Opening Day at the Iowa State Fair

Very early Thursday morning I was out front, moving a shrub that blocked our site line at the end of the driveway. I noticed the pickup coming down the street as that of a young man who frequently comes to call on the young woman living next door.

It was too early for this man to come calling; too early for this woman to need a ride into work. And then I thought, aha!, she probably stayed over at his place and is driving his truck home to get ready for work. As the truck pulled into the drive, I noticed it was the young man. He parked, then got out and approached the front door. The young woman stepped through the doorway and out onto the porch just as he bounded up the steps. They seemed shy toward each other at first, but then each broke into a welcoming smile for the other. They hurried down the walk toward the truck where the young man held the door, then offered his hand for her to step up into the cab.

I was curious as to where they were going so early in the morning, so dewy fresh and smiling sweetly toward each other. He was dressed in blue jeans and a light blue, cowboy-style shirt with snap, pearl buttons. I remember seeing the flash of his large, western-style belt buckle as he held open the door of his pickup. The woman was neatly dressed in a denim skirt and a crisp, white blouse. She had dressed for a hot, August day.

It dawned on me, as they pulled away, that it was opening day of the Iowa State Fair. He did come a callin' so early in the morning to take his girl to the Iowa State Fair!