Fair and wedding made an eventful week

Last week was fair week. Of course, it rained, and rained, and then rained some more. By the time I ventured out to the fairgrounds on Thursday, the grounds were fairly saturated. The water had quit falling out of the sky for awhile. The kind people in charge had strewn straw over the paths and inside some of the tents in a fruitless attempt to sop up part of the mess.
I parked my car and prayed it wouldn’t disappear into the mud before I was ready to go home. There were more people wandering around than I expected. I found the woodcarvers and set up my display next to the club president.
We carved for a bit, then the stained glass artist next to us offered to share some meat he had been smoking. I tried it, and, while it wasn’t bad, I was glad I had not paid good money for it. It was from a nuisance beaver one of his friends had trapped. Interesting. I had never considered the furry dam builders to be a source of food.
Later in the afternoon, we were treated to another sample from an animal I had never tried. I had always heard that lamb was an excellent meat. I was offered a small piece. Once again, I was grateful that it was free. It tasted vaguely like mutton. Maybe it was a distant relation to our old sheep, Woolly? Or was it one of the other sheep and not Woolly that we had butchered? I don’t remember. Nowadays, I eat beef, pork and chicken only, instead of animals that used to be pets. How times have changed.
We carved and visited with those souls brave enough to traipse through the mud. A couple of kids sat with us and hacked at some wood for awhile. The older one has the makings of a good carver with a little bit of coaching.
The afternoon passed quickly. The carvers wrapped up their stuff. I dumped my things in the car and headed over to the Master Gardener booth situated near the rides. I stayed for about an hour. We didn’t get many visitors at the booth, but I enjoyed people watching. I was stunned at the girl wearing platform shoes with skinny spiked heels. I hope she stayed on the paved bits as I was sure those heels would get stuck in the mud.
I quickly made the rounds of the displays before picking up some fair food to take home. The car left its parking spot reluctantly. The tires flung mud for at least a half mile before running out of ammunition.
It was a much different experience than when I was young. Back then, it never rained during fair week. We went several times. We always toured all the animal barns before circling the midway. We went on the rides and played the games. Displays of quilts, crafts, cakes and cookies were ignored.  Sticky cotton candy was a must. It was great.
On Saturday, we headed across Ohio to attend our niece’s wedding. We got there way too early. I wandered the church grounds and discovered a small raised bed garden tucked into an outdoor nook. It was packed with produce. Strawberry plants tumbled over the edges. A squash vine reached from one section of the garden to another. Black, yes black, tomatoes adorned a well-cared for plant on one end of the garden. Many other vegetables were crowded happily together.
The rest of the guests arrived and the wedding was lovely. An infant happily babbled through the last half of the ceremony. The bride and groom beamed. It was good.
We headed back to the happy couple’s house for visiting and appetizers. Later, we attended the reception at a nearby beach. When the D. J. stepped away for a plate of food, his equipment emitted a lot of static and maybe even a few sparks. Few people noticed.
We finally got back home about midnight. It was a long day but worth every minute.
Now the fair is over until next year. Our niece and her new husband have left for their honeymoon. We are home and resting after a long drive. I wonder what adventures next week will bring.