State Fair

Kids and I had a glorious afternoon at the State Fair -- its final day for 2010 and we could not have picked a better day. The toughest part was that we were all tired and came home to promptly take naps or to be in our own quiet places.

The only one of these pics I cannot take credit for is the one of the bumper cars, which Mary Kathryn took. I found it to be haunting, and fun, and a bit of whimsy all at the same time.

The swings they loved, and Drew's performance with the bb guns was, per the usual, incredible. Took the first time to learn how far off the sights were and how to control the fire rate. The second turn he came within just a couple shards of paper from winning his prize. I was very proud of him for not being angry or disappointed — in fact he understood and will do better next year.

Mary Kathryn and I rode this nightmare called the COBRA, which seemed on its face harmless. Low to the ground for the most part, it simply spun you around a bit... Totally much faster than we anticipated, we both wobbled off and into a near state of paralysis while trying to recover our balance. Neither of us were the same for the rest of the afternoon.

Makes me feel old, and also makes me wonder how I will perform in a couple weeks when we are at Universal in Orlando. I can just feel the loss of my equilibrium, and I wonder when exactly I lost it. There was a time when those kinds of rides never affected me. Those days are long past.

Mary Kathryn in her new hat, sun in her face, and a smile that captured my heart (as usual), and a walk back to the car (we parked in a neighborhood of houses where the cash business is renting spaces for fair visitors for $10 -- both a crazy good idea and a little monopolistic) brought our perfect afternoon to a close... well, near perfect.