Good, clean fun at the MN State Fair (and little bit of terror)!

First of all, let me start by saying, we took one of those free buses down to the Minnesota State Fair and the experience was great! We got on in a spot near our neighborhood, got dropped off about a block away from the Fair front gates, and had an easy trip back to the Jeep. What a deal! Free! I love free and I don't think we'll ever drive down to the Fair again. It was a fast and easy way to save a bit of money.

I hauled my big old SLR-D to the MN State Fair thinking I'd be shooting up a storm. I should have just brought my little point-n-shoot for all that I shot last night. I felt like the old grandpas that had their cameras hanging from their necks. Although to my credit, I did keep my camera in my bag, which I also happen to notice was ready to bust at the strap. Anyway, so there I am with my big old camera thinking I'd take pictures of all that we ate. But, I only got the one shot. And now that I look at it, the picture doesn't seem like a rousing endorsement of the Fair. In fact, it's so unappetizing that I'm going to spare you all of the larger version of this picture.

Nonetheless, it was Yuuummmmy! That's a combo of corn fritters and fried-green tomatoes. There was a lot more in that order, but unfortunately I totally forgot about taking a picture until I had eaten most of it. The corn fritters came with a dollop of sweetened butter on it which I could have done without, but the ranch side was delicious.

The Big D headed straight for the pronto pups. I did have a bite even though I'm not supposed to eat anything hot dog-related. We did good last night. We didn't overeat. He had another pronto pup and an ear of corn. I found the wild rice burgers later in the evening, then ate half of an elephant ear with butter and powdered sugar. We shared a huge, large, mongo-sized fresh-squeezed lemonade. It was also very good.

Later we got a chance to sample the deep-fried pickles because some older couple joined us on a bench outside the food building. They chatted us up and shared their pickles. After they left, we kept commenting to each other about our surprise at how nice everyone was and settled on the idea that it was because we interacted with sober people. Each and every last time we've been to the Fair, we've drank and that means we generally hung in the area where the drinkers and the drunks (two separate categories) lounged.

Good thing we walked a lot because that was a lot of calories.

We should have stuck to the walking but I got it into my head that I wanted to try the new sky ride. I was a little tired after exploring the Fine Arts building and we wanted to head back to the grandstand so we decided to take the chair lifts. Big mistake! BIG, BIG mistake!!

I started to have a panic attack the second it lifted us off the ground. I got sweaty and light-headed and felt like I was going to pass out, then slide in-between the railing to the ground below. I gripped the Big D's arm and begged him to grasp onto me tight so that I didn't fall.

Looking at the chairs behind us wasn't so bad.



Even looking below wasn't that bad at all.



But looking to the side at the other chair and people just about did me in.



[Hey! Wait just one minute! I see in these pictures that there is noone on these dang chairs! That should have been our sign to stay the heck away!]

The Big D is a skier and so is used to chair lifts. Me? Not so much. He suggested I cross my legs at my ankles and after I did that, I felt one hell of a lot better. It was a long ride, too! And although all the signs said that the ride does not stop to let passengers on and off, it did stop several times while we were in the air. At one point I noticed that the Big D was saying hello to a woman in a chair coming by us to our right and I glanced over at her in time to hear her say "hello, my friend, I'm scared out of my mind!" So, see! I wasn't the only one terrified on this ride.

We should have just stuck to the sky ride. It's a bit higher but at least there is a floor to put our feet on.



The only good thing to come out of that ride was that it took us over the Scamp exhibit. And that was fun to see these cute little trailers. We're thinking about buying one for our trips to Utah and we found that the they are within our budget. Whoo-hoo! That made the scary chair lift ride worth the trouble. But we did have to walk back towards where we had come from. Oh well, the walking was good because it was on the ground.



So those are all the pictures I took. Yep. That's it. There was a beautiful full moon right next to the space needle thingy. But no shots. I was a little deflated with shooting after seeing the entries to the State Fair photo contest. I was surprised at how many of the shots were centered, rather than within the "rule of thirds" framework. But, I suppose, that just means that I should enter a picture next year! I think I will, so long as no one forces me to go on that dang chair lift ride again!

Good, clean fun at the MN State Fair (and little bit of terror)!

First of all, let me start by saying, we took one of those free buses down to the Minnesota State Fair and the experience was great! We got on in a spot near our neighborhood, got dropped off about a block away from the Fair front gates, and had an easy trip back to the Jeep. What a deal! Free! I love free and I don't think we'll ever drive down to the Fair again. It was a fast and easy way to save a bit of money.

