The glory of September

The embodiment of September's magic

Ahhhh, September.  Really, is there any time of year that can claim to beat the crisp, sunny days of late September? The leaves are changing, the apples are divine, the bugs have mostly disappeared, and the harvest is bountiful. Every day seems like the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to a fresh, soul-filling hike in the woods.  There are birthdays to be celebrated, new friends and routines to explore, and, if you are Juniper, it is close enough to October that it finally seems legitimate to obsess over your upcoming Hallowe'en costume.

A little nature explorer, using her new compass/binoculars/magnifying glass that Clark brought back from Ireland

Oh, and the other thing about September?  The fair comes to town, of course.   I couldn't bear to list that with all the other lovely aspects of late September, as I am not the biggest fan of fairs. I have, in fact, successfully avoided the fair for many, many years, clinging to dim and unpleasant memories of the FREX (the Fredericton Exhibition).  My immediate association with such spectacles is noise, crowds, filth, and terrible food. Hornets circling around garbage cans, possible piles of vomit, and the ever-present danger of stepping in a big pile of manure.  Terrible, right?

The quintessential fair - except the"Gravitron" is now "Starship".  Lame!

This year, however, something shifted ever-so-slightly as I started to see signs for the Carp Fair popping up around town.  Little wisps of earlier memories began to filter back in, and I suddenly remembered how much I adored the fair as a kid. The filth and noise and crowds weren't a problem - in fact, they added to the joy and magic of the whole experience.  So much energy!  Such colour!  So many things to see and do, and so many rides to explore! When I finally saw it once again through my kid eyes, I realised it was actually my parental duty to introduce the kids to the fair in all of its glory.

So many beautiful horses and wagons!

In the end, despite the frenetic nature of the fair; the facial sunburns; the greasy food that was consumed; and the unnecessarily large amounts of money that were spent, I have to say it was a pretty big success.  As an added bonus, we were joined by my mom and dad half-way through, which made the whole thing all the more exciting.  We watched heavy horse competitions and other side shows; we saw various exhibits; got up close and personal with a whole lot of animals; and even conceded to a couple of rides at the end.  For the low, low price of a kajillion dollars, we were able to ride the Ferris wheel for 2 whole minutes, and Clark and the kids got to go down the super-lame sack slide.  But for Juniper and Linden?  Pure magic.  Truth be told, even I had a little bit of fun.  We might - MIGHT go back next year.  Oh, who am I kidding?  Now that the secret is out, I will have absolutely no say in the matter.  I do believe the fair will be one of the best parts of September for years to come.  Here are some photos from the day:

Before the fair, we went out for breakfast at our new favourite diner...

... where, if we're lucky, we can watch sea planes take off and land!

The kids try their hands (literally!) at milking a big, plastic cow

Linden was a natural!  Perhaps it had something to do with the plaid flannel shirt and cord jacket we dressed him in that day.

Linden poses with his unfortunate faceless family. 

Look who we found!

As you might imagine, it was next to impossible to tear Linden away from the model train exhibit.

The kids' first ride on a Ferris Wheel!

Linden had this look on his face the entire time.

Juniper was pretty pumped as well.

Wheeeee... (yawn)... wheeeee....

Apart from the fair, the other large celebratory event to grace our week was Clark's 36th Birthday party.  It was the day after he got home from Ireland (and a Monday), so it was, by necessity, a very quiet affair. Me, Clark, Faye and the kids.  But there were some beautifully wrapped (and carefully chosen) presents and cards, some make-your-own pizzas, and a chocolate-mint cake.  That's a pretty awesome party if you ask me.

About to blow out the candles (in some harsh shadowy late afternoon light. I like Linden's profile on Clark's shirt)

A freshly-picked wildflower bouquet, and a happy cake-eater

The pile of awesomely-wrapped presents.  For those who are interested: A bottle of scotch (eclipsed by the much better bottle Clark bought himself at duty-free on the way home), a special iPad stylus for an art app, and three hand-picked Value-Village records.

A close-up of the art-work on Linden's record (the ever-classy "Violine Danse 2"

Juniper's card.  The resemblance is uncanny!

Linden's card.  The resemblance is... more abstract.

As for me, I allowed myself some pretty glorious morning woods-walking adventures every single day this week.  That goes a VERY long way to maintaining some much needed fresh air and sanity.  Here is glimpse of some of the spots that made me pause along the way:

This patch of fungus was AMAZING. The most brilliant naturally-occurring orange colour I have ever seen.

And it went right up the tree!

Reflective marsh

Panorama of the woods trails

Look closely!  Four friendly turtles sunning themselves on a log

Dark and light and magical

 And finally, a few other random tidbits from the (clearly VERY full) week:

Our dear old family friend Charlotte came for a visit! She was a big hit. 

For reference, there is Charlotte, hanging out in a basket during our trip to Nepal, circa a million years ago.

For anyone keeping track, The Worm Academy is now an official Paleontological dig site. Linden is clearly in charge, as he is wearing two hats and yielding both the official digger and the brush.  He has so far uncovered volcanic rock, dinosaur bones, and buffalo remains.

OK, that is certainly all for now! Today, we say good-bye to Faye, AND my parents, who are all making the journey back to Fredericton. There may just be tumbleweeds rolling by our house by about mid-week.  As sad as that is, it may be a good thing to have a little less excitement around here for awhile. Juniper, for instance, went to bed with a full-on body aching, coughing, worn-out sort of cold last night.   Seeing as I caught Linden licking things like the Ferris Wheel door this weekend, I can only imagine he'll be next.  But who knows?  Maybe September will weave its magic, and the sickness will pass by quickly this time around.  At least I'm no longer solo-parenting!  See you next week!