Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Wednesday Gratitude #33: the County Fair at Heart and Home

Has it been a week already?
That means it's time for Wednesday Gratitude.
Thank you for stopping by Heart and Home,
I appreciate your visit.
 Link in below if you have a gratitude post to share.
The more the merrier!


“Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.” -G.B. Stern

The simple things in life take on more meaning when life becomes more difficult.
I'm very grateful for my daily routine,
the kindness and support of my friends and family-in-law,
and the sweet memories of a day spent at the county fair.

Every year around this time we head to our county fair.
It's one of our favorite destinations,
and annual event we eagerly anticipate.

We look forward to the Fair's arrival in the week just before Fall officially begins.
We head out to the fair grounds,
I'm thankful for the long afternoon we spend enjoying the sights.

Our first stop is always the Harvest Building.
These pumpkins are huge!
They weigh hundreds of pounds a piece.
Think of the gigantic pie that could be made from one of them.
If you could get the pumpkin into the kitchen.

It takes cranes and tractors and fork-lifts
 to move them from garden to fairgrounds.


Wandering into the Fowl Pavilion,
 we're surrounded by a chorus of clucking, quacking and cock-a-doodle-doing.

This handsome fellow didn't look too happy to be stuck in his cage.
Possibly he was thinking about November,
or maybe he was just shy.
Either way, it took some convincing to get him to pose for his portrait.




This one, on the other hand, was another story.
I'm not a turkey expert,
but to me it looked like he was strutting around and showing off.

Well, there were a lot of good-looking lady turkeys in the cages all around him.
Can't hardly blame him for wanting to show his stuff
 with such a captive audience around.

The hens didn't seem to notice him though.
They were probably used to his swaggering.
Or, maybe this he is a SHE?
I'm not sure.



Speaking of swaggering and strutting -
it's hard not to notice
the cowboys in their Wranglers!

The horse show draws a crowd.
Not a very big one at this fair, but still.
This is the place for those of us who enjoy
watching a cowboy or two,
running barrels and roping calves.
Showing us their rodeo-ing skills.
Wearing cowboy hats and boots.

I may have a small thing for cowboys, I'm not telling...
(I'm thankful I get my "cowboy fix" at the fair every year!)




 I will admit to my love affair with nannies, billies and kids.

Have I told you I'm partial to goats?
Well, I am. All kinds, I'm not particular.
As long as they are goats, I love 'em.
Someday I might even get me one.




Look at that face!
And those big brown eyes.
He's a cutie!
Of course, goats at the fair always look their best.
All cleaned up, shampooed, brushed, and polished.
A well groomed goat is a happy goat.

For now, I am very thankful that I can take my time,
enjoying and petting these sweet creatures.
No goats at my house.
Yet.



The Swine Pavilion around the corner
is another favorite place to linger.
We can't get enough of the piggies.
We especially enjoy making oinking sounds.
Yes, we are very talented in the "pig-noises" department.

They don't seem all that thrilled to see us.
Underwhelmed at the very least.
Guess we're not as good at pig-talk as we think.


Now here's a booth that speaks every one's language.
Those are some extra huge pretzels.
As you can see, they come in nearly every flavor imaginable.

But we walked right on by.
What amazing restraint!
We had our hearts set on cinnamon rolls.
We get some every year.
It's a tradition we won't give up willingly.
Hot, fresh, gooey cinnamon rolls are the last thing we buy,
 right before we head home.
The aroma in the car is so strong you can taste the cinnamon.
 I'm so thankful for the deliciousness of
cinnamon rolls at the fair.


We stop at the rose garden,
and then the flower display where we inhale the scent of hundreds of locally grown roses.
These are roses at their finest, grown by local farmers in green houses nearby.
I'm grateful they are not shipped in from across the world,
grown on land cleared of rain-forest.
Earth-friendly roses, you might say.
Their colors are so brilliant.
I matched the color of my kitchen to one of my favorite varieties.



I am so thankful for the beauty these flowers add to my life.

After the flowers we check out the photographs and art, and the quilts and collections.
Next, it's time to see the commercial tents,
and then, finally, we get to eat fair food.
It's not a completely satisfying visit to the fair
if we don't partake in some deep-fried artichokes, and chicken on a skewer.
We are enthusiastic fair-food-eaters.

