Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Fiddle the Summer Away


We just got back from the most amazing week. We were at the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party, a traditional music camp for the whole family.

I did not know how this would all shake out when I registered us back in March. At that time it was only going to be me taking any instruction and the rest were just "roadies" But the our oldest girl started fiddle lessons this summer and so I signed her up for the camp about a month ago.

So we pack up the van, and drive the 6 hours to the camp that is in a beautiful provincial park on a gorgeous lake.






As soon as we get there, which is the night before the first day of camp, our oldest son says that he really wants to take lessons too. I so wanted to say yes to him but he plays the piano and because the camp has to rent pianos they can't take any late registration for that instrument. With a hug and a "maybe next year" we go to explore the camp grounds. 
We find the mess hall, bathrooms and basketball courts and then we find the out door pool. In the pool we also find the camp director, having a last relax before the chaos descends. In our brief conversation it comes out that he wants to take lessons but did not register. "Well, wouldn't you know," says the camp director, "we have just had a cancellation and we now have an extra piano." I am adding this on to my list of little miracles because no one else at this camp got as much out of it as our eldest.
Don't get me wrong the rest of us got a lot out of it too. Our days included unknowingly having coffee with Juno award winning artists, talking classes with some of the best fiddlers in the country, swimming in the pool (with frogs)
taking crazy fun step-dancing workshops, playing at the beach, 

canoeing,


 

eating LOTS of amazing food, playing with new friends, making forts in the woods and listening to instructor's concerts, dancing, jamming around camp fires. 

We all lost a lot of sleep and the accommodations were not luxurious, so this is what we all looked like in the morning!

But it was a small price to pay for all that we got. And the greatest gift of the whole week, more then improving my playing, and getting to play for one of the dances was seeing my kids thrive, learn, laugh and find joy in music. 

We are already planing next year's trip!

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