The Orange County Fair

We had great evening at the OC Fair. We got there about 6 p.m., and went to see all of the farm animals, including the new little piglets. Both of my girls were amazed at how large real pigs are! Not at all like the animated ones on TV. Abigail got to touch a little baby chicken, and tried to touch any other animal she could reach - goats, sheep, cows, you name it. She loves animals! We don't go on rides at the fair, because they are simply too expensive (and since they are disassembled every few weeks, I wonder about how safe they are). We have annual passes to Knott's, and we can go on rides there. At the fair, we try to do and see things that are out of our normal range of experience.

Abigail got to ride a pony for the very first time. She was so excited, but wanted me to walk next to her while she rode. Frances took photos, and I bought the professional pony picture too, because it was really cute. Sorry I can't scan it, but here is a snapshot that Franny took. When Abby was done with her ride, both girls stood outside the pony fence, touching and patting the horses if they came near.

All of the Bushnell girls rode an elephant! We don't have pictures of us on it, because we all rode together (Abigail refused to go without me) but I did take a photo of the elephant we rode. Her name is Becky.

Next, it was Frances' turn to choose an activity. She chose the hamster ball, a huge inflatable clear ball that floats on water. You get inside it, then it is inflated and closed up, and you are pushed up a ramp and into the pool! Frances is really agile, with great balance, but she found it nearly impossible to stand up in the ball for more than a split second. She was grinning the entire time, as she crawled, rolled, flipped and fell inside the ball. The balls are available for birthday parties.... hmmm....maybe when she turns 11....

Abigail was enchanted by the miniature circus tent, so we went to see old-time circus acts, like juggling, plate-spinning, and magic tricks. "This show is 'mazing, Mom!" Both girls were entertained, and Frances tried to figure out the magic tricks. How did he make that dove turn into a cat?

Of course, we had to visit the petting zoo. It was really crowded with people, but Abigail was undeterred in her quest to touch animals. She was able to pet goats of all sizes, sheep, chickens, and a llama.


We finished our evening with a bag of caramel corn and the Peking Acrobat show. We had a front row seat at the side of the stage, and unlike last year, this time Frances admitted that the performers' skills were pretty impressive! We all thoroughly enjoyed the show, and when it was over, I saw some of the performers at the edge of the stage. I asked Abigail if she wanted to meet them, and she was enthusiastic (is she ever unenthusiastic, about anything?). One of the guys from the show pointed to Abigail and asked, "Chinese?" I nodded my head yes, and told him, "Zhengzhou." His eyebrows raised, he pointed to himself and emphatically pronounced, "Zhengzhou!" Someone from Abigail's home town! Wow. We took a picture of him with my Abby. What a cool way to end our evening.