happyThere was a bubble booth with some of the most epic displays I have seen. The kids had palm-sized hoops on the end of arm-long rods, and a few people had two-handed rope triangle rods. The lady running the booth had three versions of a long pole bubble maker, and by long, I mean ten or twelve feet. One was a bigger version of the rope triangle that made giant snake bubbles. The garland wand was similar but with a row of smaller string triangles that made a lot of little bubbles. One was a huge net that made a swarm of foam like a giant flying squid. :D I love bubbles because they bring joy.
The t-shirt vendor was back. This time I bought one shirt that is mostly dark green and yellow with a little dark blue, and another that is more medium shades of green and blue. $15 each or two for $25 is quite a nice price for good tie-dye.
The major find was D & G Flatware Jewelry. I've seen a lot of people making jewelry and knickknacks from flatware, but this is some of the best. I bought a windchime that looks like it was made by Kraken, with several fish and a squid. So if you're looking for superhero jewelry, or you know someone who could use an extra spoon, this is a good place to look. I asked, and they do mail order, although the website is not perfectly up to date during event season. It does have a ton of pictures so you can see what kind of stuff they carry. There are windchimes on the site but they're all with the same kind of dangles -- mine has four different ones on the same hanger. <3
On the way home, we rambled through a couple of different shops. Decatur Retail is a flea market shop. It really is more of a flea market than an antique shop, so if you like rummage sales, this is definitely worth a stop. The owner says they're always buying and selling stuff, making for high turnover. I found a brass bell shaped like an apple for $1.
Mister Softee was not at the fair but we did stop by their new permanent location at the Overlook Adventure Park. And then we discovered that the adventure park has a so-so miniature golf course and a nearly Squirrel Haven quality climbing gym with three levels including many different bridges and a zipline. The gym is only $7 for half an hour, which seems quite reasonable, and it's a much better one than anything I've seen in person here -- I've only seen a few photos of better rigs. It's just really well thought out. Doug was intrigued, so we may give it a try some day, although I doubt either of us would last half an hour at that level of exertion. I've been on rope courses before. They are fun, but they are WORK. You will hurt in places you didn't know you had places, and it tends to be a very marky activity -- great if you love souvenirs, not so much if you have people who ask nosy questions about how you got all those bruises. But I give them bonus points for using a real 5-point harness, not just the little hip harness that most places use. Nobody's falling out of a fiver.
When we got home, there was a hawk in our yard. Given the mottled coloration, I suspect it's a young one. It was perched on the mulberry tree by the garage, about 15 feet from the car, and didn't fly away until I got out and actually started walking toward it. :D
