Ah...a typical FootWayne Thursday evening. Big trip up north to join the crowds thrilling to our big new Sam's Club, with a stop on the way back by the first night of the Greek Festival at Headwaters Park. For those of you who have not been following this blog since, say, last summer, you might want to know that the horror of winter up here produces a great need to just be outside once the mercury hits 60 or so. This takes many different forms, among them the "festivals" which are held every weekend, it seems, at this big park built over a flood plain downtown. Last week it was barbecue, week before was German, I think, and this weekend it was the Greeks. The most striking sight at these festivals to me is always that of men walking around with their (usually) empty plastic pitchers of beer (pitchers emblazoned with name of the festival of the week) hooked through a beltloop. That, plus this area's favorite fair food - huge, gross pork tenderloin sandwiches with brown breaded patties flopping over the bun - were the most memorable visions that met me my first year in Fort Wayne, and which I'll probably associate with this place the rest of my life.

Anyway, stopped by the festival, listened to Greek music, ate the spinach-feta-phyllo thing, then a cheese-phyllo thing, drank beer, and watched Joseph run his legs off. I also had the great privilege of taking him up one of those big, air-filled puffy slides, (Michael did it last time at...what was it...a Spice Festival. In a different place, but a FootWayne festival, nonetheless) which was a challenge because I was barefoot and the way up to the top was slick as oil from the rain and humidity, and Joseph wouldn't climb up, so he had to be carried, and so I got a bonus exercise session today. Three times.

Nancy, how will you ever be able to tear yourself away from these excitements?

(And in case you're wondering why I've decided to call this place FootWayne, it's because that's the way Joseph pronounces it, and it strikes me as not inaccurate.)