Here in the cave of wonder, No. 92

[sovay]

I will not be online for the rest of the day, because I will be in West Springfield with derspatchel, rushthatspeaks, and gaudior at the Eastern States Exposition, otherwise known as the Big E. I've never been; I haven't even been to a state fair in years. I have hopes of it being epic. I still plan to sleep in the car.

Comments

[carik.livejournal.com]

It's fun! If I weren't spending the day at a harvest party, I'd suggest we try to meet for dinner or something -- I can't even remember when I last saw you in person! I have the distressing feeling it may have been at Enchantments....

[sovay]

I can't even remember when I last saw you in person! I have the distressing feeling it may have been at Enchantments....

That is terrifyingly plausible. There may have been a convention or a bookstore sometime later. Where are you based these days?

[carik.livejournal.com]

On further reflection, it was probably the calendar store. But still a long time ago.

At the moment I'm living in Amherst, but I hope to have my house sold in the next few months (I should have a written offer this week, and I've already said I'll accept it, so it's just a matter of when the closing is) and I'll be moving to the Waltham area as soon as I have a job out there. Hopefully this year, late December at the latest.

[sovay]

But still a long time ago.

Agreed.

At the moment I'm living in Amherst, but I hope to have my house sold in the next few months (I should have a written offer this week, and I've already said I'll accept it, so it's just a matter of when the closing is) and I'll be moving to the Waltham area as soon as I have a job out there. Hopefully this year, late December at the latest.

That sounds major; I hope it goes very well! And you should definitely let me know when you're on this side of the state!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Enjoy! I've never been either, in spite of living so nearby for fourteen years. My kids have all performed there, though, and I hear they have elephants. Also, at least in the past, a sculpture made out of butter.

Wave at Belchertown as you go by :-) A number of us will be here to wave back.

[sovay]

My kids have all performed there, though, and I hear they have elephants.

At least one! It was near the petting zoo. There were also fancy chickens, show ducks, and Mardi Gras floats. That last surprised us.

Also, at least in the past, a sculpture made out of butter.

There was a butter sculpture. It depicted a cow and a girl with a pitcher of milk at a homebuilt booth like a cartoon lemonade stand or Lucy's psychiatry business in Peanuts, written across the top board: Cash Cow. The sign claimed the word butter was from the Greek for "cow cheese," but both rushthatspeaks and I were skeptical. (The OED is, too.) I do not believe it was the most impressive butter sculpture Rush had ever seen, but they grew up in Ohio; they have standards. I'm not sure I'd ever seen one before.

Wave at Belchertown as you go by

We did! I wondered if we'd see you there! Next year we'll plan it!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

but they grew up in Ohio; they have standards

:D

I like a discerning butter-sculpture critic.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I do not believe it was the most impressive butter sculpture Rush had ever seen, but they grew up in Ohio; they have standards.

I've always thought that Ohio was the centre of butter sculpture as well, but I have to admit I've not made a study of the subject.

By any chance might they remember the Butter Jack Hanna?

I remember it chiefly by the fact that after the State Fair it was let melt in the Columbus Zoo, which was at the time under his rule.

I'm not sure when it was. I might be enough older than rushthatspeaks they'd have been too young to remember it.

PS--The sculpture you've described sounds pretty good. Obviously I've not seen the execution of it as a sculpture, but I don't recollect anything as unexpected as a cow and a girl at a cartoon-type milk stand.

[ashlyme.livejournal.com]

Have fun!

[sovay]

Have fun!

I really, really did.

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

Yay, have fun!

[sovay]

Yay, have fun!

It was a wonderful day.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I hope it's a wonderful epic time for all of ye!

I hope you can get some sleep in the car.

Will be curious to hear if there's indeed a butter cow.

ETA: Lucky you! It looks as if the draught horse show was going on today.

I was feeling nostalgic, and wondered what was happening on the horse show front, so I looked at the website. At the Ohio State Fair the draught horse events always used to be right after ours, so they'd be bringing them in over the last day or so that we were there. I can't help but call to mind the time my then-girlfriend and I had a very funny conversation with somebody who was bringing a Belgian into the washrack as we were leaving and who complimented us on our "really nice-looking yearling" (a fourteen year old Throughbred/mutt mare). Strange to think how long it's been since that day.

[sovay]

I hope you can get some sleep in the car.

Not on the way down. We were too busy talking. Everyone who wasn't gaudior (who was driving) crashed on the way back. I woke up with corduroy face.

I was feeling nostalgic, and wondered what was happening on the horse show front, so I looked at the website.

We didn't see any of the horse events; we saw a dog agility show and, in the afternoon, Clydesdales pulling the Budweiser wagon. I'm not sure if the fire engine team were Clydesdales or Percherons.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

we saw a dog agility show

Wonderful. I've never seen one of those in person. I'd like to.

I'm not sure if the fire engine team were Clydesdales or Percherons.

Both lovely breeds, any road, them. Just about the most beautiful horse I've ever seen was a Percheron-Thoroughbred--massive dappled grey beast, seventeen or eighteen hands.

Do you recollect if there was feathering (Hobbit-like luxuriance of hair round the fetlocks (a toe joint rather than an ankle, but it does more or less the job of an ankle) and lower legs) on them? I'm thinking Percherons aren't meant to have that, although it's late enough, not to mention I've never really worked with fullblood draught horses, so I could well be altogether wrong about it.

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

I hope you had fun at the Big E. If I'd known you were going, I'd have asked if you could have brought back some maple cotton candy (nums....)

[sovay]

If I'd known you were going, I'd have asked if you could have brought back some maple cotton candy (nums....)

I am afraid the maple cotton candy did not survive its removal from the fairgrounds. It was delicious while it lived.