Cleveland County Fair - Woo Hoo!

Fair Time! Fair Time! Fair Time! Bill, Samantha, and I went to taste experience the fair.

Sam the ham

Our first view of the midway.

First order of business? Vinegar fries, of course!

Second order of business? Roasted corn!

They cook this corn on a grill, the dip it in melted butter. Nummy nummy nummy...

Sam didn't have the fries. She wanted the corn, first and foremost. And the fresh, homemade lemonade!

Next, we hit up RO's barbecue. Best slaw in town. It's more of a chili-type sauce, but they call it a slaw.

Sam had to see the pigs. Here's big momma pig with baby piglets. Awwwwww....

Bill and me

Could this possibly be what it looks like?!? If it looks like Chicken Fried Bacon, then Yes! With white gravy.

We spent a roll of quarters playing Fat Albert. The booth has little colored squares on the counter. You place quarters on the color squares, see. Then a rat is put onto a color wheel with a hole in each color. Whatever color hole he runs into wins. We won three chips, which we then donated to a polite, well behaved child.

This carnie must have had a rough night. He was sleeping while sitting on a stool. That seems like it could be hazardous.

Next up? Bingo. It was blazing hot out, and we needed the shade.

No. We didn't win a thing.

Here are the ribbon fries - they take a potato and slice it into one long ribbon then deep fry it. Bill's eating an Italian sausage sub, and Sam's eating "ribs on a stick".

Lastly, a candy apple.

The dog show! This dog is balanced on this girl's head.

This one balances on a hand. Upside down!

That's it. We had to go home and digest after all that. And diet. Great fun was had by all.

Bonnie and Kathryn go to the Beach

I drove to Slidell to visit Kathryn. Because of the oil spill, we decided I would spend a few days at the house, then we'd go to the beach for a few days rather than spending the whole week at the beach. The drive was LONG! When I arrived I was amazed to see the transformation Kathryn's back yard has undergone since Hurricane Katrina.

That night Alicia cooked dinner for us. It was fajitas and it was delicious. Here's Ana sitting on her bed.

The girls pointed out the stripes Alicia painted on the wall. Very creative Alicia! Here's Ana, Alivia, and Allison in front of the stripes.

Allison on her bed.

Alivia on her bed.

I thought this brick floor was very interesting. Alicia says it's difficult to maintain.

Alicia and Ashley in the kitchen. The house was just beautiful and the girls were great fun.

The cat. "George" I think?

The next day we got up, went shopping for groceries then headed to Gulf Shores. Here we are at the drive-thru check in. Yes, it's raining. Damn.

Unlocking the door and lugging in all of our crap.

These towelettes were in the bathroom. Not a good sign.

Lovely view! Lovely balcony! And the rain stopped almost as soon as we arrived.

Looking down at the pool.

We both took about a thousand pictures of this cloud. For some reason it looked surreal.

Kathryn.

The flag was red. This sign warns of tar balls and oil. And it tells what to do if you find any. We didn't see anything of the kind during our stay.

This is the condo where we stayed.

Hazardous Conditions!

We only took our cameras out in the morning. Didn't want to get them sandy and salty.

I am getting a little better at setting the timer! Yay! Here we are just before leaving.

And again.

We drove back to Kathryn's. We were exhausted and we ate at Copeland's. God, how I love Copeland's... Here are some broccoli balls. They were divine.

I had stuffed shrimp that was also divine.

The next day I drove home. It was a quick trip but very fun. We played games, watched movies, ate a lot, and generally bonded. Now, the second half of this year's festivities will begin Oct. 21, when Kathryn flies up here to visit me! We will go to the mountains to see the fall colors. Can't wait! Thanks Kathryn! I had a great time.