State Fair 2013, take II...

Trevor needed one last corny dog, and I thought Banner might like to see the Chinese lanterns.  So we packed up the car on Saturday after naptime, and headed to Fair Park. 

Apparently, we weren't the only ones eager to enjoy one last fair day.  The park was super packed, and the VIP lot that I normally park in was way over capacity.  Luckily, I had made friends with the parking attendant, and she told me about a "secret spot".  To everyone else, it looked like a cedar tree.  But in reality, it was just big enough for a car.  You just had to trust the attendant and drive into the branches to the left with faith that your front bumper wasn't about to meet a tree trunk or anything solid. 

And in case you are curious:  my car didn't even get scratched.  I did, however, manage to get bits of cedar tree in my underwear.  I don't even pretend to understand how that was possible.

The weather on Saturday was absolutely beautiful.  The sun was bright and warm, but it was still cool enough to warrant a sweatshirt or light jacket - especially in the shade.  It almost felt like fall.

Having seen most of the Midway with the Vogts and Drinkwines a couple of weeks before, Trevor and I decided to visit a less frequented part of the park this time around.  I had been hearing about how good the tamales and beer were over at Texas Discovery Gardens since the fair began, so we made a beeline over in that direction to check it out.  With admission to the gardens, you got access to not only the butterfly house, but a snake exhibit and a variety of not-fried yumminess and local brew on tap.  It was a little pricey, but what about a trip to the fair isn't? 

Banner and I split one vegan and one shredded chicken tamale, while Trevor had a chicken pesto wrap.  Very yum.

After dinner, we took Banner out on the grounds to run around.  It was nice to have a break from the fair crowds for a bit.  He hissed at the snakes, tromped through the gardens and marveled at the fountains of "wa-wa".  He even enjoyed the butterfly house (although many of the butterflies had gone "night-night" by the time we finally got in there). 

The best part, from Banner's perspective at least, was the fact that he got a sticker.  Granted, it was just an admissions sticker, but the little tyke has be OBSESSED with "stick-as" for awhile now.  His favorite part was sticking and unsticking said sticker.  It never got old.  He had it on his nose for at least five minutes.  The kid cracks me up.  He is a sticker maniac.  He accidentally dropped it at one point and was all, "stick-a, stick-a....NOOOOooooo!"

It is nice he found something he liked, because - otherwise - Banner does not seem to be a big fan of the State Fair.  He won't eat any of the fried food, and just stares at the throngs of people, noises and attractions. 

Don't believe me?  Here is a recap of photos from the 2013 State Fair.

Banner's reaction to his first ride:

The spinning bears:

The midway:

The automobile show:

And, finally, having his picture made with the new Big Tex:

Banner is not amused by the State Fair of Texas.

Sigh.  Maybe next year.

Although, to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about Big Tex 2.0.  I only heard him speak ONCE, and he was doing an advertisement for mattresses in the Centennial Building.  It didn't seem right.  Whatever happened to "Howdy, Folks"?

Also, has Big Tex always been neck-less?

Once it got dark, we headed to the lagoon to see Chinese lantern exhibit.  We went LAST YEAR but the exhibit was completely redone for this fall.  It is definitely a sight to behold.  Banner LOVED roaring at the dragons. 



Made entirely of porcelain.

I also think he would have enjoyed watching the acrobats, but people are a$$hats sometimes.  We arrived early and sat on the grass.  But when the performance began, these people came out of nowhere and stood right in front of us.  No one could see behind them, and there was much muttering about "some people" around us.  I was tempted to say something or ask them to sit down, but more and more people followed their lead and walked up to stand next to them.  I guess since they arrived late, they figured blocking the view for 2/3rds of the audience was completely appropriate and justified. 

(Grumble)

It was going on 8 PM, though, and Banner was rubbing his eyes.  We cut our losses and headed back out on the grounds.

After a stop at Fletcher's for that last Bird Dog (which Trevor and I split), we swung by the Embarcadero to take a gander at this year's butter sculpture. 

Much like the new Big Tex, I don't know how I felt about it.  Part of me was like, "Awww, Big Tex" and the other was like, "Huh.  Well, that's a little creepy". 

After that, it was back to the car.  Both Trevor and I assumed liberating the Envoy from the cedar tree would be complicated (especially since we had been partially parked in by a white pickup), but we were out of there in no time.  And Banner?  He was passed out before he drove out of the gate.

It was good afternoon.

