This is the annual Sorghum Festival at Whitetop Mountain. There was a bluegrass band playing, and you have to admit that the music makes you want to move. Move how, I don't know, but move. They were making sorghum molasses (of course), but by the time we got there the boiling was done and they were scooping it into jars. They let everyone get a fingerfull of molasses out of the pot. It was very sweet, kind of like honey. Jon bought a jar. We also got some Bolt-style BBQ chicken, which is the yummiest BBQ chicken ever. Unfortunately, because we were late, they were running low on BBQ sauce so our chicken had more of a spicy rub on it than any sauce. It was still pretty tasty.

There were a few craft booths, but the booth I thought was the coolest was some guy showing off his hobby of finding "lost" apples. He travels around, visiting old, old homesteads and orchards looking for heritage varieties of apples that aren't grown anymore. He said he has 800 different varieties of apple trees for sale! His website is www.applesearch.org. Its pretty interesting.

This view is obviously not of Texas. Jon and I have gone to Virginia! (Actually, this photo is from a scenic overlook in North Carolina on the way to Virginia.) We're going to visit my hometown of Elk Creek, which is more forests and farmland than town. At the overlook was a girl who said "I hate nature and everything about it." I didn't ask her to elaborate, but Jon and I definately do not hate nature. We plan to enjoy the fall foliage and go hiking, biking, disc-golfing, white water rafting, and whatever other fun things we can think of.

Its the State Fair of Texas. I finally got to see the pig races tonight. It was adorable. Four pigs would race around the track to get the coveted prize--an Oreo cookie. I don't blame them, Oreos are tasty.

We also had to eat a lot of the fair fried food. We had chicken fried bacon, a deep fried peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich, a deep fried s'more, deep fried cheesecake, and this picture, of deep fried peaches and cream. It was all good, but not spectacular. My favorite food was actually the hamburger I got at the Owens building. We chickend out of the deep fried butter.

We saw a few of the animals, but not many. We walked around the crafts a little, and around the Midway a little, but did not ride any rides or play any games. We did go see the world's smallest horse. He was a tiny horse. He looked kind of bored too. Oh, and I forgot the butter sculpture. There was a refridgerated room with a bar scene from the old west, life size, entirely out of butter. I don't know what its point was.

Tengo muchos libros traer a mi clase de espanol. Son pesados y dolan el brazo. Tengo dos cuadernos, un libro de texto, y un diccionario. Esta noche tengo mi bolsa y mi paragua tambien. Cree hay los tormentos, perro no.

My eyes get puffy when I'm tired. I suppose thats normal. I've just noticed that if I take my picture in the evening, I will have puffy eyes, but if I take the picture at another time of day I will not. I am sleepy tonight. I usually am at night.

I love taking hot, hot showers. I take long showers, just standing and enjoying the water flowing over me. I have some friends who take super short showers, because they see it as a chore they have to do everyday and not something to enjoy. They are crazy. I know the hot water dries out my skin, and cool showers are better for your muscles after working out, but I do not care. If my skin is really dry, or I have just worked out, I may take a warm shower, but not very often.

Archie has decided to curl up on me tonight. She must have missed me when I went to San Antonio. She is a bit of an attention whore. She likes to be petted and scratched, although she is particular about who she will let pet her. And she likes to bite.

Archie has also been sleeping in my bed at night. It must be because its getting cooler at night. She likes to curl up around feet. I just have to try to not kick her.