right here in our neck of the woods

Every year since its inception, we camp out on the Bangor waterfront the last weekend in August for the American Folk Festival ( http://www.americanfolkfestival.com/ ). I believe this was our 7th year.

It would be hard to describe how much our family loves it.

So instead I will show you.



(Of course, it can't be done without a little complaining on Maya's part.)
And, of course, a little bit of trickery.


My mother, Gramma, always comes to spend the weekend with us and attend the festival. I think this is her favorite weekend of the year too, and we ready her room for her weekend stay at casa de carver. Ella arranged her pillows beautifully and put some flowers on her nightstand.

Brady, and his sister Anna looking like a rockstar.

I adore this picture of Maya and Sandi.

Ella scored a hula hoop and was shaking her booty to make that thing go in ways I couldn't even imagine was possible for her. I love the teeth out over the lips.

Brady got one too. Naturally.

Ella took this picture of us, as evidenced by the angle upward. She's getting pretty good!

The first year the festival was held Ella was in my belly, jumping around in there for all she was worth. And every year since, it has been no different.

I absolutely LOVE the level of freedom the kids can have at the festival and it likely why they equally love it. (Ella said Friday night when we were there after dark: "It's like a big party out on the street!" because we saw so many people we know.) The kids can dance and sing and even cry and no one really cares. Ok, maybe that PLUS the french fries.

This pic especially warms my heart as these two spent their last weekend as non-schoolkids. I wanted to soak up every minute of freedom with them before the school schedule, the nearly everyday commitment, the sit-in-a-seat-inside-all-day began.

I don't want to feel like I'm selling them out by sending them to school, but I'll be honest, I do a little. I don't ever want them to lose this level of pure joy.

Tell me childhood is not ending with the onset of school. Tell me please, people, because I am grieving hard for what I fear they will lose but will have no idea until its already gone.