Tonight I took the kids to the Bannock County Fair in Pocatello while Dave was at work and I just realized how much I was analyzing this new place that I live by what was going on around me. It probably isn't fair to judge a town by what you see and hear at the county fair, but here goes...
The quilts were good, the crafts were mediocre, the bottled peaches were pretty and we did see one big zucchini-- but they had nothing on the Amish and I knew I wasn't in Hershey anymore! I used to LOVE to drive down to Lancaster County and just drive around the farms, see the men out in the fields with their old-fashioned plows and horses, buy fresh produce from the stands on the side of the road where there was always shoe-fly pie and whoopie pies for sale too and just take in how beautiful, simple and peaceful it was out there. We also used to go to the Farm Show every year in Harrisburg and comparing that to tonight's fair made Bannock County feel pretty dinky, small-town and I have to say it...pathetic. The animals, the scenes carved out of butter, the huge arena for horses shows, the room full of the best farm and fair food you've ever had and the most amazing home-grown produce made the Farm Show a must and something I just might go back for one of these years (Micki, I know you will come with me!) I loved living in Hershey and think I will always miss it, no matter where I am.
Moving on, I knew I wasn't in New York anymore because the parking and the admission were both FREE and there were no lines! We parked amongst a bunch of big rigs with our new Idaho license plates and just walked right in...loved it! I didn't see any name-brand $1000 strollers, like you see all over Central Park and I saw many belt buckles and boots that weren't "in-style" but actually just what people wear everyday. I didn't see any nannies watching the kids, just lots of dirty happy kids running around barefoot while their parents sat back and enjoyed the Karaoke and dirt bike tricksters. The ice cream treats were only $1.00 and I really new I wasn't in NY then and we all got our own instead of sharing one for the whole family! I did miss the evening fireflies, the option of kosher or non-kosher food, the lack of cultural diversity among the folks and the option of taking the train home since I was tired by the end of the night (but it only took about 10-minutes to get home :)
This place was definitely not Palo Alto! There were no recycle and compost bins next to the tin garbage cans, nothing was organic and I didn't see one person who had ridden their bike to the fair! The kids weren't pulling out Trader Joe's snacks from their mom's bags and I didn't see one pair of Vibram fivefinger shoes walking around. We did see lots of people getting their exercise by shaking it on the karaoke dance floor, some cute dance numbers in the finals of American Idol Talent of Pocatello and all the kids got a great cardio workout on the bounce houses, greased-pole climb and sumo-suit wrestling. I loved our year in expensive Palo Alto because we were able to bike, scooter or walk just about anywhere and I felt very safe there (except for the few sketchy park dwellers behind our house :) I haven't met too many people here in Pocatello yet, but I'm hopeful they'll be as great as those in Palo Alto, New York and Hershey because I miss my friends!!
It's fun to think about all the places we've lived and the experiences we've had over the last 8 years that have led us to this point. We are still settling in here and figuring out if this is the place for us, but so far Dave loves his job, the kids have made some really nice friends on our street and Mia is loving a house big enough to have her own room and to run around in! I love having the park and walking trail behind us, a washer and dryer, a dishwasher and our printer all under one roof-- it is a dream come true!
Thanks for all your help and support getting us here, and go to your County Fair this summer-- it's an eye-opening experience!
Hershey Days
New York Days
Palo Alto Days
(had to put a picture of my laundry shed from little house in Palo Alto :)
The Fam at Half Moon Bay
