Welcome to the pond

Sorry for the late post. I haven't really felt the need to be glued to the computer much today.

Today I went to the Scandinavian Festival with my buddy Mike and his cousin. This is probably the eighth straight year I've attended the festival. It's at least the seventh straight year, I'm sure. We walked around some, sat in the shade some, and ate a lot. I had a Swedish pancake with lingonberries, BBQ ribs (which I regret paying $7 for when I could have had something a bit better), a DELICIOUS chocolate-covered cream puff and a strawberry smoothie. No aebleskivers (pancake balls) for me this year, because the line was so damned long and the sun so damned hot. The cream puff was honestly better than any aebleskiver, and I didn't have to wait in ANY line to get that! Maybe next year I'll get some hot pancake ball and jam goodness.

I did notice that there were some booths that didn't make it this year. Usually the majority of the booths are the same every year, and in the same place every year. Mainly I missed the BBQ booth run by relatives of mine. Maybe they'll show up next year.

I didn't do and see everything at the festival this year, but I still had a good time. It's not just about having a good time, but also about tradition. It's about knowing that the more things change, the more they stay the same because there are people out there dedicated to providing a place four days out of the year where you can be sure things will be familiar every year and you can always get something delicious that you can't find at any other time of year. It's about supporting a small community and most of all it's about celebrating a sometimes-forgotten heritage. My heritage. A heritage that I feel proud of and feel thankful that I can celebrate every August.