This week, Audrey and I took Sophie to the Central Coast Fair in Paso Robles. Apparently, the fair is a BIG DEAL around here and just about every local radio station was doing a live broadcast from there, so it was hard to avoid the call.
The Central Coast Fair is about 1/2 the size of the OC fair, but the smaller scale only added to the ambiance that this was a real country fair. The buildings reminded me of Knotts Berry Farm's frontier village. Since we had a 1 year old with us, we didn't go on any rides, but my primary objective was to eat some good fair food; something you can't get anywhere else but the fair. A box of chocolate covered bacon and a 1 foot corn dog were located to satisfy my bizarre food appetite. I could have gone for some funnel cake or pit bbq brisket, but the corn dog monopolized all available stomach space. We got to hear Aerosmith's band warming up on the main stage behind us as we ate the deep fried slice of carny heaven.
The most interesting aspect of this fair was the agricultural areas. Around these parts, they have what is called "Ag Kids". These are children that live in an agricultural area and belong to organizations like 4H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). These Ag Kids all brought their prize livestock to be sold at auction. The proceeds often go to local charities like food banks or directly to needy families, and the massive barns were full of these beautiful animals. Sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, goats, and horses were everywhere. Sophie had a great time getting nuzzled by a few curious sheep.
The house is almost completely unpacked and feels like a home now. It really is a good house, we like the layout and the view from our back porch is amazing at sunset. Around 3 pm every day a cool breeze comes up the canyon from Morro Bay and cools down the area. This daily cooldown is what give this area its unique wine-growing ability. The grapes are heated during the day and cooled rapidly at night; this stresses the plant and leads to better quality grapes.
We're meeting new people up here; it's not very hard. People here actually ENJOY talking to other people as opposed to the big city where it's considered an invasion of their privacy. Sophie also makes it easy to meet people with her extroverted personality and shocking red hair. It's hard not to smile when a 1 year old is yelling a cute hello at you.
Last night we went to a free family sunset picnic at a winery called Mondo. Audrey packed a nice Herb de Provence chicken with seasoned vegetables dinner which went excellently with a bottle of their white wine. We met a nice couple our age at the table next to us who happen to live a few streets down from us. They've invited us to a birthday party in a couple weeks, we're looking forward to meeting more cool new friends.
Posted by Chris Johns
No comments:
Post a Comment