Need A Weekend Activity?

Pick dandelions

 

Run down a hill

 

Climb up a hill

 

Watch the clouds

 

Roll

 

Run

  

Collect pollen

 

Snuggle

Photos taken at Fishers Heritage Park at White River. 

Nap

And what does Zach do while Teagan sleeps? He moves!

That Fishin' Trip

It's been over a week and I suddenly realized that I never shared pics from Teagan's fishing adventure with Pop-pop! Here she is with cousin Andrew and her first catch! Catch #2. She caught 5 total- more than Andrew (he caught 2) and more than Pop-pop (he caught 2). She had a blast!

Here she is with her new fishing pole and Pop-pop.

The Indiana State Fair - Day Two

Day 2 was all about me, Christy, and later, Anne. No kids, no husband. Christy and I started out the way we traditionally do on this day of the Fair. It was Farmers' Day and it always starts with the Farmers' Day Pancake Breakfast. Proceeds benefit the FFA. The breakfast is pancakes, sausage links, and veal bacon. Coffee, juice, milk. And they set it all up outdoors on the Main Street area of the Fair. $3 donation (we traditionally give a few extra bucks since it's for a good cause). And the best part is that you then get to be there as the Fair wakes up.

Watching vendors set up their tents and booths, golf carts racing around to load up supplies, animals being moved here and there. We went and saw animals- sheep, looked for horses but the barns were empty (soon to be filled up with the show Belgians), pigs. We, of course, had to see the world's largest boar and pig and the prize winning litters. I don't care so much about the thousand pound porkers but I do love seeing the babies. The one litter had a special little friend for me. A piglet had come over to the side of the pen and I reached in and gave her a little scratch. She had been on all fours, actively rooting around in the wood chips. As soon as I started scratching on her, she goes down on her side and closes her little piggy eyes... zoned out. I stop scratching and she gets back up and starts rooting again. I scratch... she konks out. It was pretty funny!
We then head over to the Grand Hall. This space always has a different special exhibit every year. Last year, it was focused on Indiana athletics and it included a space to sit and watch the Olympics. This year, the exhibit was Indiana Space Travel. It was pretty cool and we had fun with the interactive exhibits. I also got info on a local organization that does a mini kind of space camp for kids starting in 5th grade.

We next took the tram/shuttle to the top of the Fairgrounds. On our way, we saw part of the Farmers' Day Parade that takes place on the track (the inner part of the fair grounds is a dirt racing track and an infield). A couple of years ago, we sat and watched the parade... but couldn't watch all of it as it got pretty boring and was seriously long. So we discovered that riding the tram at the right time takes you past the old tractors and machinery as they wait their turn to go- a much better option!

We looked at some of the displays in the 4H building. This is where the 4H kids display their poster projects, art projects, rockets, and more. Very impressive work. One thing that I thought was cool was an ink drawing of the lead singer of Coldplay. The artist, a high school student, did all of the rendering with the band's lyrics instead of with simple lines. It was really cool.

Next we stopped by the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) building. Kids enjoy this building because of the display of Indiana lake fish. I enjoy the gift shop- lots of unique Indiana made items. Just outside of the DNR building is Goat Mountain. We stopped and fed carrots to the goats- always a favorite thing to do. Next we headed over to the Taste of Indiana Farms. We discovered this about 2 years ago, I think, and it has quickly become one of our favorite things to do at the Fair. You go through a planned route in this auditorium and stop at each table and you can pick up recipes, learn about the product, and sample it. Watermelon, honey, popcorn, lamb, elk, soybeans, tomatos (salsa), cheese, wheat. And it is a free event! Free food at the Fair!!

Next up was the Celebrity Milking Contest. They take local news-radio-TV type celebrities and each takes a 60 second turn at milking a cow and the person who gets the most milk wins. I've never gone to it before but I have to admit that it was a lot of fun. Christy and I hung out afterwards so I could say hi to an old friend (Bobbi- she works for the fairgrounds) and to one of the contestants (Lou Harry- he writes an Arts and Entertainment blog for Indiana Business Journal). We chatted up the cow handler and patted the cow. She was apparently suffering an identity crisis since they kept announcing her as Duchess... but her name was actually Elsie. She was a very sweet cow. At this point, our friend Anne joined us and our next stop was bathrooms and then food!!

