WorldFest@ the Edge

 ...Ben on the bleachers ...

June 2, 2013

WorldFest@ the Edge was a full day of festivities at Celebration Square: African drummers, Latino dancers, marimba bands, and a gospel chorus.

There was an artisan fair, a beer tent and food vendors peppering the sides of the field.

Duncan borrowing Arta's hat

Duncan and I were ready to strike out in the morning when he remembered that he likes to go along with his friend, Ben who was only one short phone call away.

To digress for a minute, from the get-go, getting off the airplane? – Victoria is different. People pay attention to the environment. I watched people cart their own garbage off of the airplane.  How cool is that?

This is the Birkenstock sandal and Tilley hat crowd. The snack foods people buy are healthy ones.

knife on head and shimmy-on-shake

Today, the bald-headed eagles circled high in the air. A cool sea breeze kept the heat down. I saw a duck with 10 goslings walking over a neighbour’s lawn on our way to the park. On our way back home the boys pointed two deer on campus to me.

I saw the smallest dog on a leash. Children were surrounding it, trying to pet it. Ben corrected me, “That is not a dog. That is ferret.”

Welcome to artful Victoria and why would Rebecca want to leave for the north.

Thai food sculpture

I hung out at Celebration stage – nice bleachers, warm sun, good entertainment.

 I told the boys I would not wander away, but that they should go explore and occasionally drop by to see if I am still fine.

 “You mean it? We are on our own?”

I had no idea that would be such a gift.

... getting fire pit ready for Monday ...

They started out to find water.

Soon they had bags of pink cotton candy and mini-tubs of fudge.

For some reason I thought they would go get some Thai red curry or Greek Souvlaki.

They found friends from school: Jacob and Joshua.  Now four guys could hang out with each other.

puppet hands worked by man in feet

The usual highlights of summer festivals were there: someone blowing bubbles for children to chase; life size puppets walking through the park; people dancing in the moshe pit (some of them better than the ones on stage); and families laying out their picnics.

 I really laughed when the director of the gospel choir said about a piece they had just sung, "That was what we call in the field of music, a real train wreck."

... what a costume! ...

Two men were digging a large pit at the side of the field, lining it with sand, then with fist sized boulders and chopping wood. “What is that for?”, the boys enquired. “A big pit roast tomorrow where we are serving vegetables and salmon.”

... one-man dragon puppet ...

Ben and Duncan get along. Ben has moved to central Victoria, but has decided that he needs an IQ test.

He goes to school at an elementary close to Duncan and they have figured out he could come over every evening after school.

They do not need to be parted after-all.

 ... picture at Thai Tent ...
smiles are due to bags of cotton candy
in their hands

They have already decided to go into business together when they grow up. Ben will be a corporate lawyer and Duncan will take care of the computer side of whatever they are planning to do that will make a lot of money. I don’t know how they will do in business. They had 75 cents left at the end of the day which they donated to the Fudge Hut -- their way of helping her to make it to the Dragon’s Den.

 I learned all of this on my walk home with them.

Arta