J.J. Fair Blog: Day Four - Bring on the family

11:45 p.m.

Weather: Sunny, warm and clear.

Parking spot: Red lot. Short wait.

Admission lines: Painless.

Trail pace: Slow.

I was ecstatic today knowing I would get to see my nieces, mother and sister at the fair, so I got to switch gears a little bit.

My family, or a majority of them, live in Girdwood, so making the pilgrimage up the Seward and Parks Highways is a big deal.

It's an actual event.

Growing up in Girdwood, we did all of our major shopping in Anchorage and so many trips to &#8220town” meant packing heavy, timing traffic and beating the sunlight to timed precision. So, when family make the 80-mile trip to Palmer, it's like preparing to flee a small country.

I met up with Mom, Sis and her kid at the red gate, and in true form, they were all ready for good time. This puts me in a better place as I am fairly sick of the fair at this point. My niece, who I haven't seen in months, is getting extensions put in her hair, slurping down a fruit smoothie and at 11-years-old, trying to shop like a real teenager would. It's endearing.

My sister has her eyes set on jewelry, clothes and antiques, while my mom is setting her eyes on local artwork and exhibits.

Having my friend with me from Orlando was comforting, as it was her last day in the state before flying home to humid-ville.

We all waddle around looking for everything and nothing, just eyeing up the choices. I love that my family do their own thing, not too concerned that we're straying off or doing our own thing. I see families strapped to each other as if they were being lead across a raging river, and I giggle a bit.

My mom makes a comment about how I usually, as a kid, got lost at the fair, straying the family unit frequently. I did. I used to wander away like Rain Man, distracted by anything glittery, bright and noisy. I think this time, if I do get lost, I'll go to the Information Booth and have them page my mother again like the old days, crying hysterically and causing a scene. But, as it happens, we stayed together and enjoyed the rare time we had with all of us together.

The Black Angels African Acrobats dazzle the sunny Pioneer Plaza at 1 p.m. and we all stick around for some free entertainment.

Mom and I check out local art booths and chit-chat about life. Sister is doing the mom-and-daughter thing, which I absolutely love watching.

Orlando-friend and I buy energy drinks and scope out T-shirts for her to take home. It's hot, but a subtle reminder that summer is coming to an end shortly. It is a fairly short day at the fair, leaving the grounds two hours after arriving, but a real, honest and fabulous moment for me to relish in the old memory banks. New fair memories to share one day, once more.