the weekend

Mike came to visit me this weekend, and it was great to see him after a stressful week filled with so much uncertainty! On Saturday we went to a bluegrass festival in Niles, MI with our friends Heather and Paul. The festival was pretty small, and we were a little disappointed by the small number of fiddles! But it was nice to spend the afternoon outside and relax a bit, and there were plenty of overalls! While there, I mentioned our 1-time experience crossing Elephant Ears with Bluegrass down in Bean Blossom, IN. I think Heather and Paul were intrigued by our elephant ear tales, and, since Andrew (my brother) was working at a race track nearby, we took another field trip. Mostly we watched the races while we were there, trying to figure out what about the sport attracts so many fans. But we took a brief stint inside the trailer and sent Andrew and crew out on possibly the first real break anyone has ever gotten at the racetrack. Both Heather and Paul tried pulling an elephant ear, and Heather, getting a little overconfident, challenged Mike to a pulling contest. Due to his extensive experience at the Indiana State Fair last year, Mike came out victorious. They are each holding their end product in this picture. It was kind of fun to visit the track as a spectator, though I don't think it is an experience I will repeat too often.




elephant ear contest