Fair play

Yesterday I was off to one of my favorite places to play — the Los Angeles County Fair. 

Let’s hope it wasn’t a repeat of a couple of years ago when the GAP and the grandkids accompanied me.  It was 103° and the GAP was five months pregnant.  After rides in steaming hot tin fun houses and outside sun-baked pirate shows, we lost our car.  We wandered the parking lot for 45 minutes before a Good Samaritan, picked us up and drove us around until we spotted it.  I guess it’s safe to say we won’t repeat that ordeal since she’s not pregnant, swears she’ll never return to the fair again, and today I’m with Couponman.

It was hot and muggy so we headed on into the shopping hangars.  Inside the temperature dropped from 96° to 86° with thousands of warm bodies nearby, but definitely an improvement when you considered all the gadgets, fried food, and other tempting items close at hand.

I almost fell prey this year to that brilliant contraption, the Little Giant ladder (and made in the USA), until I realized I’m still afraid of heights.  In another aisle, there was the Euro Steamer (China made, but emphasizing its Italian design).  Contemplating how to sanitize the little strip where the floor and toilet join has always kept me awake at night.  And just think; if I didn’t have that fear of heights, I could use the Little Giant and the Euro Steamer in unison to clean my second story windows.  Even more tempting was the bicycle (also China made) that folded up and fit in my wallet.  I really wanted the VidaBody Slimmer (another Chinese product) machine.  I could shake my way to svelte. 

Instead we stuck this year with what we knew.  More Cutco knives (go USA).  As if I didn’t have enough ways to injure myself.  And we stopped by Robert’s, our newfound Vitamix friend since our purchase three years ago, booth.  We sampled smoothie after smoothie in miniature Dixie cups.  He conjured up various flavors, packed with limes, oranges, bananas, strawberries, in that wonderful appliance while we applauded its benefits to everyone around.  He sneaked in healthy greens to the mixture, saying “You won’t even know the spinach is there.  The cabbage, you’ll know in about an hour.”  When he brewed a batch for a couple of Pomona Policeofficers, he thoughtfully omitted the cabbage, taking into account they’d be walking around together in the sweltering heat for quite a while.  We are so enamored with our Vitamix that we lured a few others into buying a machine.  They won’t be sorry.  Vitamix is the greatest thing since flush toilets and grandkids.  In appreciation, Robert presented us free passes to return, but what really took it over the top according to Couponman was the coveted parking pass. 

Our shopping journey lead us right into what lay ahead – lots of (my) 409 and other cleaners, and some good vibrations in the Medi foot massager booth (a previous fair purchase, but always a respite in our miles of wandering the infomercial aisles).  You guessed it — the Beach Boys concert.  Hit after hit.  Memory after memory.  And John Stamos, honorary Beach Boy, is dreamy.

It was Fun, Fun, Fun… like Daddy never took the T-Bird away.

P.S.  During the concert, I sat next to Ken Tanaka, the coach from Glee.  I didn’t bother him.  I’ve learned to respect people’s privacy.  I’d always wished my young children could have learned that lesson about private time when I attempted to lounge in the tub.

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