Minnesota State Fair - Day 3 - Plus a Quick Rundown on Renaissance Fest with Sharon & Chickie

Our final day at the State Fair was on Sunday, September 4th. Chickie was waiting for us, eating one of the new foods she had been interested in - a sweet potato Poutine which she declared tasty, but not something she would eat again. Sharon never eats until after Mass which is held in the Bandstand area near the Fine Arts exhibition hall. We got Sharon set up with coffee and she headed off to her mass. DH and Chickie were set up with breakfast burritos and assorted beverages, so I wandered off to buy onion rings for breakfast once again. 

One of the really fun things we got to do on Sunday was 
climb into the cab of "Betty Whiteout", our newest 
named snow plow. It's an amazing cab - lots of buttons and 
indicators, and a good feeling for what the drivers can 
and can NOT see from way up there. We were delighted 
that we were allowed into the cab. 

After everyone had their fill of breakfast (and I'd purchased another NautiCal fruit bowl), we headed up towards Fine Arts to meet Sharon and look through that exhibit. I always enjoy looking at the variety of artwork accepted into this exhibit. There's always some amazingly high-quality art to gaze at and to vote for. If you're interested in seeing the works accepted for this year's exhibit, the on-line catalog is here. None of the pieces we voted for won for People's Choice, but that's ok. I'm happy with the piece I chose, as were Sharon and Chickie. The winners for People's Choice are here. 

When they were renovating the Grandstand many years 
ago, I purchased a commemorative brick for Sharon 
and myself. "Corn Dog Power - Sharon & Sandi - 
H.S. Friends Fair-A-Holics - Since '84 From 
Denver to Fair". It hasn't aged as well as some others, 
but I'll try to remember to bring a brush with me next 
year to clean it up a bit, and maybe something to 
darken our letters once more. 

After Fine Arts we wandered towards windows - we needed more information (again) for new windows for our home. We'll have to do it in 2-3 installments - we have a lot of windows and there are other home repair issues that also have to be covered. I put my foot down a while ago regarding the company, and DH agreed. But he wanted to see what type of windows would be available and/or recommended. So he wandered and spoke, but refused to commit to an appointment for an estimate yet. I think roof gutter work will come first (and have them scheduled for a quote next week). 

The line for Crop Art had been HUGE on Saturday, 
so Sharon and I had decided against it. When we all 
were in the Agriculture building on Sunday night, 
it was a small line, so we went in and took a 
look. For those not familiar with crop art, it's 
basically pictures made from nothing but seeds 
glued against a hard backing. Ideally, it's only 
using naturally colored seeds. In rare instances 
a dye will be added. This lovely memory of 
Fairs gone by is totally in natural seeds and 
really well done. 

We went through Creative Activities again, but this time with DH who wanted to see everything. He actually skipped the Education building, which surprised us, but we headed on to the Eco building to find out more information on electric cars and how they would be charged in a home setting. We might need a second fuse box for the power - our fuse box is full. But the actual wiring for an EV wouldn't be that hard to get done. I checked in with the Mazda people at the Fair and they said Mazda will have a hybrid next year and a full EV in the CX-50 version within a three-year window. That will be just about perfect for me to replace Minion with an electric vehicle, IF we can get decent mileage from each charge. 

There was also this extremely lovely picture of Elizabeth II, 
celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. She would die four days 
after I took this photo. 

After looking and looking and looking some more. we relaxed on the patio of O'Gara's for a bit with a brew, and then went to the International Bazaar for a final shop. Chickie found another dress for herself, and I found an excellent dress for myself. I figured if I could shimmy it on over my shirts and jeans, it would fit fine. It's a small, and very form fitting, and it's adorable. I hand-washed it in the Drummie on Friday and it's hanging in my closet just waiting for a cool, crisp autumn day to put it on for work. 

Of course, you already saw this photo of Sharon (l) and 
Chickie (r) relaxing on the patio at O'Gara's on Sunday 
afternoon, but since I was talking about it, I decided to 
put it in once again. 

So that's the State Fair portion of Sharon's visit. I didn't take photos at Renaissance because it was the same scenery, just a different day. Chickie and I both bought scarves from Lady of the Lake, though. Chickie's is a long, narrow style, mine is more like a large shawl. Both are beautiful, hand painted silk. We all had a lovely time, and then Sharon and Chickie said good-bye for another year as we all headed back home again. DH, Sharon and I shared dinner at Olive Garden and returned home in time for Sharon to get packed. I dropped her at the airport early in the morning on my way to work, and thus, another wonderful end-of-summer visit by my dear friend came to an end. It was wonderful, as always, and I can't wait until next year to do it all again. Have an excellent Monday, be kind, stay safe, and Slava Urkaini.