NM State Fair

It certainly has been quite some time since I last posted.

In that time, we've gotten rain, rain and .... even more rain.  From what I've heard, this has been the rainiest September - either ever or for a very long time.  Parts of NM have been flooded and we've not heard those words for several years.  Some folks say the state is still in a drought, but it's hard to think that when I know parts of the Albuquerque metro area have gotten multiple inches of rain in a day.

A friend went to the NM State Fair last weekend.  She got rained on.

I went today and the weather was lovely.  It was warm but not hot and was quite pleasant.
Here's a photo I took of the main intersection of the fair.  Today there were firefighters answering questions and showing off their equipment.  They had put three ladders trucks in place and were displaying some garrison-sized flags.

I don't do the Midway.  I hate riding things that make me want to throw up, so I don't.

I did check out the exhibits in the arts and crafts area.  It's too bad that I've been in such a creative drought for the past couple of years.  There was TONS of cross-stitch and not much I could see in the way of needlepoint.  I probably could have cleaned up if I'd had something current to enter.  I may have to get myself in gear.

I used to like going through the exhibits in the Lujan building.  For some reason, not so much today.  If I could, I think it's because there aren't any of the weird and/or funky exhibits.  There used to be a booth that would 'analyze' your handwriting.  Not here this year.  There was another booth that carried all manner of scissors and tweezers and other implements.  Again, not here this year.  There were a whole bunch of really slick booths with all sorts of over-eager staffers who didn't hesitate to leap out at you as you walked by.  Not nearly as much fun.

I did stop by a booth that makes all manner of funky pasta.  I bought some flavored with Hatch green chile and another with Thai citrus flavoring.  It should be yummy to eat.  I also made my usual stop at the Watkins booth to get my dip flavorings.  I love their stuff since they don't use a TON of salt.  There are a couple of booths that sold dips, but in the past I find I can't eat more than a couple of bites without being overwhelmed with a salty flavor.

Papillon

Happy Independence Day!

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.


- Benjamin Franklin
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We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

- Declaration of Independence of United States of America
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Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.

- John F. Kennedy
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To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.

- Theodore H. White
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Several years ago I read an interesting bit of information concerning the phrase 'the pursuit of happiness'.  (I don't the title of the book/article where the information was.)  In the 1700's the use of the word 'pursuit' was not confined to meaning 'to chase or hunt after'.  Instead, it was also used to mean the study of a subject.  So Jefferson most likely did not mean that we should chase after happiness as if it were a butterfly flying just out of our reach.  Rather, we should study happiness and find out how to make happiness work for our particular situation.

By the way, did you know that in 1777 Mary Katherine Goddard was picked by the Continental Congress to do the first official printing of the Declaration of Independence with the names of all the signers?  Mary Katherine was one of a family of printers doing business in and around Rhode Island and Maryland.  The family business was headed by her mother, Sarah Updike Goddard, and also included Sarah's son/Mary Katherine's brother, William.

Have a great day!

Papillon