Iowa State Fair '18: Day One's Disappointments

Our first day at the Iowa State Fair was a bit of a downer. It was brutally hot, and Charlotte was in the worst mood. We tried to have fun, but nothing really clicked.

We started the morning off with chicken and waffles on a stick. It was okay.

The same gentleman who makes poffertjes at the Downtown Farmers' Market for Breakfast Delights was working at the Wooden Shoe. Char knew what she wanted for breakfast. These are always good.

The next food stop was for cheese curds. These are a family favorite, but none of us enjoyed them this time. That was a huge surprise. The breading on the curds was so salty that Charlotte ate one bite and was done. Daphne and I ate the rest, but neither one of us fought for the last bite.

We thought we had a good seat for the Red Trouser show, but a large couple sat right in front of Charlotte. She and another girl sitting next to her couldn't see a thing. We tried putting Char on Daphne's lap, but that wasn't much help. Luckily, they opened up seating on the ground in front of the stands, and Char was able to enjoy the show. The performers are very good.

Speaking of red, this year they handed out red tinted glasses when you visit Little Hands on the Farm.

Why red glasses?

They allow you to see the hidden messages on the signs.

Speaking of pigs, I had a pork chop on a stick. This time I drew the short straw. My pork chop was so small that I didn't even bother taking a picture of it.

It was a very hot day, and an ice cold pickle from Pirtley's can really cool you off. Char refuses to eat pickles, so she missed out.

While we were there, we pressed a penny in their elongation machine. 

These pennies make great souvenirs. They don't cost much, they're small, and Char has fun turning the crank. She has a small collection.

Fun fact: Canada stopped making pennies in 2012, so you have to press a nickle there, instead.

Don't believe that smile. It was gone as soon at the camera flashed. The "Deviled" sign would have been more appropriate.

This year the vendors are selling these inflatable... um, chairs, I guess. Charlotte was sure we'd buy her one - we didn't. Char refused to agree that our cat Earl would bite a hole in the fabric in about three seconds. 

Last year I watched a cook slap a ball of beef on the griddle and press it into a patty with his spatula. That burger was the best thing I ate. This year, at the same food stand, I watched the gal making my burger pull a frozen patty out of a cardboard box, and my heart sank. 

We did the big maze, but it was so hot between the walls I almost got sick.

Cotton candy lifted Char's spirits for a bit, but as soon as it was gone, she asked to go home for the twentieth time.

We thought Charlotte would like the fried bread with apple butter, but she wouldn't take a bite. Daphne and I liked it, though.

We got to the parking garage around 5:30, and when I opened the sliding door on our car Char said, "We finally get to go home!"

It wasn't the Fair's fault, but for the first time we didn't really enjoy ourselves. I asked Daphne while driving home, "Have we outgrown the fair?" She only shrugged.

Deep Bowls. Deep Grooves.

That big bowl was filled to brim with egg drop soup when lunch began, and then Char consumed seven cups of it.

It reminded me of a song. Link: They Might Be Giants.

PS. When Char was 3 and 4 years old, TMBG were a huge part of the soundtrack of our lives. After watching the linked video tonight, Char begged to watch more. The TMBG songs had been long ago etched deeply into her school desk of memory. The music of the past came rushing back to her as she ran her fingers across those grooves.

We spent over 40 minutes singing along with songs from Here Come the 123s, Here Come the ABCs, and Here Come Science. We had a blast. 

Daphne thinks we should have a Caspar Babypants revival tomorrow night. 

I am really looking forward to it.

Only 139 Days Until Xmas...

More importantly for Earl, there are only 15 days until Charlotte goes back to school.

Poor cat.

Hi, Kitty!

Just hanging out at the Blank Park Zoo...

Canada Vacation '18: The Expunged and the Exhausted

The plan was to fly from Québec City to Toronto, fly from Toronto to Chicago, and then fly from Chicago to home. It would be a long day, but we should be in Iowa before 11:00 p.m.

“It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression, 'As pretty as an airport.'” 
― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul


The airport in Québec City was actually quite nice. We were there long enough to for Char to make a fort.

Then the PA speakers announced our names. We had been requested to move to an earlier flight to Toronto. We were given new boarding passes, and off we went.

