Nate's a bit of a city kid so he loves it when we have a chance to visit a farm. For him, chicken means something breaded in the form of a nugget, not something with two legs that pecks around a field. Our friends who live in this beautiful rural setting had invited us down for the day. They'd won a musical performance in a charity silent auction, so they used that as an opportunity to have everyone come on over and spend an idyllic afternoon out in the country.
The band used an African tribal drum as their
rhythm section rather than a standard drum kit, maybe because the space was small or maybe because that was their thing. Either way the kids sure enjoyed showing off their musical "talents." Well, at least they were enthusiastic. Now don't anyone go quitting your day jobs!
Uh oh... looks like one of the gang got moved a little too much by the dancing spirit. Her mom was on the scene quickly and everything was fine. Sean seemed to take notice but the other two were oblivious, not wanting to lose that beat.
They played so well that the band invited them back on stage for an encore. Nate played a rousing tambourine solo with his little friend. The folks in the band were really good sports and actually seemed to enjoy having kids run around and across the stage during most of their performance. Nate said his favorite part of the day was "playing in the band" so maybe music lessons are in his future.
We started off the Labor Day weekend by going to a music festival on Saturday. We've gone before so we knew just what to do. Dad parked the car on a quiet side street, mom brought a picnic dinner along, and we all set up our chairs under a big shade tree to enjoy the show. Nate and Sean sure know how to relax! Most of the time they were a little more active though, chasing a helicopter toy that Dad shot into the air. Sean was wishing for a soccer ball.
The festival was located atop a high hill overlooking the city. We saw this great view when we walked over to the Ben & Jerry's truck after the picnic. There were also lots of booths and stands to wander, with crafts and food, and providing all kinds of information about different county services.
Before long, Nate go into the spirit and started to dance to a band that played Cuban-influenced African beats. He proved he still has a long way to go before finding his inner rhythm, but what he lacked in skill he made up for in enthusiasm. Don't quit your day job, Nate!
