Saturday, August 23, 2014

Oregon State Fair 2014

Hello there!  We rested up this week from our camping trip.. and then yesterday we headed to the Oregon State Fair with my sister Denise, DIL Kristi and 2 grandsons.  We asked Caleb what he wanted to do at the fair and he said "Ride a horse and do WHATEVER I want."  OK.  You got it.  This image was of the ferris wheel while we rode on the "Fair Lift".  We went on the opening day and I was afraid it would be way over-crowded, but it wasn't at all and the weather was perfection.  A fabulous day was had by all!


We spied the pony rides first thing and were able to tick this off Caleb's dream list.  :-)  Everything was fresh and new, we may have been the first riders!  The ponies look healthy, well-taken care of and shiny.



Hayden looks right at home in the saddle.



Next up was the animals in the 4-H barn.  I was particularly taken with these baby Angora bunnies.  They both got 1st Place Blue Ribbons by the judge!


All the animals were clean and groomed and healthy looking.  These are either Charolais or British White.  Do you know which or something other?



I tried to get the pigs to smile and say cheese.. but they were more interested in drinking water than playing along with me.  :-)


Is there anything more majestic than a Clydesdale draft horse?  They are BIG!


On to the Poultry Barn - A pretty Polish chicken with an impressive hairdo.


A pretty rooster.


Have you ever seen a white Pheasant?  Now you have!


Then it was time for lunch.. oh fair food.. I had a corn dog, everyone else had a hot dog.. the boys had curly fries.. and swirl soft ice cream for dessert.  Dayle, Denise and I shared a cinnamon roll.. then Caleb finished it off for us.  :-)  There was a huge group of kids practicing for a rally squad competition, all age groups.  I asked these girls' moms if I could snap a photo and they gave me the okay.


How often can you say that you saw Elvis on a tall unicycle juggling?  :-)  See the Fair Lift above.. we would be riding on that at the end of our visit to the fair later in the day.  Denise and I headed to the huge building where all the handmade things such as quilts, crochet and knitting, spinners, wood craft, cakes, collections, etc. are located.  Dayle and Kristi took the boys to the rides and midway.


I loved seeing all these flags flapping in the wind.



The first thing we saw in the building was a large collection of orchids.  I was drawn to the orange and red ones.


LOVE this yellow, orange and purple one!



I was amazed at this gigantic hand crocheted bedspread and pillow covers to match!  


In the quilt area, this was my favorite out of the 50 or so quilts on display.  Does anyone know the name of this design?


We enjoyed chatting with these women who were hand quilting this blanket.  In days long ago, neighbor women would help each other stitch and they called it a "quilting bee".  Often the frames were raised to the ceiling in between the times they worked on them.


There were also some quilters sewing blocks together to donate to charity.  I was pleased to see a Singer Featherweight machine like mine whirring away.  My sister Denise is a quilter and she invited me to bring my machine to her house and she will teach me how to make a quilted item.  Yay!


Next up were the spinners!  After looking at their wheels, I may sell my big fancy Kromski Symphony wheel and get a simpler one.  My big one is very difficult to tune and is not easy to transport.. at all.


There was a display of hand made wooden Indian flutes and this man played a song for me.  His Indian name is Ko-Na and his English name is Foster J. Kalama of the Warm Springs, Oregon tribe.  I hope you listen to this.  He was good!!



While we were enjoying the quiet arts.. Dayle and Kristi were putting the boys on this vintage ride.. Hayden is in the middle.


Wheeeeeee!  Caleb is the 2nd from the top down left and Hayden is 2nd from the top right.  What a thrill for them!


It's a beautifully decorated ride.  Can you spot the boys?


Airplane ride.. seems a bit tame after the swings!


Next up.. Hayden in a fire truck. :-)


Caleb picked a race car.



Then.. they put them in big plastic balls in "Walk on Water" and they looked like a pair of hamsters.  They had a blast!



We met up with the gang and walked down the midway to get to the Fair Lift -- I loved the Ferris Wheel!


