Showtime :: Day Three

Today was my third and final day working -- and attending with joy, of course -- the car show. Instead of being in our trailer by the book tent, I got a new outlook on things down in the heart of the swap meet. And again, right near the bathrooms. What a view.

I was sharing the vending kiosk with a church group selling nachos, pretzels and, you guessed it, ice cream. Since it was just sandwiches and drumsticks, I managed to exhibit enough self control not to eat up any of my profits. My boss should be proud. I know I am!

I got done at 1 p.m. and made my way quickly home so we could head down to Adams for Carter's baseball tournament. Basically it was like going from one huge event to another -- the second being the largest skeeter convention I have seen in some time. Good thing I sprayed down before I left home!

The tourney was for the 16U team (Carter was called up from the minors, ha) and they lost, but we play again tomorrow. Got done with enough time to stop and eat good burgers and sandwiches at Trail's End Bar & Grill. Just got home and I am really exhausted -- but I am so dedicated to you, dear readers, I am posting random car show photos one more time.

And I mean random order AND random thoughts...

Smokin' in the boys room? Or a steaming pile?

I guess bib just aren't made for closing all the way!

Fashionably cooling head gear.

Just.... Why? Really. Why?

Patriotic sun catcher.

Those feisty redheads!

Not sure how to take that...

Missile Control Center. I don't think these qualify under Wisconsin's new concealed carry law.

Notice it says "your" bird... not THE bird! Car show folks are nice.

Don't know what he's selling or buying. I just get a kick out of the walking billboards.

This is how we roll...

Size matters... when it comes to your tires anyway.

Carter took pictures of cars he wanted us to buy.... I took pictures of ones we could afford!

Of course, I found one for myself... Viking canopy included!

Not sure why I thought of our racing friends when I saw this! (OK, I do know why.)

Sitting in the hot seat.

Not the best place to sit down with your kid for a break!

After zooming in, I discovered she has the Serenity Prayer tattooed on her back. Love the prayer ... not the pain, though!

Bachelors on parade??

When you just don't know what to do with those last strands of hair on top of your head.

"Woodie station wagons??? I thought you said Woodstock!"

Again with the bib closure problems!

Did you ever watch "Grizzly Adams"? I thought of that show today for some reason.

Camo gear for the mighty swap meet hunters.

Weird eye or weird Packer fan?

Elvis may still be alive! He's aged well.

I guess when you are married long enough, you become your husband's pack mule without complaining. I obviously haven't been married THAT long! (I also like the background action of the guys eyeing up the girl. Good lord.)

Daisy Duke called. She really wants them back!

A car show is just like a time capsule... Or  Sam Elliot movie.

Don't get stuck in traffic behind some ol' blue hair!

Found extra hair somewhere and fashioned it into a Mohawk.

Two times the fun... until they are hot and bothered like the rest of us.

I wanted to complain about MY job and working on Saturday. But then I saw this guy walking into the men's bathroom with a plunger. No complaints here, I swear.

We're just going to have to sue the bib company over these wardrobe malfunctions. That's all there is to it.

I thought it was underwear as a headband. And, well, I'm still not sure.

The Swap Meet is a Safari to this mighty hunter at least.

Close the door. Elvis hasn't left the building after all.

Train 'em young.

Ageless hair trend. Better this than the mullet, I say.

Good thing God believes it's what's on the inside that counts.

Whoa. Elvis has a twin brother, too.

A nice warm fuzzy at the end of the day.

What the fork? If you don't know what to do with those old forks, make them look like you are giving someone the bird.

Oh, and there were cars, too.

New public showers added this year!

God bless America... and you.... and good night!

Show Time :: Day Two

Just got home from Iola and am flipping a coin.... Blog? Or sleep?

Sorry, my pillow is calling to me loudly!

A quick summary of Day Two at the car show... Hubby worked from home today but Carter still woke up early and accompanied me. I wish he was this eager to attend school! But then, he is not getting to shop with someone else's money at school.

Today I pulled in the reins and he only added 6 or 7 plates to his collection. Four are pictured here. He's pretty excited he has more than half the states tagged now. Cool for him.

After helping in our vending area, he also spent time over at the "car corral" -- where hundreds and hundreds of cars he will NEVER get from Mom and Dad sit, for sale. He took pictures of ones he liked and actually called my cell once so I could hear a '64 Thunderbird roar to life!

Yes, impressive.

No, not buying it.

By the way, his SECURITY shirt is one he bought on our mission trip. The back has a verse from Proverbs about Jesus giving us security and eliminating our fears. Carter got plenty of comments about it. He may look too intimidating to wear it. You think?

After the show was done, we had our annual "Wine & Cheese" party for the Blue Ribbon car owners and our publication's advertisers attending the show. We do this jointly with the car show staff. It's an opportunity for our magazine staff to serve adult beverages (and water and soda) to the thirsty crowd.

Carter helped with that, too, and was rewarded later. One of the guests we always have -- since it is a wine and CHEESE party -- is Wisconsin's very own Alice in Dairyland.

Of course, Carter didn't mind posing with her. She was very nice and he wanted his new friends from Texas to see why we don't joke about cows and dairy! Here he says "cheese!" with Kristin (a.k.a. Alice). Do you think that's a good reason to MOO-ve to Wisconsin? Maybe!

I do have more pictures and comments that will just have to wait until tomorrow. Right now I am beat after a busy, and long, day and need sleep before returning one more time. I'm pretty sure I'm flying solo tomorrow. Carter's pillow is calling pretty loudly, too.

Sweet dreams.

