Halloween Parade!

The Elementary School Parade through Downtown Excelsior is a 100 year tradition. Not sure if it has featured a family of ducks before!  Naan got to parade with us as Batgirl too - a nice last Halloween for her before she leaves us!

At one of our favourite restaurants

Waiting for group class.

Who needs Florida?

Swimming in Minnesota among the fall leaves mid October!

Random Acts of Kindness

I'm not sure if this counts as Katy's first professional piano fee or a busking tip...we were at the airport last night to pick up our friend Xiao Yuan who is visiting from Hong Kong.

They have this at the airport:
 
Katy was too shy to play at first, but then was inspired to after watching an older man perform some Broadway songs.  So she got on and had a tinkle.  Super cool - the older man came back and riffed off her Allegro so the two played a little duet!

 She got some applause from onlookers and lots of encouragement!  Then a couple of businessmen rushed by and stopped for a bit.  I didn't even notice them actually listening to her.  One of them walked up to the piano and said a few words to Katy, then rushed off again with a nod to me.  The next thing I knew, I turned around and Katy was waving a note at me.  I looked again and it was $20!

I was so stunned I barely had time to rush after the man and Katy thanked him again and I tried to give back the money and tell him it was a lovely gesture but too generous...but he insisted that Katy keep the money.  I asked for a photo at least but hesitated too long debating whether to get his card. 

 I wish I had gotten his card so we could send a thank you note.  I did tell him that he had made Katy's piano career!  What a generous, thoughtful, encouraging and fun deed this man did!!
He totally thrilled and inspired a seven year old pianist...and a forty five year old mummy!!

Follow your nose

Katy was thrilled to be given this magic Medieval direction finder with instructions to follow where it leads...

...it certainly did lead us to many adventures and fun experiences on our way out of the Festival!

Hat and mittens necessary purchases as we underdressed! Lulled by Fahrenheit again into a false sense of warmth...

On our way out..,

Time seems very island in the Renaissance Festival! Everyone seemed to running late! So we were disappointed that we did not find Twig the (Celebrity) Fairy (Katy has her book - a gift fromAunt  Arlys).

But we did have fun talking with the thief Adrian Quinn after Mother admired his coat. Katy was very disapproving of his thieving lifestyle. 

Later, knowing Katy has for many years need afraid of thieves and nervous about then breaking and entering into our house while we are away, Mother tried patiently to explain to Katy in the car that he wasn't a real thief but just playing a character. Katy replied equally patiently that "yes, but it would not be respectful of him if we did not treat him seriously as a thief" as he had obviously put so much effort into his character. Out of the mouth of babes!

We had a rest stop in the sky chairs lounge!

And then we found the practice sword and shield kits!

We got a set for Katy with shield and one for mummy or daddy to practice with her! We had second thoughts getting sets for cousins with siblings...

The shows were many and awesome but what I really loved about the Festival was the non commercial feel to the while thing. I loved that it was a bunch of amateursin the literal sense of the word - passionate (and usually witty) enthusiasts who were good sprorts and generously loved sharing their passions with everyone at the Festival. The thief Adrian Quinn was not a performer or official festival character but just an enthusiast who loves to come to the festival to hang out.

I also loved the structure of the festival with a really low entrance fee and then you give to performers as though they are busking. So in the spirit of Festivals.

Feasting

Giant smoked turkey leg.

Giant cream puff with the works!

There were actually a lot of food options and quite a few fun ones. Horrendously expensive but fun!