Until next year!

Philary returns to Dallas...

Phil and Hilary made their annual pilgrimage to Dallas for the State Fair.  They actually missed the fair the last couple of years because of Anni's wedding in January 2012.  So it was nice to get back to business as usual.  It just doesn't feel like fair time without the Vogts.

Banner welcomed Hil and Phil on Saturday morning by collapsing to the floor and staring at them suspiciously EVERY time they walked into the room or addressed him specifically by name.  It was all very weird (and funny).   This kid is nothing but cautious around strangers:

And you are?

To be fair, I had asked Hilary to hold him briefly the night before.  The little guy had stayed home with his favorite sitter while we had picked the Vogts up from the airport and grabbed dinner (and margaritas!) at Matt's.  We got home around 11, and found Banner completely passed out on the couch next to Molly (who was watching a movie).  While Trevor saw the sitter safely to her car, I transported the Ban-Man back to the nursery, checked his diaper and was about to tuck him in his crib for the night when I discovered that I couldn't find his sleep sack in the dark.  Hilary was in the adjoining guest room, and I whispered for her to come hold Banner for a second while I found it.  She happily complied, but Banner chose THAT moment to wake up and look around.  And, of course, the first thing his sees is some strange lady holding him.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is stuff nightmares are made out of.  Poor baby.

(And poor Hilary.  She was just trying to help!)

I'm sure Banner's bizarre "collapse and stare" behavior every time he saw Hilary the following morning was a direct result of the previous night. After all, Hilary was "that strange lady" from his really, really bad dream Friday night.  Who wouldn't drop and stare?!

A cold front moved through the metroplex Saturday morning.  It rained a little as it passed, but the real story was the temperature.  The high on Friday had been in the 90s.  On Saturday, he high was 82...but that was recorded before the front arrived mid morning (around 10 AM).  It was all down hill after that, which meant a blustery overcast 60 degree afternoon. 

(And, yes, I realize that 60 degrees isn't all that chilly.  But it was a thirty degree difference from the day before.  Obviously, sweatshirts and jackets were in order.)

(Also, Hil and Phil are from Maryland.  Which isn't the coldest place on earth, but - unlike Texas - Maryland has seasons.  I feel completely justified calling 60 degrees "chilly" since Hilary was all bundled up in a sweatshirt and my brother's Sewanee fire department windbreaker.)

Because of the drizzle, the fairgrounds were not as jam packed as they normally are on an early weekend afternoon.  Granted, it got steadily more crowded as the afternoon wore on (the Grambling/Prairie View game was that evening), but we were able to enjoy the fair without having to wait in long lines for most of our visit.

Everyone got their corny dog (bird dog for me!) upon arrival, and then the hunt was on for fried weirdness.  Off the top of my head, I saw different members of the group try/eat the following:

• Funnel cake (Tyler)
• Fried cheese (Phil)
• Fried pizza (Trev and Spence)
• Fried mac and cheese (Anni and Hilary)
  
  
• Cotton candy (Tyler)
• Fried thanksgiving dinner (Trev)
  
  

I only had a small taste of the fried pizza (there was pepperoni), and a couple of bites of the fried mac and cheese.  I was looking forward to tasting the fried Thanksgiving dinner, but I kept getting lost every time I ran to my office to change Banner's diaper.

Note:  I'd like to believe that the twice flooded on floor of my office is 100% cleaner than any public fair restroom.  Trevor completely supported this theory since it also meant that all diaper changes during museum hours were my job.

(Unrelated to the weekend being discussed, but related in terms of fried fair food:  I feel the need to mention that I made my former intern try the fried spaghetti and meatballs and the bacon cheese burger between two Crispy Crème donuts this year.  Kaitlin runs marathons, though, so she can handle the calories.  And, yes, this is the same former intern that has worked at the museum on and off for four years that has willingly consumed a variety of fried food nastiness for me every fair since 2010 - from fried gum to fried butter to fried sugar cubes.  It is a game that I willingly sponsor, because there is no way I'd ever try half the stuff she so happily consumes.)

My favorite part of the fair this fall (other than being with so many of my friends, of course) was watching Banner take it all in.  He was only 9 months old when he came last year, and was more or less confined to his stroller.  This year, however, he old enough to try different things (even though he wasn't interested in putting anything fried in his mouth...not even a corny dog); including his first amusement park ride!