We were glad to have some extra time to navigate the customs lines at the Toronto airport. That airport  is... "the largest and busiest airport in Canada, the second-busiest international air passenger gateway in the Americas, and the 30th-busiest airport in the world..." according to Wikipedia.

Daphne played games with Charlotte, Charlotte played games on my laptop, we ate a light lunch, I read, Daphne read, Charlotte read, and we took turns walking around the airport trying to get some steps in. Four hours in an airport feels like 24 hours at home.

Our flight to Chicago was an hour behind schedule because the United flight crew was late. So, several passengers on our plane were not going to be able to make their next connecting flight. These passengers were called to the desk and given hotel options. Our names were not called, so we thought we'd be okay.

We weren't okay. They didn't call us to the desk because they didn't know we were there. Somehow the guy in the Québec airport had "expunged our records." Even though we had boarding passes that got us through customs, we were no longer on the list of passengers.

We finally got seats on the plane, and we were in Chicago in an hour and a half. We had 17 minutes to get to our next flight. On the map we could see we were as far from our next gate as possible. We took escalator steps two at a time and sprinted down moving walk ways. Charlotte fell three times because she was running in flip flops. Eventually I held Char's hand as we ran, and I motioned to Daphne to go ahead without us. We still had nine minutes left.

By the time Char and I reached our destination, Daphne was doubled over and exclaiming, "Noooo!  You can't be serious!"

The TV behind the desk had just changed to, "Boarding Closed." We had made it with six minutes to go, but we were still late by a few seconds.  My knee was throbbing, Daphne was upset, and Charlotte was crying. The robotic woman behind the desk mechanically repeated, "I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do. I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do. I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do."

Taking pity on us, another employee behind a different desk called the plane to see if we could still get on, but the brakes had already been released. The plane had left seven minutes early.

All we could do was drag our sorry bottoms to the customer service desk and wait in a very long and slow-moving line. The young man who greeted us promptly told us that all the hotels in the area were booked. It looked like we might have to steep in the terminal. It was 9:55 p.m., and cots were being rolled out.

At 10:45, a very pleasant United employee talked to her manager on our behalf. The manager was able to "pull a hotel room out of her pocket," and she also gave us $60 dollars in food vouchers. I was grouchy, but I had to admit that was nice. Thanks, United.

We brushed our teeth with hotel toothbrushes after eating Starbucks sandwiches in our room. We were in bed around midnight. I was disappointed that I wasn't in my own bedrom, but I was too tired to let it bother me.

Charlotte slept like a rock, and she woke up in great mood. Our new flight was at 12:45, and we had no where to go and nothing clean to wear. Char ate a Starbucks cookie breakfast, and we watched the last part of Storks on HBO. Daphne hadn't seen the movie before, and I had forgotten how funny it is. We all stretched out on the beds and laughed with pillows under our chins.

Charlotte told us as she dressed in the same clothes that she had worn the day before,"You know, it was actually pretty lucky that we missed our flight. I needed a morning to relax and watch TV in bed."

Back in O'Hare, I had a very American cheeseburger and fries for lunch. We weren't home, but we were so close that I could taste it.

I was in my basement three hours later. Maggie was resting in the backyard, and the cats had been fed. I had already taken my souvenir bottle opener for a test drive. The needle had been dropped on the record player, and when Clutch's "Earth Rocker" filled the room, I  knew I was home.

We didn't rock the earth, but the Monsons had seen more of it than we had before.

Canada Vacation '18: Québec City - Day 3

Our last next full day of vacation brought another cool morning to enjoy, and another market to visit.

It is a colorful place to shop.

Québec City has several examples of street art. "For its 5th year, discover 9 fun and intriguing installations created by artists in the visual arts and collectives in architecture, which question our relationship to the world and the urban space." 

Chairs anchored into the ground are one of the art exhibits.

Each chair has a quote from a famous Canadian author, poet, and/or songwriter. You get something to sit and think about.

Leonard Cohen, I'm your fan.

The fountain is striking, but so is the VIA building behind it. Daphne marveled, "Can you believe that is a train station?" 

More street art: This is a replica of the Canadian space satellite Alouette that "crashed" onto the hood of a car in Old Quebec.

We found a place to rest while walking down by the water looking for more street art.

The little waterfront cafe served the best... wait for it...