And, we are probably the only ones who don't head over to the carnival.
It's really not our thing.
We're not thrill-seeking, scary-ride riding girls.

But, we do enjoy the milder attractions,
and the traditions,
and the memories we take home with us.

We get the most out of our visit, every year.
I am so thankful
 for the opportunity to spend the day with my girls at the county fair.


The end!

What simple pleasures in your life are you most grateful for?

Until next time
XO
Heidi
Linking to Outdoor Wednesday, at  A Southern Daydreamer. Thank you Susan!

23 comments:

Create With Joy said...

Love your photos and post! Have a wonderful week Heidi!

Ramona
http://create-with-joy.blogspot.com

Blondie's Journal said...

Your pictures are fabulous, Heidi! Now, where are you going to put a goat?! lol!! I love the county fair...our is in the dead of summer but we have a fantastic time. All the food is just wonderful and I love seeing all the sweet animals! I just know you had a great day! :-)

XO,
Jane

Anonymous said...

It looks like you had a great day! I love the faces of all those animals they are so sweet and the flowers are beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us. Denise

Robyn said...

Heidi,
Oops! I tried to load the sunrise photo, but instead it loaded my apple photo. Sorry about that! I am grateful for apples too!
I love your photos! Especially the pink rose and pig tail!

Jemsmom said...

Oh Heidi! What a great post! I love the fair, but I am more of a lights and noises on the midway girl! I used to work at a horse sale on Tuesday nights so I got my share of horses and goats. I could live with horses every day. Goats... I could take them or leave them. I did help a goat give birth once. The babies were soooooo sweet! My uncle has a pig farm. I am over the pigs.

Cowboys... oh yeah baby!!! I do love a big hat and some wranglers! I used to barrel race a bit in my day. That was a LONG time ago!!!

What wonderful memories!

Light and Voices said...

Liked your cyber tour. The End photo was a riot.
Joyce M

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Heidi, this is such a cute post, and I love goats, too! Those pumpkins are giants, and I was laughing thinking those turkeys are so big that they might need to be moved by forklift, too! ;-)

I love county fairs, and this one was fun. Thanks for taking us along with you.

Happy Outdoor Wed.!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Indrani said...

Love the pig tail, great series of pictures. :)

Sharon Cohen said...

I miss going to the fair in autumn - but you brought it home like I was just there yesterday. California Fair is in August - too hot, not so fun. But, autumn winds, the pig barn, ginormous vegetables, hand crafted artistry and funnel cakes. That is a State Fair.

Maria Berg said...

So much food it will be if you can get them in the kitchen like you said!! MB

Mary said...

Great fair photos~ from pumpkins to roses! Love Tom the Turkey :-)

Kathy said...

Hello! So glad you stopped by to visit! I love your post and your blog party - I will think of something to post next week!
Appreciate you,
Kathy

Apron Senorita said...

I love the pictures!!! I enjoy county fairs so much. It is nice to see families work together on projects like 4H.

Yoli

Sue said...

Our fair is in the middle of the summer, so this seems odd to me to go now! We go once in a while...the food is my favorite, but I also love the goats. Such sweet faces. I'd be having a deep fried artichoke...never heard of that!

The Single Nester said...

Hope you are doing okay. One day at a time is all you can do. Sometimes one hour is good enough.

She Uses Her Words said...

Such beautiful photographs! Thank you for sharing! I'll be back and am now a follower.
Karen

Donnie said...

Those were beautiful Fall photos. Love the pretzels. I'm glad I got to see them. Happy Outdoor Wednesday.

Brenda Pruitt said...

I relish my daily routine as well, such that it is. Get up, yoga, shower, pets, coffee, computer... Loved your ending!
Brenda

Anonymous said...

Love all your photos at the fair, and the curly pig tail is awesome!

beachvintage.com said...

Those roses are just so pretty.

Heidi said...

I'm reading this almost a week late! That preztel picture is making me hungry! :)
We had pigmy goats at one point. They were so cute...but ate all the bark off of our newly planted citrus trees. They were so cute when they butted their heads together.

Kitty Deschanel said...

I just found your beautiful blog and am loving everything about it, especially that sweet little piggy tail :)

chris said...

I just found your blog today. How timely our God is.
Anyway, Your pig butt made me laugh at loud. Thanks for that.