Pork burger for me, bbq pork sandwich for Anne. Then a swing past the place with good brewed sweet tea and yummy shish-ka-bobs (amazingly moist beef, onion, peppers, mushrooms). We headed over to the Pioneer Village Opry House. This is a large barn that used to house tractors and antiques and such. This year, it became an entertainment venue. There was apparently even an old fashioned barn dance there one Saturday night! We wanted to check out Chelsea House. "Celtic with a Kick." What we knew was that it was a group of teenagers and they played Celtic music. But it was so much more! Yes- the base description is accurate. It was a bunch of teens and they played Celtic music. And it had a kick! The energy of these young people was absolutely contagious. The audience space was packed full. They were supposed to play a 30 minute set and went for a solid hour. So much talent... such a unique experience for them. Had to buy a CD and was just so hopeful and warm and fuzzied from the experience! I found this video on YouTube. It isn't the best depiction of our experience... but I recognize some of the faces... you get the idea at least!!
BONUS POINTS TO CHRISTY! She found a video of the performance we saw at the Fair!!
We raced over to see the Peking Acrobats. HOLY COW! Unreal feats of contortion and strength and such. Spinning plates and balancing on each other (all these tiny little Chinese girls)... The pic above- after they put together this big thing of plexiglass and liquid filled glasses and she had it balanced on the bridge of her nose (and when it was over and dismantled and she took her bow- you could clearly see the impression from the weight of the objects), they assembled a little stage with a metal half circle rocking thing. She stepped up to the platform, onto the rocking thing, was handed 2 ladders that she held on either side of her, she stepped up so she was was then balanced in between these 2 ladders, on the rocking thing, on the platform on the stage. They tossed 2 long ribbons to her and she swished those around and then worked her way back down- all while balancing that stack of glasses and the hurrican lamp! The pic below... the guy has a girl on his shoulder. She is wearing pointe shoes and is en pointe, balanced on his shoulder!!! She then moved up and balanced, en pointe, on his HEAD. It was CRAZY! As soon as the show ended, the rain started. Huge down pour. We ran for a corn dog and then decided to just get wet. We walked over to the Pioneer Village barn- where you can see all kinds of antique equipment and appliances and there are kitchens set up and a general store and so on. We passed through to hear the dulcimers playing. Went to the DNR building for what should have been a cool thing about owls but was rather boring, in fact. So we grabbed the next tram and headed down to the south side of the fairgrounds again.

We went and saw the Belgians as they were being brought in... I apparently was wearing horse deterrent because they wanted nothing to do with me! It was kind funny. I finally found one horse who loved me for who I am and we bonded quite nicely. Until my allergies took hold and I had to rush to the bathroom to scrub my hands and arms and then head outdoors for non-barn air.

We hit the Dairy Bar and it was a bit of a fiasco. The Diary Bar is well known for being one of the best deals at the Fair. Grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese sticks, scooped ice cream, thick milkshakes, ice cold milk and chocolate milk. There are a variety of sandwiches to pick from and they are made ahead of time and kept in a warmer so it isn't like this is the best grilled cheese in the world. But because it is a Fair tradition... it's somehow better. Last year, they introduced a new sandwich- wheat bread and gouda. Oh how heavenly was this sandwich. And it was such a hit that they RAN OUT before the Fair ended!! Christy and I were looking forward to that sandwich this year. But when they hand us our sandwiches, the cheese is yellow. We ask about it and are told it is gouda. I've never seen gouda the color of cheddar cheese before. We push and are pretty told to screw off about it. We sit down and open up the sandwiches... definitely does not look, taste, or feel like gouda. It's colby. Christy and I "know" our cheeses. This was colby. Grrrrr...

One last stop for some corn (freshly shucked from a roasted cob and served in a cup) and a lemon shake up... and the end of my Fair had come. I needed to get home and get back into routine with my kids and be ready for work the next day.

All in all... a good Fair and I am still eager for next year!

The 2009 Indiana State Fair- Day One

I have to first say that I only went to the Fair 2 days this year. For some, it’s unbelievable that I could do all I wanted to do in just 2 days. For others, it’s hard to fathom ONLY going 2 days!

