Quagmire

The word "quagmire" has come to be synonymous with a conflict from which one has become so engaged that one cannot extract oneself.  The simple definition is a soft ,wet or marshy area that yields when walked upon.  That is what my family, and many others, experienced today.  And there was an element of difficult extraction involved as well.

We spent several hours at the Addison County Field Days, Vermont's "largest agricultural fair."  This is a classic summer fair with a focus on the traditional fair fare of agriculture.  One of my favorite exhibits was the maple syrup entrants.  To see scores of bottles lined up, all with a slightly different shade, made we wonder at how maple syrup is so different with each batch.  The winning fancy grade syrup was amber and clear; it really did stand out in its pureness.

To get to the cows and the sheep and the maple tent and the rides and archery practice booth, fairgoers had to first navigate the mud.  When we arrived we could see that parking would be a challenge.  Parking takes place as it always does, on a mowed field.  When things are dry this works out fine, but it has been very far away from dry lately.

Addison County, especially, has been hit pretty hard by rain.  Yesterday, flash floods washed away roads and even took out a pond. After close to three weeks of rain, a grassy field is going to be wet, and it is going to turn to mud pretty dang fast once vehicles begin to drive on it.  Heck, our lawn makes my feet muddy when I walk on it.

We got lucky and found a spot that had not yet been too trammeled, close to the main drive that was packed enough to be passable.  We got in and out fine.  Others were not so lucky.  As we walked in, a tractor was driving around the field, pulling out one car after another that had gotten stuck. 

There were what you might expect if you know mud and getting stuck--the Ford Focus and the Honda Civic and the mini-vans.  But there were also Ford F-150 trucks stuck up to their axles.  SUVs were just as represented among the quagmired as the small cars.  People were standing on their trunks, waiting for assistance.  Couples were arguing over how they got stuck and how to get out ("You try it then!").

It was a mess.  As we left we saw a large panel truck, well away from the visitors parking area, stuck so deep that it seemed it might get sucked into the mud and disappear, but the driver was rocking it back and forth and just might have gotten out.  We didn't stick around to see what happened. 

When we pulled onto Route 22A, it started to rain.  It rained so hard that it was difficult to see.  All those people, like us, who had marginal parking spots that seemed like they were safe, well, after that downpour, they might have been screwed.  I am sure the ground was giving way underfoot.  And under wheels.