Summer Ends and Fall Begins.

The month of October has started with more fires in our area. Early this summer, we had a large fire west of us, in Santa Barbara. Then later in August, we had another fire east of us, in the San Fernando Valley, where we used to live. Just recently we have had two fires, again in nearby communities to the north. And as I write now, another fire has broken out in the mountain community of Wrightwood, where there is our local ski resort. The drought has taken its toll on Southern California and the mountains are tinder dry. We haven't had any measurable rain since February and October usually brings the Santa Ana winds that blow offshore, further drying out the mountains. These winds are warm and dry, since they are blowing off the desert, then compressing as they flow down the mountains to sea level. It is not unusual to have temperatures that go into the upper 90's or even the 100's (35-40 degrees C) combined with humidity in the single digits and winds that will gust at 70-80 mph. It's really tough on our firefighters who work day and night to keep the flames at bay. With the airport nearby, we have the aerial tankers and helicopters doing constant refilling and refueling, flying overhead all day long. Hopefully the winds will die down and let these guys get a handle on all of this.

On the home front, we have kept busy remodeling the bathroom. I hope to have it all finished by next week, but it depends on the bath tub we pick out and if it is in stock at the time. I am at a stand still until we get the tub because I still need to do all the plumbing work to fit the new tub and fixtures before the drywall and cement board can go up. It is amazing what you find when you tear down walls and see how half ass the original construction was done. It's sure not the way I would build a house. So some of my work is fixing the original construction so that the walls and fixtures are plumb and ready to go when I am.

We went back to the LA County fair to pick up the mirror we had ordered the last time and to enjoy another day at the fair with friends. This time we went with our friends, Steve and Kerree, who had not been to the fair in years. And again, it was about the food and beer, oh, and a few exhibits. They have a wonderful minature train exhibit that sits on a quarter acre and, pardon the pun, has all the bells and whistles. The displays and all the trains are amazing. A lot of detail went into this exhibit.

Again, more food and beer, and for the girls it's margaritas. And what would the fair be without all the bizarre fried foods and goodies.

Then after the feast, it's another beer to wash down the fried food and for the girls it's time to switch from margie's to wine. Of course it has to be at the wine tasting building. So many wines, so little time. Hundreds of wines to chose from. Mmmm.





After that we wander around the fair grounds and check out the Budweiser Clydesdales. If you have never seen these beautiful animals up close, they are really a large and magnificent horse. And talk about being pampered, these guys (and gals) have it made. Only the best grains, grooming twice daily, private stalls, they have it all.

More walking around the fair grounds, then it's over to the exhibit buildings (really more like an indoor swap meet) to buy things we don't really need but gotta have. There are at least ten of these buildings and a couple of thousand vendors selling just about everything under the sun.

As our day at the fair comes to an end, we've all had a wonderful time. Is there room for dessert? How about a deep fried Snickers bar or a deep fried Reese's to help harden the arteries.

It would be fun to stay for one of the concerts they have in the evening, but tonight there's no band and we still have couple of hour drive to get home.

This maybe the last time we visit the LA fair for a few years so I'm glad we had a chance to visit it twice. And as always, it was lots of fun.

Let's All Go To The Fair

It's the time of year for the LA County Fair. This month long affair is a great place to go to buy junk you don't really need, eat way more than you should and walk until your legs are sore. We went on Friday so we would miss the real mad house crowds that come on the weekend. The fair sits on over one square mile of grounds with over 14 large show buildings, thousands of vendors, horse races, farm animals and a couple of hundred rides and carnival booths for the kids. It is probably one of the biggest fairs in the States. Mischelle and I have stayed the night nearby so we could visit for a second day, it is that large. Almost too much to see in one day.

Food, food and more food.


Mobile advertisement for Shock Beer.


The World's Largest Fire Hydrant. It's next to the dog park, of course.



Beer, beer and MORE BEER. Of course, at the Draft Beer Depot.

And of course you have to have pictures inside the cutout artwork.

There were lots of outdoor displays but we focused on getting ideas for an outdoor cooking area and bar. With that in mind we took a few pictures of the ideas we liked most and that we could build on our own down in Belize.

What would a fair be if it didn't have lots of animals. The petting zoo was fun to watch with all the little ones toddling about amongst the animals. It was just as much fun to watch the parents.

The parade of cars showcased vintage cars all restored to their showroom condition. I wish I could show all of them that were in the parade but there were just so many I only picked out some of the best.

This years' outdoor garden exhibit theme was Africa. The many displays featured flowers and fauna from all over the Continent. There were some live animals and flora displays.

My former employer, AT&T, had one whole building dedicated to reptiles of the Jurassic Period. They had live motion displays that were quite impressive.

All to soon, day gave way to night, and the fair lit up. All the carival rides and games came to life.

And what kind of fair would it be if you didn't buy something. So Mischelle and I bought a HUGE mirror for our new home and got lots of ideas for the front door.

So it was a fun day at the fair. Didn't get to see everything I wanted, but we did see a lot. Who knows, maybe we'll need to go back again this year before it closes.