Summerfest

Summerfest day with the family was an excellent time!

Considering that yesterday was supposed to be the busiest travel day of the year, traffic into my in-laws’ house wasn’t too bad. It was heavier than normal for a Friday morning, but most of it was big truck traffic. We made good time, and the children were pretty well behaved In the car (which is sometimes an issue; they will often get a little “handsy,” and that inevitably leads to loud “He’s touching me” accusations.

So, we arrived, dropped off the dog, picked up M’s dad, and headed down to the Festival grounds. The boys were amnesia they in sensory overload. We started at the South Gate, took some pictures for posterity’s sake, and began walking northward.

We walked past the first two stages before M and I decided to get lunch, because we had t eaten before we left. She got Mexican, and I had BBQ, both of which were amazing. We ate and continued walking, until we got to the ENORMOUS playground, where the boys would end up spending a lot of their afternoon. They had a great time playing with the many, many other children. It was all so new to them.

After a little bit, we went to one of the more centrally located stages and set up a camp. We listened to the band on stage for the rest of their set, and they were pretty good. It was a ska/rock band named Something To Do. They were good, especially the horn section.

When they finished, we went and walked around for a little while longer, eventually making it to the big fountain, which acts like a splash pad for kids and the more inebriated adults. L and A had great fun in it! They were completely soaked after about five minutes, and ended up playing in the water for about 45 minutes.

On a side note, while the boys played, a line of younger people started forming next to where M and I were sitting. We didn’t know what the line was for, so I went and investigated. I found out that it was line for a pseudo-private engagement with an artist named Yung Gravy. Before yesterday I had never heard of this individual. Let me tell you, it really made me realize how old I am to see a line of a thousand people, all younger than me, all cooler looking than me, waiting to meet someone famous whom I’d never heard of before.

Well, eventually the boys tired of the fountain and needed to be fed something. We made our way back to where my father-in-law was camped out, got some donuts and funnel cake, and listened to some more music in that stage.

L really wanted to do the Sky Glider, so I took him up on a round trip. He loved it, but admitted that he was slightly scared. I get it. He’s been in carnival/fair rides before, but nothing like that, where you are so high up, which so little restraint. I was proud of him for doing it, and I had a great time with him as we rode.

While we were doing that, M ended up meeting up with my brother and his girlfriend, who had come to see one of the late-night bands. When L and I finished our ride, we made our way back to our table and we all just chatted and ate. The conversation mostly hinged around our upcoming move and the associated preparations.

It was getting close to 6:30 when we finally decided it was time to head out. This was much longer than either M it myself had anticipated the boys making it. They ended up having an absolutely great time.

The one low point of the day came as we were walking out. A was just x if dancing as we made our way back to the parking lot, and he ended up tripping on my foot. He skinned his knee a little bit (not badly; it wasn’t bleeding), but he kind of flipped out. It kind of stinks how quickly his mood can turn from one of jubilation to one of anger when he has not eaten well during the day. He gets very “hangry,” and this was one of those times. It was not an altogether pleasant trip back to M’s parents’ house. Things improved quickly once we got back, and got some supper into him, though.

All-in-all, it ended up being a pretty great day!