Back to Ohio for the 2006 Shelby County Fair

Visiting Ohio on this particular weekend worked out great because it happened to be the same weekend of the Shelby County Fair. So we all gathered together and enjoyed one of our favorite activities of the summer.

If nothing else would draw us to the fair, the food would get us there each year. From corn dogs, french fries, pork and bar-b-q sandwiches, lemon shake ups, and of course funnel cakes. The food may be some of the most unhealthy food we may eat during the entire year but we sure do enjoy it.

Kristy got to baby the new baby. Garret is another blessing to our ever growing family. Kristy sure loved pampering the brand new baby boy.


Pony rides have been a tradition each year, a couple of dollars to bring the biggest joy and smiles to the kids faces is certainly a small price to pay.


They all ride like professional cowboys and cowgirls.


Our girls love horses, there is no doubt about it.


It is so hard to believe that little Neleha is old enough to hang with the big kids at the fair, but she tagged right along with them the entire time. She has so little fear about rides and things that some times I get scared that she might get hurt because of her lack of fear.

The kids looked so cute on the fair rides, they get so excited, and have so much fun with each other.

They are really growing up right in front of our eyes.




Molly is still the most photogenic of the group, if a camera is aimed in her direction she sure likes to make sure she is ready for it. She often poses very distinctly, I just have to laugh and smile, her, Neleha, and the other kids bring Kristy and I so much happiness. Each of them with their own unique personalities, I wouldn't change any of them. They are each perfect in their own little way.


After the rides we decided to check out the cow barn.

It was a good thing we did, not any sooner did we get in the barn when it began to rain very heavily. We waited for a good while and then attempted to run back to the parking lot when it seemed to die down.

Our mad dash got us as far as the nearest food tent.

One person had the right idea, drive up fair food service, you can't beat that!

It was raining so heavily that it was building up on the top of the food tent and so we had to constantly push up the roof to allow the water to run off.

We eventually decided to grab one of the vehicles to at least drive the kids to safety. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as we did, it stopped raining. But all the same, we all had a great time at the fair.

And so with that my 2-weeks of loneliness began. I pulled the tent trailer back to Missouri and then did my best to occupy my time while Kristy was with her family 600 miles away.

Krispy Kremes with my Dad

Kristy's sister Sherry recently had her third baby so Kristy decided to return to Ohio to spend a couple of weeks enjoying the new baby. I drove back to Ohio with Kristy and the girls and on the way decided to pick up some Krispy Kremes for my Dad. He is a very big fan of these yummy doughnuts so we figured it would make for a nice breakfast. We visited with my Dad, had a great breakfast, and then headed on over to Kristy's parents house.

FHE: Cleaning the Playground

When we arrived in our new apartment we doubled the current population of children under ten years old. I got to talking with the maintenance guy and he mentioned that he was thinking about putting down some new wood chips around the playground at the student housing complex. I indicated that our girls would get plenty of use out of it if he did.

From the photo above that was taken back in June you can see a few problems with the playground. The old wood chips were overgrown by weeds and the playground equipment itself was covered in a dark layer of tree pollen (or sap, grime, or something).

When the maintenance guy came through for us with the wood chips we decided to take an FHE and show our appreciation. We grabbed a bucket of soapy water and some sponges and cleaned off the equipment. The playground really looks inviting now. Kristy, Molly, and Neleha did such a wonderful job of scrubbing away grime.

After it was all clean the girls joyfully used the renovated playground.

Our Little Sleepy Reader

Ever since our girls were babies they have loved books. I attribute their love for books to Kristy's wonderful efforts to read to them as soon as they were born. Molly has begun reading some preschool-level books and Neleha still just looks at pictures, but all the same they love books.

Kristy has continued to read to them almost on a daily basis but that does not seem to be enough for Neleha. Every night she takes a book to bed with her and on most occasions we find her fast asleep with her nose still buried in it.

