Sunday, September 13, 2009

Going to the Fair

Every once in a while, I get out of the city and experience life in more rural environs. While I’ve lived most of my life in the city, my second favorite place to be in out in the country, be it a rural town or out in the countryside. It always seems peaceful to drive past farms and fields, especially where you see cows and horses.

So, on Labor Day I was out in Northampton, Massachusetts, and visited the Three County Fair. The fair included a variety of features, such as kiddy rides, “fair” fast food, farm machinery, monster trucks, a youth talent show, and my favorites, live animals. Now these animals were not of the urban variety (such as pigeons, squirrels, and cockroaches) but of the farm variety, such as cows, pigs, chickens, roosters, and rabbits.

A crowd favorite (and mine, too) was the pig race. The race involves four little piglets running around a small track motivated by a bowl of Oreos, which they much on after the race is over. It takes all of about 20 seconds, but it’s so cute watching the little piglets run. (To protect the health of the piglets, they only do this a couple of times a day, and let them rest in the shade the rest of the day.)

My sentimental favorite are the bunnies – always so cute! But second were the roosters – or, as I think of them, the analog alarm clocks. They are quite handsome and studly and speak with great projection!

Here’s a few photos from the fair.



Above and below: Little piglets after and during the race.



Below: my favorite of the cute little bunnies.



Below: I was tempted to purchase one of the analog alarm clocks!



Below: Something you don't see in the city - a watermelon grows in a driveway.