orange county fair 2012
“Home Sweet Home” at the Orange County Fair
True to our tradition, we made our annual trek last night to the Orange County Fair. The evening was balmy, cooled by gentle ocean breezes, and the air was thick with Eau de Fairground: charred burgers and cinnamon rolls, beer tents and barnyard animals. "Home Sweet Home" is the theme this year, and by now our routine is so familiar, it did feel like a homecoming of sorts.
When I passed this sign, my arteries siezed I couldn't help thinking about poor old Wilbur, that RADIANT but HUMBLE character in Charlotte's Web. SOME PIG, anyone? 
I had barbequed chicken for dinner, roasted corn, and sugar-free Dip 'n' Dots–same as always. My husband, well…he pinged from one food booth to the next, ala Templeton. Bratwurst, barbequed chicken, homemade chips, my leftovers. You name it, he ate it!
Truth be told, I'm there for the exhibits. People-watching, too. I spotted this woman in the Master Gardener's tent, and for some inexplicable reason, I felt a tugging at my heart. Kindred spirits? I don't know, but I'd love to catch a glimpse of that sketchbook, and listen to some of her stories….
Here, a sad story with a happy ending: Daisy, a resident sow, gave birth to 11 piglets two weeks ago. But her brood survived, thanks to the generous dairy farmers that supply them with milk. As the crowds oohed and aahed over the three little piggies (and a spare) slurping dinner, their siblings romped through the straw and/or napped under a warming lamp nearby.
Meanwhile, their two-legged counterparts clogged the fairway, waiting for their heart attacks food. 
Imagine the yarns this wooly guy could spin, if only he could talk. Does he count people when he drifts off to sleep? I wonder…
A ferris wheel ride to the top of the world…Who among us doesn't treasure those memories?
This little guy settled in for a little shut-eye in the far corner of his pen, oblivious to the camera-wielding bystander at the fence.
A few hours later, we were equally ready to tuck in for the evening. As we exited the parking lot, a full moon lit up the night sky–a punctuation mark for yet another fun day at the fair.
