Why I call him Mr. Attitude...

We took a break from home making to attend a festival in Duluth on Saturday, carpooling with our handyman, Chris. The festivities were the third annual Rhubarb Festival, put on by Churches United in Ministry in Duluth, who do the true work of Jesus, feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. There was a bake sale featuring all kinds of rhubarb delectibles, food stands featuring rhubarb lemonade (they included a separate container of sugar to take the edge off), and a silent auction. But of course, what is a festival without good music? And for their size, they had an awesome lineup. Leading off were The Pines, a fairly new roots folk rock duo I'm really excited about. In fact, they were the reason I was excited about this whole thing! Their music is haunting, acoustic rhythm driven, and their songwriting, dare I say, Dylanesque? I just put their CD on my iPod last night so I could listen to it as I fell asleep.

Next in the lineup was Ann Reed, a Minnesota folk fixture. I had never seen her perform live, and it was a good show, although, she's wonderful and all that but just not the kind of songwriting that moves me lately. Although I respect anyone who sings their songs freely and from the heart.

Next up was Minnesota mandolin wizard Peter Ostroushko, who played a surprisingly laid back set. The highlight was his version of Girl from the North Country. What could be more appropriate on the newly named Bob Dylan Way?

While all this was going on, my kids were exploring. Mr. Attitude came back, caked head to toe in clay mud, and Chris informed us he had found them sliding down to Lake Superior on a muddy slope. They could not understand why I prohibited them from further exploration! So Starflower and Mr. Attitude decided to explore the festival booths, including the face painting. Normally when kids get their faces painted at festivals, they get smilie faces and rainbows and all that. Well...

May I present to you Frankenstein and Dracula. It's not in my genetic makeup, I tell ya.