A Fair day

Sorry, but I just couldn’t help myself with this play on words. A Fair day to go to the NC State Fair!

I have had such a wonderful time the last two days, I almost didn’t want to come home.  I am usually at the NC State Fair, but I rarely get to see any of it because of what I do.  This year was different; we were just there to visit and have fun.  But don’t worry the hubby & I will be back next year as vendors/demonstrators in the village.

I spent much of my time in the baking demonstrations tent; making some new friends and tasting some wonderful treats.  I even got on stage to help make some cookies! Let’s just say that Alfredo, the baker, made this look much easier than I did.  I watched him make cookies, bread, scones, Irish soda bread, and his helper, Mike, made pizza.  All of which were mouth-watering good.

I also made my way around to see some of the entertainment.  There were acrobatics, which took my breath away, the Axe Women of Maine did a great show, but my favorite was the horse shows every evening in the horse complex.  From the draft horse pulls to the mounted shooting competition; they captured my attention.  Then there were the buildings – so many competitions; cake decorating, sewing, quilting, photography, painted art, drawn art, various crafts from simple pottery to leather to paper quilling and origami. All these were broken down by either age groups or professional &  amateur groupings. And let us not forget the FOOD! If you can think of it, you can probably find it here. But you really must try the ice cream from the NC State College booth, it’s so yummy!

In addition to all these great shows and competitions there is one more area of competitions you have to go see.  The garden!  There are flowers, oh so many flowers! There are veggies, the biggest I’ve ever seen! There is yard art and beautiful creations for patio & backyard living ideas and so much more! I really don’t think I saw it all since I waited a little too late and the sun was setting so it was hard to see some of it in the more natural areas.  Not to mention it was bigger than I thought. Lol  And just as a reminder to go see the garden there are a couple of “flower people” walking around that are just as interesting as the real flowers.

Well I’ve saved the best for last.  The Village of Yesteryear was the other place that got a lot of my attention.  While, yes, I am part of the village and I have met most of the folks before; we are usually so busy we don’t get a lot of time to visit.  This day I had time to stop at the different booths, ask questions, watch them demonstrate their craft and learn more about my friends.  It was truly a blessing for me.  I highly recommend taking a slow stroll thru The Village of Yesteryear and get to know these talented, creative and fun people.

      

Down an old forgotten path

This past weekend was a great example of why I love North Carolina. The sun was shining, the weather was mild and the breeze was light.  A prefect sunny Sunday for a little romping in the woods, followed by a lovely drive.

You see, my more adventurous than me husband is preparing for a cold weather camp out with a few other guys. In which they are only allowed to take a small number of items in to the woods. Many of these guys he had never met so we were going to meet them and get the dog outside for bit of exercise.  We met them in the Uwharrie National Forest; which is a beautiful area of NC.  The guys were very nice and Prince Titus got to make some new friends too.  While my hubby talked, the dog and I explored the surrounding field, woods and river. After a few hours of visiting we decided we should get back to the car and head for home.

However, when the afternoon is so warm and sunny it just seems a waste to not enjoy it til the very end.  So we picked a direction and started driving.  We ended up at a really cool old covered bridge; The Pisgah Covered bridge dating back to 1911.  This is just one more reason I love the old byways and highways.  You get to see more stuff!

 

After that, it was a peaceful drive home; complete with a snoring dog. Poor thing, he’s had a big day.  Lol