Yesterday we went to the fair -Tom and I, our kids, and their kids. It was heaven. I was so happy! It was very hot. Michael and Estée brought their little wagon which kept the sun off Hazel and Campbell.
Little Indy Thomas, who turned two months old, was asleep the whole time. Next year he can join the big kids in trying out all the four-wheelers and snow mobiles.
We were all set to take the kids on the merry-round but the rule was the child had to be 36 inches tall. It surprised me because years ago, I took my kids on the merry-go-round when they were very little. As it turned out, there was just one ride they could go on with a parent, a Thomas train.
Michael and Estée had taken the boys to another fair the day before, and Campbell Walker got to go down a slide with his daddy,
and ride the merry-go-round,
so maybe different amusement owners have different rules.
Margaret's first time at the fair - about 13 months old. Not only could she ride the merry-go-round but also that little car. I don't look too safe though, do I?
Michael's first fair came just days after he arrived from South Korea.
and by the next year - at 16 months, he was enjoying the merry-go-round.
We ran into the same man I mentioned in a 2012 posting. This spring we all lived in fear as he went through a horrible cancer operation, but he is well, healed, with no concerns now. I hadn’t seen him since, and I couldn’t stop hugging him and crying. We also ran into our neighbors who told of their grandsons whose ‘world has expanded beyond us now.’ One is in college and the other in high school. It’s an emotional thing for me, the fair. My fair. It is a marker of our life, our children’s lives, and now our grandchildren’s lives. Last year Matthew and Margaret brought Hazel Nina, and they were remarking on how different she is this year, and I was thinking how different Indy Thomas would be next year. ‘The seasons they go round and round.’ (Joni Mitchell's The Circle Game)
This is a beautiful post, Nan! I love the photos, stories, and feelings behind it. This was also the final weekend of the New York State Fair, but we decided to skip it because it was just too hot.
ReplyDeleteI love fall festivals and Nan these pictures are precious -- the years have a way of getting away from us and it's so nice to look at these pictures from earlier times.
ReplyDeleteOh the fun you are having.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautifully chronicled post of your family's life a the fair. I love everything about this, Nan; the passage of time, how some things change and other things really don't change all that much. That a great wagon that is. Roomy enough for two young ones with a nice cover and storage space and looks to me like it would be a good make-shift crib if needed. Campbell Walker looks just about ready to buy that $8,995 four-wheeler. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun day. Brings back memories for me, although I never went with kids; I was always the kid at the fair. The Alabama State Fair was in Birmingham where I grew up and it was always at the end of September, when it was getting cooler. I have great memories of those visits to the fair, with family, with friends, with boyfriends.
ReplyDeleteAn emotional post, very touching, Nan!
ReplyDeleteI guess the little ones weren't allowed on most of the rides because maybe the owner of those amusements has had negative experiences and just to be on the safe side, to avoid happening it again and getting into trouble with angry parents, he has banned children smaller than 36". It's all gone "Health & Safety" now, isn't it!
When I was little, the only limits for children's rides were not if you were too little, but if you were too tall! Big kids weren't supposed to go on the "baby" roundabouts etc., and they didn't want to - they were proud of being "big" :-)
I love the way you included the photos of the grands and those of Margaret and Michael's first fair! Great post!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post - I love the photos, the similar experiences from one generation to another, and the way people find similar things to enjoy. And of course, family :) I love the little wagon too.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this post! And when I watched the news last night and said how hot it was in New England, I thought of you!
ReplyDeleteLove the photos that you shared here, just wonderful!
Yes they do, those seasons. Traditions are wonderful things ... Loved the look backs at your beautiful family .... And this post will be a great one for the grands to look back on in the future ... To see mom or dad and themselves at sort of the same age at the same place ...
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day. I love how you linked the old photos and new. The kids are so cute. Love the hats in the wagon, too.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed a 'catch-up' session with your recent posts. Your grandchildren are at a winsome age.
ReplyDeleteRe Mrs Appleyard's Year: sometimes a book I expect to enjoy or feel I should read doesn't draw me in--so many books and not enough time to read, so why slog through one that we don't like?
Such wonderful photos of old and new memories!! I love these family posts of yours, Nan.
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