OK, so I hate most country music. I'm not crazy about animals. I don't drink beer and I don't drive a pickup and I don't have tattoos and despite growing up in a small, remote Midwestern farm town, I barely know a wheatfield from a pigpen. (We lived "in town," meaning we had a paved road and neighbors on either side -- as opposed to how the phrase "in town" is used in L.A., where it apparently means on the West Side rather than in the San Fernando Valley).
But despite my lack of agricultural knowledge, I love fairs. I love the swirling lights of the carnivals and the stickiness of the cotton candy and those earthy aromas of horses and cows and corn dogs and fried food. (Official culinary motto of all American fairs: If it can be put on a stick, it can be fried.)
And so, given my heritage, of course it is incumbent on me to pass on my all-American heartland fairgoing legacy to Elijah. Because L.A.-born-and-bred Jeff, who doesn't even know the difference between a horse show and a rodeo, sure as heck isn't going to do it. (Official recreational motto of Jeff: The outdoors is evil, unless a golf course is involved.)
But while he may not be much of an outdoorsman, he's a heck of a daddy. And so at last he agreed to accompany us - camera in hand, soaked in bug spray and praying for a tornado to sweep the entire fairgrounds away before we got there.
Bottom line: The bugs stayed away, the storms stayed away and the camera clicked away. Elijah had a great time, Mommy had more or less a great time (see Ferris wheel photo), and Daddy got another Horizon-Expanding Life Experience under his belt.
This little roller coaster ride was my idea. It was while we were on it that Elijah spotted the Ferris wheel and got so excited he practically climbed out mid-ride.
Please forgive my unlady-like sitting posture. You must understand that I am terrified of heights, and my focus was on stabilizing the seat while Elijah gleefully kicked his feet and threw his arms into the air and tried to rock us.
Finally, back on terra firma, Mommy got to take a break while Elijah tried out an old favorite, the carousel.
All in all, it was a great evening. It's really too bad that Jeff was behind the camera the whole time. If I had been shooting photos, I'd probably even have gotten one of him smiling.
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