After having to backtrack a bit for earplugs and a low blood sugar episode, we made it to Taste Addison shortly before the admission price rose for the evening. Laurel was entranced by the midway, but we enrolled her in eating before the dinner rush by walking along the food booths. Mmm.

Vogon got a sangria from the Blue Goose Cantina booth while the midget and I went back to the Pastazios booth for two enormous slices of New York-style pizza. We met back up and got in line for him for tandoori chicken and saag paneer from Saffron House, then scored a nice patch of grass in the shade of a table with an umbrella.

A group of Hooters girls walked by while we were eating, posing for pictures and giving out "I ♥ Hooters" stickers, but I was enjoying my pizza too much to get up and ask them to pose for a photo with Laurel. (That would have been awfully silly, anyway.) Laurel demolished pizza and asked for ice cream, so we split a hot caramel sundae from Marble Slab Creamery while Vogon went off in search of the Truluck's booth for a mixed drink served in a coconut cup after we saw several people go by with them.

While Vogon was on his coconut-acquisition trip, Laurel kept staring at inflatable prizes from the midway games we saw folks carrying. I wasn't up for spending much time on the midway, so when we spotted the Children's Miracle Network booth decorated with inflatable wild animals, we went over and asked if we could buy one of them. Laurel picked out a zebra and informed me its name was Duck.

We regrouped as the Fastball set was starting and headed over to the midway because Laurel wanted to ride on the Ferris wheel. Loading was a bit unnerving for me since we were sitting on the same side of a gondola anchored to the frame from the center floor, which made our gondola rock more they finished loading. Laurel adored the ride, repeating "Whee!" the entire time, including getting out of our gondola afterward. We passed the carousel as we were heading back and Laurel loves them, so we went on that too.

After that, I wanted to sit, so Laurel and I settled down on some grass between the sunglasses vendor's booth and the artist demos while Vogon went for a refill of his coconut cup. We played with her thirsty zebra, hung out, and listened to Vertical Horizon. Somewhere in there I also bought her a pair of sunglasses since she's outgrown her current pair and we found a silver and orange (her latest favorite color) pair that fit her with a little room to grow.

Vogon was entertaining a baby near us with the zebra when two women stopped and one said "Stop tormenting the children!". Laughter ensued and I met two of Vogon's co-workers. Laurel took more photos after we parted company, I had a hurricane, and we decided to head closer to the stage and the Truluck's booth, where I text-messaged Trish since we had earplugs in by then and I wouldn't be able to hear the phone. We hung out by a misting fan for awhile before I decided I'd had enough for the day and we decided to head out.

The sun was just low enough that my sunglasses were too dark, so we stopped by the midway while I switched glasses. I saw a man and a little boy that looked familiar, but I said to Vogon that if it was Trish's husband, where was she and their other son? I got my regular glasses on and hey! there she was. It was nice to meet her and her family, albeit briefly. We made one last detour before leaving at a table of blinky things so Vogon could get a blinking mouthpiece because he can't resist toys that light up. d:

He's been under the weather since, but he's getting better.... and I've got a loverly bunch of coconut cups (deedle-ee dee) drip-drying on the counter and photos you can chuckle over: 2005/05/14: Taste Addison. Pardon the dust while I finish captioning them tonight.