Carnivals….they hold such magic for the younger crowd and some for the older crowd. Unfortunately the magic is mixed with a little destain by those who pay their hard earned money and have any inkling about germs. I took my youngest “My” (11 years old) to the local Carnie a few days ago. She has held Carnivals to be the pinnacle of life and every Summer it comes and goes with barely an acknowledgement from her parents. $3.oo a ride and $8.oo for a hamburger? Your kidding me! But she has inherited the glow of festivities from me so I do understand the pull. Somehow as I have aged though, the gene of excitement for rides has drained from me entirely and into her full force. So on a whim I said, “Girl I have $20.oo bucks and 1/2 hour do you want to go to the Carnival.” Well, excitement spread from her toes to her nose and a whoop let out of her that I am sure the neighbors could hear.
We found a parking spot right outside the perimeters of the Festival. The girl jumped out of the car and her excitement vibrated through her long grasshopper legs as she leaped in the air with frenzied outburst. The cacophony of sound and color hits you first. The common site of the striped red and white cover and the lights that blink off and on the rides as shouts and screams of pure excited hysteria burst into the eardrums. Then the smell of cooked hamburgers, sweat, and perfume hit the senses. Visually the “prizes” hung from ropes hoping to entice you to play the rigged games. The teen boys walking like peacocks hoping to find a girl to hang with. Girls on the prowl for boys to notice them. Little children full of disappointment when they are shorter then the stick that says “IF your shorter then this you cannot ride.” Parents holding cotton candy, coats, diaper bags and trying to take pictures all at the same time. Venders selling their wares of overpriced goods. Necklaces priced too high. Grannies selling their homemade fudge for .50 cents each. The sound of the “Talent” show assaulting the missed notes of those who are brave enough to get up on that stage.
We rode the rides that take you and twist you around in circles as they made my brain feel like it was taken off it’s axis and left to wiggle around my skull. I said half swear words as the tilt-a-whirl swung us fast around and around. Trying to hold my tongue and my lunch at the same time. There was a time when these rides brought me pure happiness but now only a need to resist the urge to puke.
We had a good time though. We happenstance one day when it was one ticket per ride. We bought fudge from the Grandmas and tried our hand at a free game with a prize of candy. We looked at jewelry and rode the rides. A few hours later as we ventured home, my brain still jiggling, my girl in complete contentment.
Mama and My at the Carnival….good times. It is these time that make the memories, even if it is only twenty dollars!
Go and do and don’t eat lunch!
We found a parking spot right outside the perimeters of the Festival. The girl jumped out of the car and her excitement vibrated through her long grasshopper legs as she leaped in the air with frenzied outburst. The cacophony of sound and color hits you first. The common site of the striped red and white cover and the lights that blink off and on the rides as shouts and screams of pure excited hysteria burst into the eardrums. Then the smell of cooked hamburgers, sweat, and perfume hit the senses. Visually the “prizes” hung from ropes hoping to entice you to play the rigged games. The teen boys walking like peacocks hoping to find a girl to hang with. Girls on the prowl for boys to notice them. Little children full of disappointment when they are shorter then the stick that says “IF your shorter then this you cannot ride.” Parents holding cotton candy, coats, diaper bags and trying to take pictures all at the same time. Venders selling their wares of overpriced goods. Necklaces priced too high. Grannies selling their homemade fudge for .50 cents each. The sound of the “Talent” show assaulting the missed notes of those who are brave enough to get up on that stage.
We rode the rides that take you and twist you around in circles as they made my brain feel like it was taken off it’s axis and left to wiggle around my skull. I said half swear words as the tilt-a-whirl swung us fast around and around. Trying to hold my tongue and my lunch at the same time. There was a time when these rides brought me pure happiness but now only a need to resist the urge to puke.
We had a good time though. We happenstance one day when it was one ticket per ride. We bought fudge from the Grandmas and tried our hand at a free game with a prize of candy. We looked at jewelry and rode the rides. A few hours later as we ventured home, my brain still jiggling, my girl in complete contentment.
Mama and My at the Carnival….good times. It is these time that make the memories, even if it is only twenty dollars!
Go and do and don’t eat lunch!
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