Then we got on the Fair Lift - which I will tell you is quite a feat - you have to hop on the bench seat while it's MOVING.. Dayle and Hayden were in front of Caleb and me.  I was a nervous wreck as Caleb kept leaning over the rail in front of us.. I kept saying.. sit back honey.  :-)  We park at one end of the fair, walk all around and end up at the other end.. then take the lift back to where we parked.  A good plan, yes?


When we landed.. and yes you have to get off the moving lift.. we decided we needed an ice cream to fortify us and right in front of us was "J Gelati" - Caleb had blueberry gelato, Hayden had green apple, I had orange "dreamsicle", Denise had chocolate frozen custard.  We also walked around the Artisan Village and I was drawn to the yarn display.  The woman does all the dying of these skeins!


Alexandra's Crafts is her business name.  


I had to show you the photo of my two granddaughters, Jenna and Paige in Ohio.. we got to Skype with them as Paige opened up her birthday presents. She just turned SIX!  


So, unfortunately we were in traffic jams a lot of the way home.. we did like going on opening day but we won't head home during rush hour again.  :-)  But it was a great time at the fair.  Do you go to your county and state fairs?  If you're in another country, do you have anything like this?  
((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

25 comments:

  1. Very few things are more fun or interesting than a good county fair !
    Your did a great job showing off the specialness of this one .

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  2. Almost never see Elvis round here. What an amazing place to visit, I particularly love those little bunnies. To ride a horse and do whatever I want is pretty much what I'd like for my life. Wouldn't that be nice? Glad you all had such a good time, your photos are fantastic, you have captured the atmosphere beautifully. CJ xx

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  3. Fairs are so much fun - especially through the eyes of a child.

    Like you I love to spin. I just wish I hadn't sold my Ashford Joy. It was so nice to travel with - But I do love my Schacht Ladybug. It's a sweet machine and so easy to treadle. Not too heavy - just doesn;t fold up like the Lady bug. You should also consider the Louet Victoria - it's small, VERY easy to transport & a great little wheel.

    Have you done any dying with Kool-Aid. It's fun, easy and cheap to do. You can purchase the undyed yarn or fiber from Knit Picks, too.

    Can't wait until your next post. Take care & enjoy the last of summer.

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  4. Loved it, such fun for everyone although I am hesitant on those chair lifts lol but will ride a rollercoaster...weird I know lol Here we have http://www.royalshow.com.au/ but I have not been for 10 or more years and it can be super crowded. No Elvis's either lol

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  5. Now I need to go to the State fair just to go on the fair lift. Way cool. The giant plastic balls on water looked fun too.
    You should come to Flock & Fiber in Canby (9/27 & 28) - coming up. Lots of classes too.
    Thanks for the trip to the Oregon State Fair.

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  6. LOL. The fair lift looks and sounds just like a ski lift :) Looks like you all had a wonderful time together! I would love to see the animals and handcrafted items--love those! We are at the end of our high speed Internet for the month, so I will have to be patient and wait to hear Ko-Na until September. I have been to both state and county fairs before, but not for a long time.
    Have a great Sunday~
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: Wishing your beautiful granddaughter Paige a very happy belated birthday!

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  7. I was rather liking the juggling unicycling Elvis, thinking how do you top that - and then I saw THE YARN STALL. Have you read my posts today, oh my gosh those yarns are gorgeous :)

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  8. I love going to the fair. so fun! I hope you have an bless Sunday!

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  9. On Monday, my youngest daughter Jessica and I are headed for the fair. It's an annual tradition. We have been doing it since all the kids were little. (She is 32 now) We are there when the fair opens and stay until about 7pm. I'll be very tired, but oh so much fun. Glad you all had a great time too!

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  10. I love a good old-fashioned state fair. Yours looks really nice. I love those flying swings, they were my favorite when I was little! What Caleb said reminds me of the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." Have you ever seen it? It's such a weird but sweet movie. There's a scene where someone asks the main character what he's going to do today and he says "Whatever I FEEL like I wanna do." :)

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  11. We enjoy the fair very much and go to the Spokane County Fair often. I planned to enter items in the fair this year but it just didn't happen with everything else going on around here. The spinning wheel on the left in your picture is and Ashford traveller wheel. I had one just like it until I sold it a few months ago. A great little wheel for taking camping, etc. I used to spin at the fair too. :-). Happy late birthday to a Paige,
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  12. Sounds like you had an amazing day making lots of memories. We have something very similar a County Show but the emphasis is more on farming and livestock.

