More Fair 2012 Photos

Okay, these are going to be in no particular order.

On our first morning at the 2012 Iowa State Fair, we had some good fair-going weather. It was cool - somewhere in the mid- to upper-60s. It was cloudy (but we still slathered on the sunscreen, because those rays can still do damage on a cloudy day). And there was a slight breeze.

So like I mentioned in a previous post, after we'd found out that Livie hadn't won a prize, we decided to hit the fun stuff right away to make up for it. The first thing we did after seeing the piglets was the Giant Slide!

She'd wanted to go with Daddy, first, and then she'd go one more time with me. While I was at the bottom waiting for them, I snapped a photo. In this photo, you can see them on that green stripe.

No photos of my turn going down the slide with Livie. By the time she and I had reached the top, I realized I'd stuck my little camera in my pocket. Too late to give it to Andrew to snap a photo. 

What was next on the list? Barksdale's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies! These cookies are SO GOOD (maybe even better than my grandmother's). They are warm from the oven, chewy and soft, chocolate chips all gooey and melty. You can get them in a cup or in a bucket! We opted for the cup, which had just enough for the three of us to share.

I realized too late that she didn't want her photo taken.

Mmmm, cookies!

And what goes perfectly with cookies? Milk! I always have to stop at the Dairy Barn to get a big cup of ice cold milk. I think it must be 2% because it is so creamy and good. Livie even said it was the best milk she ever tasted. Maybe it was just because we were at the Fair and were eating our favorite cookies. 

A little bit later, after finding a place to wash the melted chocolate off Livie's hands, we headed to the cattle barn. We're fans of cows, because they give us milk (and milk is used in tasty things like cheese and ice cream). And they say "Mooooo."

Livie was excited for the opportunity to pet a calf. SO CUTE. 

 
Normally, when we have the chance to visit the Fair a few times after the first couple days, we are usually able to milk a cow. Since we won't be able to go during this last weekend, we unfortunately didn't get a chance to do that this year. Hopefully next year.

But we were able to visit another Iowa State Fair highlight - the Butter Cow! This is the Butter Cow's 101st Anniversary; there has been a Butter Cow at the Iowa State Fair since 1911! Each year, the Butter Cow sculptor does a different breed of cow, as well as a "companion sculpture" in butter.

This year, the companion sculptures were Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs, and the Evil Queen. They are always in the Agriculture Building, in an enclosed, refrigerated case (obviously), with glass on one side (obviously) so visitors can view the amazing sculptures.

(They're not the best photos, because my little camera couldn't handle the lighting very well, and also due to the glass' reflective quality).

The Queen and the Mirror on the Wall, and Snow White were on a rotating platform, slowly turning so we could see both, one at a time (and also, probably, to wisely use the available space).

The Evil Queen and the Mirror!

Snow White in the forest! (Sorry for all the glare.)

 

The Seven Dwarfs! (And a glimpse of the famous one!)

There she is - the Butter Cow! (Again, sorry for the glare.)

And here's a photo I always have to take each year - the photo next to the floating globe, just outside the Agriculture Building. It's on some sort of water spout, so it floats around, rotating.

Later on in the day, just before we headed back to the house, I was able to snap a photo of the Grandstand. This is where all the Fair's big concerts are held, nightly. Also, there's a dirt track around the stage area (for horse racing or car racing, I guess. I once was able to ride my horse on the track, and even hand-galloped around it, imagining myself racing in front of cheering crowds. But that's a story for another day. ).  That structure you see in the photo is where the stadium seating is.