Moo, Baa, Quack

Last week we went to the fair. Charlie loved playing games on the midway and watching the rides, although I think we'll wait until next year to actually tackle the Teddy Bear Whirl-A-Round. He ate poutine and cotton candy with gusto. If you don't know what poutine is... well, you're probably better off.

The highlight of the day, though, was the petting zoo. Among the many animal barns--draft horses, show horses, dairy cattle, beef cattle, oxen, 4H--was a cool, dusty manger with a dozen kinds of babies. There were tiny goats, one week old, and goslings still wet from the shell. Charlie's initial favorites were the day old fuzzy yellow chicks peeping in their incubator, but he was slowly worn over to the baby mini-donkey, all twenty pounds of him butting against the stall rails for a head scratch. We especially loved watching him nurse with his (also tiny and friendly) mommy.

At home, Charlie has been imitating all the animals we saw. "I duck! Quack Quack! I cow! Moo! I horse! Neigh!" Non-stop. They obviously made a big impression. We can't wait to go back next year.