Five Days in September, 9/1/10

Dairy Cow @ Grange Fair, Centre Hall, PA

Today, up @ 3:30 a.m., packed the car, got the house together, all burners off on the stove, water and food down for the cats….into the car and off to Nonna’s. Grateful for the easy weather, the early rise (we beat the traffic going thru NYC), a chatty 16 year old in the car with me, music, music, music (radio is awesome—metal, country, evangelical, soul---the whole gamut of American life coming magically out of the speakers in the car), unbelieveably beautiful scenery and especially grateful for my good brakes @ a particular point on I-80 in eastern PA…..and that is all I will say about that!
Stopped @ the Delaware Water Gap. Incredible to get out of the car, walk across the parking lot, go down a very steep stairway and land on a little beach with dirty looking sand, and then, across the flowing river, a majestic mountain that is nearly within reach…leaves me nearly speechless….I can’t really figure out what to say about it….it has just risen out of the earth and is part of the earth and is independent in it’s own right…breath-taking.

Ned on the beach, walking in the water, picking up stones and then, comes back with an armload full of trash. I give him our grocery bag and he fills it to the brim with trash…and the beach is left clean. An amazingly conscious boy…..

We finally arrived in Centre Hall, PA and met Nonna @ the Grange Fair. This is one of the best fairs in the United States of America. I believe it is the last encampment fair in the country; people move into the fairgrounds into tents for the week. There is literally a city of tents within the fairgrounds. This year, there are over 900 tents set up. Each tent can have 1, 2, or 3 generations of family visiting at a time. And people move in for the week with all the amenities of home: couches, beds, carpeting, tv sets, etc. It is really something worth seeing. And of course, like any good country fair, there is the midway with thrilling rides and crazy games, great carnival food, beautiful canned goods and enormous sunflowers with seed heads bigger than dinner plates on display in the Grange building. Ned even got a haircut @ the fair. My favorite part is the 4H kids and their animals….I especially love the dairy cows. They are so sweet and mellow and just stand around looking beautiful and sort of dreamy….it is full of light in the dairy cow barn. Do yourself a favor and try to go to the Grange Fair at least once in your life….I don’t think you will regret it.

Expect good things…..