What did you do this weekend?

Me?  I went to Portland and spend some time with my sister.  We walked around Lincoln Park and shopped the arts and crafts fair there.  It is interesting in that there were some definite themes running among the artists.  Realistic hearts were everywhere as were narwhals. We then walked up to the Art Show, which were painters and photographers.  There was one really interesting artist who wore a Bob Ross shirt.  He had a napkin on a table that said "ask me about the mouse painting"  not being able to figure out what he meant (his canvases were of simple-ish landscapes - land tree sky or sky and ocean) I had to ask.  I was expecting a painting to be nibbled by a mouse, or he had subtly painted in a mouse that I couldn't detect, but it turned out he had left a painting in his garage to dry and a mouse ran over it and left very subtle foot prints in it.  It was adorable, but it was also several hundred dollars..   It was nice to spend time with my sister.

Then I went home and my husband and I went out to the Acton Fair.  As a child we would spend time at a cottage on the lake that my aunt owned, and when I say cottage think mobile home but as a kid it was awesome!!!  we played and swam and caught baby fish in jars and crayfish from under rocks.  We had to pass right by the fair grounds and often the fair when going to the lake and we would constantly beg to go.  Some years we would, others we would not.  I like going to the Acton Fair occasionally as an adult because it is smaller and not so overwhelming as the Fryeberg Fair and you still get that harvest fair experience.  The vegetable competitions, the crafting competitions, the animals, the fair food, the midway.  It cost a bit more then I would have thought to get in, but hey, it is a random thing and a fun way to pass a few hours.

If they hadn't picked them when they did,
I'm sure these zucchinis would have taken over the world

Horse pulling competition.  Man those horses are tall!

chicks

This striped chick ran over when I started taking pictures

Trinkets to buy including llamas and turtles

I like going over to the building that houses the rabbits each year.  Each year I enjoy seeing them but each year I leave the building feeling so sad.  They still sell cages with wire bottoms (they can damage bunny feet) and I am not a fan of purchasing an animal at the fair like this.  Rabbits do not do well with stress at all and it can take a great toll on their health to be stressed out.  Are these bunnies stressed?  All those people looking at them and poking at them (despite signs that warn that rabbits bite fingers) and being taken away from their homes and put in small cages then put in smaller boxes to be brought to a home that is most likely not prepared for a rabbit.. I'm going to go with they are stressed.  But yet each year I go in, because I see cuties like these.

What I was not expecting though was the pile of rabbit pelts sitting right next to the rabbits.  It so did not seem right.  But considering that right outside the rabbit building was a taxidermy display building I shouldn't have been that surprised (but they normally don't have them there)  This being an agricultural fair you have to keep in mind that these were most likely not intended to be pets.

Who doesn't want a bolognaburger?
You could also get fried pickles, fried oreos and fried candy bars

These cows were actively snuggling/necking.  It was so cute

Chickens for Robyn

This chicken looked a pine cone.

alpacas

Yes, this alpaca had his head through the fencing and was munching away on the hay.  I thought he was in a pickle, but when his handler started walking towards him he quickly pulled his head out on his own and I got the distinct impression he knew he was being naughty.

a flirty llama

How you doin??

llama friend

Goats and cows.

I was able to put my hand on a cow.  I haven't done that in a very long time.  I forgot what they felt like and it was pretty interesting.

As we were driving to the fair we passed a small beach on a lake. I have passed that beach hundreds of times and I've always thought it would be fun go there but never have.  On the way home I suggested to my husband that we stop and put our toes in the water.  Once we were down on the beach we felt secluded but I knew full well it was not because I've driven by it so many times.  We joked it would have been fun to go skinny dipping, but it wasn't secluded and we had absolutely nothing for post swim. As we were leaving we joked we'd have to put towels and robes in the car for next time..  cause I so never see my husband actually doing that.. :)