We joined the downtown crowd at around 1:30 pm.
After seeing several kids' games near the entrance,
Tim decided to walk around a bit before parting with
his dollars (He brought $13 and I gave him $20).
We had a good time at the booths. One couple
carved sea animal shapes out of wood, matching the
material's original color and shape. Some of them,
e.g., an octopus from the roots of a tree, were
very impressive. At another place, we read some
inspiring and humorous quotes engraved on flat
plates. Some really cracked us up, e.g., "God,
give me coffee to work on the things I can change
and wine for those I must accept." At yet another
booth, the paintings of Spanish homes were so
colorful and looked so real that the beauty felt
out of this world. The painter seemed to be a
Chinese gentleman. I was no artist, but I'd say
Fremont got some real talent.
Tim found his poison, Metal Souls, and spent over
half an hour at their booth. The artists built a
wide variety of characters out of recycled scrap
metal, e.g., nuts, bolts, screws, bicycle chains,
etc. The characters included aliens, gladiators,
animals, vehicles, etc., all vivid and well- made.
I told Tim that I would be happy to help if he
wanted to buy something over his budget. To
which he said thank you but no. He ended up with
a Japanese gigantor for $29.
I asked later why he bought that particular piece
in spite of my offer. After all, he could have a
Roman warrior for just a few dollars more. Tim
replied that he liked the gigantor and didn't want
me to chip in because I already gave him $20. He
was thankful for what he got.
Overall, I was happy about the 3-hour experience.
We enjoyed the fruits of labor of some good
artists. Tim made a great purchase. Father and
son shared some quality time. Last, we didn't eat
or drink (except for water) at the fair--not that
their foods were bad but we kept our discipline.
