see you soon.

Well, the State Fair has come and gone, and I'm back in LA. Specifically LA Superior Court, as I have jury duty today. haven't been called yet, so I have some time on my hands, and I thought I would give you one final taste of last week's Midwestern Magic.

If they can find a way to put on a stick, they will.

Anyone who knows me knows my favorite place to eat at the Fair is Giggles Campfire Grill. All kinds of walleye delights and even a boatload of sunnies this year.

Another top spot if the Arts & Crafts building, where there are all kinds of prizewinning jams & jellies, baked goods, clothing, and my favorite--the quilts.



Behold. The Pina Colada from Manny's Tortas. Not on a stick. Refreshing and delicious.


Lambs in love at the Sheep Barn.

Another favorite stop--Heritage Square. We caught the tail end (pun!) of the "Doggies of the Wild West" show. It was ridiculous. But there was a nice little book stand, plus ginger beer and sarsaparilla.

And here was something new this year: the Giant Sing-a-Long. Yes, it looks a little cheesy, but everything does at the Fair. However, watching a field of people belting out "Benny and the Jets" and even the execrable "American Pie," was kind of cool, especially when we were soaring above it all in the Sky Ride.

And that's the image I will leave you with...until next year.

pilgrimage, part II.

Hi there! We're back...and we're still at the Fair. Spending this delightfully scorching and humid day with the mother, the brother and special guest star--my cousin Melissa. Let's start off with this wonderfully nostalgic and pseudo-retro shot of the Skyride.

Let's continue with the mind-blowing new addition of Red Velvet Funnel Cake. See? I wasn't lying about it.

Now let's take a stroll over to one of my favorite attractions--the International Bazaar. For some reason, we always seem to arrive here at the end of the day, after dark, after being on our feet for 8-9 hours. But we started off here today, which was a nice change of pace.

Loved all the little kiosks in the International Bazaar--the matryoshkas in the Russian stall, the glass figurines in the Polish and the crafty dolls in the Hmong.

We sampled some new delicacies here, too...cranberry wontons, Vietnamese coffee and the most exotic wonder of them all--Minnesota's own Summit beer--on a stick, of course.

My favorite part of the Bazaar had to be the Thai fruit and vegetable carvings. We watched the magic happen right before our eyes!


And now we cross the street to another one of my favorites--the Horticulture/Agriculture building. Here we find the famous Honey Ice Cream stand, plus my trusty $1 cider pops that I slurp on while marveling at this year's prize-winning scarecrows and crop art.

There were also some interesting dioramas (seriously--does anyone use this word in conversation after the 3rd grade?), such as "The Benefits of Butter" and the one above. Apparently, hitchhiking zebra mussels is an issue for the boating crowd. I saw a billboard for it on the way up to our lake cabin.


What is Crop Art you ask? It is #awesome (see my previous post).

pilgrimage.

Arrived in Minnesota today and went straight to the State Fair. Of course, we're going all day tomorrow, but my sister-in-law Joy and her friend Rachel wanted to get a little taste of the festivities at night.


I missed my annual trip last year, and my mom was very disappointed. "You're breaking tradition," she told me. The scary thing is that, even having skipped a year, I can find my way around as if it was my own neighborhood.


But there are always new things to do, new foods to eat. This year I'm staying away from meat and all the monstrosities on a stick (I always say this). There's a lot more to Fair Food Fare these days. I'm looking forward to sampling the cranberry wontons and the eggplant tacos at the International Bazaar tomorrow. Plus, there's a new booth that sells Red Velvet Funnel Cake. Wow! Sounds inventive, but a little too Paula Deen for my taste.

And being that it is an election year, the crop art has taken a decidedly political bent. It was inspiring to see all the designs devoted to marriage equality in Minnesota. Lots of T-shirts touting "Vote No" on the initiative to ban same-sex marriage, too.


I love the Fair for many reasons. I love how everyone breaks out their favorite T-shirt for the occasion. I love the crop art and the scarecrows. My favorite was the Mayan 2012 creation...very scary! The Horticulture/Agriculture building is one of my favorites, although tonight it was mobbed with guzzlers at the beer garden. But that didn't stop us from nabbing some cider pops and honey nut fudge ice cream.

So much more to come...stay tuned!

night.

more fun.

this is what i ate.

1. mini donuts
2. fudge puppy (belgian waffle dipped in chocolate, smothered in whipped cream on a stick)
3. walleye cakes
4. smoked salmon on a stick
5. mini cinnamon rolls
6. honey lemonade
7. coffee on a stick
8. fish taco
9. pig licker (bacon dipped in chocolate and sea salt on a stick)
10. roasted corn on a stick
11. falafel on a stick
12. wild rice sausage
13. garlic fries
14. cream puff

mecca.

Last weekend I made my annual pilgrimage to the Great Minnesota Get-Together, aka the State Fair. Here are some pictures I took. More to come. Much more.