A Farily Chilly County Fair

One thing that we miss the most from Idaho (other than our friends of family of course!) is the Eastern Idaho State Fair. It is an experience unto no other. How I miss going to the fair with Grandma Heath -- parking our car at Uncle Leo's and wandering through all of the booths and barns to view the displays, animals, and of course to buy the latest 'new' thing. Grandma Heath always volunteered in the antiques building and we would have to stop and visit with her there if we happened to go without her. The boys always had to buy a surprise bag from TeePee Toys. The bags were full of junk, but junk that they loved! Concerts at the fair are memorable as well. Perhaps the most memorable one would be Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, LONG before the whole world knew who Kenny Chesney was! And what would the fair be without the fair food? Fresh ears of corn dipped in butter, elephant ears, polish sausages with grilled onions and peppers, but by and far the most yummy thing going was the scone nuggets with honey butter. My mouth waters even as I sit here thinking of them. And no matter how I try, I can never get mine to taste quite the same. There is just something in the air at the fair that makes them what they are....




But alas, it has been impossible for us to make it to the Eastern Idaho State Fair in a long time. So this year we decided to scope out the "somewhat" local county fair and see how it measured up. We chose the Clay County Fair in Spencer Iowa because Blake Shelton would be there in concert and because it made USA Today's top 10 County Fairs in the U.S. It was about a 3 hour trip each way, but well worth it in our opinion. It was a good time, but it might have been better with some seasonally appropriate temperatures. The high of 44 degrees the day we went was a little hard to swallow. But armed with our hoodies and heavy jackets, off we went! So much of the fair reminded by of Idaho. The Watkins booth, the framed names with their meanings, antiques, quilts, and more. The food was good -- but not quite the same. The deep friend potato flour cinnamon roll was delicious but the steak tips left a lot to be desired. I decided that Chinese food has no place at a county fair and that scone nuggets need to be a requirement.

The best part of the day was spending time with my family.  Whether we are in Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, and New York City -- that close family relationship is what really matters.  And who knows?  Maybe next year we can make it to our own favorite County Fair.  Who wants to meet us there?

Our Prairie

Just across the the street and down the road from our house is a beautiful rolling prairie.  A little interesting to see in the middle of our suburban paradise, but we will take it!  We are able to ride our bikes across the creek and down the bike bath to the prairie.  One beautiful Sunday day we took the boys for a ride and stopped to take pictures.  It is hard to believe that the season of fall is rapidly approaching as you look at the beautiful wildflowers that are still blooming.  While moving so far away from our friends and family is difficult, there are simple pleasures and beauty surrounding us in our new home.