Opening night of the American Folk Festival was a good time.  The performers aren’t really my bag, but the environment totally is.  I walked down with Andy, and we met up with his friend Jen and her 8 year old and spent the entire night wandering the grounds and running into people (and, conversely, trying to avoid people, too) and searching out things like balloons (for Miah) and funnel cakes (for me.) 

Ahh, yes, I had my triennial funnel cake, and I wish they made a mini one, because even after giving pieces to the others i was with, it was Too Much. Still good, but oooof.  I also had a gyro and a real lemonade from the Greek orthodox church tent for supper, which was also good.

The number one thing that interested me, though, was observing baby products.  The craft vendor tent seemed pretty small, and if I was having a winter baby, I would have been ALL OVER the homemade fleece infant carrier covers. But, I’m not, so I can’t.  I also checked out the stroller and sling deal — saw a few Bjorns and Bjorn-a-likes, and one non Bjorn hip carrier, but the major mode was strollers.  The travel system is king here, and I totally HATE travel systems (although I am intrigued by the new Mosaic one, which is a Maclaren-esque umbrella stroller, with a snazzy snugride included — sans giraffes or bunnies, so also a plus), so that didn’t help.  There were a lot of Dora , etc, umbrella strollers with people hunched over them (seriously, is there a reason they make the handles SO short on those? I understand the convenience and cost and such, but even I, at 5’4", have to stoop to push one, as I found out when my cousin was visiting) and baby joggers like the Jeep Urban Terrain, and lots and lots of babytrend ones.  No maclarens in sight, or snap-n-go type things, just a sea of gigantic plastic travel system strollers.  You know, now Graco is making it’s own frame — you’d think they’d start selling a travel system of infant car seat and snugrider base, you know? Why don’t they? Maybe they just want to unload all those SUV-sized base strollers first.

Errr, yeah. I have my eye on baby shit at ALL TIMES.  (Ask my NYC friends, whose gear I was totally inspecting and asking questions about! Ha!  By the way, MB, how’s the mac on packed gravel and grass?)

It was also awesome to experience the fair with a kid.  He’s a cool little guy, and we talked about books and animals and the Common Ground Fair and played a game of "there’s something on your shirt!" (me) and him crossing his arms and saying "I’m not falling for it!"  It was awesome.

See, here’s the thing: I am fucking GREAT with kids. I am.  I don’t mean to sound like a pompous ass, but it’s one of my known strengths.  Kids love me, in general, and I love kids.  One of the greatest compliments I’ve gotten is that people are surprised at how well I am with their children, despite not having any myself. I am a Cancer, my maternal instinct overfloweth, and of all the things I want in my life, there is nothing I want more than to be a mother.

I can’t wait to bundle up MY kid and take them to the festival, to be on the river in the darkness listening to fiddle music and bluegrass and zydeco past their bedtime. Maybe next summer.