Queens County Farm Fair

Before the month closes, I have to post about our three-family trek to the Queens County Fair earlier in September. It is an event I always put on my calendar hoping that the weekend doesn't coincide with our beach trip. And fortunately, this year it didn't. But it did conflict with a few other plans so we ended up holding off until Sunday and going post-birthday party. Because it was later in the afternoon, and the sun had decided to show itself after a gray morning, I wasn't surprised to see crowds. But still, it was probably the most crowded I've ever seen it and that's saying something.  In a way, it was hard not to compare it to last year when muggy, gray skies kept the masses at bay and we were able to run around in relative peace with Leonardo and Carmen. Maybe because we also upped the numbers with Jose and Irene in tow, but it felt like a lot more to juggle this time around. And with me on my own with the girls, it also meant I left one kid with someone while I raced over to another ride. Thankfully, they are older and better about sticking with me (cue memories of Elisa running away at the fair at age three) and it helped a lot that I was there with families we know well and trust. Because these big events can be overwhelming even for the parents, let alone the kids who want to do and taste it all at the very same moment. So we started with a quick bite of food for Carmen and crew, and ice cream for our kiddos. Then it was off to the amusements and each kid got three rides to choose. The "vroom vroom" cars as they are now known were a must. And Elisa and Leonardo ventured onto the Ferris Wheel after being turned down for another ride. Meanwhile, Carolina and German made do with the firetruck merrygoround and everyone enjoyed the motorcycle racing. Yes, it was a good, if crowded day at the fair...

We caught just the end of the pig racing this time around, and I absolutely had to stand in line for a funnel cake (or two) to sate my growing hunger. The girls were happy to watch an aerial artist bounce around the trampoline for a bit as the sun was setting. And then it was time to hit the pony rides and petting zoo before closing. That part felt a little rushed and anticlimactic, but that might have been that way even if we'd started the day over there. Things were kind of all backwards in my head which meant I kept trying to find a rhythm there all day that I couldn't place. I also never got a beer at the music pavilion which was probably my only regret. There just wasn't time. Hopefully next year we can come back, start a little earlier and check off all those must haves. Who knows, we've also never made it onto the hay ride or through the corn maze. So yeah, I think we have a few more fairs to see and happily so. It's something the girls really look forward to now as well, so I'm glad they have that. It reminds me a bit of the Santa-Cali-Gon Days I grew up attending on the town square in Independence, MO. Something about being a kid at the fair brings back lots of good memories. And from what I can tell, I think Elisa and Carolina are making their own. At least there weren't any tantrums and I didn't have to carry anyone kicking to the car. Oh yeah, we're making progress. See you again next year, farm!

NC Beach Week 2015

First the bad news: Beach Week '15 was kind of a wash out. The rain started just as I pulled into Emerald Isle with the girls in tow on Tuesday evening, and didn't really leave all week. We had periods of dry skies, but they never cleared. And there was lots of mist and light sprinkles pretty much every day. Of course it was also the first week that Nacho had flights scheduled (go figure) so we were flying solo in that regard but fortunately our travel day down was a breeze. Getting to see Barb again at the beach after a few missed summers was especially sweet, and then there was "Grandma's BFF" Karen who made the journey for the first time and was a really fun addition to the crazy compound. Leroy and Uncle Kent also returned and did so much better fishing this time around that I thought they might never want to leave. Yes, it was a good week for fishing and we enjoyed seeing them reeling in blue after blue (and one Spanish mackerel) since there wasn't much else to do on a rainy ol' beach. Cliff and Donna also made the trek out from Oklahoma for the first time since 2007. A lot has changed in the interim, including these two girls who sprang up and have made our beach weeks so much more fun. They weren't deterred at all by the weather and spent lots of time surfing on their boogie boards in the shallow water and splashing around in the tidal pools that formed every afternoon up near the dunes. 

Luckily Nacho made it in on Wednesday evening and got to stay til Saturday morning so that was a bright spot in an otherwise gray week. He didn't get to swim as much with the girls, but he made sure to pull them around the tidal pool on their boogie boards and carry them down to the waves when they were running around the beach. It was a very chill week in an otherwise hectic September, so for that we were all grateful. Stacey and family got to come down just for two nights on the last weekend, but that was alright. They helped us plan a couple of great meals and the kids entertained their cousins and kept game nights interesting. One of my favorite things about our beach weeks is just how much we get to interact at meals and afterwards with Yahtzee and Trivial Pursuit. As the girls get older, I find I appreciate these screen-free family times much more. Stace and I talk about how we really want to carry this tradition on and hopefully we can well into the future. As we all started to call this the Jean Price Memorial Beach Week, we know it's true that health and age are always bearing down on our reunions. I suppose that's reality. Mom had some kidney troubles the week before this beach week and it was just another reminder that it can't be taken for granted how special our time together is. It might not be the most exciting week of the year (on day 4 the girls were asking if we were ever going to go anywhere...um, no), but it's one I really treasure for another 365 days. 

Finally, making it home to NYC was a little more draining than usual. We got to stay til Sunday morning and managed to skip out on clearing the house of every last item (thanks, Stace and Mark and Barb!). But the 3 hour car trip to the airport plus getting bumped from the first flight all took its toll. By the time the 4:30 p.m. flight got delayed to 6:15 p.m. and all those on the later 6:00 p.m. flight (also delayed an hour) started making their way forward, I wasn't entirely sure we were going anywhere that night. And though that wouldn't have been the end of the world, I was ready to get back to normal and get the girls up and ready for school even if I had two more days on my own with them. Fortunately a fellow new hire pilot took pity on me and offered to take the jump seat so we could squeeze on the plane after his wife and daughter started up a conversation with us. And that's how we made it back to JFK for one last crazy ride of the day (the cabbie took the wrong exit straight out of the airport--oh jeez) and home just in time to appreciate the Harvest Moon and lunar eclipse that evening. So yeah, it was some beach week and I suppose if nothing else we managed to hunker down and really enjoy each other during a somewhat dreary week. And the good news is we missed the hurricane that's heading that way as we speak. So yeah, it could have been worse. Always good to hear.