Feeling Folksy

Sunday morning we packed up ALL of our children and headed south to the Newport Folk Festival. We purchased the tickets one rainy June evening when sitting outside listening to music seemed like a nice way to relax. Not once, in our sleep-deprived delirium, did we consider how we would actually pull it off. All we thought was we will never have a chance to hear Pete Seegar, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, and Arlo Guthrie in one place again. It was a gift we wanted to give our girls even if they wouldn't ultimately remember it.

When we got there, I feared we had made a terrible mistake. There was no shade to be had in the entire park and our beach umbrella was "strictly prohibited." Apparently, those festival folk don't like to have their view obstructed. I frantically covered my children in sunscreen (even the babies) and hats and prayed for clouds. By 2:30, my prayers had been answered.

The clouds rolled in and the breeze off the water made it the perfect temperature. The babies delighted everyone around them and barely uttered a fuss the entire day. Vivi loved all the people watching, the snacks, and the music. She even loosened up enough to dance.

Late into the afternoon, I was feeling all proud hippy mama. We were basking among the crowd and Joan Baez had lulled our girls to sleep. She told a story about singing a particular song at her son's wedding and then again at her parent's wedding when they decided, at age 91, to get remarried after a 30 year divorce. As she started to sing Forever Young, I turned to my dear husband and said, "That's our wedding song too!"

His reply, "It is?"