I hauled my big old SLR-D to the MN State Fair thinking I'd be shooting up a storm. I should have just brought my little point-n-shoot for all that I shot last night. I felt like the old grandpas that had their cameras hanging from their necks. Although to my credit, I did keep my camera in my bag, which I also happen to notice was ready to bust at the strap. Anyway, so there I am with my big old camera thinking I'd take pictures of all that we ate. But, I only got the one shot. And now that I look at it, the picture doesn't seem like a rousing endorsement of the Fair. In fact, it's so unappetizing that I'm going to spare you all of the larger version of this picture.

Nonetheless, it was Yuuummmmy! That's a combo of corn fritters and fried-green tomatoes. There was a lot more in that order, but unfortunately I totally forgot about taking a picture until I had eaten most of it. The corn fritters came with a dollop of sweetened butter on it which I could have done without, but the ranch side was delicious.

The Big D headed straight for the pronto pups. I did have a bite even though I'm not supposed to eat anything hot dog-related. We did good last night. We didn't overeat. He had another pronto pup and an ear of corn. I found the wild rice burgers later in the evening, then ate half of an elephant ear with butter and powdered sugar. We shared a huge, large, mongo-sized fresh-squeezed lemonade. It was also very good.

Later we got a chance to sample the deep-fried pickles because some older couple joined us on a bench outside the food building. They chatted us up and shared their pickles. After they left, we kept commenting to each other about our surprise at how nice everyone was and settled on the idea that it was because we interacted with sober people. Each and every last time we've been to the Fair, we've drank and that means we generally hung in the area where the drinkers and the drunks (two separate categories) lounged.

Good thing we walked a lot because that was a lot of calories.

We should have stuck to the walking but I got it into my head that I wanted to try the new sky ride. I was a little tired after exploring the Fine Arts building and we wanted to head back to the grandstand so we decided to take the chair lifts. Big mistake! BIG, BIG mistake!!

I started to have a panic attack the second it lifted us off the ground. I got sweaty and light-headed and felt like I was going to pass out, then slide in-between the railing to the ground below. I gripped the Big D's arm and begged him to grasp onto me tight so that I didn't fall.

Looking at the chairs behind us wasn't so bad.



Even looking below wasn't that bad at all.



But looking to the side at the other chair and people just about did me in.



[Hey! Wait just one minute! I see in these pictures that there is noone on these dang chairs! That should have been our sign to stay the heck away!]

The Big D is a skier and so is used to chair lifts. Me? Not so much. He suggested I cross my legs at my ankles and after I did that, I felt one hell of a lot better. It was a long ride, too! And although all the signs said that the ride does not stop to let passengers on and off, it did stop several times while we were in the air. At one point I noticed that the Big D was saying hello to a woman in a chair coming by us to our right and I glanced over at her in time to hear her say "hello, my friend, I'm scared out of my mind!" So, see! I wasn't the only one terrified on this ride.

We should have just stuck to the sky ride. It's a bit higher but at least there is a floor to put our feet on.



The only good thing to come out of that ride was that it took us over the Scamp exhibit. And that was fun to see these cute little trailers. We're thinking about buying one for our trips to Utah and we found that the they are within our budget. Whoo-hoo! That made the scary chair lift ride worth the trouble. But we did have to walk back towards where we had come from. Oh well, the walking was good because it was on the ground.



So those are all the pictures I took. Yep. That's it. There was a beautiful full moon right next to the space needle thingy. But no shots. I was a little deflated with shooting after seeing the entries to the State Fair photo contest. I was surprised at how many of the shots were centered, rather than within the "rule of thirds" framework. But, I suppose, that just means that I should enter a picture next year! I think I will, so long as no one forces me to go on that dang chair lift ride again!

Starfish

I was thinking about making a baby quilt. I've done this with a friend for the babies of her two sisters. But those quilting memories are intimately connected to drinking beer. And since I can only partake in alcohol consumption in my dreams, I can't bear the thought of quilting right now. In my quest to find a baby project, I stumbled upon a book of toy knitting projects at a store in my neighborhood: Crafty Planet. I have to admit that I often feel like I'm not cool enough to shop at this store. But I do like my crafts, so I go in anyway.

My first project from this book was this starfish. I bought bamboo toy stuffing which is naturally anti-bacterial. I finished the project last Friday. And that night, and every night since, the Big D has fallen asleep on his big chair with his head on this toy/pillow. I have enough yarn for another one, so, now I'll work one for Baby. And, I'm sure Baby will like it because his Daddy likes it and I can't wait to see the two of them napping together on their pillows. So cute!

