Metal, Flesh and Blood

Before we went to the Union Fair, we stopped at Nathan Nicholls phantasmagoric world of recycled art. Laurie had it on her list of 'things MJ must see before she leaves' as we are scraping the most out of these last days. This was definitely one of the most. Fun, whimsy, vision and skill combined to amuse, delight, make you laugh out loud works to pieces leading one to sit on the grass and feel the wonder. We didn't have much time to sit on the grass, but  wonder and laughter were both strong.

All Nate's work is for sale (except for the pieces he just can't stand to sell, but you have to ask to find out) and I wanted to take a few home with me...however, I'm not going home yet and that saved me! Well, that and a few other things. But I did get to enjoy the work and the man, and that's enough for now. I'll put up some of Nate's sculptures tomorrow.

On to the fair!

The Union Fair felt like a fair from a long time ago. I kept being transported back to fairs I went to when I was a kid. Well, we didn't have canned moose meat at the fairs in Florida...
Really, it wasn't the same at all. Granted, it was a Tuesday in the middle of the day, not Friday night, but only ONE carny tried to get our attention! We got more of a come on from the See 3 Things God Can't Do people (Phil happened to notice that one of them is God Can't Lie, just so you know). They tried to offer me a Free Smile a few times...however, I already have my own, so I declined.
 
The other carnies looked healthy, and bored.  Not that wonderfully scary, hatchet faced, cynical boredom (the kind that made you know that the only reason you weren't being kidnapped and dragged away to those trucks and wagons and trains is because YOU were too boring). No, this was absolutely more of the 'around the water cooler' brand of boredom.Were they missing soursop too?

The cattle looked bored, but that was as it should be. They looked beautiful too. There were sheep and chickens and ducks. There were jams and jellies and quilts. There was all of that but it wasn't working for me, I was not quite feeling the magic. And then we went to what I thought I'd enjoy, the oxen pull, where they pull a stone boat (a metal sled covered with stone blocks of a certain weight). And I did enjoy it...for the first guy, who tapped his oxen with a flicky switich...and then there was the second guy, who shouted and heaved and whipped while they slobbered and hauled. I'm not a PETA person by any stretch of the imagination, but after seeing these oxen so mellow only moments earlier, it just felt like a bad thing to be watching and taking photos of, like ogling a car accident. With a camera. So that wasn't much fun.

 

 I left to wander the fair; it's pretty small so I wandered it a few times.

My favorite color for cattle...blue

Harness racing is some good racing

Best dancing couple

Phil and Laurie caught up with me and after some food sampling, we headed over to see the Flying Wallendas, another thing I thought I was really going to enjoy, and just felt sad instead. I read a lot more about them this morning, realizing (because I'd forgotten and confused them with some other act) they never flew trapeze but were ONLY a high wire act.

And I realized I'd only seen them at a big circus, with handlers and helpers and major spangle bangle, never at a fair. So the somewhat simpler appearance is understandable, and good on the courage in keeping the family name going.

Tino, the head of this branch of the family, is a grandson of Karl Wallenda (THE Karl Wallenda, who died in 1973 in San Juan, when he fell off the wire stretched between the Condado towers). Tino's son, daughter and a troupe member from outside the family performed, along with J.P. the Clown. The clown just depressed me more. It wasn't a good clown and when clowns aren't good they are either scary as hell or depressing. At least...that's my opinion...The acts, once the clown was gone, were good enough, the daughter on the swing, the men and her on the wire. Not unimpressive at all, but by then it was too late for me.

Would a bag of cashews help? They did, but this cool truck helped more

All in all, , I wasn't unhappy to leave the fair and sort of wanted to go back to Nate's outdoor gallery and see all the happy faces, even if they were only in metal. Instead, I fell asleep in the back seat on the way home and woke up hoping I wasn't too old to enjoy a fair. Could it just be me? Nahhhhhhhhhhhhh.