not been there yet. I was in 4-H as a kid, so I enjoy looking at what the kids have done over the years. Afterwards, I continued down the road toward the Midway, and saw my friend Ron, who was handing out little booklets containing the Gospel of John. He and I briefly caught up on each others lives, and I thanked him for doing what he was doing. Who knows how many souls have been reached because he took the time to hand out these booklets and visit with people. I walked the Midway and saw a lot of my school and B&G club kiddos. No one came to me to "spot" me and claim a prize, though. Keep in mind that I am there every day, and I walk all over the fairgrounds.

I wanted to check out the Hedrick's Petting Zoo, as they always have such unique animals there. I enjoyed petting the camels and goats. Did you know that goats love to have their shoulders rubbed? I did that to several of them, and they just stood there, enjoying it. I also wanted to check out the animal birthing center. There are several cows ready to give birth, some cows with newly born calves, and some new little piggies. They were so cute! We were not allowed to touch or pet them. Bummer. In the next building, they had longhorn cattle, and other beasts that looked like they wanted to break through the fence and destroy my total existence. I got a few photos that I have posted on my Facebook. 

In celebration of my blue ribbon, I'm running a special on my chocolate chip cookies. 1 dozen for $5. I will bake these cookies using the same recipe that won the blue ribbon. I already have 14 dozen ordered. Do you need some award-winning chocolate chip cookies? Let me know, and I'll add your order to my list. All proceeds go to support my Tijuana trips.

There is no school tomorrow. However, I will not be galavanting around the fair all day. I'll be spending the day working at B & G club, so I'll be hitting the fair afterwards. My full days at the fair will be Saturday and Sunday. Thanks for being loyal readers, and I pray God blessings on you. Have a wonderful evening!

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 6

Today's trip was fairly brief, as I didn't go out until AWANA was over. I must have turned my knee wrong last night, because it started hurting a little. I didn't think much of it until later this afternoon when it started hurting more, and felt like it might give. (This is the knee that I broke 4 and 1/2 years ago.) I got a knee brace and will wear it for as long as I need. As I walked the Fair this evening, it didn't give me much trouble, so the brace must be helping. As I entered the gate this evening and handed my season pass to the gate-keeper, he mentioned that a man had come through with a season pass, and tonight was the first night he had used it. I can't imagine having a season pass and not utilizing my money's worth out of it.

I was denied access to some of the buildings at 8:45. I was told (quite rudely) that they were closing. When I mentioned to him that I thought the building closed at 9pm, he told me that yes, the buildings were scheduled to close at 9pm, but they were going to close right now, and rudely asked me to leave. I don't think this is right. For people like me who enjoy walking though buildings, the buildings need to stay open until their scheduled time. However, God had a plan. More on that in a second....

This evening, I ate nothing! Not that I wasn't tempted by the smells and sights of wonderful food being carried around by other fair-goers. I had to remember the big picture. Every dollar I save is another dollar toward Tijuana.  I spent no money whatsoever, but simply walked around and collected free stuff from the 2 buildings that DID stay open until 9pm. At the end of the week, I'll post a picture of this year's haul. It's adding up quite nicely! I walked around all areas of the fairgrounds, allowing myself to be spotted, but no one approached me. I added about 6,000 steps to my pedometer during this trip. As I came to the part of the Midway behind the Grandstand, I heard it...Newsboys! The concert was still going on!!!  I hurried as fast as my crippled leg could carry me to the side of the Grandstand where there was a wide gap in the fence, just the right size to view them and get pictures and video. I was able to stand there for quite a while and enjoy some of their big hits. Back to God's plan I mentioned a minute ago...  Had the buildings been open, I might gave missed the end of a concert I would have loved to be a part of. Instead, God closed those buildings in order to get me to the side of the Grandstand to be blessed!

The hour is getting late and I need to close out. I'm tired in the evenings, so if you see a spot in the blog that doesn't make sense, please be understanding and chalk it up to Rob's tiredness. I really enjoy putting this blog together for you and I sure hope you are enjoying it. Many of you have told me that you do. That makes me smile. I want to thank you for reading, and I pray that God will bless you. Good night, friends. Lord willing, I'll see you tomorrow night for Day 7!   

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 5

And just like that, the fair is now halfway through. Day 5 has come and gone, and there are 5 days left...

