A Small Town Spectacle

There's something undefinable about a summer carnival when the sun sets. The painted panels and rainbow tents that are garish and muddy by day become a whirl of light and sound in the warm twilight. The rides that seemed merely nausea-inducing become magical, and a park normally suited for quiet strolls and slow baseball games is now a non-stop party.

This festival of light and spending is where we found ourselves tonight after an otherwise crazy day. Despite the fact that it's July, I had to go to work today for a team meeting. It wasn't a huge problem, but since the kids will be leaving shortly to go to Grandma's house for two weeks, I was wishing I could be at home with them. When I finally did make it home, I was greeted by a frantic mother-in-law. Scott's uncle had fallen, and needed to be transported to the ER. He was refusing treatment by the EMTs, so I needed to get MIL there so that she could convince him of the wisdom of medical care. Between that family emergency, the need to pack up the kids for our trip to Grandma's house, and the fact that Scott and I were both dragging after an early morning start, it seemed inevitable that we miss this year's carnival. But the lure of the whirl and glitter was stronger than our objections, and we found ourselves wandering through the crowds. I'm glad we went - July wouldn't be the same without this tradition.
Jenn