Well I've been away on vacation in the Irish Catskills for my annual vacation with my girls. It was our best yet. We've been going to the same place for seven years straight and its over run with kids. We try to choose the same week every year; the week of Irish Arts Week. The little town fills up with folks from all over the country who come to learn Irish Songs from some of the best Irish Musicians in the World.
The place we stay is an old school Catskill resort and I can't imagine a better place to bring kids except maybe disney world. East Durham is much cheaper and closer than disney world. Plus, there is something very cool about hanging out the a pub at the resort with a pint of guiness, watching my girls perform in a talent show or doing the limbo.
It was the first year they didn't win a trophy. The competition was stiff this year and there were some very talented acts. The kids who won were a brother/sister act who did a goofy rendition of some fifties songs with some nifty dance moves. There was a kid from Brooklynn who brought the house down with some very fun dancing. It was the first time I've ever seen someone do the moon-walk in sandals. There was a 4 year old who sat on the edge of the stage and made monster faces and a six year old dancer who was as cute as button.
On two separate nights the pub filled up with musicians playing fiddles, pipes, accordians, bazzukis, tin whistles, Irish Flutes, drums and hammer delcimers. Forty of them sat out on the dance floor and banged out one Irish tune after another duirng the "sessions." They happend all throughout town at the pubs all week long. A friend who I see every year taught me some Irish songs on the harmonica and my girls and his daughters formed their own little posse for the week. All week long the place was filled with the sounds of kids playing and musicians practicing their songs. Miss Jelly Jar Lumen won the limbo contest on the last night and I narrowly escapted having to sing kareoke. Phew!!
The best attraction this year for my girls was the little creek and the little critters that swim in it. My girls and their friends spent more time its shallows than they did anywhere else. We ended the week with our trip to the water park.
I met a really nice family from florida who came up for the music and ran into an old high school friend who has made Irish Music a big part of his life. The relaxation helped me shake the last few symptoms of Lymme and I finally finished "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. I'd have to say that it was a beautifully written book with a masterfully crafted closing.
I will be posting little vignettes shared by some of the folks who I met last week. On monday its back to work. Life is good and I am still the luckiest man in the world
No comments:
Post a Comment