Busy Summer Weekend

There are things around here that only happen in the summer. Well, there are things that only happen in other seasons but it feels like there are more options in summer. Christmas time might top summer in terms of unique activities but it gets compressed into a smaller time frame. Summer stuff also includes more opportunities to be outside enjoying the weather.

Of course, any outdoor activities are at the mercy of the weather. Being outside with no shade when it is super hot and/or humid does suck a lot of the fun out of these things. We caught a break this weekend because neither day was super hot and we had clouds on Sunday.

I’ve mentioned before that our symphony plays outdoor concerts at a local venue in the summer and Saturday was opening night. We found a spot in the shade and settled in to enjoy the show. No matter how hot it is during the day, it always feels cooler once the sun finally goes down. It makes for a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday.

They’ve made one change that was partially driven by the pandemic and that is they now sell tickets to individual shows and limit the number of tickets that are sold. In the past, you could buy a book of tickets (at a reduced price) and use them for any show. But the year before the pandemic (maybe we need to start referring to time as BP and AP), the last show was particularly popular and there had been some rain outs so everyone tried to use their tickets and they ended up having to close the gates and shut people out.

Last year, when they restarted, they were limiting crowds because of the whole COVID thing (one does have to question whether it made sense for an outdoor event but that’s a subject for a different day). It also helped them avoid messes like I described above. So they’ve keep that this year and eliminated the value packs and now you have to buy tickets for specific shows. Keeping the crowds down isn’t a bad thing given how hard it can be to get out of the venue after a popular show.

Sunday, there was a Native American Art Market at an art museum here in town. Like everything else, it was cancelled in 2020 and they only did it virtually last year which isn’t as much of an attraction because it is more impressive to actually see things and to try on the various jewelry. OK, that last bit was more for my wife even though I have two rings I’ve purchased there in previous years.

Due to space limitations, about half of the vendors are outside on the grounds and the other half are in the museum itself. Showing some common sense, they had a basket of masks and hand sanitizer available at the entrance but did not require anyone actually wear a mask. I do wonder how long stuff like this will continue – probably depends on how bad this winter is.

But we had a good time. My wife made up for the two lost years buying a ring and a couple of bracelets. It was interesting to talk with a few of the artists to hear how long they’ve been doing this and how many learned from earlier generations. We bought a couple of turtle themed pieces of art because we liked them and turtles are cool.

I do prefer my life in the slow lane but having a few busy weekends isn’t a bad thing.