Yesterday Rebekah and I decided to take the day off from the routine (even though our lives are not even vaguely close to routine or run of the mill), and we headed into Raleigh for a classic day off at the North Carolina State Fair.
Out of the expected fare (that’s fair fare) of:
- deep-fried-everything,
- crowds,
- rides,
- livestock,
- shows,
- fair-food,
- crafts,
- flowers,
- noise,
- carnies,
- farm equipment,
- heritage exhibits,
- and prize vegetables….
…we enjoyed a little of everything with the exception of the rides. Unless you count the bus from North Raleigh that delivered us to the front gate and made parking a breeze.
SLICE OF LIFE: “You have to go to the fair,” people were telling us, “because it gives you a great look at our beautiful state all in one place.” And they were right. Monday at the fairgrounds was pretty much North-Carolina-on-a-stick.
It didn’t hurt that the weather was clear, cool, and absolutely perfect. Just take a look at the sky and you’ll understand where the expression, “North Carolina Blue” comes from.
FUN: We enjoyed every detail of the entire day, but (other than the pulled-pork BBQ sandwich plate and the deep-fried corn-dog) one of my absolute favorites was watching a “showmanship” competition in the livestock shed that featured the “under-eight” category of children showing goats.
We sat in the stands for a good 45-minutes watching groups of small children attempting to get goats to cooperate. One of the best moments came when one loudly bleating goat gave his boy a swift butt in the rear end before making a break for it. The boy – all of six – took off running and tackled his goat at full stretch. When the dust settled the kid had the goat in a headlock. He didn’t win the competition, but he earned the loudest and most sustained applause.
TOGETHER: The biggest plus of our fair-day Monday was simply hanging out together, free of responsibility, with a little cash in our pockets and no agenda other than holding hands and having fun.
You should try it sometime. Recharge often turns out to be the most neglected aspect of the ongoing experience of living this Life-Charged Life.
So I’ll leave you with that, plus some great pictures from the fair. Captions included. Peace – DEREK
In my other life, once upon a time, I had a couple of carnies working for me. One day the question came up about what an out of work ( or perhaps even working ) carnival person ate. The answer was something that has stuck with me for all times: A loaf of bread, a round of red (bologna) and a Bermuda onion. It was a hard life back then, probably still is today. Earl
Yikes! Best story I’ve read recently that gives insight on the life is “Water for Elephants.” The book, not the movie. I recommend it.
Peace – DEREK