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  13. The Indian flute music is beautiful. The boys rolling on the water looked like so much fun...and all the other rides you showed as well. I think I saw them on the swing as I admired the decorations on the swing ride, too. And all the colors...animals...yarn...quilts.... It has been many years since I have gone to a state, fair, but I think I enjoyed this Oregon state fair post even more. Thanks, Teresa!

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  14. It looks like you had a wonderful time with the boys ... Great family memories. So happy you are back my dear friend.

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  15. Hello Teresa what fun you all had. Loved the flute playing! You conveyed the atmosphere etc very well in your photos and words. Hugs Anne x

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  16. The fair looks like it was such a great time. You all got to do and see what yo wanted, I bet the boys were thrilled. We do have a state fair but I have never been to it, it does not draw the nicest people and there always seems to be trouble. I might go if that yarn was there.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  17. Nothing like that around here. Looks like it was a fun-filled day with so much to see and do. Have a great day. Tammy

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  18. My sister raves about the minnesota state fair. starts his week.
    I love a county or state fair. I hate the rides. Oh those crazy swings. I'd be vomiting for sure!
    Did you buy some yarn? i would have

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  19. I have been to county fairs but never to State Fairs and from what I hear the Ohio State Fair is one of the best. My brother and his wife Sharon went a few weeks ago. Sandusky County Fair is rated one of the best in the state. Both of my daughters live in that county. My grandson Holden went this week with his other PaPaw and told me the cows and ducks stink, and he held his nose when he told me about it. So much for a 2 year olds impression of the farm animals, lol. Your Indian flute player was good. I hope you bought a flute and are practicing up to show us a video of your talents. Yes the quilts were on frames often rolled up to the ceiling. In fact I have one now in a frame like that. The frame use to belong to my mil and the boards were made by my fil and they are held together at the junctions by C-clamps. You can get a whole bunch of women around one of those quilting frames. WOW to that bedspread and the matching pillow covers. Makes me wonder how blind the woman is who sat and worked on that one. It is beautiful work. The boys sure looked like they had a ton of fun at the fair. I bet you were all wore out by the time you got home. That yarn looked scrumptious, hope you bought some, it was beautiful!
    (((HUGS))) Susanne :)

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  20. What fun, and what great photos to capture the day!!! We have a small fair in the next city over. It is geared to rodeo and horse related things. I entered a quilt one year and too a second place ribbon.
    Do let your sis to teach you to quilt. You will love it!
    Happy Birthday to your sweet little Paige!!
    XO Kris
    PS loved the flute song!!!

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  21. It looks like such a fun time. Those hamster balls are always so funny.

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  22. Oh my goodness, what a lot to see. I haven't been to the fair for a number of years, but I always enjoy the animals. All the unusual chickens are fun to see and the dairy cows with their beautiful faces and eyes. I'm not a big one for rides anymore, but I do like the Ferris wheel and I used to love the swings; I bet I'd still like that one. I'd also be right there with you in line for a corn dog. Perfect fair food!

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  23. Wow! Didn't you all have the best fun! I love that it seemed as if there was something for everyone. Thank you for sharing your wonderful day out .

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  24. Hellooo Teresa, Good to see you! That was one fabulous fair!!! One of the best I have seen. Loved the yellow, orange and purple orchid also. I don't have one that color!! MV has an agricultural fair every summer and we always miss it but normally one of our kids are down and they go and love all the animals, rides and best of show type things. ( largest sunflower, best quilt, etc) In fact the little girls are there now. I looked at a few of your blog posts I have missed and you have had a wonderful summer. I'm so happy you have had so many fun times. Take care, xoRobin

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  25. Oh it looks like you all had such a blast at the fair. Love seeing all the happy faces. Oh the yarn looks yummy. Wishing you a most lovely day sweet friend. ((hugs))

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