We're leaving tonight for one of my very favorite events of the year - the annual Jacob's Ladder Folk Festival. This wonderful outdoor festival has been going strong for 31 years now. Jay and I started attending sometime back in the early 90's, first on our own and later with one and now two kids in tow. It's a great music festival, made all the more fun by being incredibly family-friendly. It's a central event of the Anglo (English speaking) Israeli community - a real slice of "back home" on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (whether that home is the States, England, Australia, Canada, or any other English-speaking country, or even if it's just your ancestral home).
Many families will be pitching their tents. We've given that up temporarily and have taken a hotel room (on-site) for two nights so that we can relax and enjoy the pool and beach on Friday before we start rushing around from stage to stage later in the day. The whole hotel/inn/grounds complex is taken over by the festival, which really contributes to the unique atmosphere. The rooms on either side of ours will house our good friends, and we made sure to request ground floor rooms so that the kids can easily play together on the lawn.
By the time most of you read this, I'll be on my way. See you Saturday night!
Before I go, I'll leave you with this:
13 things that make Jacob's Ladder so special:
1. The setting
2. The music - the full range of Anglo folk - everything from Irish to bluegrass to 60's protest songs to homegrown singer-songwriters to Renaissance guitar performances, and a whole lot more
3. The company - we'll be with literally hundreds of friends, some of whom we only see at the festival
4. The main stages are all outdoors and everyone sits on blankets and beach chairs to watch the shows
5. The informality of it all - this is a real t-shirt and sandals kind of event, even better if it's a vintage tye-dye or a batik sundress - just my style
6. Lots of great kids' activities
7. My son can move from activity to activity on his own or with friends and I can rest easy that he's safe and happy (this is the only place in the world that he gets that degree of freedom). (And in a few more years my daughter will be able to join him - what will mom and dad do with all that freedom?)
8. The pool - JL is usually our first dip of the season
9. The weather - hot and sunny all day, cool at night. The festival used to be held the first weekend in July, which was unbearably hot in the Jordan Valley. This early May date is MUCH nicer.
10. The way my kids will (eventually) just fall asleep on the blankets during the concert, leaving us free to enjoy the music until the wee hours
11. Amazing jam sessions that go on until 4 or even 5 in the morning
12. The fact that we're not camping this year - which means I don't have to pack loads of food or take time away from having fun to cook!
13. That wonderful "coming home" feeling - of slipping back into something as comfortable as a soft fuzzy slipper.
What are your plans for this lovely spring weekend?
Many families will be pitching their tents. We've given that up temporarily and have taken a hotel room (on-site) for two nights so that we can relax and enjoy the pool and beach on Friday before we start rushing around from stage to stage later in the day. The whole hotel/inn/grounds complex is taken over by the festival, which really contributes to the unique atmosphere. The rooms on either side of ours will house our good friends, and we made sure to request ground floor rooms so that the kids can easily play together on the lawn.
By the time most of you read this, I'll be on my way. See you Saturday night!
Before I go, I'll leave you with this:
13 things that make Jacob's Ladder so special:
1. The setting
2. The music - the full range of Anglo folk - everything from Irish to bluegrass to 60's protest songs to homegrown singer-songwriters to Renaissance guitar performances, and a whole lot more
3. The company - we'll be with literally hundreds of friends, some of whom we only see at the festival
4. The main stages are all outdoors and everyone sits on blankets and beach chairs to watch the shows
5. The informality of it all - this is a real t-shirt and sandals kind of event, even better if it's a vintage tye-dye or a batik sundress - just my style
6. Lots of great kids' activities
7. My son can move from activity to activity on his own or with friends and I can rest easy that he's safe and happy (this is the only place in the world that he gets that degree of freedom). (And in a few more years my daughter will be able to join him - what will mom and dad do with all that freedom?)
