Saturday - On the GO!

On Saturday, Claire and I and Cubby went to Van Atta's Fall Festival. Under blue, cloudless skies and Cubby fresh from his nap, we were all set! They had a number of activities for the little ones, including an inflatable obstacle course. Still a little small to make it up the ladder, Cubby gave it a try. There was also a bouncy tent, a clown and some slimy-type animals from the Potter Park Zoo.

Cubby found a wagon used for hauling  plants and was off so fast I could barely snap the shot.

The wagon was bigger than he was! He loved looking at the flowers.  I bought a grass plant and he carried it around for me. Working in marketing, we're always discussing how to keep the next generation involved in gardening. This event is a great idea.

Mystic Shake, one of my favorite local groups played on an appropriately decorated stage and there was also a craft show too. What a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon!

Fire and Rain

Yesterday, I braved the rain to go to the Lansing Symphony Orchestra Chamber Concert at Plymouth Congregational Church. After 4-plus inches of rain, I probably wouldn't have gone if I hadn't already purchased a ticket. I wondered how many others would show up.  I wore my knee-high barn boots prepared to splash through the puddles. It turns out there was a good crowd to listen to the Beaumont Brass.

Beaumont Brass is the faculty brass quintet from MSU. They are all EXCELLENT musicians and each play in the GLSO or Grand Rapids Symphony.

They played two pieces with "Fire" in the title hoping to 'evaporate' the rain.  One of the other featured pieces was "Seasons", written by John Stevens in 1984 (the year my son was born). It was very modern (I guess I expect brass quintets to play more baroque music). The piece was very interesting and enjoyable and painted a vivid picture of the four seasons.

The Beaumont Brass closed the program with John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever". It was definitely  not a march.  I have never heard it played any faster. There was no piccolo so the trumpet had to take over that part.

A gloomy, rainy, sodden Sunday afternoon with exciting music filling a church with incredible acoustics. I'm glad that I didn't let the weather keep me hostage.

Happy Wheatland!

Last weekend, I attended the 35th Annual Wheatland Music Festival with my friend Irene. I had a WONDERFUL time! Everyone camps. Some have RV's and camp in large fields but we found the perfect spot in the pines for our little tent. Irene's son Ben came from Ann Arbor and her son Nate and his friend Veronica came all the way from upstate New York.  The guys also had a group of friends with them, one had even come from Seattle!  They created their own little "compound" of tents in a different area away from the moms but we ran into them several times during the weekend. Ben even danced with his mom until 2am on Saturday night - Sunday morning?

There are three stages, the Main stage shown here, the Centennial Stage and the dance stage.

Some of the acts that were on the Centennial Stage were lesser known but just as good as the main acts.  We even got to see our own Jen Sygit and Jeremy Kittel. The dance stage was always hopping from early morning yoga, afternoon dance classes (I took 3 dance classes), and evening dances that went well after midnight. In addition, there are activities for children and teens and two other workshop tents where you could learn how to play different instruments.

I took a beginning Bodhran class and since I didn't have a bodhran, we learned on a pizza  box with a dowel for a tipper.

One of my favorite parts of Wheatland besides the relaxed family atmosphere was the impromptu jammin that went on. Many people bring their instruments and just get together and start playing. Here's a group playing in the picnic area.  Both nights there was a Stringband playing in the clearing near our tent - great to fall asleep to. The Fabulous Heftones from Lansing kept popping up here and there. Even little kids would get out their fiddles (I even saw a little girl on a camp stool with a cello) and leave their cases open hoping you'd show your appreciation. I was only gone two-and-a-half days but I feel like I had a real vacation.