Durham Fair!

Long ago before school smacked me in the face, I went to the Durham fair with my friend Danisha! Neither of us have ever been but it's one of the biggest fairs in Connecticut so we had to check it out. Best decision! Tons of animals, vendors, and yummy things to try. OH YEAH and LOTS of pumpkins.

1st place for painted pumpkins!

1st place pumpkin!

1st place for watermelon! My brothers would have loved this.

 Danisha and I bonded with this particular llama in the petting zoo. He was pretty rad! We also made friends with a camel named Polly. At one point I had taken her picture to post on instagram (of course) and as I was adding the caption looking at my phone, Polly comes within inches of my face and my phone like "hey, whatcha doin' there?" It shocked me but it was pretty funny!

The pumpkins weren't the only compositions going on. They had needle work, paintings, knitting, and all sorts of arts and crafts to be judged. However, my favorite would have to be the tractor pull. These tractors were pimped out painted like monster trucks :O) The task was to pull a truck as far as they can. This one here is doing a pop-a-wheelie.

Of all the food we devoured, the one I absolutely must mention is the deep fried cheesecake. I cannot express how heavenly this was! probably terrible for me but with each bite, the calorie count mattered less and less. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a bit like fried ice cream. The cheesecake was still cold and pretty solid, while the crust on the outside was light, warm, and delectable. The chocolate drizzle sent my taste buds over the top.

Lastly, I should probably mention how much I love llamas. I don't really have a reason other than I think they're awesome. At the fair, there was several buildings and one was dedicated to just llamas. Each farm had their own little section to show off their llamas. SO MANY LLAMAS

So glad I got the chance to go this year! There was so much there that I could do (and eat) it all, so I definitely can't wait till next year.

TTFN <3
-Avé

Greek Odyssey Festival

FUN FACT: My fiancé is Greek! Every Labor Day weekend his church hosts a huge Greek Festival filled with food, vendors, dancing, and LOUKOUMADES! I look forward to it every year and I usually go two or three nights out of the four, since it's free parking and it's the only time of the year to get Greek food this good.

Here's a basic breakdown of what they have at the festival--this is just what's inside the church! Outside there's three food tents, two live bands, two dance areas, and seating scattered about. They have a couple of events too. Every day of the festival, the priest does a presentation on the iconography shown in the art in the sanctuary. This picture really doesn't do the beauty of the paintings justice. Also, every night they have a group of talented kids and teens dress up in traditional clothes and do traditional dances. Not gonna lie, their moves make me a bit jealous.

Although there's lots to enjoy at the festival, my main reason for going is loukoumades. What are they? Sweet delicious balls of fried honey dough with cinnamon sugar on top *drools* They make them fresh, so they're always hot. When you bite into them, sometimes they burst with honey. I seriously have to learn how to make these!

 If you're in the southern CT area around Labor Day weekend be sure to stop by the Greek Odyssey Festival. If for nothing else, the food! You'll definitely find me there next year (probably in line to get more loukoumades. or a gyro. or spanikopita. )

TTFN! <3
-Avé