As of the trip yesterday, one of the friends I was with, Anne, had been there 4 times. Christy had been 3 times. Today is day 4 for Christy, day 5 for Anne if she comes along. 2 days is a little on the short side for me. I usually do 2 adult only days and 1 family day.

The short version- for those who think they have no interest in learning about all the Indiana State Fair has to offer- is that Christy and I spent the morning at the Fair on Tuesday. Jeff and kids joined us in the afternoon. Christy and I then spent the full day, Anne joining us later in the morning, there on Wednesday.

For those who want as much detail as I can remember… sit back and relax!

DAY ONE

We arrived on the Fairgrounds around 9:00, I think. We first headed to the Pepsi Coliseum to see some judging of the Clydesdales. We watched a few rounds of different aged horses. They were beautiful. Giant, gentle creatures. Hard workers. And such funny personalities as you watch them. One kept insisting, while waiting his turn to show off, that he wanted to nibble on the rope attached to his halter. It was also interesting to watch the humans who were showing these giant horses. They generally were in teams of 2. One had hold of the horse and would guide the horse out to be judged and run them back and forth. The other held the whip thingee. I can’t remember the name of it, dangit. But what we most enjoyed was seeing how that 2nd person handled that responsibility. For some, they never did anything with that device. We heard it crack once on the run into the coliseum- a young horse that wouldn’t stop tossing his head about. Other than that, mostly used visually. Some hung back a good distance from the horse and would waggle it to get their attention. Some kept close by, seemingly ready to pounce. We also learned that there is a National Clydesdale Queen. This year’s queen hails from Ohio. We observed these 4 guys- and if you looked at the photo album on Facebook, you already know about these guys- who had the unfortunate task of being the pooper scoopers. The thing that cracked me up was how they taunted each other with shovelfuls of horse poop… and that the buckets where they dumped the poop were located directly behind their chairs and didn’t have lids. Phew-eeee!!

From the Clydesdales, we headed over to the Clarian Healthy Lifestyles Pavilion. Here we got our blood pressure checked, cholesterol checked, blood sugar checked. I won’t get into it much because I don’t trust their readings… but I already know that I’ve got some work to do in the diet and exercise area and this really helped that sink in a little further. Christy got checked for mouth cancer. This doctor guy took her behind these little curtain divider things- but they were completely open in the front so it provided no actual confidentiality. So I got to watch as he poked and prodded around her mouth. She seems to be in the clear. Learned about a lot of health related resources offered through the Clarian medical groups in Indiana.

Next we hit the Expo Hall. I didn’t anticipate spending a lot of time here (and yet- we did) but I did want to find the booth selling the JR Watkins products. Next year, I will stick with buying the Watkins products from the Pioneer Village because I’d prefer to support the Pioneer Village. But I loooove the onion soup base. And I picked up the cream base to play with, too. I also found someone selling those little dip kits. A little pouch of seasoning that you mix in with a cup of sour cream and a cup of mayo. I picked up the Fiesta and the Veggie. There was also a divine key lime that you make with sour cream and cool whip or cream cheese… it was YUMMY. Bought 2 of those. We sampled fudge and met a woman with amazingly long hair that she braided and also pinned the braids into loops. Sat and watched part of one of those cooking demos- enjoyed a fresh, raw veggie salad for free. My big find in the Expo Hall was a group of Asian people doing massages. They had those funky massage chairs that you sit in and they have the little place to put your face. I had a 15 minute massage that went deep into my neck, shoulders, and back and even my arms, hands, fingers and a smidgen down my legs. I felt so good after that brief massage. I almost want to go back to the Fair just for that!

Something else cool that I’ve supported at the Fair are the Lactation Stations. Clarian has a Milk Bank where people can donate breastmilk. Clarian has also set up tents around the Fairgrounds- it started with just one a few years back and has now grown to 4 locations- where nursing moms can comfortably nurse their babies, change diapers, cool off. Rocking chairs, bottled water, changing stations. And oodles of info about the benefits of breastfeeding and about the support services provided by Clarian. And what I really like is that if a mom wants privacy, she can have it. But the tents are mostly set up in such a fashion that the nursing mom doesn’t have to hide and can (and, IMO, should) be seen. Upping the normalcy factor of breastfeeding.

