Roots and Blues, A Family Affair

... Zoe's festival happiness...

By the time we got into the festival we were dragging a little red wagon, 3 festival chairs, a stroller, a cooler and a multitude of bags carrying blankets, hats, water and sunscreen.

When I saw the Bates were close by, we moved positions to be near them and they had extra luggage of their own, including a large cooler with snacks and lunches for all.

I snapped pictures of them while they were eating their treats – fries, for Friesday.

Every Friday is the same menu for Zoe – a menu she looks forward to all week.

Lurene left Kalina at home during the first evening, but had the rest of the crew there and ready for the opening of the festival.

... cooler as Gabe's dining table ...

I watched them check out the Boogie Bar-N Stage where the music must have been better than where we were sitting.

Gabe danced his way back to the food cooler which I was looking after while they were gone.

The road between the stages is kept well watered.

Tall poles hold up hoses from which mist is continually spraying, should anyone want to be cooled down in the intense heat.

Gabe must have seen an empty space and had rhythm in his feet.

... Festival-Lovin' Aunt Lurene ...

He turned sideways and then left foot over right and then right over left, his arms dangling by his side, his feet doubled the rhythm of the band he had been hearing and he gave his own performance of festival happiness in the style of free form dance, until he was danced out.

Then his feet began to walk the trail again with the others.

... still waters run deep, here in Chelsea ...

I also loved hearing his voice behind me with the audience was invited to sing along to “Don’t Stop Believin”.

I could hear Gabe’s clear soprano voice singing the words along with the rest of the audience -- Just a small town girl, / living in a lonely world / Took the midnight train going anywhere / Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit/ Took the midnight train going anywhere ...”

Some festival moments are more memorable because the voices behind me are as talented as those on stage.

5Nathaniel knew the words as well, but I was thinking about him knowing that his high school is doing the play to which some other ready is going to have to give a name – the story of office politics – an over-bearing male supervisor who is kidnapped and kept away from work for a week, while the women in the office get things organized without him. At any rate, the male actor in this play wears only his short on stage and does a lot of swearing. Wyona told her grandson that he would be great in the part, except that he would have to swear and he is not really that good at it. So she offered to teach Nathan how to swear with meaning. He ignored her. Wyona was adamant, protesting that she really could help him swear with feeling. He walked out of the room, turning just at the doorway to cast her a withering look and say to her, “What kind of grandmother are you, anyway?”

That will be a hard question to answer.

I am coming down on the side of Mary Ann McMurray who used to tell me that it is better for kids to learn the swear words their parents have selected, rather than the any old ones they will pick up off of the streets.

Arta