This one time, at a festival

In Northern Civilization, the parks department is busy. Well, of course it is since it's a city of more than a quarter of a million people, the parks' departments hold one festival after another all summer long. And for some reason I just haven't gotten my act together to get to any of them. There's always three I LOVE to go to: a German Festival (all things German, including polka bands, food and a BEER tent), a Greek Festival (including all things Greek like food, entertainment, Greek men in droves, and a BEER tent selling Greek booze) and a Rib festival that sells about a 100 different sorts of ribs and side dishes, as well as having entertainment and a BEER tent. Hmmmm, one commonality here....

When I lived in Northern Civ I went to all these festivals, never missing a one. Sometimes I went with GFs, Sams, family, students, or alone. It was just part of my summer time ritual. One night during Greek Festival week, I went with a bunch of teachers. Then the next night I went with 'the girls' and another time I went with my landlord; we rode down on his motorcycle and he and I went and just sat and listened to music and drank beer and then biked back. It was a super nice evening and that was an awesome night. All the nights and times were awesome. I had a large group of acquaintances and some friends. There was always someone around and up to doing something like this. I loved that time in my life.

Today is the last day for the Ribs, and I missed the Germans. And if I don't write it down, I'll miss the Greeks next weekend. As I was looking through the schedule of events, I found myself thinking of 2006, specifically, when I went to the German Festival.

My group had shifted and changed, as is want to happen with nomadic climbers in their late 20s and early 30s. This time, I had a guy friend, Sam, who was a friend with benefits... and that year, at German Festival, he went with me. At the time I had a friend Lisa and we met her and her boyfriend of the day, and some other people she knew well and that I knew peripherally. Then there were some folks that she and I both used to work with who were there. We were a group of about 15 and it was hot out that weekend. We all drank beer like it was water, and we danced. and laughed. Oh my goodness, did we laugh. And drink. And we tried to learn to polka when the "German" songs were playing. Some old guys in lederhosen came to the table and grabbed all us 'girls' (we were in our 30s and 40s; they were in theirs 70s. We were girls) and they tried to teach us the steps. One of the fellas in our group kept buying rounds of beer. Someone got hold of a St. Paulie Girl's wig, and he was wearing it around- we all did. Some older ladies (partners of the older men in l'hosen) got in the act and got the guys from our group to dance. People were circling around us and clapping and laughing while we tried to polka. Then a bunch of us got on stage and accompanied the band to "Danke Schoen" which turned into a Ferris Bueller style dance off. It was a great night.

Sam and I left and were driving back to the frat house where I was living that summer (Yes, I was living in a frat house- now there's a story for another day!). It was in a summer lake town and after all the dancing and laughing, we got back to town, parked and went for a walk on the beach and watched the stars. We lay there in the sand, watching the stars, holding hands, and our breathing even synced.

It was a good night. That was a good time. He was perfect, so was I, so were my friends, the weather, the timing... it was all just good. Makes me miss him just a little bit, for that moment that summer. Ah, happy memories.

remembering that once upon a time I was lovable,
Maggie