Magic

Floydfest is right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the setting is beautiful. This year however, they were having record high temperatures and during the day it was 98 degrees. YOW! Thank goodness our two friends Denise and Randy were vending this year. We spent quite a lot of time in their tent cooling off. They are from West Virginia and we only see them twice a year at our festivals, so it was nice to visit with them. She made my long patchwork music skirt that was perfect for the Chets Creek theme last year. So of course I had to get a hot chili pepper skirt for the cultivating theme this year.

There is a whole Healing Art section at Floydfest, and it was here I started my day with a 45 minute massage. Ahhhh-it was the best! Then it was on to the Blue Ridge and Beyond Dance Tent for a hoola hoop lesson with Spiral and Rich from California. They have taken the hoop to a whole new artistic dancing level-it is beautiful to behold. While we were hooping there was a 15 minute torrential downpour that cooled things off for a few minutes. I stayed dry and continued my lesson.

Then it was time to concentrate on the music. I got to hear The Jason Spooner Trio, Adrienne Young, Deer Tick, Konono No.1, and Railroad Earth-one of my favorites. I went down front and danced all evening to these guys :) We also got to see Miss Kitty’s Society for Wayward Cosmonauts, a group of demented ballerinas and aerial performers.

The Dreaming Creek Main Stage ends every night at 11:00. So after Railroad Earth we wandered backstage and sat in hammock swings and enjoyed free wine and a much needed rest. Then it was on to the Blue Ridge and Beyond Dance Tent to rock out to the Pimps of Joytime.

What a fun magical and fun filled festival day!

Music

Four years ago, Herb and I came up to Floydfest. When we explored the little town of Floyd, VA, we discovered a fabulous clothing store called Winter Sun. The clothes are hand painted and the designs are bright and colorful-so me. I was looking forward to buying another dress there this year.

The store was just as I remembered it, but the dress selection was very limited:( I tried on the few they had, but none of them were the right fit. So I bought several shirts and jackets instead. They also had a booth up at Floydfest and I hung out there with Susan, one of my new Virginia friends.

We ate lunch at the Blue Ridge Restaurant and had a delicious southern meal of chicken pan pie. Then it was on up to the festival that started at 4:00.

Our first stop was the Beer Gardens and the Pink Floyd Stage. Here they serve all kinds of local draft beer and wine and besides backstage, this is the only place you can consume alcohol. The very first band we saw on stage was Galen Kipar, featuring Jacksonville’s own fiddle player Lindsey Pruett. What a great surprise!! The rest of the evening included Big Daddy Love, Cornmeal, Galactic, and Eric Krasno & Chapter 2. Lots of dancing was involved and the music was great!

Next Stop...Floydfest

Floydfest here we come! And thank goodness...Herb is feeling better!

At mile marker 173, right off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia is a wonderful four day event of music, magic and mayhem. As you can imagine, the setting is exquisite and the music includes jazz, rock, bluegrass and everything in between. There are also aerial acrobats, fire dancers, puppeteers, jugglers and artistic hoola hoopers.

We are staying in a chalet with a mountain view with five other friends. No camping for us this year. Steaks on the grill for dinner on the balcony overlooking the Smokey Mountains when we arrive. It is breathtaking!

A Sick Herb

Herb was sick before we left Jacksonville Beach and did not fully recover before we started on our journey. After dinner with Tip he had a relapse. He is feeling terrible. We are headed to Emery, Virginia to hook up with our friends Tony and Emily and then on to a weekend of music at Floydfest. No time to be sick.

Herb slept for a whole day. I drove to Emery while he slept in the car. It was a lovely drive. When we arrived, he went straight to bed. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

The Brokedown Palace

We went into the city of Knoxville to visit our friend Tip. He is my hang gliding artist friend that makes the beautiful Leafy T-shirts I wear all the time. It was our farewell visit to his house, “The Brokedown Palace” as he has to move out in October. They are building a Costco on the property. While I was there I saw rabbits, hummingbirds and cardinals in the yard. It is a big, lovely, secret gem in the midst of a busy thoroughfare in town. I can't believe it will soon disappear :(

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”

Rest time

The next few days were spent just chilling out and enjoying the lake. I started reading “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” in a hammock by the water. Love those lazy days of summer! Ahhhh...