Sunday, May 10, 2009

Festival roundup

We're back after another great festival weekend. The music was great, and now that the kids are getting older we're able to actually sit and listen to more and more of it, even the weather mainly cooperated. It was a lot cooler than it's been most years, which was great during the day (even if it did mean that a quick ten minute dip in the pool was more than enough). Nights got a bit, umm, brisk, which would have been fine if I'd been dressed appropriately, but after so many hot years it didn't occur to me to throw in a few extra warm clothes. The kids were fine but I froze my ass off. Oops. Especially at an outdoor bluegrass jam that went on until 3am until Jay took pity on me and brought out a sleeping bag for me to wrap myself up in. (One of the headlining bands was apparently still jetlagged after flying in from Canada, not to mention apparently quite sloshed after finishing their official set, which led to all sorts of late night hilarity, not to mention some really amazing bluegrass licks.)
Yes, we did stay up until all hours for lots of late night jamming. Both nights. And yes, between the tent and the kids we did have to get up way too early. Both mornings. I think I got a grand total of 8.5 hours sleep all weekend, but it was worth it. (And no, the children didn't stay up that late. As they do every year they fell asleep in their sleeping bags on the lawn and were then carried back to the tent later. Dang they're getting heavy though. The second night we made Itai walk so that Jay could carry Maya after I nearly crippled myself carrying her all the way back the night before. I think next year she'll be walking back as well.
Home sweet home
A look around the neighborhood
No, even Israeli camping isn't usually this crowded - the festival is held on the grounds of a hotel. Some people do stay in the hotel (not us now that both kids are old enough to warrant exhorbitant additional costs - we're back to camping for the foreseeable future) but most camp - everywhere. It's a bit like a tent city, but it's an amazingly calm and happy tent city with a fabulous vibe and hundreds of your nearest and dearest friends around. Of course it helps that we know enough people there that I can always scam a hot shower from someone staying in the hotel. That doesn't hurt at all.
It's such an amazingly vibrant and colorful event, but I was too busy enjoying the music (and going to all the various children's activities with my kids, well really with my daughter, my son is old enough to go off on his own with his friends) to do much shooting. I'd considered leaving my camera home this year but since I felt queasy every time I thought about not having it I did end up bringing it, only to leave it in the tent most of the time. I think next year it's time to concede to the inevitable and just leave it home and enjoy the festival.


Anonymous said...

Looks like you had a gret time! Concerning the camera issue, you might like to use your cell phone. I have never done it but would try if I had left my camera behind.

Robin said...

Sadly I'm still in the stone age technologically speaking and my cellphone doesn't have a camera. It's a good suggestion though.

Leora said...

I have that dilemma, bring the camera or not. But now that my Canon Powershot is my older camera, it's so easy to bring because it's small and portable. It's now a question of that big expensive thing in which last week I invested in a 75-300 mm zoom lens.

The whole event sounds like great fun. It's nice your kids acclimate well to what you enjoy.

Phyllis Sommer said...

such fun. what a great family tradition to have! camera sounds like a great time!

Marie Reed said...

That looks like a blast! I always meet the nicest people when camping!

Anonymous said...

Oh Robin, NEVER leave camera home! That's a sin! I always bring my camera with me, everywhere I go. I just can't imagine the trip without it. And I have a cell phone with camera but that's not nearly the same.

I love camping as well but those two photos look as if they aren't taken at the same event. First one shows "civilization" and the second nature without sight of any human settlement in the background. LOL
On the first one there are palm trees and on the second something like typical continental-Europe vegetation. How strange!

I'm glad you had lovely weekend.

Robin said...

I noticed that too Milan, and it struck me funny as well, since I was standing in the same place when I took them - all I did was turn around 180 degrees!

Israel is right at the junction of Europe and Africa and also quite close to the western tip of Asia, so we get combinations of animals and plant life that you don't see anywhere else.

Maribeth said...

Oh what fun! Camping with kids!

Mojo said...

Leave the camera at home???

I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that.

I imagine that if there was a big jam like this around here that was held on the grounds of a big hotel, they'd probably prohibit camping so the hotel to squeeze the bucks out of the festival goers. That in addition to whatever they charged the organizers to use the property. they're just hooers that way.

Sounds like you had a blast though!

But I'm still trying to get my head around the whole "no camera" thing. I couldn't do it. Unless they told me photography was verboten, I'd have to have the camera. I'd just have to. Or I'd start twitching and shaking and quite possibly spewing random obscenities.

Shannon said...

So fun!!