We all talk about how technology has invaded our lives…we’re strapped to our cell phones, the kids are always texting, and there is no place to escape it. I’ve started to wonder if anyone has a conversation these days that doesn’t involve hitting a button to send or connect.
But yesterday, I went to the Alaska State Fair and you know…it’s a lot like I remember it from when I was a child. Very low tech.
Oh, the cell phones were still present and a lot of people were on them…usually saying “I’m just down from the Grillin’ Challenge booth. I’m waving. Can you see me?”
I saw one TV…at the Direct TV sales booth…but beyond that everyone was engaged in the fair. I didn’t see one video game in a child’s hand. Even the ear-buds were gone from most ears.
Like most Fairs, our day was all about the food and the rides and the strange little booths you only see at the Fair. The rides have gotten a little scarier from when I was a kid but everyone still eats candied apples and cotton candy and the line for a pork chop on a stick was huge! My favorite food of the day was the Denali Cream Puff...5-inch diameter custard fill pastry with chocolate fudge topping. Yummy!
Going to the Fair reminds me of how low tech our lives can be—not all the time, but just to get away from it. The textiles displays are amazing. Admittedly, it was more my generation checking out the quilts but they are still pretty freakin’ impressive.
Over in the barn area, a pig had given birth the night before to 11 piglets. That grew quite a crowd from kids and adults alike as did the baby chicken section where you can actually watch them hatch and see the various growth stages. Including petting the baby chicks at the end. Sooo cute.
And the highlight of the Alaska State Fair…the giant vegetables. A 127-pound cabbage on display. New world record holder I believe. Here is when the tech came out…we all pulled out cell phones and digital cameras to take a picture!
(Note: the picture is the 2nd Place Cabbage...only 125.9 lbs. Same grower.)
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8 comments:
Sounds like you had a nice day. And sun for the final weekend of the fair -- gasp! That's darn near a miracle. Thanks for the trip to the fair.
I'm going today...can't wait! I can already taste that Denali cream puff. And I've heard there's a pig race. Can't miss that! Great blog!
There should be a National Low Tech Day to remind us what life was like before technology.
Wow! You could feed the whole family for a month on that huge cabbage! Or make sauerkraut for 20,000 polish dogs! Great blog today...makes me think of the good old days.
I enjoy the days when I don't play the TV or radio and simply scrapbook. I like doing it the old-fashioned way, with scissors and paper, instead of the new digital way on the computer. I'm on my computer hours a day. When I scrapbook, I like to make up my own designs and pages instead of using what someone has predesigned for me.
Love the picture of the big cabbage!
Lynn
I am a self confessed techie, I am lost without my computer. Not so much my phone, no one ever calls it since I don't give the number out much. I just like the feeling of safety it gives me. However, there are days when I take my car (does that count as technology?) and drive up the coast or through the countryside and find a castle ruin to explore and technology couldn't be further from my mind.Sounds like you had a great day! Made me want to be there too :)
That sounds like a wonderful way to spend a day, Tielle. And the Denali cream puff sounds like a dream. Yum!
I love the state fair! The food, the crafts, the people watching. But I live a low tech life. Other than getting on the computer for a bit each morning, I have no need for technology. I read (a lot). I have a library card. How many people even know where their public library is? I grew up in a home where we were not allowed to watch TV. As an adult, I still don't watch TV. I have a cell phone because my husband said I might need it if I break down somewhere. It mostly collects dust in the center console of the truck. I guess it would help if I knew people to call, but I don't, so it's just clutter. I love hobbies, and the outdoors and people watching in the park. I guess that just makes me weird. And lastly, my favorite thing at the fair (besides the petting zoo), is the smoked turkey legs. Yum, yum!
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