Life Off the Grid 25 - the Folk Festival Journey - July 8, 2012

Life off the Grid 25 – July 8 2012

Tired. Brutally tired. Sunburned. Dirty and itchy. We tore down the camp first thing in the morning. I made 3 trips to the truck with wheelbarrows full of camping gear. Then I brought the truck around to the trailhead and Heather and Jenny came along with the rest. Truck finally loaded, we drove across the road and went to the festival. It was about 30C. No clouds.

We went and sat at Burr Oak stage. Or, more precisely, lay on the ground in the shade. Dozed a bit. Fretfully.

Heather and company went and got henna tattoos.

Shortly after 3 PM I realized that I was just holding on, toughing it out until the main stage and the finale. I was actually quite miserable. I decided I had to go. I had to get out of the heat and shower. Either that or faint.

On my way to the truck I passed this:

I don't really recall the drive back to Heather's. Her cat, Baby, was happy to see me. 

At least that is how I am choosing to interpret it. She rushed at me, yowling loudly and proceeded to rush back and forth in front of me as I tried to do my laundry. An alternate interpretation is that she was yelling at me and then trying to kill me. I showered and felt a bit better. While I showered, Baby pushed the bathroom door open, got up on the side of the tub and appeared to be intent on jumping in with me. I felt this could not end well, and had to keep repelling her by splashing water in her direction. I got some food. I fell asleep and woke up 4 hours later when Jeff texted me. I called him and we talked for a little bit. Right after I got off the phone Heather got home. We hung out for a little while, then we both went to bed. I slept another 5 hours.

So, sorry, I can't offer finale photos. The crowd sings a few tunes – The Mary Ellen Carter, Wild Mountain Thyme, and Amazing Grace. People lock arms and sway back and forth. Some weep. Many embrace. It's all very moving and emotional.

Life Off the Grid 24 - The Folk Festival Journey - July 7, 2012

Life Off the Grid 24 – July 7, 2012

Another freakishly hot day.

Small children enjoy playing in the sandbox under the shade of brightly coloured umbrellas.

The Tavern is popular.

As are the games, which have been transported from the campground to the festival site for the day.

I heard Adam Cohen (Leonard Cohen's son) on Q some weeks ago and found his music and what he had to say very interesting. He was playing at the festival so, of course, I had to go.

He wears a hat on stage, just like his dad.

He also sounds a lot like his dad, both vocally and lyrically.

We also saw two Celtic bands at a workshop stage, The Fretless and Sketch. Lots of dancing, in spite of the heat.

We went to another stage with several bands playing...

Not every day you see a harp at a folk festival...

Atmospheric sky

Heather and Jenny heading off somewhere.

The dome stage across the way

The neighbours...

I didn't take my camera to main stage. I knew we were going to be dancing and I didn't want to be tied down to it. I danced on my own at main stage to Todd Snider's music. It was very liberating. I was all on my own, so I didn't need to worry that people would think my dancing was weird. I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I was just dancing for the joy of it. And it was truly joyful. Then I found my friends, Patti and Linda, and hung out with them for awhile. Then it was off to Big Blue to find Heather and her crowd. This is where Sketch, the Scottish Celtic dance music band, was playing. It was an interesting scene. A rave, complete with video projected on the canopy, crowd surfing, tons of neon bracelets and necklaces, people dancing wildly. I danced too. Very fun.

We encountered a neon man on the way to Pope`s Hill after the evening show ended.

The Temple was all lit up with torches. Very cool.

The scene at Pope`s Hill...

The fire dancers began...

Apparently, not everyone takes rules on signs seriously...

The fireworks were cool. Also, quite close and probably quite unsafe.

Lots of neon...

Things are in full swing at the Temple. Dancing girls gyrate to a band playing on the ground.

We wound up visiting a bunch of campfires. Some were quite strange. Witnessed many odd things going on. Went to bed about 4:30 AM. Sky beginning to get light.