Tonight, I kind of strayed away from one of my strict policies for this year, and bought something that I had not planned on buying. If you saw my Facebook post, I posted a picture of the "Bacon-Nizer," a food item that has been there in years past, but unnoticed by me until a few days ago. While my mom and I were eating Chinese food on Saturday, a man came to the table with one of these Bacon-Nizers. Bacon-Nizers consist of seasoned ground beef, melted cheeses, ketchup, mustard, onion, and optional jalapenos and/or mushrooms. This mixture  is wrapped in a flour tortilla, wrapped in bacon, and deep fried. The gentleman with the Bacon-Nizer told me where they were, and I've been thinking about them ever since. I couldn't get it out of my mind, so I splurged on one, just to put my questions to rest. I opted for a full Bacon-Nizer minus the jalapenos. The regular cost is $7.00, $7.50 if you want mushrooms. Wow! It was good! The lady at the window was very friendly, but the size was not $7.00 worth, dropping the grade to a B+. It was the first thing I bought. That's my policy. Buy the food first, that way, you can walk it off while you are there.

Tonight was a very slow night. Very sparse as far as people go. I was able to breeze through the buildings in record time, collecting my free stuff. A friend of mine marveled that I only had one bag of stuff so far. I'm pretty sure he was joking with me. I also ran into my friends Larry and Angie. Angie had to inspect my bag to see what free stuff I had collected, and I'm assuming that I had been in the right places at the right time, because she didn't have all of the stuff I did. Angie, I guess they put out the good stuff after you walked by. By the way, you guys made the blog!! :-)

I also took a few minutes to rest and watch people. People-watching is pretty interesting. I think the thing that entertained me the most was watching people walk and text. I saw some trip over a sidewalk crack, bump into someone, or almost walk into walls or posts. I also got a chuckle over watching parents carrying their zonked-out kids back to the cars. Some being carried, some in strollers, and some practically walking in their sleep.

Tomorrow is AWANA night. I will do my duties as an AWANA director, and then head to the fair for about an hour or so. Tomorrow night, the Grandstand is hosting "Newsboys" with "For King and Country," 2 awesome Christian music groups. I'm bummed because this concert runs on a Wednesday night. I would not have had the money to go and see them, but I have seen many concerts from the other side of the fence. However, my place is in AWANA. I made a commitment to the kids and their parents, and I can't be off at the fair leaving my leaders and kids in the lurch. In fact, taking the night off of AWANA to go to the fair does not even cross my mind. It's about my priorities, and that is where they lie with me. 

Today's step count numbers just over 18,000, and about 8,000 of those steps were taken at the fair. The fair involves a lot of walking. Have I made a difference in my weight? After the fair is over, I'll weigh myself and see if I made any progress. I will tell you, my feet feel a lot better after changing out my shoes.  Thanks for reading, my friends, and may God bless you!

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 4

Today was Dollar Day at the State Fair. You could get into the fair for $1, or free with a Dillons card. All rides were $1.25. My friend Christy and I decided to head out and enjoy the fair together. She and I went last year on Dollar Day, and had such a good time that we decided to do it again this year. We're going to make it an annual event. We have many of the same interests, so everything we looked at was stuff we enjoyed. We walked through buildings picking up free stuff, and then decided it was time for a Pronto Pup. No argument from me! We only get those treats once a year, so they're special. Afterwards, we headed into the Domestic arts building so she could look at quilts and behold the first place chocolate chip cookie.  :-) 
From there, it was time to ride the giant Ferris Wheel. Since all rides were only $1.25, it was a great deal. From atop the wheel, we got a panoramic night view of the fair below and the city spread out against the horizon. I posted some Facebook pics from the top. My camera does not work well in low light, so some of the pics are blurry. A lady in the same carriage with us was obviously afraid of heights, and did not like the Ferris Wheel at all. So, while Christy and I were enjoying the view and taking pictures, the lady with us couldn't get out soon enough! After a trip through the grandstand, our evening at the fair came to an end.

Since Christy and I both work for the school district, and both work at B & G club, we saw a LOT of kids who were glad to see us, and were waving wildly at us. We saw a lot of our kids out there enjoying the fair. Since so many families in Hutch are low income, this is pretty much the only day a lot of them can enjoy the fair. In between the waves and smiles, Christy and I talked quite a bit. She is a great friend.

On my way to my car, low and behold, both of my boys were meandering down the sidewalk! I had the chance to hug them both at the same time, something I have not been able to do for a long, long while. I had the chance to visit with them for a little while, and it was blessed. I have missed them so much. I had not been planning the use that sidewalk to get to my car, but God had a plan, and guided me to use that walkway so that I could run into them.

On a final note, as I was nearing my car, a rock pierced a hole that has been wearing into the bottom of my shoe and yowzers, it hurt! I decided that if I was going to walk around for 6 more days at the fair, I needed some new shoes. So I have a pair of new kicks to wear around. Looking forward to some comfortable walking over the course of the next few days.

