Thank goodness this festival is twice a year, because frankly if I had to wait another twelve months - instead of seven - for the next one, I would start sniffling and need a very big hug RIGHT NOW.
LEAF is my happiest place. Honestly? If I believed in a heaven, that's what it would look like. A sweet camp around a lake tucked into the southern Appalachians, where the music of the world is played and celebrated by some of the most talented musicians there are, and song circles and jams just spontaneously start up in the sunshine, and amazing artists and craftspeople display their talents, and there's dancing all day and late into the night. I would be perfectly happy spending eternity there, though I doubt I'm a good enough person to deserve it, seeing as how getting to be there for a few days twice a year feels almost too lucky. Really.
It's a wonderfully family-oriented festival, both in the traditional sense that it's great for families with kids (who are there in droves, swimming and flying down the zipline and trying out the trapeze and being creative and silly) and it's also a place that reunites and creates families. I usually drive with the same three people (who are leaving me after this year, the devils! AS IF college graduation and marriage and grad school are enough reasons to move down South, jeez) and I always see The Cousin at LEAF. We camp with our LEAF family, which is generally made up of The Cousin and me and two couples who are The Cousin's best friends from her Atlanta days and are now close friends of mine as well. We set up our tents within a few feet of one another and share our snacks and gossip and catch up on life since last LEAF. This one was the first since Spring LEAF '06 that we've all been there, and even though we all kept too busy to see each other much, it felt homey just knowing they were around.
I danced less and saw fewer performances this year than in the past, mostly because I spent more time trying to catch up with my ever-expanding group of LEAF friends and relaxing in the sunshine.
It was also because I spent a great deal of time perusing the CDs for sale, which seems like a dumb trade-off for live music and dancing except that the man who runs the CD booth is amazing and ridiculously knowledgable about music, and I find things there that I've never imagined existed. This time I was really looking for some new material that I could bring home to my group, which I don't think I've mentioned here and won't go in to right now except to say I'm in a band! We're good! I am so incredibly thrilled and excited about this! so I totally justified spending two straight hours going through every CD they had. Plus it probably scored me a volunteer position in the CD booth at future festivals, which is not a bad thing. And last but not least, I ended up buying five new CDs of which I love every minute, including a collection of Cajun and Creole drinking songs, because who doesn't need a collection of Cajun and Creole drinking songs?
But I did see Michael Franti, who is so beautiful and inspiring. I saw David Holt and the Pine Leaf Boys (Cajun music! Cajun dancing! I'm in love) and, most incredibly, Doc Watson. The Doc Watson. There's nothing quite like seeing a living legend (who - let's face it - may not be living so much longer) right there in person. [Edit: And I saw the Boulder Acoustic Society, who totally rock (thanks for the reminder, Dan)] And I danced with some of my favorite dance partners, who proved to me once again that people just know how to have more fun (at least on the dance floor) south of the Mason-Dixon line. No offense, Pioneer Valley. But come to LEAF and you'll see.
I also met a boy. A sweet and snuggly boy who is an outdoor educator and group facilitator and world traveler. Who lives, of course, in North Carolina, because God forbid I hit it off with anyone single and available within 800 miles of where I live.
The morals of this long, long story are: I love LEAF, I love my LEAF road trip buddies and my LEAF camping family, I can't wait for spring, and you should come too. Because for those five or six days a year, the world is happiness and love and music. Seriously, what were you planning on doing that's better than that?
2 comments:
Zipline? You never told me there's a zipline!!
So glad you had a wonderful time... Leaf or Bust!!
Did you see Boulder Acoustic Society?
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