Yesterday Karen, Kris, and I went to the Illinois State Fair. We got to Springfield about 11:30 am and left about 8 pm. The place was much bigger than I expected and we could see how one could spend much more time there. There are certainly ways to spend lots of money there, but we worked to keep costs down (sometimes sucessfully, sometimes not). Fun things we did included:
- seeing a Wild West Show (the whip guy was funny)
- Kris shot arrows in a bowhunting expo (she selected a raccoon as a target, which Karen and I supported)
- Kris climbed a rock wall and did quite well
- rode a cable car over the park
- picked up flyers and other free stuff (compact fluorescent bulbs, water bottles, pencils, and yardsticks)
- got museum fatigue from all the exhibits that we saw
Today was Kris's last day of summer break. She starts fourth grade tomorrow at Peoria Christian School (Miss Gray is her teacher). Classes start on Wednesday, August 27 for Karen and I. We cut our first pumpkin today and our tomatoes are doing well; we are still getting other veggies. After church we went to Tyroni's Italian Buffet and stuffed ourselves. Afterward, Karen and Kris played a Nancy Drew game together on the computer and went and played in the woods. I picked another 2/3 gallon of blackberries and then went fossil hunting. The crinoid stem hotspot I found this past spring is probably surrounded by poison ivy and a little tapped out so I headed down into other ravines. At the bottom of a dry creek bed I found another small hotspot, this time of plant fossils. I found my first small fern fossil nearly ten years ago a couple of months after I moved out here, and since then I have found other Pennsylvanian period plant fossils. Today I found some of my best plant fossils; some had branching features and there was a species that I don't think that I have found before. The rocks in the attached picture feature at least two species of ferns and two species of horsetails. Lots of fun! I have some "extras" if anybody wants them. I don't think any of this stuff is museum quality, but kids and rockhounds might want them. Maybe I will donate them to the rock and fossil show next weekend. This annual event is at Itoo Hall, a supper club just a few blocks from here.
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