Dutchess County Fair 2018, maybe the last?

The Dutchess County Fair was this past week.It started on Tuesday and ended on Sunday. We picked Saturday to go and it was looking like it would be a spectacular day. The Temperatures were expected to be in the low 80's with sun shine and everyone was interested to go.

     We bought tickets for the Fair and ride tickets in advance. There is a small discount, I think, but it also avoids the ticket buyer's line. I don't know why everyone doesn't do it.
     Teri and I were up early that Saturday, like usual and the girls were gotten up in time for them to dress and eat before we went. Our plan was to leave the house at 9:30, pick up Nancy and get to the fair before 11:30, figuring we'd leave around 10 AM and get there around noon.
     The Plan went pretty well. We left the house before 10 AM and on the way to pick up Nancy a little incident happened. We cross over Route 303 on our way to Route 9W. I notice a car on Route 303 heading south that is sticking out in the road. He had wanted to make a left turn and didn't come out far enough into the intersection so when the light changed he was stuck in a no man's land. Too far out to be out of the way of traffic and not far enough out to have blocked traffic going the other way so he could of made his turn. I point this out to the girls saying this guy didn't take command of the intersection and now he is stuck in no man's land. Teri didn't like that statement. She felt it was too aggressive in tone. We go back and forth a little with it and I tell her something that pisses her off. I wish I could remember what I said. The Reaction from her face was one of rage. I stop arguing, and let her say her piece. She explains to the girls her philosophy on overly aggressive driving. Neither one of us are very happy with the other one right now and it seems like the day is going to be ruined. We get to Nyack and Teri and I have a quiet conversation while one daughter goes in to help Nancy and the other one has her ear phones in. The quiet conversation makes neither one of us happy and a silence develops between us. Nancy gets in and we go.

     The GPS says to head up the Thruway. We've been through this several times and always seem to mess it up. Some where along the way We feel the GPS has to be wrong and decide to go the way We think is quicker. The first few years We went it was always me saying, because I worked in the are "The GPS has to be wrong, lets go this way" and I'd usually add forty minutes to our trip.
     Teri is driving and we head up the Thruway. There is a question at the Woodbury tolls and I'm still not feeling the love so I am doing as little talking as possible. Of course Teri has tried to get past it and this just gets her mad again. I seem to have issues getting past things lately, not a good thing. We think

We are getting off in Woodbury, but the GPS was just sending us through the toll booths, stupid. We get back on the Thruway and continue north. In Newburgh, Teri thinks we should get off and go across the bridge. I tell her if we stay on the Thruway we will have to go north of Rheinbeck and cross the mid Hudson bridge and come down from there. We get off in Newburgh and cross the Newburgh- Beacon bridge adding twenty minutes to our trip, like always.

A little while later We get on to Route 52, and we miss hitting the Cracker Barrel Restaurant where Teri like to look through their shop. We get to the fair a little after twelve and park in the lots north of the fair that are free and further away. 
   
     We arrive at the fair a little after noon time. We park north of the fair in the free parking like we did last year. A few comments are made about how far away we are, but we park in the free parking anyway.
     We all exit the car in the usual loose group. Teri and I who are mostly over the fight are walking sort of near each other. Nastia takes my hand and then grabs her moms hand and the three of us walk together for a while. The symbolism is not lost on me. Because We prepaid for our tickets we go around all lines getting into the Fair. We are in the northern section of the park with the animals on our left center, the midway straight ahead and the rides to our right center. Of course the first stop after a two hour ride is the bathroom, after that after a little discussion we opt for the Barns to see the animals. We hit the cows first, sheep,some bulls and finally the chickens. We all find this more interesting then the other barns. I really want to get chickens next year. The Girls like the idea and Teri is OK with it as long as there is no butchering of the chickens.
     We get lunch the girls get corn on the cob, so fried pickles, which Nastia takes the coating off, because she doesn't like the taste. I get a bean burrito. Except for the price of nine dollars, it was good. I don't remember what Teri and Nancy got.
     Now it is time for the return of the 'Danger Girls'. They have prepurchased tickets for ten rides for twenty dollars, a great deal. They goon several favorites that they have gone on in the past. But it is different. I don't see the excitement. They're enjoying themselves, but it is all old hat by now. Nasta's stomach begins to bother her after a few spinning rides. She gives her tickets to Elena and she goes for a few rides on her own. Elena does a kiddie roller coaster and has fun on it, so Nastia thinks she can handle it so they both go on it. The last few rides are gentler then the fist few so the 'Danger Girls' might just be going out on a whimper of kids rides,
     We head for the car with the intention of going to The Olive Garden on Route 84. The Girls on their way out gets fox tails.
For some reason this time Teri follows the GPS and we head north to go home. We cross the Kingston Bridge, that I thought was the Mid-Hudson Bridge a little while late, get on the Thruway and head home.
     The GPS has us hitting home around 9:30, which is too late to eat, so We stop at a rest station on the Thruway and eat McDonald's. We get out of the car in short sleeves and the temperature reminds us how summer is coming to an end.
     We arrive home a little after 10 PM and I miss both games of the Yankees sweep of the Orioles. 
















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