Next project: Knitted Teddy Bear.

Starfish

I was thinking about making a baby quilt. I've done this with a friend for the babies of her two sisters. But those quilting memories are intimately connected to drinking beer. And since I can only partake in alcohol consumption in my dreams, I can't bear the thought of quilting right now. In my quest to find a baby project, I stumbled upon a book of toy knitting projects at a store in my neighborhood: Crafty Planet. I have to admit that I often feel like I'm not cool enough to shop at this store. But I do like my crafts, so I go in anyway.

My first project from this book was this starfish. I bought bamboo toy stuffing which is naturally anti-bacterial. I finished the project last Friday. And that night, and every night since, the Big D has fallen asleep on his big chair with his head on this toy/pillow. I have enough yarn for another one, so, now I'll work one for Baby. And, I'm sure Baby will like it because his Daddy likes it and I can't wait to see the two of them napping together on their pillows. So cute!

Next project: Knitted Teddy Bear.

Craving Nutritious Food Again!

What a relief! I want my CSA, I love my CSA and I am so glad I hung on to it!

What a sad, sad summer. Most of my CSA produce went into the compost pile. What a waste of such good vegetables! What a terrible blow on our budget!

So, here's a pregnancy fantasy: Before I got pregnant, I was quite arrogant about the CSA. I was going to eat healthy. I had invested in healthy, locally-grown, organic food. I was accused of being "preachy" about my "organics" when I didn't want to talk about botox. I stood in shock when I heard a mother openly wonder when her four year old child would start eating vegetables. I was tongue-tied when another women asked me if my husband was willing to eat such things. I was dumbfounded when my mother-in-law fretted over all the sugar in those organic fruits and vegetables that would undoubtedly do damage to my diabetic husband.

When July hit and baby came in with a bang, I started to see the crazed nature of my fantasy of nutritious food. I couldn't stomach it. Salads made me wretch. Greens seemed to me to only exist in order to wilt. Beans? Ugh. Preparing this stuff? Forget about it. Give me a burger. Order take-out. Oh, god I want a hotdog. I actually ate a Big Mac for first time in over 7 years! I broke my seven-year Big Mac fast when I got pregnant. I went to Taco Bell and ordered three different burrito items in order to scope out what I would get on my next visit. I ate tons of popsicles in which the main ingredients were a list of chemicals. Fruit bars? Nope? I couldn't stomach them. And, ok, here's the worst of it because I chided a woman for feeding this to her children on a daily basis: Kraft mac-n-cheese. But, in my defense, I didn't eat it every day. I ate it always with broccoli AND I bought the whole grain stuff, but that was mostly because I didn't want to eat the pasta shaped like Scooby Doo or Sponge Bob. But, still it was whole grain. And who the heck is Sponge Bob?

Admitting this is a frightening thing for me. But then, not many people read here, so, what do I got to be afraid of?

I was astonished with my stomach, with my body. I felt betrayed. I saw the heavy hit on our budget. I had to leave the house when the Big D cooked up bacon for a simple BLT sandwich. I couldn't bear the thought of blogging when all that seemed good locally were fast food chains. I am so glad that I haven't eaten much fast food in my life, because I felt like I ate a lifetime's worth in the month of August.

Thankfully, things started to change. Slowly. But steadily. It all began with corn.




Then came the melons.




I still haven't made my way back to cauliflower. But it looks so lovely, doesn't it?




And then came yesterday. Yesterday! Oh my, what a lovely day. I made some baba ganoush!!! I tried it for the first time and the results did turn out better than store-bought. AND, the smell of the eggplant roasting did not drive me out of the neighborhood!




What a divine day. Now I have something healthy to snack on. AND, I spent more than 5 minutes in my kitchen!




Heck! The experience was so great I moved onto roasting a chicken! I roasted a chicken. It wasn't a pretty process. I mopped the floor in case I had any Julia Child-like mishaps and pulled out a whole stick of butter to soften. It turned out great. The only problem is that I, apparently, don't know what side the breast is on because I ended up cooking it breast-side down.

The free-range chicken cost me $9 and I figured we saved $20 in that meal alone because the last time I craved chicken we got take-out from Brasa. Tonight we will have big salads topped with chicken, and I might even have enough chicken left over for a pot pie. Three meals out of one chicken. I like that. My budget likes that!