That about wraps it up for Day 4! I'll be checking in tomorrow night for Day 5, the halfway mark of the Kansas State Fair! Remember, if you miss a day, the links to the previous days' posts, plus pictures, can be found on my Facebook home page. Thanks for reading, and God bless!! 

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 3

Most of my friends and acquaintances I saw church and at the fair today (those who have me on Facebook) were congratulating me on my cookie success. I'm still flying high from that one. I know it's a simple thing, but for me, it feels like a pat on the back, or a recognition that I am good at something. I'm not being prideful by any means, but I'm proud of that blue ribbon. Does that make sense? Being proud of something without being prideful? For the record, I received 131 likes on that cookie pic. Funny. Thanks for your show of support. Thanks, Hobbs family, for your pic of the boys with my cookie. It made me smile.

Today was Father's Day at the fair. I took my mom out yesterday, and today was my dad's day. Their interests are very different, so bringing them on separate days enables them to see specifically what they want. I let them call the shots, where to go, eat, etc. I take them where they want to go, when they want to go. My dad is interested in the animals. He loves to look at the horses, but there weren't many horses out there today. We saw a lot of cows, goats, llamas, and rabbits, but very few horses. The poultry building is totally empty due to the diseases going around lately concerning our feathered friends. No entries in that category this year. My dad also enjoys the sky-ride. He enjoys the view while I white-knuckle the bar, hoping that the bar holding us to the wire is secure. "I wonder if any of the skycars have detached from the wire at the fair before. Will we be the first?" I guess that's kind of morbid, but those things cross my mind. Add to that the fact that the wind was blowing, causing the skycar to rock. Yikes! I don't care for the skyride, but I do it for my dad's sake. 

In the afternoon we got hungry, and my dad said he was in the mood for barbecue. My pick for barbecue at the State Fair is in the Cottonwood Food Court building. It's a stand in the corner called "Bernard's." I give it an A. They were out of French fries, so they only had onion rings available. No problem there! The lady taking the order didn't hear my dad's drink order, so after she rung it up and I paid, my dad didn't have his drink. She realized she hadn't heard him, so she just gave him his drink. Nice! My dad and I both had BBQ pork sandwiches, which we both enjoyed thoroughly. It was at this stand that I got "spotted!" The first one was Desiree. I guess I made it easy on her, because she works at Bernard's. She's a neat lady. Then, Skyler and Chase (2 of my church kiddos) came running out to see me. I gave them all a special prize from my bag. I won't tell you what it is, but it's good! So far, I've been spotted 5 times at the fair. Who will be next? I'm out there every day, all over the place. Keep your eyes peeled! 

After eating, we made our way through the buildings. If you think I was nuts but about getting free stuff, you haven't met my dad! He was trying to pick stuff up that wasn't free for the taking! I had to watch him like a hawk! "No dad, that's not a free pen. It's there so people can sign up to win a free truck!"  "Dad, you have to spin the wheel for those prizes, you can't just take them off the table!" I guess it's partially the fair's fault. If you leave things lying on the table unattended, people are going to think they are free for the taking. LOL I guess it boils down to using common sense when looking for free stuff. From there, we went to be entertained by the Hedrick's Racing Pigs! They always put on a fun show. We also took in the Tiger Show and Ron Diamond's hypnotist show. My dad enjoyed Ron Diamond the most. 

After the Ron Diamond show, it was time to go. My dad said that he really enjoyed himself at the fair. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to take my folks to the fair every year. 

I didn't add any new pictures today, because most of what my dad wanted to see, I already had pictures of. Tomorrow is Dollar Day, and I'm going to hang out with one of my friends from work. All rides are $1.25, and I plan to ride the Ferris Wheel and get some good pics. The Ferris Wheel cars are huge buckets and I feel very secure in them. Unlike the skycars!
I want to thank you for reading, and for your likes and comments. I pray that you will have a great evening, and God bless you!    

Rob's State Fair Ramblings, The Awesome Day 2!

