Fairs

I went to the Puyallup Fair, our big yearly old-fashioned county fair, this weekend. I think my romantic ideas of the county fair are over. While I enjoy the charm of prize-wining livestock and blue-ribbon agricultural displays (I saw the cutest little Button Quail chicks, one week old and the size of large hopping bumblebees), the kids were into the rides. The rides were all 4 tickets each (meaning $4), and over in about 30 seconds. 2 kids, 3 rides each = $24 for a minute and a half of fun and 4 hours of whining 'I want to go on another ride!' Not to mention that I didn't get to go on any because I couldn't deprive my children of their 30 seconds. Really yummy elephant ears and kettlecorn, tho, and the kids both passed out on the ride home, so not a total loss.

But today I treated myself to a matinee of Vanity Fair. It was quite beautiful, if slightly anachronistic. The hair, the costumes, the sets were really very stunning, and gave me some great ideas for the painting I'm working on. And maybe Halloween.