A Trip to the Tulip Festival at Mt. Vernon

Mountains with patchwork snow,
Trees with scattered blooms,
Families at picnic tables with popcorn and drinks and picnic lunches.
Paths of red and yellow, orange and purple tulips
A windmill surrounded by every color tulips come in.
Tales of past adventures coming from nearby tables,
Tents offering burgers, hot dogs, flannel cakes, ice cream.
Tulip plants and grass vases (!) for sale in the big tent.

Benches for viewing private auditions of a tulip performance.
My three friends and I at this table sharing fudge, chips and stories.
And the sun is out. What a day! And we're still on the move!

We drive by more tulip fields, and stop at Farmhouse Restaurant for a lunch buffet.
Then a jaunt to Padilla Bay estuary, and the nearby visitors center
Where we're welcomed to the exhibits, even though they're closed on Tues.
We watch and read about sea life and birds,
And I hit the button five times for the sound of ducks,
That brings me at warp speed to every duck pond I've ever stopped at.

Now we're driving up to Mt. Erie, with its views of valleys and mountains and farms.
On the drive coming and going,
We discuss Byron Katie's www.thework.com and A Course in Miracles.
Gratitude and hugs are shared for this perfect day.
Our friendship is even deeper. Life is good.

West Seattle Street Festival 7-10-2010

It started by going onstage ("A chance to win $10,000"),
picking up sacks with my teeth and unwinding crepe with arms in motion. I didn't win.
I did wear my "Plays well with others" button.

I saw moms dancing with toddlers to rock and roll,
Free Cascade candy bars and QFC water,
$2 pizza slices, $5 BBQ pork.
I passed the paid food by, knowing I'd stuff myself at tonight's potluck-discussion.
25 cent books (I got 12), one 50 cent book,
An Asian painting for $10, with a free one thrown in
when she saw how long I'd taken to choose.
Grateful for all the 50% off cards and towels and dishes I could easily pass by.

In an empty chair (for sale) as I people watched, I saw
Beautiful babies in strollers or on Dads' shoulders,
A shirtless man with a flat stomach--aah!
A pot bellied man whose T-shirt proclaimed Potty Trained.
A young man whose jeans were so low his green undershorts were totally visible.
Girls doing cartwheels on the closed off street.
Lots of cleavage on this high 70's Saturday.
A warm hug from Dana who had to remind me how we knew each other.
Would be dance stars strutting their stuff to heavy metal.
I imagined the future hearing aids for the band and their followers.

I'm wondering how the day might have been different if I'd not had a misunderstanding
about meeting a man from the personals at the Festival.
I am content. Another time...
Now, still sitting in the shade, I decide to slowly head home,
Lest any more too-loud music invade my ears.
I buy a brain-tease book and a Celtic woman DVD for my friend,
And a blue floral design glass necklace for me.
At home, I hear the last half of Prairie Home Companion
and then pick cherries and strawberries for the potluck tonight.
Our topic: quotes from Bach's Illusions.
A perfect day: a festival, good food, good friends, sharing our hearts.

Thoughts at the Morgan Junction Festival, June 12, 2010

I was sitting in front of the stagemoving in my chair to country music.
At the same time, I heard the cheers from the nearby tavern where fans
watched World Cup, USA vs. England.
The sun had long ago urged my jacket from my body to my pack.
The free bites of pasta, pizza, cheese bread and stuffed grape leaves
have ensured no need for pre dinner food stops.
The belly dancer's moves gave me ideas...
Kids on the nearby lawn are playing soccer,while others get their faces painted
or are pushed about in comfy strollers.
One child is leading a balloon dog around.
A chalk art contest is taking form on the sidewalk.
I alternate my tapping toes between sunny and shaded chairs.
Contentment holds me in place, though my eyes wish for a nap,
and my ears remember Prairie Home Companion is soon on the radio.

Tattoos and sunglasses and faces without worry are everywhere around.
Outdoor booths tell of emergency procedures, and sell plants,
brownies, cards, jewelry, and community services.
Parents and grandparents look lovingly at carefree youngsters.
They spark my appetite for sharing the imaginative innocence I see in young faces--
at the zoo, Children's Theatre, Children's Museum, and at home in the kitchen and yard.

I'm pleased to see recycling containers. I'm also happy that my inner judge
is giving me no flack when I postpone my trip to the library.
In the next few minutes, I must choose between acoustic folk rock here,
and Garrison Keillor on 94.9 six blocks away at home.

There's something hypnotic, homey and hopeful about the open-ended,
non-structured hanging out at street festivals like this, as well as at parks and beaches.
These are my neighbors, my people.
If only we could see all the ways we are alike, in ANY group of people. . .
We're all doing the best we know how to meet our needs.
And today, we all seem peaceful without any To Do list.
What could I do or be each day to feel this ease and contentment?
Well, I'm starting with "relaxation-without-agenda." Want to join me?