"Fair" Weather

Who was the wise guy who thought that the Missouri State Fair should be held in mid-August? He couldn't have been from Missouri or else he would have known that it is the hottest time of the year in these parts. I think that "Sedalia" is latin for "the Eternal Fires of Hell". To make it even more miserable, we decided to camp at the fairgrounds for two nights. There is nothing better after a hot day at the blacktop-covered fairgrounds than to attempt to sleep in a tent that more closely resembles a toaster oven than a shelter. During our first night of camping we were forced to zip the windows closed due to the torrential rains that bombarded our campsite, thus searing in our juices as we were cooked alive in our broiling tent. Could it get worse?Did I mention that the campground was downwind from the swine barn? That's right, every 4-H kid in Missouri laughed as the hapless campers gagged from the stench of their prize-winning hogs. Did I mention that the campsite was downhill from the open-sided swine barn that was washed clean from the heavy downpours that we endured throughout the evening? Earlier I sarcastically mentioned that there is nothing better than sleeping in a hot tent after a hot day at the fair. Well there certainly is something much, much worse. Sleeping in a rain- soaked, 130 degree tent downwind and downhill from a river of pig excrement. Oh did I mention that we had three kids under the age of 5 with us? Good times, good times. (The picture is of Alex in a Ferris Wheel about 40 feet in the air. Note the safety latch at the bottom of the door that is unlatched while Alex pushes on the door. Good times.)