... hot dogs!

I'm serious. That hot dog was awesome.

How good was it? One of last items on a menu that Daphne would order has to be the lowly hot dog. She'll take a polite bite if I offer, though. This time she took a bite and marveled at how good it was. It couldn't have hurt that he bun was browned in butter. I offered her another bite, and she said, "If you're willing to share, you bet!"

Lesters, that's a huge compliment from my wife.

If these are the official hot dogs for the Montreal Alouettes football team, then we just might have to go to a game.

We continued walking by the water. This rotating eye tower is quite an interesting structure.

A lot kids were playing in the fountains, but Charlotte was "too old" to do that. At least, she was too old to have her picture taken while she didn't play in the fountains. "Dad, put your phone away!"

I didn't listen to my 7-year-old.

She's not "too old" for theses, though.

Irish street performers:

This wins my vote for best door stop.

We had our last dinner in Québec City in this small French restaurant that was just a little off the beaten path.

Our waitress was so nice.

The restaurant was featured in Louise Penny's novel Bury Your Dead. 

Our waitress said that this table is featured in the book, so we'll have to see what that's all about...

I tried to get arty with this picture. I wanted the plane's contrail to look like it was coming out of the trumpet. 

I was playing around with the contrail on this one, too. 

Time to go to home and relax. Thanks for another fun day, Québec City.

Canada Vacation '18: Québec City - Day 2

The next morning I was first out the door, and I was greeted with 58 degrees and clear skies.

I yelled back into the apartment, "Ladies, you have to get out here!" When Charlotte ran out, she laughed and spun in a circle with her arms outstretched. She exclaimed, "This! Feels! So! Good!" The heat of Montreal was swiftly forgotten.

It was time to catch the shuttle bus to the Aquarium Du Québec after a breakfast on the go,

We have tried to replicate the tide pool experience Char had at Seattle, but every other aquarium has come up a bit short. 

One animal we hadn't seen at an aquarium was a walrus. The two they have at Québec were impressive.

Well, that's a pretty name.

Daphnée was quite a poser.

The white fox enclosure was one of the more popular exhibits.

They sure look like dogs. Char would have loved to pet one, "Aww. They're so cute!"

Sandcastle art.

The aquarium also has an Adventure Circuit for kids 6-12. "There are nets, catwalks, gangplanks, vines, and so on. A way to develop balance and self-reliance while burning up energy!" It's a cool feature.

Jellyfish displays are hypnotic.

The aquarium shuttle only has one drop off and one pick up time. You get three hours at the aquarium and no more, and that's perfect. Three hours is about all I can stand. 

When got off the shuttle we were greeted with a street performance. Monsieur Rene was pretty spry for a guy deep into his 60's.

For $95,000 dollars (but it's Canadian dollars!), you too can own the "Danse du temps I" statue by Salvador Dali.

Canons. Québec City is littered with canons.

The ice toboggan run wasn't open. It was a cool day, but not that cool.

Taking a break during a trail walk.

Here's the Saint-Louis Gate into the city.

Charlotte snuck into a store display window while Daphne shopped for shoes. I frown on such shenanigans. 

She's holding a cup of candy, by the way.

"Umm, yeah. I'm in Canada, and my cell phone doesn't work..."

"Gummy snakes... why does always have to be Gummy snakes?"

One strange feeling that I couldn't shake was the desire to call it quits around 5:30 p.m. We have had to be home by 5:30 to let our dog Maggie out for the past 11 years. You stretch the time too much past that, and you have some cleaning up to do, and no one likes that. 

I always check my watch in late afternoon, and more than once I almost said to Daph, "Well, we should probably be heading back." Instead of saying that, I usually said, "What should be have for dinner?"

There are restaurants and bars located up and down the streets of Québec City. Some would invite us in, some would say we couldn't enter because they were a bar, some said they were a bar, but could sit upstairs, and others said Char could come in, but we'd have to sign a waiver that we wouldn't give Charlotte alcohol. We never did figure out how to tell one establishment from another - they all looked the same and had the same open-window frontage.

Oh well, one place let all three of us in. After we signed the waiver, we had charcuterie for dinner.

Another thing I couldn't figure out is how to pronounce "charcuterie". "Meat and cheese tray" is so much easier to say.