Clackamas County Fair!

Yesterday, Sunday August 22nd, we visited one of my favorite places in the whole wide world... the Clackamas County Fair! Every August for the past 30 years, give or take a year or two, I've attended the Clackamas County Fair. Every year my grandparents would take me to the fair and indulge me with animals, sugar and rides. This year was no different, except that I only rode one ride and couldn't find the deep fried Snickers guy.

As always, visiting with the sheep, goats and Brahma cows was the highlight of my trip. I think the kids really enjoyed the Brahma's as well. This year there was a new addition to, in my knowledge, the fairgrounds. They had an exotic animal display. It was heartbreaking for me to walk along the isle and pass cage after cage of endangered animals.

There was a bobcat, a seval, a Bengal tiger, a caracal, an ocelot, a large tortoise, a Barbary lion, two tiger cubs and a leopard cub. To see them in their small enclosures, these amazingly powerful animals reduced to, at largest, a 10 x 10 cage, scrounging for ice cubes, I was overwhelmed with sadness for their plight. I understand that the most "impressive" of these animals are not only endangered but as with the Barbary lion, cease to exist in the wild; I have to believe that there's a better conservation tactic for them then to traverse the County Fair circuit.

Then off to the goats and sheep we went! Jason made great friends with nearly every goat we met along the way. There were some beauties! I kept trying to talk Nik into letting me bring this one or that one home; though luckily he didn't listen to me. I can't handle any more! There always seems to be a piggy mama and her brood and this year I was not disappointed. They were so adorable! Even the mama seemed to be smiling to me. Nik and I talked about the possibility of purchasing one next fair time, contingent of course upon the building of the barn.

Speaking of barns, we'll be rebuilding the fence and creating new areas for the flock and the herd to reside if anyone would like to throw in their hammer or shovel to assist. One years' supply of eggs your effort!