Summer Fun

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME:  Today, we had what felt like the first normal day around here in the longest time. I swear, with three weeks of CJ sick, I feel like we've been cheated out of a big chunk of summer. :(  We can't get it back, but we can try to make the most out of what is left. 

To that end, today we visited two parks. This morning it was just our neighborhood park, Bayview, where the kids romped for about 45 minutes while I walked the dog in circles. 

This afternoon, we headed over to Ballard Commons to let the kids splash around in the little water feature for awhile. 

There was an addition to the park since the last time we'd visited. 

A piano - brilliant!

It's part of Seattle's "Pianos in the Parks" program this summer. At 20 parks throughout Seattle and King County, pianos with personality have been placed for a week weeks. They were donated by Classic Pianos and each was decorated by an artist from the Gage Academy of Art.  The Ballard piano has a viking theme, fitting, since the neighborhood was historically full of Nordic residents. 

 Annabelle sat right down and started tickling the ivories, playing some song from "My Little Pony."

SINGING STORYTELLER: At 4 p.m., we headed to the Magnolia library for a special summer program performance by singer-songwriter and illustrator Morgan Taylor of New York.

Taylor staged a wonderful, multimedia performance about a character he's created, Gustafer Yellowgold, a native of the sun.

We learned that there are lakes on the sun, and Gustafer used to enjoy swimming in Butter
Pond Lake ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEoICmfV6h8

Eventually, Gustafer came to Earth, where he lives in a bright yellow house in the Minnesota woods, where he has all sorts of adventures and he loves eating pinecones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwFd89Wjy_w

Gustafer has a pet eel named Slim.  Slim likes wearing socks, and is especially partial to athletic socks. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WVm720UaQo

Gustafer is fond of cheese, even as apparel. Taylor sang a fun song about a "Wisconson Poncho." 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSu8AO8r_BY


It was a rollicking 50 minutes. Taylor finished up the set with a tune called "Cakenstein." Super clever and cute. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWGgyFntWPo


It was a wonderful performance.  A New York Times review called Taylor's Gustafer Yellowgold "a cross between 'Yellow Submarine' and Dr. Seuss," which about sums it up perfectly.  (Frankly, some of it reminded me of Robyn Hitchcock, but that's probably just me.) 

If you ever have a chance to see Taylor perform it live, do so!

As a side note, I witnessed more than a little bad parenting during today's show, but I'll limit myself to sharing just one example.  Question:  If your kid is crying and miserable and not watching the show, how about taking them out of the room instead of having them make everyone else miserable? Is that asking too much?  Seriously. Did the mother of the squalling/screaming three year old think there was some medal she'd get for keeping her kid there the whole time? The kid wasn't even remotely interested in what was going on, so why subject everyone to that? I just don't understand why some people are so selfish and/or clueless. 

As a bonus, while at the library, the kids officially signed up for their summer reading program. By doing so, they each got a free book! When they fill out their forms of 10 books they read and/or ten things they learned this summer, they'll earn free family passes to the Burke Museum, on the University of Washington campus.