Sunday, August 20, 2006

Murphy and Sod

I hate these guys! They have the most unfair laws in the whole of the world. Yup I know I probably sound right now like a spoiled child having a tantrum and that is exactly what I AM doing, except it is with NO-one cos there is no-one to have it with!

So, what started out as a FANTASTIC weekend at the Vibes, turned into a total washout and an early ride home!
We headed off yesterday morning on what turned out to be a 3 hour ride north of Albany in NY. Even the trip brought some bits to tickle me! Here we were in the middle of the US listening to Dave's CD and particularly "The Lookout Road" (for those of you who are not familiar) D. is a very talented musician whom we spent time with in Ireland (along with M, his wife!). He wrote a song about a road that ran from Killaloe, where we all lived, to Nenagh along the banks of the Shannon. Anyway, it was a poignant moment (but I guess you had to be there) when we were seeing signs to places like Athens and Cairo and then suddenly Selkirk! It was just surreal! I just had a moment trying to envisage the lyrics that D might have for a song with towns as obscure and diverse as these, yet all on the same road!!!!!! Okay, so I am wibbling - but hell, isn't that the name of this blog !! My blog, my perogative!

At one point we made a restroom break and pulled up next to a big beardy guy sitting on the back of his truck, just hanging out chatting with a friend. Then all of a sudden he pulls out his harmonica and just starts playing. it's like, where in the hell else would that happen but naturally at a gas station in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the Appalachians!

So we arrived at the Vibes and pitched our tent in the family area. We hadn't brought our gazebo as we thought there wouldn't be room, but this turned out to be mistake number 1. Mistake # 2 was packing rain stuff for me and the kids and hoping R would put in his own (note to self - men don't pack for themselves IF there is a woman to do it for them!!)........I ended up wearing a piece of the tent as my waterproof as my dh snagged my paccy! Seriously -what happened to chivalry.

It was already drizzling a little as we were setting up, ironically, after R and I had had a disscussion coming over about how in the US where we are, we have never had drizzle, if it rains, it rains, then it's over, none of this feeble but yuky grey wet mist! Ha Ha Ha - someone was listening to me! Still, we thought it might clear, and to be fair, most of the day was pretty dry with the odd break out. So we went to listen to music and make crafts in the kids tents. T and R wanted a go on the Orbitron so W and I and I made a wind mobile and looked around the vendors. We never actually got to sit out and listen to any bands, partly because we were right next to the stage in the kids area so could hear them, and partly because someone or something else had better ideas for our evening;s entertainment, which was meant to be -a nice warm balmy evening, boys having a dance, us having a listen and a beer, I. perhaps dancing too or sleeping in the stroller, on our blankets by the stage.

We went back to the tent to cook at about 5 (after bumping into someone from school !!!!!!) and the heavens openend and didn't relent until around 4 this morning. I. and I ate our pasta under a small umbrella we found and it was decidedly miserable!!

By 7, the tent was letting in water as the children were unable to stop touching the sides and we weren't sure what to do for the best. Eventually we made the decision to drive home. In hindsight it was the best decision, as when we were driving the rain was literally horizontal, it was the worst rain we have had here for a long time and there was no way we could have stuck it out. The bed clothes were feeling damp even at 7 and my motherly instincts had to kick my selfish "I wanna stay" instincts out and think about them.

It is absolutely typical though, for the whole of the summer, there hasn't been a weekend that it has rained. We chose this festival for it's pretty much guaranteed warm weather after all, mid August!! So I am feeling somewhat dampened in spirits myself this morning! We probably won't be going next year as we are most likely going to be going to the UK around this time, but there is a festival the weekend before in Newport RI that we might head up to and then do the Vibes again the year after next.

Oh, well, back to the usual today then! Sulk over!

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