Day 2 was possibly the best day of the fair I have had in many years! First of all, I ran into my oldest son, CJ, whom I have not seen in almost 3 years! I had no idea he was back in town! It was a sweet reunion, and he seems to have his head on straight. He has a good plan. I pray for both of my boys daily, that they will make good choices and rely fully on God. Second of all, as many of you may know, (because over 100 of you liked this post with the pic) my cookies took First place in the chocolate chip cookie division!! This is the first time I have ever placed in anything I have ever entered in the Kansas State Fair! And it was first place to boot! I remember seeing that 3rd place didn't have my name on it, 2nd didn't have my name on it, well, surely, I didn't get fir....I GOT FIRST!! It was a surreal moment. I was delirious. I was telling complete strangers that walked by, "That's my cookie." or, "See that first place cookie? I made that." They were congratulating me, and probably thought I was nuts or something. Looking back now, I feel like a nut, but I am pumped about this. These cookies are the same ones I advertise for my fundraising efforts to get me to Tijuana. So, when you see me post info about my baking, you can know that the cookies I bake were judged #1 at the Kansas State Fair!  **Insert majestic music here**

It was also Mother's Day. I enjoy taking my mom to the fair and treating her to the fun. We enjoyed the Tiger Show and stayed for 2...count them...2 Ron Diamond shows! Yeah, he's that good! We both enjoyed Pronto Pups, and we always give them an A+, because they are friendly, the Pronto Pups are good and hot, and they offer Granny's Mustard as a condiment. Pronto Pups are $3.50. Mom sprung for a dish of cheese curds that we shared. I give it a B because the serving size is not worth the $6 we had to pay. Plus, 2 of them fell off the top and landed on the ground as he handed the dish to me, and he should have replaced those, and he did not. I treated Mom to an ice cream cone at the Grandstand (Rob's top pick for ice cream- $4) and we both ate Chinese food (ChinaGo) in Cottonwood Court, a tradition we have held for many years. The ice cream earned an A as did the Chinese.

Mom and I raided the buildings for free stuff and we both saw and talked to many people we knew. 2 people...Melissa and Carter... "found Rob" and claimed a prize. I won't tell you what the prize is, but I can tell you it's not chocolate. It's not an item that can melt in my bag. Remember if you "Find Rob" (that's me) and tell me that you read my blog, I'll give you a small prize. I'll be out there every day, so keep you eyes peeled. I try to cover all areas of the fairgrounds each trip...be looking! Mom and I also walked through the Meadowlark building and enjoyed sampling the dips with pretzel sticks. The lady at the stand said they go through about 40-50 bags of pretzel sticks every day! Wow!  We also stopped by the booth in Sunflower North and sampled the flavored coffees and breads. In the Pride of Kansas building, we beheld the giant pumpkin, weighing in at about 1,039 pounds. It is the largest pumpkin in the history of the fair. It actually broke the scales as they weighed it. It's enormous! A small child would be able to fit inside comfortably if it were hollowed out.

It was a grand day at the fair. The hour is getting late, my friends, and I must get up early for church in the morning. After church, I will be celebrating Father's day at the fair, when I take my dad out there. My mom and dad are very different in their interests, and it works out so much better to take them individually, so that they both get to see and enjoy what they want at the fair. Thanks for reading today, and I hope that you'll tune in tomorrow evening for Day 3's report. Good night and God bless!

Rob's State Fair Ramblings Day 1

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 or 10:30 pm, the day's ramblings will appear as a link on Facebook. Sorry, it's quite a bit later this evening. If that's too late for you, you can always catch it the next day. The posts for all 10 days will be linked on my homepage, as well as all of the pictures and videos taken during the day.

Today was the day I have been awaiting for a long time. The first day of the Kansas State Fair! My shift at work ends at 6pm, and I have to tell you, the clock was crawling at a very slow rate today, but I finally made it! I began by making my way through all of the buildings, looking for free stuff, such as pens, pencils, cups, etc. I made a pretty good haul today! At the end of the week, I'll post a picture of all the stuff accumulated over the course of the week. There are 6 buildings that hold the potential for getting free goodies: Meadowlark, Sunflower North & South, Pride of Kansas, Eisenhower, and Highway Patrol. Meadowlark once again had the free samples of dips, complete with pretzel sticks for dipping! One of the smaller Sunflower buildings (I can't recall which one) offers a variety of free coffee samples and beer bread samples. While they use beer to make the bread, it bakes out, so it's non-alcoholic.  **Hic**LOL. Sunflower South has a booth that offers free chili samples that is gluten-free. As you enjoy your sample, walk across the aisle and visit the Project Belong booth and look over the info on Christian-based adoption and foster care. I have dealt with this organization, and I give it high marks. 

