• I’ve been trying to keep my cycling going through the summer this year. Normally I slack off a bit once it gets hot and we stop having events to train for. This year, I decided that with the lake bike trail so close, I’d try riding every morning before it gets hot. It’s been working well; I have about 110 miles in already this week. The lake is pretty in the mornings, and quiet.
• My first vegetable garden here has had mixed results; I think I need to redo the beds in the fall. But thanks to mom, I am using the established herb garden to make lots of interesting pestos!
• We may go to New Orleans in August for a wedding. Should be interesting to see the place.
• I didn’t mention it before, but when we went back to Houston for the MS150, we drove by our old house and the new owners had taken out every single flower bed and put in grass. Roses, herbs, amaryllis, everything.
• I have been steadily working through last fall’s pecan crop, shelling them with this nutcracker. Hopefully I will never have to buy pecans again.
• I have not filled up my gas tank since sometime on our drive back from New Mexico, over a month ago. I really think people should think more in terms of Gallons Per Day than Miles Per Gallon.
• I am out of fun facts for today.
• I may start posting things other than what we are doing, just to keep things interesting.

It turned out to be the absolute worst day to go. It drizzled until game time, then the sun came out and it was hot and humid until the game ended, when it started to rain, thunder and lightning. I packed light, but Ed packed his camera and rain gear, which he then decided he didn’t want to take into the game, so I wound up carrying it around, meaning I couldn’t go on any rides.

I would have stayed grumpy, except the fair was actually pretty neat, and I can imagine how fun it would be on a nice crisp fall day, if Dallas does indeed ever have those.

I ate fried cheese curds and a fried Twinkie. I COULD have eaten fried Coke, fried cookie dough, fried latte, fried Oreos, fried cheese on a stick and lots of other fried things I am forgetting now.

The best part of the day (so best I did it twice), was the Birds of the World show. I stumbled into this thinking it was an exhibit. Instead, it was an outdoor show with trained birds (condors, buzzards, eagles, hawks, owls, storks, macaws, parrots, etc.) flying free right above the audience. They flew so low that they sometimes touched peoples heads as the trainers talked about each species and bird conservation in general. The head trainer was a little corny, so when he had everyone turn around to watch as an eagle flew from the top of the giant fair Ferris wheel down to the stage, I thought he was joking. But that is exactly what happened; the bird rode the Ferris wheel up and then soared right down to us. The trainers then had birds collect donations from the audience. The finale had multiple birds flying around as a video about conservation efforts played. At the end, a raven sat on a large donation box and collected dollar bills (and tens and twenties) from anyone who wanted to donate. The show was a very effective fundraiser; by the end the videos and the birds themselves had a lot of people in tears (including me) because they were so beautiful.

Here are a few pictures from the fair.

As an aside, I am still able to buy gas for under $3 close to home, but the Shell station by work is mighty proud of itself.