Strawberry Festival: henna tatoos and fancy hats

I think I have discovered my new annual Strawberry Festival routine; just don't go until Sunday.

There is something about that long hot Saturday "festival-ing" that I find just exhausting. Usually by Sunday I am toast and don't want to have anything to do with it until the next year.

This year I simply ignored it until Sunday. Molly spent the day with friends on Saturday, Jake, Shea and I just hung around here at home relaxing. It was good.

Molly wanted to get a henna tattoo so we went early afternoon Sunday. By that time it wasn't as crowded, everything was winding down and I was cranked and ready to go.

It was a fun thing to do. A nice lady squeezed out henna goo from a tiny, tiny pastry bag. She was wicked fast. We both got one. Here they are with the goo still on. We had to "not get it wet until tomorrow AM" which was nearly impossible for me. It turned out ok though.

We moseyed around, visited with folks we knew, Molly got shaved ice and then I saw them. I thought it was just a bunch of sun hats at first.

There is so much CRAP at these fairs, it is mostly just a bunch of imports pawned off cheap. But at closer look, then even closer inspection; I realized she was a milliner. A good old fashioned milliner. Not to be over the top all of a sudden on you folks but: Isn't it sad that we so rarely see people making something with their hands?

She was looking through a catalog with many, many different kinds of ribbons. Her hats were...well...irresistible and I some how tried to justify this early b-day gift for miss Molly. We spent a long time visiting and trying to find the perfect one; I think we found it.

It was good, in fact the best festival so far.