Firefly Festival

I was really nervous that the fireflies wouldn't show up for the party, like I planned.  I wanted to share the spectacular lightning bug display that we saw last year at this time, so we planned a cookout and campfire, and then crossed our fingers that the lightning bugs would show up on time.  No need to worry, they were fantastic!  

Since some folks hadn't been to the farm before, Jamie asked me if I had a something that we could tie to the mailbox, and I remembered the pretty rainbow kite that wouldn't fly.  Perfect!  Just turn right at the kite.  

I didn't take a single photo of the party while it was in progress.  I have no photos with the table cloths still clean and waving in the wind under the pear tree, or photos of the picnic baskets overflowing with goodies, or the laughing faces of family and friends playing corn hole and sitting around the campfire, or of the adorable children flying kites and chasing fireflies.  I did, however, take pictures of Puck cleaning the breakfast dishes amidst the party aftermath after everyone went home the next day to recuperate from so much frivolity.  It seems appropriate, though, that I record and appreciate the perfection of the day after the party, when I have time to savor the memories we made.  And it really was a perfect.  The wind and sun were wonderful, and because no one can sleep long in a tent, or in their car, despite a late night, we were up early for a breakfast of eggs from Joe's chickens, potatoes we cooked in the campfire the night before, cooked together on the grill with sausages and onions and covered in shredded cheese.  It was so good, we ate a second breakfast while we flew kites in the morning breeze.   

Even though Puck worked hard throughout the party making sure no uneaten bits of food were left in the grass, I assigned him kitchen duty during the camp clean up.  Puck doesn't usually get access to my iron skillets, so he was more than willing to help out.  I'm not sure why I wait until no one is around the let the dog lick the dishes, but then show you pictures.  It's a good thing Martha Stewart doesn't read this blog.  

Martha probably wouldn't have to serve breakfast coffee in a measuring cup either, but then she wouldn't have enjoyed watching folks drink their coffee from the odd collection of containers we scrounged up. We ate watermelon cut with a machete too, and this may be my new favorite way to cut a watermelon.  

This lone cooler was all that was left of the corn hole and firefly gazing arena.  

I like seeing the bed we set up in the living room for my aunt to sleep on too.  It gives the room some scale which helped me envision how it will look with furniture.  

And the best part of the day after the party - the left overs!  It's like all the tasty treats of the cookout, with none of the effort.  Everything is just there, ready to eat.  And then a nap, of course.  Nothing makes a nap as good as too much potato salad after a night of drinks made from lemonade and Firefly vodka.  

I wish I knew how to take photos of the fireflies.  As the sun set, we were anxiously waiting for the first flickers in the distance, and when we finally saw them, we were excited.  They just kept getting better as it got darker, too.   The kids were running through the darkness catching the fireflies and bringing them to me to put in a jar.  I think I let as many escape as I managed to get in the jar!  We stayed up late, and the fireflies never stopped flashing.  When I went outside at three in the morning, there was dew on the grass that shone in the moon light, and the fireflies were still flashing their silent signals.  It was something I'll never forget, even without a picture.