The Minnesota State Fair's third day

After a morning of not very inspiring tennis, I went with the Prairie Princess to the Minnesota State Fair where she was to work in the booth dedicated to her candidate for governor, Ken Pentel. We got there early enough to get a photo of PP with the two candidates of the Ecology Democracy Party, Ken Pentel, and his running mate Erin Wallace. They were spending most of the day in the booth and PP has a four hour shift this evening.

After meeting the candidate we explored the fairgrounds. I'm not much of a big crowd guy, but I was there and there are a few things that are fun to take in. We saw another of the candidates for guv, Tom Horner the Independence Party candidate, talking to some fair goers. He's another guy that doesn't seem very likely to get elected. He's likely to finish third in November and Ken will be probably scratch out a fourth place finish.

Speaking of crowds, check out the population of one of the walking streets in the popular part of the fair, the part where it is easy to buy some of the popular food "on a stick" and the high calorie deep fat fried cheese curds. The fair set attendance records the first two days - each in the area of 110,000 attendees - and today looks like another record. That's a lot of cheese curds.

We visited the DNR building and the Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC) booth where PP is also known. We talked for a while to her former boss at MCC, and he had good things to say about her and her work.

PP and I visited the Fine Arts building where the folk art of Minnesota is displayed each year. The Strib reviewer in today's paper seemed to dislike most of this year's efforts, but there were some noteworthy works there ... and a crush of people checking out the paintings, photos, sculptures and drawings.

We also ran into some familiar faces at the fair - something that seems likely with that many folks in one place. Near the Horticulture Building we ran into Andy and Tula. They were wandering about carrying their favorite beverages when we ran into them on our way to the International Bazaar to get some food. I didn't get a photo, but they have appeared on this blog (and Santini's) several times in the last year.

Cookout

The Prairie Princess planned a cookout for her MCC compatriots and she planned it for November 9, today. As luck would have it, the weather turned decidedly glorious. Who'd a thunk it? Sixty degrees on November 9, weather warm enough for bare feet. I hung around for a photo or two and also to sample the food. PP made bison burgers and wild rice with mushrooms and onions. We had three bean salad and the MCC guys and gals brought additional vittles. Here's PP hanging out by the grill in bare feet. It was a nice feast, and I got to partake.



I also managed to get the group to pose for a picture. They are funny people and the joking and laughing was out of control, but you can see by the photo that they were enjoying themselves. Then I went off to Hidden Falls for a walk in the wilds while the young'uns socialized. They're an entertaining bunch.



Funny story. My patio furniture rotted away a couple of years ago and I haven't replaced the table. PP and I thought we should have a table for the cookout, so we went to Menard's yesterday to buy some patio furniture. The signs indicated "Patio Furniture" above the department where they used to have patio furniture. They apparently moved that all to storage a couple of months ago and filled the space with Christmas decorations. There was not a single patio table to be had. We improvised for the cookout and it worked okay. I had an old card table and we used upside town waste baskets for coffee tables. I'm getting a new table next spring while there is a selection.

Other points of interest. Yesterday was Sunday and the weather was even better than today. So the GTA geezers played two sets of tennis outside, in the wind. Outdoors tennis on November 8. And we're scheduled to do it again tomorrow. We're starting later, about three pm and, given the shortness of the days lately, we'll be lucky to get in one set before the sun deserts us. But it will be outdoors tennis in November in Minnesota.

The order of months has apparently changed this year. Now it's August, September. October, and September again. I am not against it.

Venus in Eclipse

I admit it. I went to the Fair, not once, but twice. It's an experience that I won't repeat this year, but it was, as the old Norwegians are wont to say, different. PP was working at the MCC booth by the DNR area, so I stopped and picked her up as her shift ended and we took this photo of her pretending to be an MCC employee in the photo cutout. She actually is an MCC employee and has, on several occasions, wielded a chain saw. So, other than the wooden-like stance, it could be a photo of her at work.

Then we toured around the fairgrounds. We ate some of the on-a-stick gastronomic delights(?), like the alligator and a pronto pup, visited the International Bazaar, and generally checked out the Minnesota people out in public and on display. I had a tour of the Poultry Barn while PP was working, and only later thought that I could have encountered the bird flu in that venue. But I wasn't alone. Apparently Garrison Keillor spent some time there this week, too. I was struck by the variety of chickens that people raise, some of which are quite attractive birds, yet when one buys chicken meat in stores there is no mention of the variety that one is buying. Apparently they are all the same, at least taste-wise.



The other must-go exhibit for me is the fine arts display. The range of art work is wide, but there are a lot of very talented artists in Minnesota that enter their work for ribbons and a chance to be displayed. I personally like the sculpture and the oil paintings.

I found the car parks in the Como area pretty interesting, as did Mr Moohoo on his blog. My next photo is of some one's second income source. The $15 rate for parking seems pretty excessive, but they are filling their yards and collecting their fees. It was and is possible to park free at Highway 94 and Snelling and catch the bus to the Fair, also for free. It's hard to knock the free enterprise system though.



Venus lost her match this afternoon to the resurgent Kim Clijsters at the US Open, 6-0, 0-6, 6-4. It was a very weird match with the two offsetting bagel sets, before a hard fought third set. Clijsters is returning to the game after having a baby girl. The only mother, that I can remember to ever win a grand slam event was the athletic Evonne Goolagong. Clijsters has a few obstacles to winning this one, including Serena, but she's in the quarter finals. It's all a pretty good show.