« Day 8 of Illinois Trip | Main | Moving is a Pain!!!! »
Days 9 and 10 of Illinois Trip
Okay, the last four days, including today, have been busy, so I have fallen a wee bit behind. Time to catch you up.
Tuesday morning, the kids did some school work before we headed to the State Farm Water Park. Last year, we were given passes one day to the State Farm Water Park, it is for State Farm Employees, not contractors, and their guests. We were really tickled to get to go, but the day we ended up being able to go was so cold (last July) that I sat there under a towel most of the time. The kids of course were fine with the chilly, misty day, but it still dampened the experience. So we asked if we could try again this year. They were kind enough to extend us passes for one day, and we got to enjoy three hours of lovely warm water, before thunderstorms closed the park. The kids had fun with the two diving boards, two water slides, lazy river, splash area, and swimming areas. I played a lot with Katrina and I read some until we had to go.
Once we returned to the apartment, I did a little packing, then got showered and ready to go to Daniel's going away party. We left the children with strict instructions for them to spend the couple of hours in separate rooms and not bother each other (they have a terrible tendency to pick on one another and argue). We met at a local pool hall and about 10 people that Daniel has worked with came by for a couple of hours more or less. We played some pool, chatted, shared a couple of drinks and some food. Got home and did a little more packing.
Wednesday was McClean County Fair Day. We were very excited about this because we belong to a 4-H Homeschool group in Virginia. We went around 9:30 because we wanted plenty of time to see the project exhibits and livestock competition before lunch and before the rides started at 1, because we had to leave at 3. Unfortunately, since it was the first day of the fair, we weren't allowed into the exhibit area because the judges were busy judging. There were some amazing sites though that we peeked through the doors. Sewing projects, entymology, geology, cooking, and more. They had some commercial exhibits set up as well for local businesses. We enjoyed talking with people from Operation Santa (a project to send Christmas gifts to soldiers) and with people from the local 4-H community.
The kids got to see what it was like to sit inside the cab of a combine and Katrina petted baby pigs. We wandered around inside, before heading over to see all the critters. We watched a bit of a horse judging competition, petted a donkey named Ginger and talked with her owner briefly, and then visited ducks, sheep, turkeys, chickens, swine, goats, geese, and rabbits. It was loud with all many of the critters speaking out (especially the sheep who were getting baths...) and it was a bit...um...smelly, but it was really neat. There were so many beautiful rabbits, particularly!
We visited the petting zoo, went through the Army semi-truck exhibit (helicopter simulators), and enjoyed fair food (funnel cakes, grilled corn, foot long corn dogs....). Then it was time for rides. We enjoyed a variety of rides and attractions: a fun house, carousel, ferris wheel, bumper cars, slide, tilt a whirl, climbing play place, motorcycles and spinning pumpkins. We also had fun playing some midway games. We chose those where there was a winner every time and you could trade up to larger prizes. Alas...3:00 came and it was time to end our fun and go pick up the u-haul.
You can see pictures from the fair at flickr.
And here are videos from our time at the fair:
