The last week of September is the start the State Fair of Texas, and I haven’t missed going to one for the past 15 years now. After we have spent all day gorging ourselves on deep-fried PB&Js, jalapeno-cheese corny dogs, roasted corn, and warmish beer…. we head to the very back of the midway to ride the Crazy Mouse. It’s a rickety, colorful small-ish roller coaster that has been in the same place for as long as I can remember. When I was a teen, I had the energy to try all the swirly mechanical amusements, but now that I’m older, this is the only one that I can stomach. It’s also the only one at the fair where they take a digital picture just as the car drops. I ALWAYS buy this picture……I love the sheer joy that we undoubtedly seem to have on our faces just as we fall 4 stories…..and how we look sick and excited at the same time.

Usually it is near dusk by the time we have headed to the Crazy Mouse and the early October sunset streaks the sky with orange and pink behind us. Other times it is at night and the colors seem unnaturally bright from the carnival lights all around. This picture is right in between both of those moments…..

When you come in the front door of our house, the wall immediately on the left is covered in photos (vacations, old family pictures……and several of these roller coaster images……)

I can hear the laughter every time I look at them.