Sweaty on a Stick

I had my doubts we would make it to the Minnesota State Fair this year, given the recent wave of heat and humidity. I had planned to take Monday off, but looking at the forecast of high of 100/feels like 105 (no joke), we decided to try another day. Today looked a bit better, relatively speaking...high of 88 with dew points in the 70s.

So we bit the bullet and headed to the fair this morning. My worries did not subside with the way the day started out, including rush hour traffic and a pit stop for a certain 4-year-old at a gas station with only a  port-a-potty for facilities. Trust me, for my little one, this is a near-death experience. Only because she had to go so bad were we able to complete the task, but not without a few tears through cries of "it smells really bad, Mommy!" Sigh.

Around 8:30AM we had finally entered. We probably only covered half (at most) of the grounds, but hit the high points: Little Farmhands, food, and the chicken, cow, and horse barns. I may or may not have impaled a stuffed giraffe while playing a dart game in the Midway. I may or may not have received some dirty looks from another mom while Lucy was riding some sparkly cars at the Kidway, because I had a beer in my hand. Yes, I was THAT mom. This was followed by Lucy being completely terrified on an elephant ride which remained in the high up position because she didn't understand she could move the bar to get it back down to boarding level. Mom of the Year, for sure. But I did take her on the SkyRide and the giant slide, so I think overall I redeemed myself.

Can you find the Little Farmhand?

Trying our luck on the Midway.

The fruits of our labors (plus it helps to have a cute kid, people give you stuff!)

Asking to pet the cow.

Oversized corndog.

Pre- elephant trauma.

I think I was more scared than she was on the big slide!

We may have done more, but it was damn stuffy going into any kind of building. At least outside there was a bit of a breeze, which was a small consolation to the sweat acting as my second skin. Luckily, attendance was a bit down because of the heat, so it wasn't shoulder-to-shoulder walking down the street, and you could actually move in the exhibits.

Re-energized and ready to go after a drink and some french fries.

She was fascinated with the Lego sculptures.

Given the heat and the overstimulation, Lucy did pretty well. There was some whining and she did get tired of all the walking. But what can you expect, really, from a 4-year-old? I'll tell you what you can expect by about 4 hours in:

Staging a mid-street protest.

It was time to go, and Husband and I felt it too. By 1:00 we were back in the car absorbing the air conditioning. By 2:00 we were at home, and I believe the whole house was rather tranquil for a couple of hours...

Stuffed animals gotta nap, too.

Hopefully it's a little cooler for the fair next year!

We crossed something off the SUMMER! list: State Fair