The Zen of Blueberries and a Big Rock Show Review

Yesterday, we got up early and headed to Eagle Tree Farm and Vinyard with some preschool friends. Goal: Pick as many blueberries as possible.

We arrived at the farm just as the only other people there were leaving, so we had the place all to ourselves. There was a pond with geese, a little house, and rows and rows of blueberry bushes. It reminded me of England.

We got straight to work, and so did our helpers:

Blueberry picking is a cakewalk compared to strawberry picking. The berries are at just the right height. No bending, no stooping. It was easy to get into a groove. It was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. And did I mention the temperature was about 70? PERFECT.

Soon, we had about three quarts, so we went over to a picnic table to put our money in the money box (it's all honor system at Eagle Tree), stopped Temple Hall Farm for a short visit to the playground, and headed back home. This was truly one of the most fun mornings I've had in a long time. The farm was beautiful, the weather was awesome, the kids were good, and the blueberries were delicious and plentiful. And I have big plans for them. This morning, we had them in pancakes. There will be more freezer jam as soon as I can get some pectin. Blueberry Pudding Cake is in our future, as well as a possible pie. And there may be a blueberry ice cream experiment before it's all over. We will probably need to go back to the farm for more to accomplish all this. No one will need to twist my arm.

Now, it's time to completely shift gears, because yesterday EVENING was all about rock. My brother and I went to Wolf Trap for the big Elvis Costello show:

And a big show it was. As you can see, there was a giant wheel on stage which was spun by members of the audience to pick the songs to be performed. He played for about 2 1/2 hours. Highlights: Party Girl, Girl (by the Beatles), Beyond Belief, a cool slowed-down version of Pump It Up, and part of Purple Rain. I have seen him several times, but I think this was my favorite show. He looked and sounded great. I'm so glad we didn't miss it. (See the full set list here).

Wolf Trap is a pretty cool place. The sound isn't bad for an outdoor venue. A nice feature is the legroom. When people are going in and out of the rows of seats, there is enough room for them to get by without everyone having to stand up. I guess they made up for that by squeezing the seats next to each other together as closely as possible, though. I was seated next to an unfortunately smelly large man, whose right arm cascaded over into my space, making me VERY uncomfortable. I was happy when the people to my brother's right left half-way through the show and I could change seats. No more smelly man! Aaahhh. Things were much more enjoyable.

One last quick item: I tried a new food this week. We went to the Shoes Secret Garden on Tuesday night, and got these goat cheese stuffed peppadews. I was nervous, but I tried them and they were GOOD! It proves you can't go wrong with goat cheese.

Summer is still going well, and I am trying to take advantage of this awesome weather, because I know it can't last. A big Father's Day weekend coming up, with more activities planned. I shall report back soon. Until then, Happy Father's Day to all the good nice Daddies out there!