It's going to be hard snapping back to reality starting tomorrow. These past 10 days have given me something to do with my evenings. It's been really exhausting, but I have enjoyed every minute of it. Quite a few booths were in tear-down mode. By around 5:00, some food booths had sold out, and were being shut down. I had decided that I was going to have a batch of fried veggies, but after looking at their black oil, I opted for something else. I walked the grounds for a while, trying to decide what to eat, considering the criteria I take in to account when I'm hungry. I finally decided on something I had years ago, and wanted to try again. The infamous "alligator on a stick." For $10, you get 4-5 chunks of fried alligator on a skewer. Considering how quickly they got it to me, it was obviously already made and sitting in a warmer. It was good, although it was kind of chewy. I'll give it a B. As I was walking while eating, one of the chunks fell off the stick and landed on the ground. Crisis. What to do? Leave it? Throw it away? 5-second rule? I was torn. I mean, that's like $2.50 worth of food on the ground. I picked it up and looked at it, also looking to see if anyone else saw me pick it up. I continued to walk down the street a while, considering my options. I finally took the plunge and ate the thing. It tasted fine, and there was no sand-and-gravel crunch as I ate it. Someone else might have made a different choice, but that's the choice I made. When you pay that much for fair food, it would be tough to see it go into the trash. I guess it depends on the food, too. If it's a wet food, I would not have saved it. A little bit later, I lost my sunglasses, the ones that clip to your regular glasses. I checked my front pocket where I usually keep them, and they weren't there. Did I lay them down at the alligator place? I really need those things! Luckily, I found them a few minutes later...I was wearing them. Maybe I'm ready for a break from the fair...? Another food I was craving was the Caramel Cow Crunch (see Facebook pic). I didn't know about this treat until this morning, when my friend Jeff told me all about it. I was craving it, ready for it, anticipating it....and they were sold out. Agh! I understand that items run out, but I give the place a B due to the cashier being kind of cold and unkind about it. I guess I will have to wait until next year, and it will be one of the first things I buy.
I had the opportunity to again see Bandaloni perform his one-man band act. He calls his act the "2017 reunion concert." While he was singing today, a young couple came into the area and started dancing to "Sweet Home Alabama." They were good! He applauded them at the end of his song, and gave them a trophy; a plastic gold cup-type trophy. I didn't see any of the other acts today, so no pics to show of them. I made my final pass through the buildings to see what I could get on this last day. I also walked the Midway a few times. During this time, there was an extremely loud truck and tractor pull going in nearby, and if I saw someone I knew walking on the Midway, they wouldn't be able to hear me even if I screamed "hello" to them. By the way, speaking of walking, I have walked 180,724 steps in the past 10 days! That's about 85 miles. Wow! This not just fair walking, it from rise-and-shine to bedtime. So, I averaged about 8 miles a day. Fair walking did make an impact. Normally in that time period, I average about 110,000 steps, or about 11,000 a day. I actually lost a few pounds during this 10-day stretch. In fact, it's been many years since my weight was at this point, and I know the walking did it. On another fun note, I took in the pig races today, and it was pretty entertaining. Every year is different in how they are set up. I enjoyed it, and posted a video to my Facebook page. Speaking of pictures, I ran into my friend Pam about 5 times, so she decided a selfie was in order. You can see the selfie on my Facebook page. No too many people get selfies with me, except for my friends Lorraine, Brenda, and their families. It was fun. I didn't see those friends at the fair this year (missed you all!), so only one selfie with Rob this year.
My last official act at the fair this evening was to go to the Domestic Arts building and pick up my critique sheets. This gives me an idea as to why my cookies didn't make the cut. Too many chocolate chips, the curve of the plate curves my cookies, they weren't uniform, etc. They also stated that my cookies were too dry. Huh? I had my cookies stored in an airtight bag. I'm wondering if the bags got opened somehow, because my cookies should not have been dry. That one has me puzzled. It just something I'm going to have to think about between now and next year.
At this point in time, the fair is being dis-assembled. The rides are coming down and being taken apart. Some of them will pull all-nighters, and by morning, most of them will be gone. I'm not sure where they will go next, but I've heard that they head for a fair in Texas. Wherever they go, I wish them Godspeed, and I have to admit that I'll be quite envious of the people that will be enjoying the Midway and festivities at the next fair. However, I know that if the fair was a permanent fixture here in town, it would lose its luster and charm. I'm thankful for these last 10 days to just enjoy this time. It's my staycation, my 10-day amusement park trip. Next year's state fair will be September 7-16, 2018, and I'm ready for it...after a good night's sleep. Thanks for reading my state fair ramblings. I blog all year long, with a special emphasis on the state fair. I hope you'll stick with me throughout the year. God bless you!
No comments:
Post a Comment