Booth Work & Party Time

Yup, that pretty much says it. That, and this:



The grape growers association has a booth in the Ag building, just two halls over from the section dedicated to "crop art".

No, really. The grand champion this year was a portrait of Tiger Woods made entirely of seeds. Huh.

Our booth was at least tasteful.



And staffed with (mostly) friendly volunteers to assist those curious about how grapes can actually survive in this climate, and passers-by who just want to know where they can go on winery tours and sample wine for free. And hey, we know all that stuff as well as anyone!



So, simply being willing to share our relative ignorance with others (yet in a confident sort of way) for a few hours, got us free admission to the fair. After our shift in the booth, there was loads of food to choose from. And some local wines to sample. Decent ones, too.



The chocolate-covered key lime pie on a stick was really good.



And the carmelized bacon on a stick was, too. Mmmm...




After one of those crispy, fat-laden delights a guy couldn't help but feel a little frisky. :P Or maybe it was the wine.



But they don't just eat around here - they eat responsibly! Not only are there health and wellness booths right near the food vendors, where you can get your blood pressure tested and learn how to avoid eating badly (like say, pie and bacon), but you even get to compost your used corn cobs. To wit:



And such variety! Oy. Things I haven't had since ... oh ... since the last time I had them, whenever that was.



Seeing smelt made me hungry for nostalgia (as well as for smelt.) Thankfully, they cut the heads off before deep frying, and put them in a convenient little paper basket so you could walk, talk, gawk, and eat your headless fish simultaneously. Tasty, too!

Well, after an indulgent evening like that, the only thing for me to do was to host a party the next night for my three-track friends.

The music was as diverse as ever, from the Drifters to Rare Earth to Ari Hest to Crash Test Dummies to Rufus Wainwright to Lennon, McCartney & Harrison (all heard solo), and the Sons of the San Joaquin harmonizing on some three-part yodeling.

Comity and conviviality ruled the day, and I was able to not only make good use of the lounge, but also get rid of (oops, I mean offer graciously) some of what was on my adult beverage shelf downstairs.

Pretty much anything tasted good with dip, cookies and brownies to chase it down. Plus, a buddy of mine from seminary joined us, and expanded the circle to 6. Welcome, SM!

Needless to say, my run today was ineffectual. Ooof. Could hardly manage a mile and a half, much less the 5K I had hoped for. I'll try again Tuesday. Today's run was good for purging toxins, at least.

I had a few in me to get rid of.