Of course, Banner met the fair with all its noises, smells and flashing lights the same way he meets strangers - with a hefty dose of caution and speculation.  It is impossible to know if he was having a good time or not.  I guess he is just busy taking it in one blink and stare at a time.

In fact, there were only four different times he seemed genuinely excited about anything at the fair:  when he saw the spinning bears, when he was told he could ride the wee tractor at the kiddie farm, when he discovered a three year old girl dancing on stage at the wine garden (she wasn't a professional...she was just shaking her booty to the beat over the stereo speakers while her grandpa sat near by enjoying a tasty grape flavored beverage) and, finally, when Banner found two other little boys to play a nonsensical version of toddler chase with.  Other than that, though, his game face was ON.

Banner, however, was SERIOUSLY committed to spending time with his uncle Spencer.  Poor Spence couldn't put the little guy down without tears.  At first, Spence was touched, but three hours in and his neck and back started to protest with a vengeance.  Because a squirmy 31 pound toddler only gets heavier with every Cotton Bowl loop.

I guess there is nothing like seeing the fair from atop your father's beardless doppelganger.

And, well, because it is like some sort of weird compulsion, we had to take a few minutes out of our day to visit Boris.  Because, OF COURSE.

Banner thought Boris was a MOO.  Spencer tried to explain that Boris was actually an OINK.  Banner wasn't convinced.

Some little boy even tried offering Banner a visual aid of a more typical looking pink piggie, but Ban wasn't buying it.  Apparently, at 21 months, Banner is a MOO expert.  And, to him, Boris is all MOO.

The rest of our afternoon was spent at the wine garden, the car show and taking ridiculous selfies on the Court of Honor.  Which sounds almost fun until I remember that Phil has at least two of the most heinous pictures of me ever taken.  I spent most of the rest of the weekend secretly hoping he'd drop his camera and erase all his photos.  Because, UH-OH, PHIL!

And, well, I don't have anything to show you from that whole experience, so here are two of my favorite pictures from the day (a.k.a. no paternity test needed):

I love this SO much, Hils.

They were actually looking at the same ride on the Midway that made him cry last year.

 

(Banner.  Not Trevor.)

Anyway, the rest of the weekend was low key but fun filled.  We played Apples to Apples (Vietnam, 1968!), ate copious amounts of cheese and dressed our favorite Raven's fans in Cowboys t-shirts (much to Anni and Tyler's chagrin since they are "apparently" Bronco fans.  And I say "apparently" because Anni thought Eli Manning played for the Broncos and assumed the secondary was made up of the team's second best players).

To be fair, Ban spent all of Saturday in purple.

And, well, I'd go into things like putting Anni in timeout (because Banner saw her hit), being forced to reenact the Dolphin Show (thanks again for missing the dramatic finale, Big Philly) and kicking the snot out of the guys while playing darts (seriously), but I feel like nothing I type here can really do the weekend justice.  Because somewhere between Trevor trying to find a "cool song for Phil" on the radio, Anni "I'm really good with kids"accidentally pushing Banner down, and being forced into purchasing jewelry by overly pushy Hilary-the-salesman, I realized how much fun I always have with these crazy people each and every time we get together.

I guess bonds forged over nearly two decades of broom closet fights, purse wine, fried cheese, blow drying the bed, "Do you think he likes me?" and Tylenol PM only result tight and lasting friendships that are always full of laughter.  

Until next time...

Some mornings there just isn't enough coffee. Or under eye concealer...

Me:  "Good Morning!"

Volunteer:  "Are you okay?  How did you get that black eye?  Were you in an accident?"

Me:  "What?"

Volunteer:  "Your eye!  It is all black, swollen and puffy!"

Me:  "Oh, that is just because I am exhausted.  My toddler was up half the night screaming."

And there you have it...

He was supposed to be a secret...

...until the wind blew his sheet away 24 hours early.

Howdy, Folks!

Like the legend of the phoenix, Big Tex has risen from the ashes...

...with a booty

He will be officially unshrouded unveiled tomorrow afternoon. 

Because you can't make this stuff up...

The memorials to Big Tex as of Friday night, October 19th:

At 10 coupons a piece, that hat represents
$50 in Fletcher's Corny Dogs alone.

And on Sunday, October 21st (images borrowed from coworker's Facebook page):

But my favorite tribute?  The following.  Hands flipping down:

Glorious.

Chinese Lanterns at the State Fair of Texas...

Because they were pretty and I took a lot of pictures: