Today, Old Friends Made New Memories... 2013 NC State Fair

Today, Old Friends Made New Memories... 2013 NC State Fair

By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee





Ms Nancy... Skip (top left photo)
Gloria ... and Skip (bottom middle photo)

Shredded cheese, bright yellow and white... sprinkled over a meat mixture.  All was spread out on a ...doughnut cut in half.  On top of the doughnut was glaze... sloppy joe on a Krispy Creme doughnut.

Ms Nancy and I split the sloppy joe doughnut in half... we wanted to taste the concoction to see if we liked it... oh yes!  It really was good!  Who would have thought a glazed doughnut... would taste good with ... sloppy joe meat mixture!


Near by in the restaurant, stood a group of young people.  They asked us how did it taste... we told them it was indeed... good.  They were trying the deep-fried oreos, and the hamburger on a doughnut.  They loved it all!  Who would have thought?


Skip didn't try anything 'different, unusual'.  :)))  Skip isn't adventurous like I am... he loves everything to be the same... not different.  Myself... just give me 'different'... as long as it's good.  Ms Nancy is like myself... we are going to experiment to see if we like something.


Skip got a plain barbeque sandwich... he had to put his own hot sauce on it.


Later, I got what I came to the North Carolina State Fair for... a 'sausage dog with fried onions, sweet green pepper'.  I squeezed out a thick line of yellow mustard on top... and proceeded to eat, savor something I waited a year for.  Sure, I could have bought the sausages during the year, and fried up pepper, onions.... but, that isn't like getting it from the .... State Fair!

Ms Nancy, and Skip decided to split a funnel cake.  Now... I'm not a 'funnel cake person'.  :)))  I did taste a little piece... it was a little too brittle... maybe it was cooked just a tad too long.

Later, Ms Nancy found the perfect place to get a nice hamburger.  She enjoyed it very much.  She ate it the way we grew up eating hamburgers... mustard, pickles, chili... I don't think she got onions... I would have asked for onions.  :)))

We walked into the crafts building, looked at beautiful handmade things.  Ms Nancy found 'maple' cotton candy to take home to someone.  She was happy to find it!  We were looking everywhere.

We walked by the most elaborate display of .... every kind of candied apples I'd never seen, nor heard of!  Oh my... on some display shelves were the biggest candied apples... mounds of white, dark chocolate shaped like the apple ...hidden inside... some rolled in various kinds of nuts; some rolled in coconut.

Designs were made on the outside with other candies, some even had potato chips on top!  Imagine 'giant' candied apples not 'red'; but, decorated, hardened chocolates designed so beautiful... that it's hard to take the first bite.  Oh... you wouldn't believe how 'expensive' each were.  Have you ever paid $8.00 for an.... apple?  We didn't... either.  I just got a plain caramel apple rolled in cashews.

We walked to where the giant pumpkins... giant watermelons were.  I was so amazed.  So, many beautiful colors!  So, many kinds of vegetables.  I loved the colors... I stood looking trying to 'absorb the wonderful colors'.  The weather has been gloomy for two weeks now... you can't imagine how wonderful it was for me... to see all these beautiful... happy colors!

We walked by a 'bakery'.  The display cabinet held shelves of the most special-looking breads!  Different colors, shapes... all begging to be taken home... spread with butter, eaten!  :)))  I love bakery breads!  I love how they are displayed behind glass in baskets... fat loaves, skinny loaves.... we didn't buy any of the beautiful breads.  I'm sure they were too expensive... Skip bakes beautiful breads when he is in the mood.

We went to the livestock exhibit.... beautifully groomed animals were in their fences.  There were cows, sheep, goats.  In one fence was a mother brahman cow... with her baby... oh my, how beautiful they were!  They seemed so 'special'..... maybe because I'm not used to seeing them.

We saw baby chicks, baby pigs, rabbits, and one huge turkey!  We watched cows taking their showers... they were shampooed, rinsed.  I was glad it wasn't too cold for them... today was a little cool, especially with the breeze blowing.

We went by the WRAL 5 tent, we met Faye Prosser... and Tara Lynn.  We enjoyed talking to both of them.

We stopped by the Kerr Drug tent... where Skip and I saw Heather... a friend... she is going to be a pharmacist.  She gave Skip and I ... a flu shot.  Ms Nancy didn't get one.

We walked to the huge... tall water fountain.  The water flowed swiftly down in one giant sheet, splashing into the pool of water below.  The breeze made the mist blow out on people as they walked, or sat close by.

Near the fountain was a stage.... on the stage was a band playing some good rock music.  The music lured, seduced us... until we found ourselves standing 'there'... moving our heads, shoulders to the beat.



Ms Nancy and I began grinning... we danced to music as little girls... and now, in our 'older years'... there we were listening to good music, and mock-dancing.  How funny that was! :)))  We really wanted 'to get down, rock and roll, dance to music'... but, you know... our minds could do it... but, I'm not sure what our bodies would have done ...if we allowed ourselves to ... dance!



We might have been 'dancing fools'... 'dancing grannies'... but, we just kept the beat, instead!  We laughed at each other!  Fun!


We saw a huge 'red' Christmas tree... it was absolutely beautiful.  There were other evergreen trees decorated for Christmas, also.

We found ourselves sitting on a bench.... people-watching.  We rested for a while, and watched the many people who walked, ran by.  I kept thinking how 'we were so many people with the same things... heads, faces, arms, legs, hair... and we all looked... different!  Isn't that truly amazing?

I loved watching the clothes that walked by me... the colors, textures, designs.  I loved how some women wore them beautifully... and really how some didn't... yet, they looked... okay.  I watched the pretty clothes worn by little girls.



A family stopped close by us to use the ATM machine.  One of the little girls had on a dress that was sort of like a sweat shirt in the softest, prettiest, pastel colors.  She had on a pair of pink boots.  She looked so 'cozy', comfortable.



I dreamed of being a fashion designer as a young girl... I made bad decisions as a young girl.  I never got to live my dream.  Though, I didn't... I have always appreciated the beauty of design in clothing; the textures, colors.  I pay attention to details... how people walked, wore their clothes.  I looked at their faces to see if they dressed like their look 'matched' them.  It's a fun thing I do... I wish I'd lived my dream as a young woman...  of course, it's too late 'to go back'....



We rested long enough... walked the rest of the way to my Expedition... I call it 'my truck'.  We were very tired from our day at the NC State Fair.  Each of us were happy that we came.

Skip and I haven't been going to anything special at this time of the year that we truly love... since Tommy died.  This year is going to be different.... I want to be around happy, special things... see soft, wonderful lights.  I want to hear the happy sounds of the holidays that are on the way.  I want us to cook special meals, enjoy them this year.  Everything is going to be all right... I'm going to be all right, 'now'....

Ms Nancy, you helped to make our State Fair experience a special one this year.  Skip and I are glad we all shared it together... we made a nice memory.  It was fun to finally get to spend some time together... laughing, talking... just being together with a special friend!

This is the year... Skip and I, and Ms Nancy went to the North Carolina State Fair.  It was a wonderful experience!  Today... old friends made new memories!