8. The pool - JL is usually our first dip of the season
9. The weather - hot and sunny all day, cool at night. The festival used to be held the first weekend in July, which was unbearably hot in the Jordan Valley. This early May date is MUCH nicer.
10. The way my kids will (eventually) just fall asleep on the blankets during the concert, leaving us free to enjoy the music until the wee hours
11. Amazing jam sessions that go on until 4 or even 5 in the morning
12. The fact that we're not camping this year - which means I don't have to pack loads of food or take time away from having fun to cook!
13. That wonderful "coming home" feeling - of slipping back into something as comfortable as a soft fuzzy slipper.
What are your plans for this lovely spring weekend?
.
(Ugh, my son is now sick. He'll be spending the day in bed and we'll hope for the best. It's looking like he'll may have to spend some time lying around in the hotel room watching tv while we take turns staying with him. Hopefully he'll feel up to at least resting on the grass a bit so we can catch some music... Any and all "get healthy quick" vibes you can send his way would be appreciated. Wait a minute, hold on, he just slept until 10:30 and woke up happy and fever-free! Keep your fingers crossed everyone!)
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23 comments:
Hopefully your son can be full recovery and enjoy the events!
Ooh, hope the son's better!
The festival sounds incredible. Man, I wish we could do things like that here -- and don't suggest that I get to work! I'm too busy as it is!
Can't wait to hear the report when you get back.
I hope you guys have a great festival weekend.
I'm heading home for a few weeks. Relaxing on the beach, in the sun [but under an umbrella] with a bottle of water at hand is on the schedule.
Enjoy your festival, is sounds like a wonderful even.
The festival sounds like fun, hope you enjoy it.
Wow ! that must be great ! I love such festivals ! But you know children in Belgium, Germany and Italy (the others I don't know) are also very safe and free when such festivals are organized !
It sounds like a great festival! I hope your son feels better soon and you can enjoy the festival!
I hope your son is feeling better soon. The festival sounds like a wonderful time. I can't wait until the weather gets nicer here so we can start getting outside more.
I hope you have a great time.
Hi Robin-
Have a great time at the festival. I know many people who go there every year...
Hope your son is feeling better by the time you read all these comments.
Dorit
It sounds wonderful. Get well wishes to your son, so that you can all enjoy the fun.
Happy weekend and happy tt!!
Sounds fun:)
Hope your soon gets to feeling better soon.
The festival sounds like so much fun. Sounds like our annual Memphis in May Beale Street Blues Festival that is this weekend.
Have fun and look forward to a full report and hopefully pictures.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sorry to hear that your wee one is not feeling well.
The festival sounds like an wonderful event. Hope he gets to feeling better so he can enjoy it too.
Sounds like you'll have a FUN Festival weekend. Enjoy!
I hope your son is feeling better.
We had plans to escape the heat to the mountains this weekend, but plans have changed. Maybe they'll change again and we'll still be able to get away! I hope so, I really want to see my grandmother, and her birthday is Mother's Day, and I wanted to celebrate this weekend with her.
Happy Thursday!
I would so love to be there with you! Sounds like an amazing, soulful time for you guys. I love it! Enjoy buddy....:)
Hope you had a fabulous time and that your son felt well enough to take in some of the music and kids activities.
with the exception of your son not feeling well, this sounds awesome!
Reminds me of doing this with my parents and younger brother when we were little.
Nothing like coming home and getting cozy! Happy TT!
Get well soon, son!! And please, do share the festival experience in future posts. Sounds very cool...
Oops! I put up the wrong link--
But regardless, that concert sounds fun, what a great experience.
Sounds like a great time!
I hope your son starts feeling better!
Ahh, that brings back memories! Here in Texas, there is the Kerrville Folk Festival that was like this a long time ago. The children could roam freely then. No more, it's too big. What a fun time with family! You do some cool stuff!
So many people from different countries celebrate their own festivals here but I doubt your festival will ever be staged in Dubai. It would have been wonderful to have that here too..if only things are not so complicated.
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