Muse-gic and Chickens and Raspberries and Bubbles

In the car on the way home on Saturday night I didn't really pay much attention to my aching calves and the blisters on my feet. Sam was in the back seat reminding me of all that we had done during the day.

"I go up close, Mommy," he said. "Me and Geddy up close by muse-gic."

"I know," I told him. "You were so brave."

"I see guitar. And piano."

"You did, didn't you?"

"And shakers! Fun shakers."

He thought a moment and I fiddled with the water bottle to suck down the last of the water we'd carried on our long walk from Kate's to WSU and back.

"And horns. Funny horns."

Kate had invited us to join her and Gedion for an evening of music in the park, and since Sam is always telling me how much he likes "muse-gic" and how much he loves the outdoors, I knew it would be something he'd enjoy. After a quick picnic and some play at the Catholic Workers house on the west end of town (Kate knows EVERYBODY), we strapped the boys into their matching Maclaren umbrella strollers and walked to WSU.

"Drums!" Sam said from the back seat. "I like the drums!"

"You like music, don't you?"

"Yes! Be fun," he said.


It had been hot and humid all day, but we'd started our morning with homemade strawberry smoothies and scrambled eggs before Lucy and her Dad came for a visit. Sam and Lucy played music and emptied the toy box and ran around the yard and blew bubbles and picked raspberries and chased each other until Lucy had to get back for time with her new baby sister before her nap. Sam was sad when she left but I reminded him that we were going for a picnic with Gedion later.


"Geddy's house?" he said. "We go Geddy's house?"

I explained that we were going to a picnic and then on to see some music in the park. At the picnic we ate grilled chicken and peaches and edamame and avocado ("More cado. More cado, please!") and Sam fell in love with a 12-year-old girl named Beth who drew beautiful pictures with chalk. Just before we left he ran up to her and told her we were leaving. "We go muse-gic in park," he said.


When we were about halfway to the park Sam started insisting he be allowed to walk and we started the "we're almost there" game. He pointed out flowers and trucks and he and Gedion both kept saying a word that neither Kate nor I could interpret. Stop? Star? They both knew what they were saying, but Kate and I never figured it out.



At the park Kate laid out a canvas blanket and I got out the bubbles and the boys chased bubbles and each other and laughed until Gedion decided he wanted to see the music close-up. He ran up to the band and stood in front and then ran back. Kate told him to bring Sam, to hold his hand. And the two of them ran up and stood in front of the band holding hands, mesmerized by the horns and piano and drums and shakers.

"What was your favorite part?" I asked Sam.

"Shakers. Me like shakers!"

You can see more pictures of Sam's two-playdate day that he tells me was "the best ever" here.