Modesto

This weekend we drove out to Modesto to visit my old buddy Brian Zarka. Leslie and I had been wanting to catch up with Brian for some time, as well as get to Modesto to enjoy some of the central California hot summer weather.

We had brunch at the Velvet Creamery, a old school diner in town. Leslie had her usual short stack of pancakes, and I enjoyed "The Very Hungry Hobo." Virginia sampled from everyone's plates.

We then cruised over to the Stanislaus County fair. It was over 100 degrees, but somehow the weather felt pretty good. Virginia loved the Rainforest exhibit, which took guests on an interactive nature walk through the rainforest featuring dozens of live animals including tortoises, parrots, monkeys, and snakes, some of which you could touch. Here's Virginia posing in the tortoise pen.

And here's mommy and Virginia in the mushroom forest:

One area where Stanislaus County really can't be beat is in farming. There was an unbelievable display of produce, homemade foods, historic tractor engines, livestock, and prize-winning animals. Virginia personally was a huge fan of the petting zoo.

Here she is with her favorite animal from the petting zoo, a leopard-spotted trash can.

What county fair is complete without a pony ride? Some guys were running a pretty funny pony ride pen complete with scenery and stetson-wearing guides. I asked if Virginia was old enough, and the ticket taker told me that a 15-month old girl was "right in our wheelhouse." Virginia put on her best John Wayne face and trotted that pony around the pen like an old hand.