Back to the fairgrounds ...

...to pick up the kids' projects. Brown paths lined the parking lots. The lanes among the barns, 4-H building and food booths were empty. So was the sky of the midway. No giant Ferris wheel, or Ring of Fire, or Freak-out. Just empty blue above the rock quarry and railroad line. The horses, cattle, sheep, goats, poultry and small animals are gone. Some of the farm animals were sold at auction and have already gone to their last round-up. Others, like our dairy cows and heifers, are back home on the farm.

We ended the fair with the open dairy cattle show, which brought in youth exhibitors from all over the northern part of the state. The kids bravely participated and gathered some last-place ribbons but kind words from the judge. The winning cows looked like box cars. Ours looked like ponies compared to some. The judge did comment about DD's cow that Verna was "correct and well balanced, just not enough of her to compete with some of these long tall cows out here."

We went to the rodeo and watched most of the bull riding with grit teeth. One mean bunch of Brahmas out there.

I took the boys to the tractor pull. We watched the super modified class that look more like rockets than tractors. We were there until one of them blew one its four jet engines. A long delay shaped up as officials set out to gather shrapnel from the track. The noise is indescribable -- a lot like being on the flight line with jets taking off -- the kind of sound you feel as well as hear.

Everyone surprised me by deciding after the 4-H show to keep the cows out there all week.

DS2, "Yasha," made the rounds of all the animal barns and displays. His favorite was the cow and calf barn. The dairy association lined up several close-up cows who freshened all week during the fair. Fairgoers could see the new borns, participate in hand milking, even saw managers pull a large calf.

It was fun and now we're done. Until next year ...