The Great Minnesota Get-Together

Well, on our THIRD summer here in Minnesota, the Harris crew finally made it down the road to the Minnesota State Fair! It literally is just a few miles up the road from us, right here in Saint Paul. Our first summer we were busy getting moved into the house, and last summer I was pregnant and feared all the smells, heat and walking in my preggo state. So we put the kids in the stroller today and went and met our good friends, the Dunn Family, at the Fairgrounds. WHAT FUN! We really had the nicest day. They call it "The Great Minnesota Get-Together" and it truly was. The hype around this event is absolutely insane and people go crazy for their Fair here. With pretty good reason! We got to see a baby cow being born in PERSON! (Gross, yes, but so amazing!) We got to see horses and pigs and sheep. We saw a Tornado exhibit and, though we walked right on past the famous "Midway" with all the typical carnival rides like "The Zipper" and the "Spin until you Puke" ride, it was fun to see everyone else having a blast there. Want to buy a tractor? Go to the fair! How about a piano? Go to the fair! Now, if you are in the market for a boat or new windows, you might want to fo to the fair!!! Do you need 47 varieties of garlic spices? Get thee to the fair. And if food-on-a-stick is your thing - say, pork chops, pickles, EGGS, pizza, pronto pups (think corn dogs), walleye or even twinkies...the fair has it all.

Yes, it all sounds terribly Midwest, doesn't it?! And it was! And that is what was wonderful. People were nice. It was wholesome and happy. The weather was perfect, the kid's giggles was pure joy, the company was great and the food was, for the most part, pretty darn amazing! Ever had fried cheese curds? YUM! And I am totally serious about that. So good.

Anyway, my feet are killing me, I am a little pink from the sun, and I think I gained 10 pounds, but what a happy day!

Here is Kate sampling perhaps the most famous of Fair Foods - at least a favorite one of Minnesotans....it is Sweet Martha's Cookies! They literally sell them by the BUCKET. We opted for the small paper cone but you seriously see people walking around with a giant BUCKET OF COOKIES. They are all hot out of the oven and gooey delicious. Here is Kate enjoying some cookies with the obligatory glass of cold milk.



Sweet Liam loved the day. He liked being outside and looking at all the sights. He was such a good baby. Not a peep of complaint. What a guy!