pickathon

I am feeling so tired right now but wanted to say that the kids and I got back this afternoon from the weekend at pickathon. We had an amazing time and I am feeling so glad we went. It was touch and go there for a while and I even tried to sell our tickets at one point due to the extreme heat we have been experiencing here in Portland. It did get hot during the middle part of the afternoon yesterday and I took the kids in our air conditioned car to another air conditioned spot for a while. Eva fell asleep instantly when the AC was turned on and stayed asleep for the near two hours that we were gone. We came back and enjoyed the evening- great music, great food, fun hanging out with friends also spending time at pickathon for the weekend.

The music was all around amazing but of course there will always be a few bands that stand out for each of us- my favorites were Hillstomp, Alela Diane and Breathe Owl Breathe- all so different from one another and lovely to listen to. Hillstomp in particular was a fun concert and we saw them again today at the magical stage in the woods.

OK let's see- the amount of cannoli filled yummy dough I consumed over the weekend was more than my usual and I seriously cannot believe how incredible the food was at Gaining Grounds Farm. Every. single. thing. I ate there was breathtakingly delicious. I have to say that the yummy food really helped make my time there even more enjoyable. There was watermelon and smoothies and breakfast burritos and salads and pizza (the kids said too much sauce), yummy cannoli pancakes, brownies, so many different kinds of lemonade, homemade ice cream... You can probably figure out what the kids ate and what I ate. The salad with pesto penne I ate last night was truly memorable. I even drank coffee. Honestly, the migraine potential from the heat and lack of sleep and the fact that I was so tired most of the time, required caffeine in the mornings. Stumptown reminds me why those of you who drink coffee regularly continue to do so!

I took a few photos- most of them are of some alters and a fairy house, all found in the woods near the wood stage and very close to where we camped the first night. There are also a few of the kids playing.

Samuel and friends playing.



Fun woodsy alters. Samuel and Eva standing near a giant dried flower heart with lights around it. Alter. Funny gnome protector man we found at the fairy house. In addition to several other alters and many decorations, there were also lights strung up in the trees along the paths. The woods were definitely magical, particularly at night.



Fairy house- built by a couple of 13ish year old girls who then used it as their tent. Really amazing to see. Posted next to it was a lovely handwritten plaque-
"Grand woods we give thanks for giving us the strength to evolve, grow and die with beauty."



Eva hanging out after a long day. Getting ready for evening- more music, more food....

Oh and I almost forgot how many times we went and looked at slugs. The first night we camped in the woods in a drainage ditch for lack of a better place and light to search for one. This spot happened to be home to many many slugs- lots of them were banana slugs too. There were also some of those nifty orange footed millipedes and we had fun checking out the slugs and millipedes during our trips to the woods. It was a good excuse to go and get cooled off.

The other amazing cooling off experience at pickathon- to be honest it was one of my favorite things there, right up there with the cannoli filled pastry- was the misting station. They had a garden hose punctured with several holes hung up on a fence in a shaded area and you could go and walk through or stand in the mist and watch the horses who watched nearby. There was even a bench to sit on. You could sit on the bench, feel cool, watch horses, watch children feeling cool, and listen to music on the main stage all at the same time. The coolness to be found there was truly divine! I knew it was time to leave pickathon today when we went to the mister and found that it had been taken down. So much for staying cool- time to go! Next year.