Neon nights

Something about late-summer Friday nights just begs for neon lights, ferris wheels and the smell of cotton candy and dust.  I guess the Germans believe it as much as the Americans do.   And aside from the sheer number of lederhosen and dirndls you see, there isn't much to differentiate Nürnberg's Volksfest and the Placer County Fair, which rolls through my home town every September.  There's plenty of sweet and greasy foods to fill your belly, log rides, bumper cars and fun houses.  There're hillbillies and cougars, teens and toddlers alike.  It's a grand ole time that leaves me feeling like a 6-year-old again.  And, boy, do I relish feeling like a 6-year-old these days...