Return to Topsfield

My girlfriend and I headed to the Topsfield Fair on Sunday.

After running the midway gauntlet, we made it to the rabbit and cavy barn.  It was a chilly morning; most of the disapproving rabbits were huddled in corners.  So cute!  but I felt bad for them.  I guess it's better to be cool than to be too hot.

Our next stop was our true destination - Coolidge Hall.  Once again, my girlfriend placed first for her applesauce and I won a second place ribbon for my quilt.  Shattered Kites looked so tiny tucked in between some huge quilts.  I look forward to reading the comments on it when I get it back.  My living room wall looks bare without it.

The quilts were lovely.  I've learned so much in a couple of years - I could identify paper pieced and appliqued quilts much easier than in the past.  I appreciated the work that went into them (especially a huge quilt that had been hand quilted).

There was a fantastic mini quilt with tiny green, red and black triangles.  The photo (below) doesn't do it justice (glass display case, bad lighting).  Around that hung some 3-D pictures that look like they had been created out of punched wool.  I wanted to reach out and touch the wolf.  I chuckled at the sheep in the chair.  And isn't the little blue dress adorable?  We must have spent an hour perusing all of the beautiful workmanship in that hall.

Last time we went there had been electrical issues and several of the barns had been in the dark.  So there was more to see in the veggie and poultry barns this year.  I was ready to take home some of the veggie displays, they looked so delicious.  We got a kick out of the vegetable sculptures.  The corn monster was made of painted bubble wrap, with corn-cob hands and peppers for teeth and claws.  Terrific!  There was a baboon next to it completely furred with plant material. 

We admired the chickens, enjoyed the plants and flower arrangements.  We watched little kids attempt climbing a greased flagpole (the first girl made it - so impressive!).  We checked out the arts and crafts, talked to a few guys in period outfits that were glad of their woolen clothing on such a cool day.  We meandered through the sheep, cow and pig barns as we made our way out of the fair.  A good day, despite the cool, blustery weather.