Street Fest VI: Niko Goes to the Fair

 

This morning Travalon and I met Jilly Moose for coffee at Jiffy Lube, and we sat for quite a while in the shady outdoor seating. It was so lovely. I said I would like to go to the fair to see the animals, and Jilly Moose said she would like to go too, so we all headed to the fair. To our pleasant surprise, parking was free, since it's never free at the Expo Center. However, they only took cash for the entry fee, so we had to go to their cash machine with a $3 fee. They'll get you somehow...

The first barn we went to was the horse barn. There sure were some beautiful horses.

This is a miniature horse named Mariah, which is also my diary's name.

Next we went to the barn with the cows, sheep, goats, and small animals.

This is Shaun the Sheep! Just like the TV show!

These goats were very friendly.

This rabbit looks a bit like my good old Charlie.

These two were so cute!

This guinea pig looks like one I had in college named Phoebe.

I love the chickens, especially the fluffy ones.

The fancy chickens all had names (like Tax Evasion, I'm Stupid, and I'm With Stupid), and they seemed friendly and curious. The plain white chickens called "broilers" seemed less engaged, and Travalon said it was like they were sad because they knew their fate. I wonder if the kids raising them interact with them less, so they are less used to people. It does make you pause before eating chicken, but as you'll find out, not for long.

There were also geese and ducks.

There were a number of turkeys, mostly white ones that were as uninterested in people as the plain white chickens, but there was a big brown tom named Jimmie who looked up at me with his beady dinosaur eyes and talked to me. I sure hope they keep Jimmie for breeding, because he had a first-place ribbon and I felt a real connection to him, but who knows what his fate will be come Thanksgiving?

There was a petting zoo with miniature donkeys, baby chicks, and a week-old calf named Valentine.

After that we went to the pig barn. The pigs weren't too exciting, since they were all asleep. Travalon hoped we would see baby pigs, but those were at the petting zoo and he didn't take pictures of them there. This pig is named Snoop Dog.

This pig is named Blackhead.

Then we went to the Arts and Crafts exhibit. On the way in we got free cooler bags and portable fans from a TV station. Some of the crafts were pretty amazing. They made me think of Ma Hat, who can sew or knit anything, like cuddly rosaries - she came up with that design herself. I'll bet she could crochet something as adorable as this sweet triceratops with strawberries for horns.

I love the amazing decorated cakes.

Check out these cupcakes that look like little pies!

And cookies with fishing scenes on them!

I don't know why this mug only got a second-place ribbon. I think it's amazing!

And this cat is really well executed. I think it's made out of papier mache.

I really like the fair, because it is a way to acclaim the accomplishments of the (mainly, but not only, female) teenagers who do these things. Whether they are raising animals or decorating cakes, they are getting noticed for their talents. I approve!

After that we went to get some late lunch. There was no sign of the cart selling the platonic ideal of a pretzel, but Travalon and I were overjoyed to see the West African food cart, so he got peanut chicken and I got chicken yassa, and we split a baobab shake. I also had a cream puff, because the only time I eat them is at the fair. Jilly Moose tried a baobab shake too, and she liked it. It sprinkled a bit, so we decided it was a good time to pack it in, but I mentioned that the fair is just off John Nolan Drive, so we could potentially do Street Fest. (And how fitting, it was Street Fest VI when I had Niko with me, and the old woodcutting of the heart with the eye was Number VI, "Illuminor.") Travalon said he couldn't eat another bite, but I said there was plenty to do for Street Fest that didn't involve eating. After all, at festivals people eat, drink, and buy random stuff, so why not go to places selling random stuff?

Our first stop was Meep Meepleton's shop full of old toys on Willy Street. I got a stuffed bowl of ramen and a cat that looked like it would glow under blacklight, and Travalon got a Snuffy Smith mug. I also got a squishy dinosaur paint kit, so I will paint that and post it as my version of the Blog Monster.

So the cat does glow under blacklight!

Our next stop was A Room of One's Own Bookstore on Atwood Avenue. Travalon got an atlas of "dark destinations," like battle sites and tragedies, and I got The Prophet by Khalil Gibran and a book on the search for Paradise by Pico Iyer. We had to go way out of the way to get to Monona Drive because of road construction, and then the antiques shop there had moved, but we found a fun shop selling all sorts of random stuff. I got Rubik's Cube earrings, and Travalon got this journal, pictured with The Prophet:

If you can't read it, it says: "I'm back from the weekend with a fresh, renewed hatred for my job." They had other sassy journals there too. Jilly Moose bought some delicious-smelling soap at that shop.

Travalon and I went home and rested for a bit, then we headed to the health club to swim. We were in the outdoor pool for about half an hour when the father and son who were the only others in there suddenly bolted out of the pool, and we realized the wind had picked up and the sky had darkened. We hurried out of there ourselves, and after we had showered and gotten ready to go, we came out of the locker rooms to find a violent storm in progress. We sat on the cushy chairs in front of a big-screen TV, which was not working because the weather had knocked out the satellite service, and we waited until the storm had calmed down to a steady rain before heading home. If we get one more good rain, Travalon is hopeful we can finally get our boat off the lift. We just need the level of the river to rise a bit.

I had three calla lily plants: one that bloomed black, one that bloomed white, and one that bloomed orange. This year they were slow to come up, but finally the black one did, so I set it outside, and now it's got a blossom! The white one came up soon after, so I set it outside, and it is getting quite a few leaves but hasn't bloomed yet. There is no sign of life from the orange one, so sadly I think that one is dead. Still, I'm excited that at least one bloomed this year. I'll try to take a photo soon.

Famous Hat