Ate pancakes with Stephen Matierat Perkins. stevo is from the band, The Different Drums of Irelend. We met at Milwaukee Irishfest Summer School in 2001. Seven years later, I invited him and the band for a residency at Lehigh. It was amazing. Hadn't seen him since January 2009. He had me laughing so hard at breakfast. I don't remember laughing that hard in a while. I miss that kind of craic.
Got to the festival at 1pm. More walking. More picture taking. More talking with vendors, musicians, presenters. The morning rain blew away. Weather was perfect. Many times I'd view the lake and take in the grandeur.
The other nice thing about being here is seeing my mom, sister and Aunt Midge. Mom and Maureen are doing long volunteer shifts, but we still connect with them for a bit of chat. By 9:30, we decided to head back to the hotel for a little rest before the night sessiuns get cooking.
Jayne's calling it a night. I'm closing my eyes for a bit. And will decide if I will go to the sessiun when I get the call.
I love that I don't have any responsibilities. And even the ones that I have waiting for me on Monday morning, can't be addressed right now. I'm only missing my kids and wishing that I could simply turn to my husband and share the fun stuff with him. Traveling without my husband stinks when I want him to see something right now. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be dragged around the festival for as much as I am digging into it.
I'm enjoying the exploration because I'm sharing it with the person who is in charge of the largest Celtic Festival in north America. And when we talk ideas of what could be- she gets as excited as I am.
Tomorrow is the last day. It starts with a mass at the amphitheater. My mom, aunt, sister and brother will be there. It's also the 31st anniversary of dad's death.
It seems so normal that Irishfest always happens around this time. It brings us together on a day where we still remember the moment. The grief is now a lingering shadow for me. I'm here for my mom. I'm here for me. I'm grateful .
*****
#65 of 90in90 for #LUBlogTribe
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