A Weekend of Good Friends, Festivals, and a Tipped Over Canoe

I often enjoy dissecting my weekends after they are over, figuring out what made me happy and what why.  This past weekend I really had fun, and I think it was because I had such a packed few days. I made a list that I thought I’d never get done, and by God, did every single one, from garden tasks to weekend chores, and yard work. My granddaughter Sofie came over at around 12 and we headed to Easthampton for the big Cultural Chaos festival. There was a lot of music, street booths, good food and cotton candy. Then my friend Bill asked us to join him as we staged a ‘running of the bulls’ using a group of blow-up black bulls, with people inside running hysterically down Cottage Street. It was a hoot!

Then at 6 pm,  I headed over to John and Toni’s house, family relatives who were having an impromptu backyard party.  What a turn out!

I mingled with their interesting friends and chatted up John about his interesting job in the supply chain of a major airplane engine maker and watched as they played cornhole. My asparagus was a hit, and their pizza was great too.   I left at 8:15 to meet my friends who were gathering at my place after dark for a fire.

Fires play an important role in my life–both the ones we have in the fireplace in winter and the ones outside in the firepit. There is nothing like the conversation you can have gazing into a fire, just nothing compares. So I entertained my old pals, Joe, Bill, Ed and his son as we drank beers and watched the flames into late in the night.

The next day was another quick whirl, more chores, and then at 3 I met up with my friend Jack and we took a canoe into the Millers River.  About two minutes in, we capsized, and I held onto the canoe for dear life. It was not a good idea trying to navigate those rapids on a tippy canoe, but I managed to save myself and then two hours later met up with him downstream.

He had capsized two more times!  I am pretty sure I made the right call by declining to get back into the canoe, it was just too harsh rapids for that tippy craft.