Ray's Branson Experience

In order for Ray to truly experience the Ozarks, a trip to Branson was inevitable. Our first stop was the "2 for 1 Tickets" store to find tickets for a show.

Rays only criteria for the show was "no country" which may sound easy but this is Branson, not Vegas. There are about 300 shows to choose from, most of which are related to country music. However there about 6 rock-n-roll shows so we chose one called "Road To Rock".

We had a few hours before the show so we drove around to find something else to do to pass the time. The girls had a hard time containing themselves, they love Branson.

We decided to check out the newly opened "Branson Landing" which is basically an area on the local lake that is an outdoor mall area.

We started out at the Disney store and found this clown making kids balloon characters.

Neleha wanted a "kitty"....

Molly wanted a flower....


The mall in Springfield does not have a Disney store so the girls were very thrilled when they learned that Branson had one.


We stopped in a high-end electronics store and Kristy and Molly enjoyed the very expensive massaging devices.

Branson Landing is a very awesome place, a wonderful addition to the other many attractions in the area.

The girls found the water fountains and did their best to play in them without getting wet... they like pushing those lines between wet and dry.

We had great weather that made the day so enjoyable.

There were many street performers throughout the landing and this particular musician sang Johnny Cash songs almost as good as Cash himself.

Joe's Crab Shack provided a play area for kids rather they ate in their restaurant or not. The girls loved playing on the boat.

There is a free trolley that carries patrons up and down the entire landing, so Kristy decided to take the girls for a ride. We followed the trolley for a very long way until we finally caught up to it and they jumped on.

Ray and I followed behind and watched as it would stop at some of the vendors so they could explain what goods they were selling.


One street artist caught the attention of Ray. It was a couple of young men beating on paint buckets. Their music was unusual but pleasant all the same.


Before the show we grabbed some ribs at a place called Odee's Bar-B-Q. Not exactly worth writing about, we are still searching for that perfect rib place.

It was finally time for the show. We were all excited!

The show basically depicted the development of rock-n-roll through the context of the actual up and coming band "Tusk". This band actually portrays the many icons of rock. Any history of rock-n-roll always has to start with the King. Elvis took the stage first and wiggled his hips and rocked the stage.

The girls were not as convinced with this show when compared to the Legends show, but they still enjoyed it all the same.


Elvis is Elvis, what they lacked in costumes they made up in music. Tusk did a wonderful job actually singing the songs during the entire show. Their costumes could use some work however.

The angel of Rock was our host and helped us understand how things in Rock-N-Roll turned out like they did. It was an entertaining part of the show.

The road continued with the Beatles, an interesting Beatles, but the Beatles all the same.


Then a white version of Henrix hit the stage, the guy could play the guitar well, but his looks was a stretch.

Their depiction of Led Zeplin was actually pretty good. It was a highlight of the show, but they zoomed through it very quickly.

Their depiction of Lynyrd Skynyrd was also very entertaining. Another highlight of the show.


Then they finally hit the 80's and 90's with Bon Jovi and other bands from the era. It was interesting to watch as the history of Rock-N-Roll that I personally remember flash past us on the stage. I started to feel a little old.

Even Gene Simmons stopped in, a much larger Gene than I remember but a close depiction all the same. They didn't have the other members of Kiss represented but it was cool to have at least one of them up there. It took me back to my childhood in 1991 when my Uncle Scott took me to my first concert in Portland, Maine. It was Kiss's "Hot in the Shade" tour. A wonderful memory from my childhood.


After the show Molly stood in line for autographs from the band. It was a good show, we certainly got our money's worth.

The next morning Ray and I attended services at a local Catholic cathedral, I had to attend another faith service for school and so I thought it would be cool to do so with Ray. After the service I made some chimichangas and jalapeno poppers for a healthy send off for Ray. Then before we knew it, Ray was back on the road headed for Texas.

Although he wasn't able to stick around for too many days, we sure got to do many things. We really enjoyed his company and will miss his presence. It was so nice being able to share our Missouri experience with someone.