I need to clarify and emphasize a few items. The cheapest soda is the P-Nut stand with $1.50 bottled drinks, but do not have Diet Pepsi. However, right across the way is a Hawaiian-themed stand that has bottled Diet Pepsi for $2.00. At the Dollar Days stand (with a big red sign), for $1.50, you can get a hot dog, burger, drink, or you can get 4 items for $5.00. The info I shared with you in the last few posts was based on last year's info, so this was the clarification. What did I eat this evening? I opted for the fried veggies, which is further down the road from the P-Nut Stand and Dollar Days stand. For $8.00 I got a basket of fried broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, zucchini, and onion. They also give you a generous-size cup of ranch. I give it an A overall. They were friendly, and my veggies were made to order. I had to wait a few minutes, but I got a hot product. Tip: If you want to order a fried product, opt to get it early in the week, while the grease is still relatively fresh. Some vendors don't change out the grease like they should! Before ordering, I checked their grease pit, and it looked good. I ordered it early enough in the evening so that I could walk it all off. However, as I was walking by a toy vendor, he blew a bubble gun at me at some of the bubbles landed on my fried veggies. :-(  It didn't affect the taste, but I wasn't very happy. He grinned at me "My bad," he said. No kidding.

The most unusual thing I saw today was located at the Carousel Café, home of the Krispy Kreme Burger. They sell a Jalapeno Twinkie. Does that sound good to you? I do not plan on spending the money to find out what it is. If you give it a go, let me know what you think.

Missing from the Midway this year were 3 rides: the Avalanche, Spider, and Speed. A new ride, Storm, made it's premier this year. It involves a lot of spinning, which is not my strong suit. The Whitewater, again, did not appear this year. I'm kind of surprised that it has been removed from the line-up, as popular as it was. The Crazy Mouse stands in its place. I rode the Crazy Mouse last year, and it lives up to its name. Pretty Crazy!

Just for kicks, before the fair started, I weighed myself as an experiment to see if I gain weight this fair. Last year I gained 1/5 of a pound. Not enough to cause any problems. While I will not reveal what number the scale told me, I will reveal how much weight I gained/lost by the end of the fair. I'll also keep track of my steps on the pedometer. The day's total was 21,000, which is very good! Average is about 10,000 or 11,000.

My favorite part was seeing people and chatting. I lost track of how many people I had the chance to visit with. I also lost track of many times I heard my name shouted over the noise. "Mr. Rue!"  "Mr. Rob!" I saw many of my school, B&G, and church kids out there. They were pretty excited to see me. I enjoyed seeing them as well.

Tomorrow, day 2, is mother's day. I'm taking my mom to the fair to let her do whatever her heart desires. For now, I need to get some sleep so that I'll be rested and ready to go. Thanks for reading and supporting me! Have a blessed day!    

Rob's Ramblings: A Pre-State Fair Ramble!!

The State Fair is in the air! I've been going out to the fairgrounds the past few days to see the progress. Today was my final time to visit until the fair actually arrives. I have AWANA tomorrow night, and I'm baking my blue-ribbon cookies (fingers crossed) on Thursday night. It's fun to see the rides come together and see stuff get set up. This evening was a flurry of activities as people were getting their booths set up and cleaned, and vendors setting up their wares.

Why do I love the fair so much? I love the atmosphere. I enjoy seeing many people coming together to have fun. Every year I run people I haven't seen in ages. I love to walk around. I enjoy touring the buildings and getting all of the free stuff that I can. And although I won't be able to indulge in all of the foods that I have enjoyed in years past, there are some items that I am looking forward to. It will be a "greatest hits" type of deal. I will pick my favorites and not try anything new, unless you want to buy it for me, Lol. Some people hate the fair, and won't go near it. I can't imagine that. It's a very enjoyable 10-day stretch for me, and goes much too quickly.

I'll be posting an update every evening after I return from the fair. I'll let you know what I did, saw, and enjoyed. If I have a food item, I'll give it a grade according to taste, value, and customer courtesy. I will post any pictures I get to my Facebook page. It's just simpler that way. There are multiple steps to posting pics on BlogSpot, and Facebook is a one-step process. So, stalk my Facebook page for everything you wanted to know (and some stuff you didn't want to know) about the fair! If I see one of you, and you do something blog-worthy, you just might make the evening blog. Keep in mind that if you do run into me, and tell me that you read my blog, I'll have a treat for you. It's kind of a "Where's Waldo?" type of thing, except it's "Where's Rob?" Instead of a striped red shirt, it'll be my legendary hat! I might even try to elude you if I see you coming! Just kidding!

I am depending on you for the success of this. People have called this time of the year their favorite time to read my blog, so I need your likes and comments to gauge how many people are reading, liking, and enjoying it. I truly enjoy sharing my fair experiences with you, my readers. The next blog you will see from me will come Friday evening! I'm so excited! 3 days till the fair!