Ahhh. It's good to be back to the land of living and good eating.

Today - a chicken broth with left over carcass. Did I really say that? Yes, ma'am, I said carcass and I don't even have to go puke!

Craving Nutritious Food Again!

What a relief! I want my CSA, I love my CSA and I am so glad I hung on to it!

What a sad, sad summer. Most of my CSA produce went into the compost pile. What a waste of such good vegetables! What a terrible blow on our budget!

So, here's a pregnancy fantasy: Before I got pregnant, I was quite arrogant about the CSA. I was going to eat healthy. I had invested in healthy, locally-grown, organic food. I was accused of being "preachy" about my "organics" when I didn't want to talk about botox. I stood in shock when I heard a mother openly wonder when her four year old child would start eating vegetables. I was tongue-tied when another women asked me if my husband was willing to eat such things. I was dumbfounded when my mother-in-law fretted over all the sugar in those organic fruits and vegetables that would undoubtedly do damage to my diabetic husband.

When July hit and baby came in with a bang, I started to see the crazed nature of my fantasy of nutritious food. I couldn't stomach it. Salads made me wretch. Greens seemed to me to only exist in order to wilt. Beans? Ugh. Preparing this stuff? Forget about it. Give me a burger. Order take-out. Oh, god I want a hotdog. I actually ate a Big Mac for first time in over 7 years! I broke my seven-year Big Mac fast when I got pregnant. I went to Taco Bell and ordered three different burrito items in order to scope out what I would get on my next visit. I ate tons of popsicles in which the main ingredients were a list of chemicals. Fruit bars? Nope? I couldn't stomach them. And, ok, here's the worst of it because I chided a woman for feeding this to her children on a daily basis: Kraft mac-n-cheese. But, in my defense, I didn't eat it every day. I ate it always with broccoli AND I bought the whole grain stuff, but that was mostly because I didn't want to eat the pasta shaped like Scooby Doo or Sponge Bob. But, still it was whole grain. And who the heck is Sponge Bob?

Admitting this is a frightening thing for me. But then, not many people read here, so, what do I got to be afraid of?

I was astonished with my stomach, with my body. I felt betrayed. I saw the heavy hit on our budget. I had to leave the house when the Big D cooked up bacon for a simple BLT sandwich. I couldn't bear the thought of blogging when all that seemed good locally were fast food chains. I am so glad that I haven't eaten much fast food in my life, because I felt like I ate a lifetime's worth in the month of August.

Thankfully, things started to change. Slowly. But steadily. It all began with corn.




Then came the melons.




I still haven't made my way back to cauliflower. But it looks so lovely, doesn't it?




And then came yesterday. Yesterday! Oh my, what a lovely day. I made some baba ganoush!!! I tried it for the first time and the results did turn out better than store-bought. AND, the smell of the eggplant roasting did not drive me out of the neighborhood!




What a divine day. Now I have something healthy to snack on. AND, I spent more than 5 minutes in my kitchen!




Heck! The experience was so great I moved onto roasting a chicken! I roasted a chicken. It wasn't a pretty process. I mopped the floor in case I had any Julia Child-like mishaps and pulled out a whole stick of butter to soften. It turned out great. The only problem is that I, apparently, don't know what side the breast is on because I ended up cooking it breast-side down.

The free-range chicken cost me $9 and I figured we saved $20 in that meal alone because the last time I craved chicken we got take-out from Brasa. Tonight we will have big salads topped with chicken, and I might even have enough chicken left over for a pot pie. Three meals out of one chicken. I like that. My budget likes that!

Ahhh. It's good to be back to the land of living and good eating.

Today - a chicken broth with left over carcass. Did I really say that? Yes, ma'am, I said carcass and I don't even have to go puke!

Weekend Fire

It's been three months since I featured a weekend fire. And that really represents how little we went to the Airstream retreat this summer. The summer is coming to an end and I am left wondering where it went. I spent the summer in a fog of morning sickness and I distinctly remember thinking how wonderful it was going to be to have summer done and over with. But now that it's here, I am sad for the end.

The August weekend fires always have corn in them. This is my favorite way of cooking up corn. The corn has a bit of the smokiness from the fire and I love the process of peeling away the steamy husks. I had a friend who grew up on a farm and she always watched with disgust as fellow campers cooked up corn this way, muttering that cooked worm looked the same as a cooked kernel. I try not to think about that and when I did this year, I told myself "oh well, baby needs the protein."