We went over to the fair after milking last night and had a sort of mixed experience. We saw dozens of people that we haven't talked to in ages and thoroughly and very enjoyably talked to them all. However, we also sat in the parking lot for over half an hour waiting for them to let all the big rigs and tractors from the truck and tractor pull leave before the paying customers. I wonder if they had any idea how much gas they were wasting at over three bucks a gallon, with a couple of hundred cars sitting there idling.

Had a short, but enjoyable visit with Matt and Lisa and the kids. It was good to see them. Then we had a nice, but terribly salty dinner at the pancake house and headed over to the agricultural building for some extra milk. That was about as far as we got for at least an hour, as we ran into Gerald and Eileen D., Barney and Brian Y., Ron and Tom and Elma P., Stacie K. and her new baby, and most of the rest of the agricultural population of at least three counties. It was wonderful. Alan and I must have spent ten minutes just admiring Bettie Myer's butter sculpture. It's about time they got smart and hired one of the woodcarvers to do the job. I believe that Bettie produced the best sculpture the fair has ever seen.

Eventually, we moved on to walk around the fair and look at the exhibits. Fonda Fair has fallen from favor with me in recent years, but I have to say that they did a spectacular job with the displays this year. It took us quite a while to make it to the ultimate farmer destination, the Cow Palace. There was the usual group of really high-quality cattle there, but what really caught my eye was an Intermediate Senior Calf, by Silky Gibson, that belonged to Koronas. Wow! That's all I can say. She stood on the south aisle, but I spotted her the instant we walked through the north door. She was foursquare, strong and correct and everything anyone could ask for in a calf. I think she could show well even at the national level. I sure would like to own one just like her.

We will be starting to chop corn as soon as the fair is out of the way. I hope the weather holds warm and dry like it is now and that the machinery all holds together for a few weeks. Then maybe there will be time for some fall plowing before the snow flies.