Minnesota State Fair

Here's another catch-up post for this new blog.  Erin and I have been regular attendees of the Minnesota State Fair for many years now and we went again this year.  For the first time we went on the fair's opening day because I wanted to hear a couple of bands who were playing on the fair's first two days.  It turned out to be a nice day with only a bit of drizzle at times until 10pm when the rain started just as we boarded the shuttle bus back to where we'd parked.  Highlights included seeing the rabbit and pigeon barn, taking in the art exhibit where Erin enjoyed talking with the Artist of the Day while he was at work, and the "gotta have 'em" garlic fries.  Some photos too:

The line waiting for the shuttle bus at the Roseville High School park 'n ride at 9am.  The cooler in the lower left corner was filled with bottled water that the church next door was handing out to everyone who wanted one, which was very kind of them.

There was this lovely herd of horses just inside the front gate that Erin liked enough to have me pose with them.

Todd Menton and band playing their first set at the International Bazaar stage. We took home a few of Todd's CDs, naturally.

A view of the Mighty Midway from the double ferris wheel.  We also had fun riding the aqua bumper cars, which steered like cows.

Erin liked the gargoyles lurking over one of the midway funhouses.

I had three midway tickets left, which was just enough to play one of the midway games.  I was lucky/good enough to win a prize, and I picked the squid hat.  Erin thought it looked pretty good on me.

Erin enjoying getting off her feet in the sky chair ride on our way over to the pet barn.

An overhead view of brightly colored antique corn shellers in action.

A rainbow coalition of antique farm tractors.  And then the camera battery ran low and that was that for taking pictures.