The State Fair of Texas

We're fortunate to have the State Fair of Texas in Dallas every year. It's always a fun way to spend a day. Ruf took a vacation day yesterday so we could go when it wasn't crowded. Also, Wednesdays are traditionally $1 admission days with 3 cans of food for the North Texas Food Bank. Get in dirt cheap AND help a good cause! It's a win-win!

We started off by heading into the midway to see the human cannonball.




After watching a guy launch from a cannon, we headed into one of the marketplaces. I sat down for a free massage, then we looked around. This sand sculpture was truly impressive!



We next headed to the dog show, which is an annual tradition we never miss. My photos aren't very good because we were sitting too far away, but the dogs caught frisbee after frisbee, obeyed impressive commands, dove into a tank of water at an impressive distance, and even raced each other. And they looked like they enjoyed every moment of it!




Next we headed over to watch the African Acrobats. They started with a drummer, then the acrobats came out with impressive displays of physical skill. Strong and limber are the best words to describe these guys.





Lunch was next. This picture is for my sister in London. She told me to eat a corn dog for her. I wasn't in the mood for one, but Ruf ate one. Fletcher's Corny Dogs are a state fair tradition. Also, if you notice Ruf's shirt in the picture, that's our cool new youth-group theme: Mimetes. It means imitator in Greek.



Big Tex, the icon of the State Fair of Texas. He's 55 years old this year and still going strong.



Next was a show called Dancing with Dogs. We thought it would be humans really dancing with their dogs, but it was just fancy dog tricks. Still, it was cute to watch, especially a little Jack Russell Terrier who did kicks with his back legs. Pardon the blurriness of the picture, but they were moving non-stop, and I was high up in the stands.



I always enjoy stopping by the DAR house in Fair Park. Their collection is small, but they have some impressive examples of American objects of old. There were several stunning sets of china that were a couple of hundred years old, some clothing, shoes, guns, etc. I wound up entering two raffles: one for a Madame Alexander Betsy Ross doll (that will go to my nieces in London if I win), and a GPS system, which Ruf thinks is cool but says I actually need. (God didn't turn on my internal compass when he made me.) If I win, great. If not, the money goes towards preservation of American history. And yet again, I was reminded that I need to get around to filling out my DAR paperwork, as I am a legacy. It's a good group, and I think they're desperately in need of younger women to join up.



We headed over to the African-American Museum to watch the Cardstacker, Bryan Berg. He was constructing a NYC skyline. The Empire State Building is so high that part of the ceiling had to be removed! Truly, this guy's work is impressive.





We wandered through more craft booths that evening. I wound up buying some dip mixes. I probably wouldn't have bothered, but Ruf really wanted them.

Before we left for the night, I had Ruf take a picture of the Texas Star all lit up. It's a beautiful sight at night.



It was a good day.