Backscratchers

What in the world? We went to the State Fair of Texas and had quite the adventure. My husband thought that we could ride the DART from Mockingbird Station right to the front gates of the fair. No parking fees, no waiting in the long lines to park, no walking forever from the parking lot and getting all worn out before you even get into the fair. Yay! It would have been great, but we missed the train by "that" much, and then we missed the shuttle bus by "this" much. Then when we had all the fun we could stand at the fair we had to wait for the bus again for the voyage home. We really did have a great time! Some of the highlights of the night:

Being at the Fair with my wonderful husband and three fantastic kids!
It was a beautiful night! Perfect weather!
The Fair is fun at night with parades and lots of lights!
The Fletcher's Corny Dogs were hot, fresh and delicious!
I didn't ride the Texas Star Ferris Wheel. Boo. I chickened out.
Tyler and I walked around, saw my old kindergarten, bought the traditional taffy, and got some scrumptious Cyclone Potatoes while the three brave family members rode the ginormous ferris wheel that we were too scared to ride!
Overhearing a very interesting cell phone call all about backscratchers. Here is my memory of the cell phone convo as heard on the bus ride back to Cityplace Station on the way home from the Great State Fair: "Libby, are you asleep yet? Are you going out to the fair tomorrow? Bring your lotto ticket, I've been hittin' it all week. I got $19 yesterday. Yea? They are giving away free backscratchers! Yea -- I said backscratchers, backscratchers, you know, they scratch your back; they're free at the back gate, they're givin' 'em away free. Yeah, backscratchers. I said BACKSCRATCHERS. I got me two already. I said BACKSCRATCHERS, you know BACK . . . BACKSCRATCHERS, the kind that SCRATCH YOUR BACK-- AT THE BACK GATE. THEY ARE FREE. Ya haf to come out and get 'choo one. I said BACKSCRATCHERS - FREE. I SAID BACKSCRATCHERS, BACK-SCRATCHERS, YEAH, BACKSCRATCHERS!"

Each time she said "backscratchers" her voice got louder and louder. It was hilarious to me and my family. This backscratcher woman was so funny. She had all kinds of interesting tales to tell. She talked non-stop the entire time we were in her presence, if not to me, to anyone within earshot. She talked about backscratchers, the price of milk and how many jugs she bought that day, and that she was gonna save one to eat with her cereal tomorrow morning, what kind of cereal she liked, where she got her purse and how much it cost and where I could get one just like it if I wanted for $2 cheaper than the ones they were selling at the Fair, where she got two new umbrellas and why she traded one in because it was cracked and it might have scratched her hand (not her back) and that she was going to give one umbrella to her diabetic friend who could NOT have a cracked umbrella handle because she is diabetic and can't have scratchy umbrella handles touching her hands. She talked all about the bus and the train and hollered out to everyone on the bus alerting them to empty seats that were available. She rambled on about winning the lotto prizes at the fair and her friend who complained to the State about so many of the same people winning over and over again and how that just wasn't right. We left her getting off the bus to head to the train and she was practically screaming into her phone . . . "I SAID BACKSCRATCHER." If she said it once, she said it 50 times. "Backscratcher." The word is so funny to me now! I crack up at the thought of it.

It was quite a night. We had a blast at the fair. The backscratching show was totally worth the price of the DART DAY PASS! And the free tickets to the fair were definitely worth it!

I can't wait to find out what they will give away at the back gate next year. It won't be as good as a free backscratcher! I promise you that!