Our day at the Apple Cider Festival and reuniting with old friends

This weekend is the Lordstown Apple Cider Festival and David has been going since he was born and entering his vegetables since he was three, accumulating many awards.  This year Jack got to enter some things too.  They each entered for "largest pumpkin," "flower grown by me," and "vegetable (tomato) grown by me."  After the entries we then came back home for lunch then went back for the car show and to check to see if their entries won any prizes.  My wife brought her Nikon camera with her and David took pictures of the cars and took some great angle shots, much better than I could have done.  My wife coached him a little but on most of them he took them himself and I will try to post them later.  After the car show we then went back over to the building where the boys' items were entered, the craft show was also going on at that time.  They each received awards for their flowers and vegetables and David received one for largest pumpkin however Jack's didn't (although it was as big as David's and the only one entered in his age group).  We walked around for a little bit and checked out the photography, culinary arts and quilt show which is held in the library of the building.  David took pictures of the puzzles that were entered and he ran into a few of his friends/former classmates.  While we were in there the librarian, whom was also the judge, noticed David and me and made it a point to talk with us.  She told us "I seen you in the paper and kept thinking to myself 'I know them' but couldn't remember where from, then it struck me that I see you every year at the festival and I know your (my wife's) aunt."  She then proceeded "I just wanted to let you know that I am very proud of what you have done to stand up for your son, I know it took some courage and I wanted to let you know that you did a great thing raising awareness on autism."  She then asked if everything got resolved and if anything happened to the coach so we told her as much as we knew on the situation.  We don't really know much on the situation and most of what we know is rumor.  We have not been in contact with the L.A.C to follow up on anything and we haven't been in contact with most of the team either but what we do know is that the coach was suspended from the championship game and we believe that was all he was punished as we believe he is still coaching.  David is playing soccer this season in which their fields are right next to the baseball fields.  The L.A.C has a "Fall Ball" league and after David's last soccer game we had to drive past the baseball fields to get home and there was a game being played on field one and as we looked over it appeared that Shawn Phillips was standing in the first base coaches box coaching the game, so it appears that the only punishment he received was that one game suspension.  I hope that harsh punishment taught him a lesson.  Anyhow back to today's events,  we walked around the craft show a little more.  As usual Jack said hello to everybody and we met, or reacquainted with, many new people.  While we were looking at different tables we ran across one that had dish scrubbers and dish rags and David insisted that he needed a scrubber and Jack likewise believed that he needed one so I decided to let them each get one, perhaps they may help out with the dishes but that seems unlikely.  I bring this up because I think it is very unusual for a 9 year old or 3 year old would request something like that.  We then left the building and headed over to the midway where the cider was being pressed and picked up a gallon for us and a gallon for grandma then went to grandma's for dinner with the intentions of going back to see the fireworks.  After dinner and a visit with the grandma and grandpa we then went back up to the festival, grandma gave the boys each five dollars to ride a couple of rides before the fireworks began.  When we went back David had a little mini reunion with a lot of his former classmates.  We returned with a little bit of time left before the craft show building closed so we decided to go back in there real quick because there was a table about autism in there that I spotted earlier but didn't show my wife at the time so I told her about it but by the time we went back in they were gone but the other people set up were still there.  While we were walking around Jack said hi to another person and without seeing me she told him "you look so much like your dad."  I looked to see who she was as to how she knew who I was and I could not recognize her and the situation was awkward, as most situations are when the person remembers me but I have no recollection at all of them.  She asked "don't you remember me?" then gave a little back story on how I should know her but I still didn't remember, even after she told me who she was I still did not remember who she was.  That's the way I am, unless you have a huge impact in my life, or I've had an extended acquaintance with a person I can not remember who you are as I am not good on facial recognition.  A similar incident happened later on walking on the midway when a former co-worker of mine came up to me and started talking with me and I did not remember who he was either.  As I stated earlier we ran into a lot of David's former classmates and team mates and the parents of them and most of them asked about the situation of baseball so we told them what we knew.  Almost everywhere we turned there was another kid saying "hi David" and seemed excited to see him again, but the one most excited was a girl that was on his tee-ball team, soccer team and most of his classes in school.  David also seemed excited to see her too.  That is the one thing that I'm going to miss the most about the small community and school is that everyone knew everyone and they were all friends and although David no longer goes to school with them they still love him and treat him as if he never left.  David has made new friends at his new school but he misses his friends from his former school.  Many of the teachers also commented how much they miss David and this is what I am hoping for him to accomplish at his new school, to make many friends and have an impact on the teachers.  Yes the school year is still new but even in the short time, based on some e-mail replies, the teachers aren't living up to what his former teachers have demonstrated in regards to schoolwork and learning habits and I am hoping that will change before the end of the year, if not we may have to try to open enroll him and move him back but that is something for later.  Back to the festival, The boys each got enough tickets to ride 4 rides each, David rode on the spinning ride once and the pirate ride three times.  Jack was not big enough to ride those rides, although he wanted to very badly, so he had to settle for the smaller rides.  After the rides we then let the boys spend the rest of their money on a game and some candy and a drink while we waited for the fire works.  The fire works went off at ten and lasted twenty-five minutes and the boys decided to sit on the hood of the car to watch them and they loved them.  With the conclusion of the fireworks we then came home and although Jack and Max were passed out, David was still wide awake.  I brought Max in first and put him in his bed then Jack to his bed and David was still awake and not tired.  Since David wasn't tired I decided to make him up a multiplication test and time him to get it done hoping that would make him tired.  I gave him seven minutes to complete it and he had a minute to spare and got them all correct, this did not make him tired though, he then went up to his room and began reading his book to put himself to sleep, he was reading until 1 a.m. before finally falling asleep and that was the extent of our day.