After the Expo Hall, we did our first food run. We happened to be there on a special and new event day… $2 Tuesday. It was a $2 Taste of the State Fair event. Vendors could offer a smaller portion of an item for $2. And a smaller portion of a Fair food is still a good sized portion! We shared a gyro, fried veggie combo (broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom, onion, zucchini in tempura), and each got a fruit slushie (that was made with actual fruit). Also tried the $2 portion of tomato balls- kind of like a hush puppy but with a cheesy, marinara-y-ness to it and a yogurt dipping sauce. Sounded weird but tasted so good!! And we never would have tried it if wasn't $2!!

Headed up to the Our Land Pavilion. Enjoyed seeing the Cheese Sculpture. And was really impressed with the sand sculpture. Spent some time visiting with the weavers… watched a woman take wool and turn it into yarn. Watched a woman working the loom where they are knitting, throughout the Fair, this huge roll of woven fabric that will be cut into scarves and donated to a homeless shelter. They select a different shelter every year. Way cool. Also learned about using a gourd to weave and Christy and I each had friendship yarn bracelets made for us- as we listened to a great little yarn about friendship!

Next, we hit the Dairy Bar for a glass of chocolate milk and then waited for my family to arrive. Jeff arrived with the kids and Teagan immediately wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel. I hadn’t anticipated that at all! I figured we’d avoid seeing the Midway and just head up to the kid area but she already had her mind set on that Ferris Wheel! Christy and I rode with her. She loved it!

We then walked through the Ag/Hort building. Christy, Teagan and I each got a cold glass of tomato juice. Teagan didn’t like it so I got to have hers, too. I like to doctor mine up with all they offer- Worcester sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper, celery salt. Yum! Love the zing from the few drops of Tabasco!! Christy and Teagan learned about bee hives and honey and a bee man spent a good few minutes showing Teagan a fake beekeeper hive set up that shows how the production process works. Next, we toured the canned food structures. Teams built the structures on 8/7 and were judged on 8/8. There was a ferris wheel, a pagoda, a hippo from the children’s classic game “Hungry, Hungry Hippos,” and Jeff’s favorite "Can-ship Enterprise." Altogether, I think there were 6 or 7 structures? Weight of the total cans used ranged anywhere from 1000 to 5000+ pounds. And all those canned and boxed goods will be donated to Gleaner’s Food Bank at the end of the Fair!

At this point, Teagan is begging and begging for food. We stop for some roasted corn on the cob and she and Zach gobble it up. But she’s craving a corn dog and won’t stop until she gets one! We get juice slushies- that’s nice but she wants a corn dog. We visit the goats and even feed them carrot slices- which she enjoys but she wants a corn dog. We stop so I can buy my Mudflap Jones seasoning and I get each kid a hard candy stick- enjoyed and nice but she wants a corn dog! So we stop and get corn dogs and she relaxes on the side of the road in the shade… and chows down on the corn dog. She never even stopped to ask for ketchup!

We stopped in Crane Builders because Jeff and Christy were interested in learning more about concrete home construction. The structure was air conditioned, had a place for me to sit, and had a chalk board painted wall and all kinds of colorful chalk. The kids had a blast and they loved the little plastic construction hats the sales guy gave them.

Finally, we headed into Pioneer Village. Went directly to the Coppersmith to get our order placed for the kids’ copper cookie cutter hand prints that we have done for my mom every year. Christy and Teagan spent some time visiting the Potter as he made a vase of some sort on his wheel.

And that brought Day One to a close for my clan. Christy and Anne stayed for a while longer. Jeff and Zach went to get ribeye sandwiches and Teagan and I went to catch the tram (large tractor that pulls these bench things around to get you from one side of the Fair to the other). As Teagan and I were walking to the car, we passed the Indiana State Fair Queen. Teagan noticed her large tiara and sash... I told her that the young woman was the Indiana State Fair Queen and Teagan responded, with eyes wide and smile big, "Wooow! I bet she knows EVERYTHING about the State Fair!"

Tomorrow… our Day Two adventures!

