Texas State Fair!

Ed and Donna and the kids and Ken and I all piled into Ed's van and headed to the State Fair of Texas this afternoon. We had some unexpected excitement on the freeway on the way: a multi-car accident happened practically right in front of us. Ed steered us to safety and called 911. There were car parts in the roadway, but all the people were apparently okay.

When we got to the Fair we looked over the map and schedule while Sam and Jesse played on an exhibit designed to test coordination. They had fun.

Of course we had to see Big Tex. His mouth moves as he makes announcements in a very deep voice. We all had hats on--it was a hot sunny day. Donna became known as the Blue Hat Lady. Her hat helped us locate her in the crowds.

One of the shows we watched was the Zu Zu African Acrobats. They perform traditional Kenyan acrobatic skills set to high energy beats.

Ed and Cate went out in a Swan paddle boat; Donna and the boys chose the Duck. Ed and Donna agreed it was hard work pedaling! We sat in the shade and watched.

Cate posed as the "I" in BIG Texas, sponsored by Fletcher's Corny Dogs, celebrating 75 years at the Fair. Ken and I had Fletcher's Corny Dogs. The cornmeal crust is definitely crunchy--different from any corn dog I've ever had. They deserve their reputation. We had some other fair food too, like a funnel cake and sausage on a stick and a Texas size smoked turkey leg, but no deep fried Oreos or other outlandish concoctions.

Jesse really enjoyed his "work" at Little Hands on the Farm. He got to pick crops, collect eggs, feed animals, collect wool from sheep, and drive a tractor. (No live animals or crops were harmed in the process.) At the end he earned a State Fair Buck for his work and got to pick a treat.

The boys went on the Bumper Cars. The kids all went in the Monkey Maze, Cate mainly to keep tabs on Jesse. As the evening wound down, we all took the Texas SkyWay aerial tram back to the main entrance, where we watched the Illumination Sensation. It incorporated fountains and lights and fireworks and acrobatic dancers, all to high energy pop music.

By then everyone was tired and glad to head back to the van for the ride home. An unfortunate side note: I managed to leave my stainless steel insulated Contigo water bottle behind somewhere. I mostly keep it clipped to my fanny pack except when I'm drinking, but I must have set it down somewhere.