Ending the Summer with the State Fair

The last fair of the year....and the biggest! We missed Smokey Bear (ahem, Smokey, we talked you up a lot, and you weren't around....what gives, man?!?!) We had to scarf our overpriced dinner while standing/kneeling in the grass and blazing sunlight. Oh well. Then it was on to the rides! Wow, you can blow through $50 too fast....

 

First stop, the Flying Tigers. Because they know all about those from Lane county.

Then onto one of the kiddie roller coasters. Miri was not a happy kid...we were afraid they were going to have to stop the ride. Those shrieks were pretty bad.

Glad to get off the danged thing. (And to think she later insisted on going on the HUGE swing ride that takes people way up in the air! We told her you have to be 25 years old and weigh about 225 lbs to do that ride. From the other people there, that would seem to be the requirements.)

The canoes were a smart next stop to calm the nerves.

And then we took in a new ride, fashioned something like a hot air balloon.

For her "solo" ride (they each got one), Miri picked the cars that were hooked together like a train. She wanted to be in front. And boy, was she happy on this one!

It was sort of a rough start due to operator error (it's not good PR for them to shout out, "But I never got trained on this one!!"...). Miri was big smiles all through it.

She worked really hard to keep that car right on its track. Uh-huh....yeah....

Before we left, we promised to visit the face painters. These were the real deal! Stage-worthy, for sure. Of course, Aleaha's pick was to be black and purple, her favorite colors.

Cute? Maybe slightly freaky? Lookout Circque du Soleil.

Miri wanted a zebra. She even told the man, "like the shirt of dat wady dere" (the lady in line behind us). I think she thought her face would be painted in a sort of an all-over zebra-camo.

What she got was an actual zebra on her cheek. Not terrible, but not quite what she envisioned. (And what zebra has a tail like that?) Still cute though.

Pics with Daddy made everyone smile.

Cuties!