Picking and playing at Grand Targhee
To make a long story short, the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival was amazing! We are not bluegrass fans, or even country music fans. It didn't matter. The music was completely enjoyable, the atmosphere was fantastic--so family friendly, and the surroundings couldn't have been better.
The first thing that anyone should know is that bluegrass musicians are incredibly talented. They also don't play their instruments, they pick them. The traditional instruments of bluegrass music are all stringed--acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, upright bass, mandolin and a resonating guitar. (Thanks wikipedia!) These musicians are usually multi-instrumentalists as well.
For a while we were on the fence about the festival. We'd seen bluegrass bands at Bonnaroo, but it wasn't until we saw the Dan Tyminski Band added to the lineup that we knew we had to go. We saw Dan Tyminski at the Grand Ol' Opry when we were in Nashville this summer and simply loved him. Actually, many of you have probably heard him sing. Remember that song, "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow" from the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" Even if you didn't see the movie, you probably heard the song. He sang it. Anyway.
One of my favorite things about the festival were the thunder showers that brewed all day long and finally broke each night as the sun set. When it started raining we quickly gathered the kids and our blanket under our huge beach umbrella and sat there cozy and warm while the band on stage continued to play.
Of course we were nervous about how Alex would do. His sensory integration disorder makes new experiences very difficult for him. Crowds and loud music are not the greatest thing for him. The first day of the festival wasn't so great. He and I left for the middle part of the day. He needed a break and a nap. The second day was much better. Alex behaved beautifully.
And of course our spot right next to a dry stream didn't hurt on the Alex front. Rocks are among his favorite things. He started quite a collection, thanks to Jeremy's genius idea to have him pile them on his chair and then put them back again. Brilliant! We managed to stay the entire day, missing only the band that played when we took the ski lift up the mountain to have a look at the Tetons.
The view was gorgeous, and we got the added bonus of being able to throw snowballs in August!
Kaitlin did well, too. She liked the music, having her face painted and the cute boy who sat next to us the first afternoon. She showed off and danced for this guy for at least an hour. Luckily he and his sister were getting a kick out of her, so it wasn't too embarrassing. But I do wish we'd had our video camera. It would have made great blackmail footage for the future.
All in all it was a great weekend. We were in a place we loved, with the people we loved, doing something that gives us great joy. Once again I was able to see how our children thrive in a rural setting with room to run and jump and be kids. Who would have thought that I, a city girl, would ever consider with happiness the idea of owning several acres in the middle of nowhere? Oh, and that's not an announcement or anything--just a dream that Jeremy and I share.
Whew, I didn't expect for this to be such a photo heavy post. I hope it didn't take forever to upload! I went a little camera happy this trip--I took nearly 400 shots in 4 days, which is 200 less than I took in Paris in 9 days. That just goes to show who my favorite subjects really are, doesn't it?
