We kicked off our late summer/fall fair season weekend before last. Michael and I participated in the Salt River Folk Life Festival at Florida on Mark Twain Lake. This is a really fun event that we do in nineteenth century costume. We look like old-time farmers complete with straw hat and poke bonnet.

The fair features pioneer crafts and is also attended by a number of re-enactors. A lot of the vendors and re-enactors camp on site and there is music and visiting together on Saturday evening after closing time. Fortunately, it was not nearly as hot as it often is this time of year. Sue, Jon and Cedar staffed our booth for Dog and Gun the same weekend.

The saga of food processing continues. We had a hiatus for a couple of days this past week caused by a maintenance problem, but we got right back to work as soon as we were able to. Our walk-in cooler is stuffed with produce to be dealt with and the food-processing kitchen is in high demand. We also use it for commercial product processing, so juggling schedules can get complicated. I have to admit it is nice to have these problems and we will enjoy the fruits of our bounty this winter.

Work is continuing on the new shelving units for our bathroom in the woodshop and Gigi has taken on the project of rebuilding our picnic table and benches. More people seem to be doing woodworking these days. Some folks are fixing up their rooms, building small pieces of furniture or taking on community projects.

Visitors and guests have really been helping us out with all the seasonal work. Greg and Carmen, who both work for Ball State University in Muncie, IN, visited the 6th to the 8th. Gretchen and her two daughters, Sydney and Sophie, spent a week with us. They were visitors at Dancing Rabbit last summer and we got to know them then. Jessie, Sydney and Sophie's father, and a friend, David, came down from Chicago to join them for a couple of days on the 17th. Our intern Pi's friend, Josh, also arrived on the 17th. He has been spending the summer in western Missouri and has visited us a couple of times since Pi has been here. Ceilee was also here again this past weekend.

Laird headed off to St. Louis for a bridge tournament this past weekend. He dropped Sue off in Columbia so she could visit friends. Stan did a one day inspection trip to Illinois on Friday. Sol and Skyler arrived home from their trip to Delaware and Maryland last week. Skyler had a great time during the return train trip toddling around and saying hi to everyone.

The rest of us homebodies haven't been all work and no play either. We have had some game nights and we are continuing our weekly Tuesday evening before supper parties at the "beach" on our newer pond. Angelina created a sandy area a while back so the little ones could enjoy the pond more. Gigi has been putting together smoothies, veggies, chips and dips for these gatherings. Some of us have been seen sneaking off to the air-conditioned comfort of the matinees at the cineplex in Kirksville. Sandhill folks enjoyed seeing "Seabiscuit" last Friday and Saturday. A group went to the Bluegrass Festival in Kahoka Saturday evening. We also enjoy just hanging out drinking coffee on the porch in the morning or sitting there together after supper hoping for a cool breeze.