Week 8: Long Exposure

Last week, Bird and I took the kids to our local fair.  Watching their faces light up as they explored the sights and sounds really brought back some of my own childhood memories.  Every summer, my family would drive to Montana to spend an action packed week of fun with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  One memory which stands out above all the others is our time at the Richland County Fair.  Our family would meet at Pella Lutheran Church's booth to eat delicious homemade nachos, burgers, lefse and fruit pies.  Yes, I said HOMEMADE foods at the fair.  The women of the church gather for days preparing pies and food together in preparation for the fair.  It can't be beat! 

In addition, it seemed as if my parents knew everyone in town because they couldn't walk 2 feet without stopping to hug and reminisce with someone about the "Good Old Days."  Meanwhile my brother, my cousin and I were losing our minds from boredom.  Finally, our parents would grow tired of us begging to move on and they'd wave us off on on our own. We always started by exploring the petting booths AKA farm exhibits and local art exhibits to see who or what had taken first place.  As the evening grew dark we made our way to the Midway.  The Midway was where all the rides and games of chance were located.  It's also where we spent our entire summer's allowance.  The lights on the rides twinkled like jewels, the smells of fried fair foods floated through air and giant stuffed prizes hung tempting us to take a chance while sounds of music and cheers drifted in waves from the grandstand from one of the hottest country bands.  It was all so exciting!  

Looking back, the fair is where I took some of my first steps of independence.  Our parents were there but we had the freedom to play and explore to our heart's content.  They knew we were safe and we couldn't and wouldn't go far.  They also knew our favorite places so they could find us quickly in case of an emergency.  My cousin, Erin and I had our favorite rides.  The Zipper seemed to always be our first stop.  Oh man!  Spinning around and around in that little cage was absolutely fantastic!  My poor little brother hated that ride and probably still does to this day.

THANK HEAVEN, our kids aren't quite ready for the Zipper.  They prefer the kids train, the tea cups and the Ferris Wheel.  It was funny to hear their squeals of delight coming from inside this train as if it was going 100 mph.

FYI, I hate the Ferris Wheel and always have.  That said, when Yaya asked if I would ride it with her I gathered my courage and hopped on with her.  It was pretty funny though because as it took off she realized it's much faster than the one she's experienced at Disneyland.  Her eyes bulged and her face turned from joy to panic.  I did my best not to allow her fears to feed my own.  It was all I could do to remain calm. It seemed each spin caused both of us to become more anxious than the last.  To top it off, she kept asking me a bunch of questions like,  "Why it felt faster going up than coming down?" and "What would happen if our car flew off the wheel?'  Really?!  I was so thankful she couldn't read my mind.  If she had, the only answers she would've heard would have been my blood curdling screams, "GET ME OFF THIS THING!"  I couldn't even let go long enough to take a picture of us on this stinking ride I was so nervous!

As I sit here laughing at myself, I wonder what memories will stand out most in my kids minds.  Will one of them be the time mom tried to be brave and ride the ferris wheel?  LOL  We live in a big city so I'm not sure I could let them run as free as we once did at the fair.  It's sad to think of how much society has changed in such a short amount of time.  Then again, have things really changed or is it just our perspective and/or exposure?