When I was growing up, my mom always made a big deal about being in Burley for Fair Weekend. We'd go into town to watch my cousin, Miranda, primp her 4H steer (with glitter on the tail folks! Have you seen what cows do with their tales?! I have! And let me tell you that sparkled tails don't look any prettier than a regular tail does when it's got poop on it), and then walk it through the ring at the auction.
We'd also get to watch the rodeo. I seem to remember watching all sorts of injuries, but those just didn't happen this year. Dang lucky cowboys!
We spent this year's fair weekend in Burley with my grandpa. I always worry about what the boys are going to do to his house, but I think they were OK this time.
It really was a great weekend. We left Friday afternoon and got to stop at Maddox on our way north. If you haven't tried Maddox's fried chicken, I suggest you take a drive and enjoy some of the stuff. That is some good eatin!
Friday night we got to Grandpa's and ran around outside for a while. My boys marvelled at the size of the horse chestnut tree, and I missed the maple. Then we headed over to my Aunt & Uncle's house to let the boys jump on the trampoline and run through the feedlot. What? You've never done that either? Well - that's not necessarily something I'd suggest jumping in your car to go do. There's an odor problem. And sometimes you carry it home with you. Seriously - it seeps into your clothes, and you're treated to wisps of eau de bovine...
Saturday morning we got up, ate porridge (AKA germade) that Grandpa so kindly makes for us each time we visit (it's one of the things my boys look forward to - I make it at home, but there's just something about Grandpa's porridge...), and we went back to my Aunt & Uncle's house to stress out my cousin Miranda while she prepared for a brunch she was hosting.
We realized that we didn't have jackets for Saturday night's rodeo, so we drove into town to remedy the situation, drove in the face of danger by ignoring road construction signs and turning where we weren't supposed to turn, picked up a couple of hoodies, and shopped the clearance racks and propane supplies at CAL Ranch. Boy were we having a grand time. No really.
Evan asked if we could go see my grandma's headstone - it was something I wanted to do, but he asked if we could go before I'd even brought it up. I love that kid! So I got to demonstrate my Burley geographical prowess and navigate my guys through Heyburn and across the other bridge across the Snake River (which Carson still doesn't believe is the same Snake River he whitewatered on last summer in Jackson Hole). Spent time looking at headstones and leaving our mark in the cemetery - I want it on record that I disagreed with Jon doing it, but I am curious to see what happens...
Went swimming at the Burley pool where Griff surprised us all by passing the swim test (swimming across the pool and back without touching the bottom and raising your arms out of the water) so that he could jump off the diving board. Go G!
I went back to Grandpa's to shower and visit, and Jon took the boys to ride 4-wheelers at the feed lot. I don't know what happened, but Evan says he'll never ride a 4-wheeler with Carson again. It can't be as bad as watching my brother crash our uncle's 3-wheeler into one of the apple trees in the pasture 20+ years ago...
Finally - took my guys into the fair for dinner and the rodeo. The boys got Falls Brand foot-long hotdogs and Dutch oven ribs. I thought I'd try some taco salad, and was COMPLETELY disappointed. Here's my food tip: if you're at the fair, go with dutch oven or with a burger from one of the church-worked booths. I promise. My poor taco salad was from a lemonade trailer and was basically tossed salad dumped on top of round tortilla chips. Just not what I was looking for.
My boys are not at all familiar with rodeo events, so Miranda's husband, Nate, filled Carson in on the goings on. Griffin worried about the calves during team roping and especially bulldogging (although I've caught him pretending to bulldog since we got back. Scares me a bit).
Sunday morning my Aunt Connie came to visit, and then we drove through the smoke-filled air to our lovely metropolis.
One of those weekends that felt much longer than it really was. Wonderful!
Is your Mom from Burley? Oh, you guys drove through that smoke South of Pocatello last weekend? Poor family! I've been to one rodeo (free tickets), it was OK I guess. Neither Joseph or I knew what was going on, so our neighbor (who happened to show up and sit next to us) explained some of the rules and what the cowboys were doing. Avoid those feed lots!
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