State Fair Pics

Please pardon my laziness... but please also go enjoy my pics from today's fun day at the Indiana State Fair! State Fair Pics State Fair- Last Day

Fishing

Teagan is all ready for Pop-pop to show up and take her fishing!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Road Trippin'

This past weekend, I took a road trip with my mom and kids. Jeff had projects to get done for True Dungeon (that gaming convention thingee he's off doing this weekend) so he wouldn't have been much fun anyway. He also had projects to do around the house but that list is never ending so I suppose I shouldn't have had any expectations. We went to Chicago to visit my mom's family. My mom has 4 siblings. All of the sisters were coming to Chicago for the weekend. My Aunt Kathy flew in from San Francisco. My Aunt Martha drove up from Lexington. And my mom and I came from Cincinnati and Indianapolis. My uncle was not able to attend- his son was getting married this past weekend out in CA (Congrats to Jason and Maria!!). But through a series of some work and some coincidence, the sisters were able to get together. My Aunt Liz lives in Chicago and so do my grandparents. This is my grandma. She is the source of many happy memories for me. She did a lot to make me feel special when I was growing up. Some of my best memories are due to my having the opportunity to spend a week or so with her and my grandpa every summer in Elizabethtown, KY. My grandpa (pic also below) was a Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor of a church there. My grandpa tends to be more of the reserved, quiet, stoic type. He loves his family fiercely. I'm not sure I can pinpoint how I know that he loves me. But I know he does. This is my Aunt Kathy. She and her husband, Galen, live in SanFran. As a teen, I got to go out and spend a summer with them one year. It was AWESOME. I worked in their dental office (they are both dentists) and had oodles of free time to roam the city. And roam the city I did! Kathy is quiet, smart, funny, witty, kind. She's one of my favorite people. I wish we were closer but the distance makes it tricky. More to come on my great joy this trip involving Aunt Kathy.

Aunt Martha. I've gotten closer and closer to my Aunt Martha over the past few years. She lives in Lexington, KY with her husband, Jesse. They have a farm and some horses. She comes up to my mom's for holidays, Jesse is able to join her a couple times each year. She is bubbly but not in a flighty cheerleader way. Just upbeat and positive and overflowing with this energy. When I was a child, she gave me this denim purse that had a picture of a horse on one side- I treasured it for years. She also once gave me this little gold pendant of 2 horses running together. I still have it and I love it.

Here's Kathy and Martha with my grandma, their mom.

Martha, my mom, and my Aunt Liz... all only have eyes for Zach, of course!

My mom...

My Aunt Kathy spent some special time with my daughter. Kathy isn't a mom and doesn't spend a lot of time with kids. So to see her with such patience and care and calm with my daughter... it really touched my heart. Once Kathy realized that Teagan loves to be in the kitchen and that Teagan has experience in the kitchen, they were quite the partnership. These pics show them working together to hand brush olive oil on sliced up yellow squash and then sprinkle it with kosher salt.

We were staying at my Aunt Liz's house. She and my Uncle Chuck are both doctors- she an ER doc, he a colon and rectal surgeon (retired). So it is a big house. They have 2 grown boys. Michael is in the Army and Stephen is at Purdue but will soon be joining the Navy SEALS. I didn't get enough pictures, apparently, because I don't have many with them. I spent a summer nannying for them when Michael was just a year old. My mom would come to visit almost every weekend. I mostly remember that my TV watching was majorly restricted, my uncle got me hooked on Stephen King, and I spent time at the mall.

But this big, beautiful, roomy house also has incredible grounds. The summer that I nannied was the summer they started building and I used to go with my aunt to the property to help water the newly planted trees prior to building starting. My kids had a great time enjoying the fruits of that labor so many years ago. The back yard is overflowing with flowers and wide open spaces. There is a giant vegetable garden. It used to be cared for primarily by my grandpa but has since become the responsibility of my aunt. Our dinner that night primarily came from that garden- green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

With all the vegetation, there has to be a good amount of wildlife. There are all kinds of homemade contraptions in the garden- that is also fenced in- to ward off birds and bunnies and such. We still managed to find this very unscared little bunny. We assumed that maybe she was nearby her kids or something? But she hung out in front of the house, munching on clover, never concerned if we came right up to her. If you got closer than... a foot, she would semi-move away. But only went running away if you came running at her. Which my kids did, with the encouragement of my mom. They spent 20 solid minutes chasing the bunny all around the house. And for the rest of the night and first thing the next morning, all Zach wanted was "Bun-ny!"

And if you made it this far... after that LOOOOOng post... here's a funny picture I happened to capture that desperately needs a caption! Give it your best shot!