The Fair!

Is there anything more All-American than a Fair? It's like cotton candy and apple pie all wrapped up in sunny day.

We haven't been to the fair in probably 20 years. Parking was always a terrible hassle; it was kinda dirty and very expensive. In recent years, Tulsa has spiffed up the fairgrounds, restored the art deco buildings, and come up with a great (i.e. free) solution to the parking problem. It's still expensive but a pleasant, budget-friendly Sunday afternoon can be experienced (as long as you don't have kids who want to ride everything and eat all three meals there!)

All the standard fare Fair stuff is still there. Ah, tradition. There's the Midway...

My hubby actually got me to ride the sky-tram. I don't like heights or riding in things that hang from a cable.

There are games to win gigantic stuffed toys that you'll have no idea what to do with when you get it home.

There's indoor activities for the kiddos...

There's prize winning animals, petting zoos, pony rides...










...and baby lambs. Awwww!










Would you believe my favorite exhibit was the chickens? I had no idea there are so many varieties of fowl!

 There was a Butterfly tent.

I think those little green pods are actually cocoons. They appear to be sewn to terry-cloth panels.

There was a huge bulk candy maze. How I walked past all the chocolate... well, just a miracle.

And of course, there's food of all kinds! Fried this and fried that.

But what's a trip to the fair without getting one of these?

Mmmm....nice to know some things don't change!

I have another posting of fair pictures. You must come back and see the sugar art - ah-MAZING cakes!!!!

Just a Picture

Irony

Just a couple photos from our recent trip to the Dakotas. I enjoy a little irony.

Inspiration

I'm trying out matching inspirational quotes with some of my photos for a project...

Mini Maker Faire

Last weekend I participated with my art-doll club in the local "Mini Maker Faire" hosted by the FabLab and inspired by Maker magazine.

Anyone who builds, creates, crafts, paints, sews, engineers, spins & weaves...is a "maker."

Not in the Supreme Being sense, i.e. "prepare to meet your Maker."

(A Steampunk style Monster Hunter Kit; quite a deal at $750.00)

Not in the vampire meaning like the tv show "True Blood." (which, in case you didn't know, a "maker" is the vampiric equiv of a parent.)

1. mak·er

   ˈmākər/

   noun: maker; plural noun: makers; noun: our Maker; adjective: our

   1. 1.

      a person or thing that makes or produces something.

      "a cabinetmaker"

      synonyms:

      creator, manufacturer, constructor, builder

I was making a wire armature for a new doll. Exhibitors were encouraged to demonstrate their craft, answer questions, and interact with the public. It seemed like everyone had a good time. My group had some really funny encounters with the little children. One boy was scared of the dolls. Another wanted to play with them. A very precocious little girl was determined to sit down and sew her own doll right then and there!

 There was an impressive setup by the Garden Train Club.

I had never heard of garden trains. They had a blowup photograph of one which looked amazing.

I'm not sure what this next doo-dad is but it looked cool.

One man makes the most beautiful and unusual kalaidescopes; some woodcarved and others from metals that are normally used for other purposes.

I attempted a picture through the viewer.

 This lady paints pictures by wool-felting.

These cookie cutters were used for fabric printing.

I loved these Steampunk goggles!

 We got to see a couple 3D printers in action.

And there were people who "make" the old fashioned way.

Closing this post with a unique mode of transportation, made for last year's Faire, and brought back for our amusement this year.