We had a fest-fun-filled time at Grammy Renee's this Labor Day weekend. It was our first road trip with the new babe, and he did pretty well...not as well as his big brother, who slept through all but the last 20 minutes or so of the trip, but we stopped for two two-hour breaks, which gave us time to empty our bladders, fill our gas tank, and stretch our legs a bit.
This weekend was the Bethalto Homecoming, a carnival that features some pretty nice rides and tons of carnie food. I, of course, was on a quest for the perfect lemon shake-up, my favorite carnival treat. I have fond childhood memories of going to the state fair and procuring these lemony delights. They have to be made with real, juice-producing lemons, water, sugar, and ice, or they're simply not official lemon shake-ups.You'd be surprised at how many people can actually get these delightfully simple drinks wrong, but my, oh my, do they get them wrong. Eric bought a shake-up for me at this really official, fancy-looking lemon shake-up cart. I had my doubts, just because the signage looked too fancy. Yep, it was a phony shake-up. I should have lookd more closely at the cart, because instead of lemons stacked at the window, there were bottles of ReaLemon on ice. Yuck. The carnival food experience was somewhat redeemed when I bought a big bag of cotton candy. Who can get that wrong, really?
While I was getting sufficiently sugared up, Logan rode some of his first carnie rides. Luckily, this was a pretty upscale outfit, and I didn't fear for my son's life as he stepped into the little thrill-inducing carts. Eric decided to start with the scariest one (a bold move, but what else would you expect from Eric?) and hop on the kiddie roller coaster. The carts sped jerkily along the track fro what seemed an interminable amount of times, and each time the carts passed, we saw Logan look down at us with a very concerned look on his face. Eric was with him in the cart, persuading him that this was actually fun, and as Logan saw our smiles and applause as he exited the ride, he finally believed his dad--his look of anxiety turned to a smile of relief. On we went to the tamer rides. His favorite was a helicopter ride, which turned around like a carousel, and you could pull a lever to make the helicopter ascend or descend as you wished. Our personal favorite to witness, though, was the giant slide that Papa George took Logan down. First, it was pretty hilarious watching my dad lug Logan up the stories-high staircase that became progressively narrower as he climbed higher. Then watching him try to figure out how he was going to get Logan on his lap without making an early solo descent...priceless. I'm just glad it wasn't me who had to figure all that out.
The next day, we went to Jersey County's Victorian Festival, which is hosted by my cousin's in-laws, who own this Civil-War-era house. They have steam-powered threshing and plowing machines doing their things, a Civil War reenactment and embalming demonstration (yikes!), tours through the house, and Victorian-era crafters (metalsmiths, coopers, weavers, potters, etc.) making and selling their wares. While we had a great time walking around the grounds, I was most impressed by the authentic Lemon shake-ups. I bought two--just about enough for one for each hour we were there. The most exciting thing that happened to us, though, was parking. They use the farm fields on their property for parking, and thanks to the recent heavy rains, the ground was a bit soft, even terribly muddy in some small areas. Of course, Eric found that area in the lot where we were searching for a space. "Oh, there's a spot behind that car," I said, thinking Eric would avoid the massive muddy sinkhole that was in the corner behind the parking spot I pointed out. Nope. Eric drove in, and sank the wheels in pretty good. "It's front-wheel drive! We'll be able to rock it out," Eric said with confidence. I just groaned, remarking how similar this event was to the time he managed to get our rental car (a station wagon) stuck on the beach in New Zealand (It's a long story...). Luckily, a posse of four men working the parking lots, Eric, my brother, and my dad managed to push the car out of the mud. For the record, it was all my fault that Eric got us stuck in the mud because when I yelled, "Eric, don't drive into the mud!" I scared him and he hesitated. That moment of hesitation, according to Eric, was what caused all the troubles. Good thing I have big shoulders to carry this burden of guilt around.
Anyway, it was a fun weekend, and Eric's back to work again. A long week for him--Open House is tomorrow night, which means he'll be at school until 9:30 or so. No fun. But Logan, Auden, and I have been outside enjoying the wonderful weather. We braved the windstorm today and played on the playground, which was nice. I'm loving this fall-like weather, and I know I'll have to make the most of it because the winters are always so long and cold. Well, I'm off to bed for now so I can avoid being a zombie tomorrow!
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