In my previous post I introduced the reader to the North Idaho State Fair and shared pictures of some of the things I viewed during my two visits there. This is a continuation of my fair adventures.
The entries in the baked goods department were mouth-watering! This tray of fair-themed cookies won a special prize. I have entered cookies in the fair in the past, but never a pie. I can't bear to waste a perfectly good pie that way. I'd rather just serve it to my family.
I am always amazed and impressed by the creative craft entries. The birdhouses above and below are very different from each other, yet both are wonderful projects.
Years ago, my son used to enter Lego creations in the fair. It was a very popular department for a long time, but now there aren't as many Lego entries as before. This one was very impressive.
I've been growing flowers and/or vegetables for at least 50 years, so I can really appreciate the displays of those items.
Let's go back to the animal barns! The draft horses are so huge! They were all Belgians or Percherons or a cross between the two.
The second day I was at the fair, one of the draft horse owners was there with her little girl, about two years old. That tiny little girl was sitting happily on the back of one of those gigantic horses, jabbering and gesturing cheerfully. She was obviously accustomed to that perch, and the horse had no issues with her sitting there. Her hair was askew, her face was dirty, and she was enjoying life.
A placard above the pen informed me this goat's name is Goldilocks, and its breed is Kinder. I had never heard of that particular breed before.
There's something about a big, fat, pink pig! These two look striped but that's because of shadows from their pen. It was very warm in the barns, but huge fans were running, and the owners of the animals were diligent about keeping fresh water in the pens.
Speaking of bovines, I happened to be at the fair at the right time to watch @generikat's daughter show her 4H steer. Such an impressive animal! And a very hard-working and capable young lady.You should hop over to @generikat's page and read her own tales from the fair. As a 4H parent, her experience there was quite different from mine.
I happened to be standing in a spot that afforded an excellent rear view of the steers. Oh well! I believe my young friend and her steer are at the front of this lineup.
These two shiny cars were showing off the work of a company that wraps cars. But please take a good look at the sky! Above the purple car, looking to the northwest, is a combination of blue sky and clouds. Above the red car, looking to the northeast, the sky looks rather ominous.
It was late in the afternoon by then, and we could hear rumbles of distant thunder as we walked back to our car. As we drove north, we drove into light rain, and then very heavy rain, and hail. We could see lightning, too, but the rain was pounding so loudly on the roof of the car, we couldn't hear most of the thunder. I pulled over twice to wait until the weather settled down a little, but it was coming in waves and would soon start up again. It went on for quite some time after I finally got home. I prefer to watch a thunderstorm from the comfort of my covered deck, rather than while peering through a rain-streaked windshield while my car swims in the sudden collection of water on the pavement.
And that ends my fair tales for the year. I hope you've enjoyed the armchair tour of the North Idaho State Fair.