this weekend i went to my hometown of orange, connecticut's country fair with jenna, emily and my mom. though incredibly hokey, there was something so charmingly sentimental about it. livestock. hay bale tosses. tractor pulls. prized flowers. misshapen vegetables and third grader's crafts. running into old friends and eating fried dough.
when we arrived, the first exhibit we went to was the crafts. it was so wonderful to see the work of the townspeople on display. everyone got a ribbon. either first or second place. the last time i went to this fair, many years ago, there were definitely third place ribbons. it made me smile to see that they were eliminated. every exhibit, from the largest pumpkin in town to drawings by kindergartners, really had a delightfully simple appeal to it. these were the proud accomplishments of the town that they wanted to show off!
orange is a rather idyllic town, especially to grow up in. life is easy there and i can really appreciate it.
