family

There is a 50% off sale in the Boutique!!! To access the bargain prices, type in

LABORDAYSALE

 at the checkout, and hit "recalculate" and watch the amount drop in half.

I'll be out of town and away from my computer and out of touch for a few days, so shipping will be next week.  Please remember that the postage prices will be adjusted when I get the actual total from the USPS as I box the goodies up to send to you and I will refund excesses.  

www.karlascottage.com

Our kids were performing in Missouri, inside the path of the full eclipse.  

We love watching their performances, and hanging out with the grand fairies, so we packed up our little camper (I call it the world's biggest rolling suitcase, instead of the world's smallest camper) and headed toward the Darkening of the Sun.

Most of the family goes early to set up the village and rigs.  So we had little ones all week, for back to school and Sugarwings' birthday too.

 Which was pretty nice for us.  

There is a ton of work to be done, this group doesn't just show up, do some tricks and leave, they set up an entire world of their own inside the music festival.  They've got two 23' high rigs, that get covered in parachutes for shade, and multi colored lights for rainbow fun.  There is a geodesic dome for sound therapy, and another big tent for workshops and then there is a vending area too.  

It is all done artistically, and comes out quite beautiful when they are done.

As I walked through the venue, I realized that these guys had transformed the entire event into something really spectacular.  

I'd been to festivals they throw themselves, so had seen their set up before, but had not really seen just how much they do at other people's events. (this photo is just part of the set up)

Of course, they also bring some great entertainment to fill those tents!

The show just gets bigger and more exciting every time I see it.

They have the two rigs with aerialists in each, fire dancers, hula hoopers, a guy on stilts, and dancers floating about, as well as my son spinning his songs.

Plus, there are workshops all weekend for attendees of the festival, who get to show off what they learned on the last night.  It is adorable to see they little ones up there feeling proud of their accomplishments and being part of the circus.

All of the parents and grand parents out in the audience, enjoy that showcase as much as I do, I'm sure.

Well, it is all great to watch!

Next to the Sacred Circus was the main stage, and my husband spent a lot of time there.  His favorite performer was the headliner, so he was pretty happy.  Even happier when he had a fairy to perch on his shoulders to watch with  him.

Of course, times without a kiddo climbing on him over the weekend were few and far between.

I'll leave you with some more photos from the parties.   This is my son with his crystal singing bowls.  (I'd love to sneak one away and fill it with water, fish, and a fountain for my back yard, these bowls are beautiful up close)

I'll leave you with some photos of the party.

Our town was not completely in the path of the totality, but was close. I'd have been happy with that, but my family's Sacred Circus troop was playing at a festival that was dead center of the darkness. So we packed up the camper and headed out to enjoy the shows on the arial rigs and in the afternoon sky.

This event was built around the eclipse, and there were huge parties on Monday in honor of it.  Drum circles, dancing, Native American ceremonies.  I'd fully planned on attending the Cherokee one, but after three days of heat, the idea of walking a 1/4 mile up to a bare hilltop in the mid day sun wasn't ideal.  Our air conditioner didn't work in the camper, and neither did the outlets, so we had no fan.

 The nights cooled off, and there was a breeze, but I was still worn out from getting very few breaks from the Missouri summer.  (Although it could have been worse, I'd expected bugs and there wasn't any problem with them at all!  Thank goodness for that break, yay!)

While thousands of happy hippies headed up the hill to go dance in the sun as it disappeared behind the moon, I joined some of my family who decided to take advantage of this Roots in Bliss Village that my boy had erected for the aerialists.  The place was pretty much deserted while everyone climbed up the road to the hilltop, so we sat under the shady tents and waited for the eclipse, enjoying our private time.   There was howling at the moon, some dancing, lots of relaxing.

 There was even a fan.  And chairs.  And shade.

There were a few others about, but the field was large, and our group still had an intimate feel to it.

I was thankful that these guys also decided to stay behind and not go with the crowds, they serenaded the moon as it covered the sun and I felt like I was being serenaded myself.

After the lively days we'd spent at the overflowing festival, watching the sun from this spot with a handful of people felt even more special.

I'd been more worried about everyone's eyesight than I was about looking forward to seeing the solar event myself, and wasn't expecting to be so moved by seeing first little bite of sun go away.  

When the air started to change and the light eerily began to have that glow, I was hooked.  

Of course, I was still worried about eyesight. And kept watching the girls as much as the sun, making sure everyone was following proper glasses etiquette.  And since bright lights lead to migraines for me, I peeked up in small doses.

 But there is much more to watching one of these than just looking up.  Looking around, feeling the shifts, and thinking about the magic of nature was more important to me than watching the entire sun get swallowed up.

I'm glad to know there will be another one to watch in my own lifetime.