festival of the arts continued

This weekend really took me back to being a kid. We used to go to festival nearly every year. I remember as a kid, taking part in all the crafts & activities they have for the kids. Building sculptures out of wooden scraps and glue, painting pictures, getting my face painted. Almost every year we volunteered with our 4-H club working at a food booth, selling walking tacos or hot dogs.

Now that I'm an adult, somehow the food never tastes quite as good as you think it's going to. But still every year that I go to festival, I manage to try some of the food, imagining how great it's going to be, and usually being dissapointed. Still festival is always a good time. I love seeing all the diversity that, yes even Grand Rapids has to offer. Despite the usually hot & rainy weather, people still come out year after year.

I took our friends Dawt and her son Thang downtown on Saturday. They are Burmese refugees and have been in Michigan for just a little over a month now. Thang is 5 years old and he is such a joy. He is a very bright young boy. He had such a blast painting, making a hat, getting his face painted and getting an air brushed tattoo. (yes i'm such a good influence!). Although he looks very serious in these pictures he loves to smile and laugh and he was very enthusiastic about all the fun kids arts and crafts activities we got to do.