Monday, August 20, 2007

County Fair


Last week my grandson and I went to the county fair. We rode the carnival rides, played some games of chance, ate meat on a stick, and wondered through some of the barns to admire the different animals. It was a fun end of summer thing to do. He fell asleep on the way home and my mind wondered back to another day at a county fair.

It was August 1959. I was eighteen years old, a new high school graduate planning to start nursing school in the fall. I was dressed and waiting for my date to pick me up and take me to the Los Angeles County fair. I was a little nervous because this was a blind date that had been set up by my mother and my date’s mother. They taught school together and thought we should meet. He arrived and I was relieved that he was not ugly. He was six feet tall and had a cute little nose. At the fair we wandered through several of the exhibition tents. The only exhibit I actually remember was a vacuum cleaner display that sucked up metal balls and then shot them out in an elaborate track of turns and drops. I don’t know why that vacuum cleaner made such an impression. Later we rode on several carnival rides. I noticed his collar was folded funny and reached over and straightened his collar. After going through a fun house I felt a little wobbly and he reach over and took my hand to steady me.

Forty-eight years later I am still trying to straighten his collar and he still taking my hand when I feel wobbly.

7 comments:

rosemary said...

Lovely, just lovely. I will have to tell the story someday of how Steve and I met. Not as romantic, but most how we met stories are fun.

AM Kingsfield said...

I love the little swoop of Dad's hair! And the shirt - wow! I suppose you were in California.
You haven't changed a bit.

Mom said...

The picture was taken in one of those photo booths shortly after we started dating. I think it is the first picture I have of the two of us together.

Joan said...

Awwww...how wonderful! And who says that blind dates arranged by moms can never have a happy ending?!?!? :~)

Cazzie!!! said...

I cried reading this. I love that image, it is nice that you had such fun, and that wonderful times continue on years later with your grandchildren.

Sling said...

I think maybe he has been making his collar crooked all these years,just so you would be around to straighten it for him..Clever fellow!

more cowbell said...

See? Mother always knows best. I'm so telling my daughter about this...