Showtime :: Day One

First day of the car show featured very pleasant weather and, for Carter, a pleasant day in heaven.

He came with us today so he could browse and shop -- with Mom's money -- for license plates to add to his growing collection. This was definitely the place to be since this show has hundreds and hundreds of swap spaces with a hand-delivered inside scoop on where the license plate vendors set up. Carter was in his glory.

And he has 16 "new" plates to prove it!!

He is definitely a deal maker. And, naturally, wants to go back tomorrow now that he knows they also have hundreds and hundreds of classic cars for sale, too. I don't know where he gets the idea that his first car will be a classic "summer driving only" one. He's been paying too much attention to the guys I work with!

Other than Carter's treasure hunting, it was a kind of quiet day -- which the first day usually is. Most people take off on Friday and come. So I was proofing stories and trying to get a few things done. I occasionally glanced up and saw something blog-worthy. So here goes.

Also, since I have been bitten by a bug of conscience, I cropped out faces when I could.

Here's a few things Day One delivered...

This gentleman's sun shade is strapped on good so the breeze doesn't lift him to Mary Poppins' neighborhood.

I wish my hair was this long! Well, not in front.

The Porta-Potty Police take the hand-washing laws seriously!

"I don't care if I have to crawl on my hands and knees -- or walk on one foot -- I am going to the car show!"

An occasional beauty drives by.

Best way to see the car show... Pizza and a nap.

I was right. The '80s are NOT dead, says the former fan of preppy, turned-up collar polo shirts!

Our fearless leader showing off our new sports-wicking staff shirts. They will be nice as the mercury climbs the next two days!

I see London... I see France... I wish that you could close your pants!

A sweat band under a trucker's hat for extra absorption on a hot day.

Looking for his twin. I think I found him earlier.

Sun shade on the move with a sign that says, "I'm lost but I make good time." Love it!

Triplets? Seriously, we need a beard contest at the show.

My feet hurt after just wearing running shoes. I wonder how she felt at the end of the day with a little heel action. Not for me, thanks.

There may be a cutoff age for wearing "Daisy Duke" shorts, and I'm pretty sure it's long before the 70s. Just sayin'.

I see London... I see France...

This guy was hitching a ride with the woman on the motorized wheelchair.

I thought that was ingenious. Then I realized he didn't really need the chair. Unless he was using it as a walker. I hate to judge people without knowing them. Obviously.

Don't tell the kids, but Santa loves a classic car show when he is on summer vacation!

That's all for today,. App-hair-ently, I'll be BACK tomorrow!

A post-script.... Carter was so involved with his car show success, he forgot to grab his bat bag out of my trunk when he went home with Dad. He needed it for a 6 p.m. game. I closed up our vending sites and made record time to get him his bat, cleats and glove.

Since we were winning by 10 runs, I left to run errands and come home to finish laundry. While I was gone, Carter decided to hit a double over the centerfielder's head. Figures. Guess it pays to never leave a game (or car show) early. Who knows what you might miss!

Show Biz

My life barely got a chance to get on schedule again before it turned to the busy-ness of the approaching car show.

Last night and tonight, we were able to return to the ballpark, where Carter tried to get back into the swing of things after 10 days off. He was a bit rusty but not as bad as I expected. We lost both games but that wasn't all him, I swear! (Says the unbiased mother.)

Today Carter came to work with us so he could help me get things ready for the car show. There is always heavy lifting to do PLUS he gets to drive around a golf cart as we set up our three vending locations to sell magazines. That's the selling point -- especially now that he has been through driver's ed!

Actually, before he could help, he had to go to Subway for their breakfast hashbrowns, even though he'd had breakfast at home 2 hours earlier. Then he walked from there over to the fitness center to say hello to all his friends and former co-workers from last summer. By the time he got back to our office, it was just about lunch time.

Typical, right?

He was a big help, though. And he plans to return with us tomorrow when the show is actually starting so he can "shop." Oh yes, as the third largest car show and swap meet in the nation, he is sure to find a selection of license plates that may not be in his collection yet.

I don't know if I will find anything "new" at the show. I seem to take pictures of the same thing year after year. This was something different, though...

Just a reminder that you should be careful so you know exactly where to make your withdrawals and your deposits. This was situated pretty close to the beer tent, too, so things might get a bit confusing and interesting. Stay tuned...

On the Wild Side

One might think our pit stop at Six Flags in St. Louis was wild. But that didn't compare to some of the sights further south.

First of all, I need to protest the disclaimer that everything in Texas is big. I'm here to tell you that everything in Arkansas is pretty big, too!

I actually didn't mind the neon-green grasshoppers because they were smaller than my hand. Plus I love lime green!

This big fella, though, had us all screaming like girls. 'Cuz, well, we ARE girls! And he was big. Not as big as my hand, but much too close! ((shivers running down my spine))

Then there was the skull we found in Ms. Betty's backyard...

Don't be scared. It's not human. I'm guessing it's a dead Arkansas Razorback or something. We chose not to keep it. Wisely, I think.

You know you're a hick when... Hey, I couldn't make this up. I felt too overdressed to go inside and trust me, there is no rule about "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service."

When I was in a different convenience store -- for non-hicks -- I was quite surprised to see a big guy walk in without his shirt on. No one batted and eye but I sure turned my head. The other way, that is! Uff da.

Our wild time probably prepared me perfectly for the car show this week! Oh yes, it's the time again where you will see the weird, wild and wonderful through my eyes. It doesn't start until Thursday, though, so you'll have to suffer through one more blog -- probably about my "normal" life outside of mission work -- before I hit you with the good stuff.

Stay tuned. And keep walking on the wild side!