Absence makes the heart grow fonder? (The Great MN Get-Together)

Internet, 

I've woefully neglected you in this space for the last month.  I've started writing several posts, only to get through one sentence and then be interrupted or stumped as to where to start...And as we all know, I'd rather be living life than writing about wanting one.  Yes?  Yes.  

So, let's talk about something that gets people together: the great Minnesota get-together.  (Also known as the Minnesota State Fair, running through Labor Day.)  

Let me tell you, Internet, I really do believe this is the great Minnesota get-together.  I talked to more random people today about all sorts of topics, and it's this weird sort of comaraderie that you don't get anywhere else.  It's great fun and rather entertaining.  And on top of that, every year (with last year as an exception when I ran into NO ONE I know) I run into everyone I've ever met in my life.  This year I ran into people I grew up with, people I saw last week, people I work with, people I haven't seen in years, people from pretty much every aspect of my life.  It was kind of ridiculous, but very fun.  

Anyhoo, this year was probably a record for amount of time spent there: nearly 12 hours.  It doesn't sound so ridiculous when you realize we took in many different kinds of food and entertainment, and then walked everywhere in between.  I'm tired and needed a shower afterwards (whether from the sunscreen, the dirt, or the grease is anyone's guess), but it was worth it.  Here's a brief snapshot (with snapshots!) of my day.  

A Small Photographic Selection of Fair Foods Sampled*

(In other words, I gave up trying to take pictures of food because I was too busy eating it.)

9am: We're still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Pipin' Hot Fresh Cheese Curds: The breakfast of champions (part of this complete breakfast when eaten with cinnamon roll, above).

Bacon Ice Cream: It is as fantastic as you'd think.  (Or if you don't think bacon is  delicious, then let's say as fantastic as I'd think.  And I think it's great.  Maple ice cream, crispy bacon.  Delish.  Best new food at the fair this year.)

*Not pictured: fried pickles, peach fruit smoothie, strawberry-rhubarb malt, pronto pup, spaghetti on a stick, Sweet Martha's cookies (I must've eaten a dozen...warm, gooey, straight-outta-the-oven chocolate chip cookies), and much more.

Also, sadly: for the first time in probably decades, I left the fair without eating or purchasing any cotton candy.  A travesty, but since I'd just eaten a dozen cookies and a malt, and had walked around for more hours than I could even remember at that point, I was too tired to find it even in a to-go bag.  The end of an era.

Animals

Aw, see?  Aren't they cute when they're just born?  But then they grow into this:

Let's move back to cute little baby animals, shall we?  Aw, look at the goat.

These little guys were hiding from all of the kids (the other kind - the human kids) with the sticky hands who wanted to pet them.  (Their brethren also hid beneath a very small playskool-sized plastic picnic bench.  Maybe they just like plastic.)

I'd say that the only time of year I care about watching horses and horse judging is during the state fair, but that's just not true this year: I will confess to having watched some horses compete during the Olympics.

The winner of some category I didn't understand.  But it's a good thing I'm an expert eavesdropper, as the lady sitting in front of us was very informative.  

 Art

I saw some art.  OK, a lot of it.  This was in the seniors center.  I've never been in there before, but today we went to a) listen to an old-time radio production, and b) plan for our future.

c)  If anyone cares, I think my dad should start entering his woodwork objets d'art in the fair.  He'd blow away the competition.

"Piano Man"
Combining art and music (he's made out of old piano parts...aren't those hammers cool?) in the fine arts building.

Entertainment 

We stopped and watched so many entertaining things: this accordion band, an old-time radio show production in the seniors center, a marionette show for small children in the kids area (we do not discriminate based on age, obviously), Chinese dancers, the horse show, trampoliners.  You name it, I'm pretty sure we saw it.  

All in all, Internet, it was a great day.  And now I'm exhausted, so it's off to bed for me.  G'night and g'bye until next year (the fair...I hope to blog again before 2013)!