Damn Dirty Filthy Hippies

That's what we were this weekend. Seriously. Filthy.

We attended the Winnipeg Folk Festival this weekend. Since we left on Wednesday and returned today, I have a lot of stories, but since none of them are all that interesting, I'll just give you the quick version:

Wednesday: Left Minneapolis; stayed overnight in a KOA in Moorhead, MN. Just a note: If you dislike mosquitoes, DON'T stay at the KOA in Moorhead, MN. Seriously. It was nasty.

Thursday: Arrived at Birds Hill Park just northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba. We unpacked, set up the camper, and then went to see the evening acts, but got rainstormed out.

Friday: Arrived back at the festival grounds to find them transformed into a glorious maze of mud and water and muddy water. This was the last day I wore shoes or sandals... they were totally pointless. Saw some great music, got a million skeeter bites... and...

Got a massive, very localized, sun burn. Now normally, I'm a very responsible person when it comes to sun care. I like to get a little color, but am NOT a fan of the sunburn. I have slowly built up a little tan over the summer, mostly taking baby for walks and stuff like that.

I thouht to myself, "I'll be fine sans sunscreen for one afternoon; after that I'll have to wear it." WHICH I WOULD HAVE BEEN. BUT. I forgot that I got a little burned last weekend wearing my halter-top-style swimsuit having been outside in regular tank tops. Little burn where my tank top straps had been. Wore halter top outside. Forgot that I had peeled and was now sporting fresh, white, Alaskan skin.

Blistered.

Owwwwwwwwwww. Melanoma, here I come.

Saturday: More of the same, with sunscreen. Still managed to blister a little more.

Sunday: Wore sarong over shoulders all day. Friend's family decided to leave early (the mosquitoes only got worse with all the rain and mud), so we packed up and drove to Grand Forks, ND, where we stayed in two hotel rooms and trashed their bathtubs with our filthy, hippie, mud-encrusted feet. Left the cleaning person a swell tip.

Monday: Awoke to find blister replaced by scrape-like scab. Ewwwwwwwwwwww, but significantly less painful. Drove home to the lovely Twin Cities. Relaxed.

Overall... more skeeter bites than I can count, blistering sunburn, utter exhaustion, and ankle-deep mud. Yep. Great vacation. I'm not being sarcastic. It was awesome. I'm so marking my calendar for next year! Maybe I'll stay in the "fun" campground rather than the "quiet family" campground, though. Those people looked like they were having a very, very good time.