The Fair 2013- Part II

We went to the fair on Friday. The fair runs for 10 day with today being the last day. The weather last week was some of the rainiest we’ve had in a long time. We were really luck in that Friday was beautiful, full sun and 70’s. The down side was it was very crowded. We always start out in the flower barn. Very inspirational.

We have the distinct honor of the world record pumpkin. It was grown in Rhode Island and tipped the scales at 2009 pounds. The news did a feature on the grower. He said it was a 40 hour work week tending to his baby. It paid off. On a note of trivia. Larry David is filming a movie in the area and a scene was filmed in the fruit and vegetable barn with the pumpkin. We also have a local eatery that was used in the film. Our paper said that Larry liked the place so much and the custom sandwich that they made him that he went back later on his own. They named the sandwich after him.

I think I’ve mentioned in past years that this is the oldest county fair in the country. They still have judging, quilts, fruits and vegetable etc. The big thing we noticed in the 4-H building was that there were very few things made by kids anymore. A sad statement of our times.

 

 

 

Greg thought the above tractor was something Mark might like.

One of the reasons we like to go later in the week is the sand sculpture is further along.

Dave, one of the mounted horses was enjoying attention from the visitors.

Hmmm, maybe Greg was thinking horses instead of tractors.

The midway is not really our cup of tea, but we enjoy a walk around. The fair was a pleasant divergence from our living room project. The flooring will be installed on Thursday and on the weekend we should be able to put things back together. I hope to be able to give you an update soon.

Fair Week 2013 Part I–The Parade

Last Saturday, September 29th was the annual Topsfield Fair Parade. Greg and I try to get to it when we can. The sky was gray and overcast with misting but any serious rain held off. There were plenty of local fire trucks current and from the past.

As always, for me its about the horses. Every other year the Royal Canadian Mounted Police come to the fair. This was the year. They really are beautiful.

The pumpkin in this truck was big, but not the winner.

Scott Brown, above in red is running for the senate. There were a few other politician hopefuls in the parade as well.

There was a pretty good turnout despite the weather. For us its an annual rite of passage and the end of summer with the knowledge that winter is right around the corner.

The Living Room Project

The barn project is pretty much done so we’re on to the next one. We’ve decided we need a home office more than a living room. This is the wall we’re working on before we started. The only thing missing is the beat up love seat.

We ordered Kraft Maid oak cabinets to store all our office supplies and to create a work space. Our goal was to match the oak on my roll top desk. With my printing business and Mark’s landscaping business we were in need of space. Greg wanted to install them. The cabinets arrived 9-17-2012.

We got very lucky in that Mom and Dad decided on the spur of the moment to come the Saturday before. I think Dad was itching for a good project. Greg and Mark did the lion share of the physical component and Dad was the consultant. Much to my surprise and delight the install was completed by the end of the day on the 18th. Dad turned 84 in July and is still going strong.

Below is the almost finished project. This morning Greg and I picked out the knobs and handles for the cabinets. We still need to get glass on the center doors.

I have always had a love affair with granite. We got a very good deal on the sample below. It’s called Black Galaxy and has flecks of copper throughout and sparkles when the light hits it. The template for the counter will be measured on the 25th with an install scheduled for October 4th.

We have decided to go with hardwood flooring so next we have to get some quotes and get that installed. Emptying out the rest of the room and setting up work areas for the interim will hopefully happen next weekend. As with any project its always nice when it’s over.

Back to School

We took Em back to school Thursday morning. She had to be there by 7 a.m. so we were on the road by 4 a.m. It was dark for a chunk of our journey but we were able to enjoy some beautiful morning views. This panorama was taken after we dropped Em off. There was a really neat cloud cover as we headed into town.

This year Em is in a townhouse with 5 other girls. It’s pretty small on 2 levels. Below is the little kitchen. Opposite that is a small living room.

Below is the stairs for the lower level.

 

Em is sharing a room with another girl. It’s pretty tight for two people and didn’t lend well to configuration. At their age they’ll be fine.

This is the front of Em’s townhouse. They are on the first floor. It’s hard to believe she is a junior. Where does the time go.