the trap(p)s at wolftrap

Every year Wolftrap hosts an International Children’s Festival during the fall – a weekend of fun, arts, dances and the like. For the past 3 years the kids have performed to showcase Indian dances amongst the rest. This year, we decided to take a break and the daughter volunteered to be part of the FLL team that also plants booths in the Arts and Technology side of the festival.

So we joined a few others in her team to spread the word on Robotics and the joy it brings to the ones who build the robot, and then program it to do a set of activities. Since the boys in her team are quite tongue-tied, she and the only other girl on the team were roped in to be the spokespersons.

As by now it’s a given that nothing goes smooth when I embark on a “project”, here’s what happened..

You’d think having spent my whole US life in the area and the fact that Wolftrap is really just around the corner and that I go there every year quite like a pilgrimage, I could drive there with my eyes closed. That’s where I have the curse of the ramp on me.

As is always the case, there are a few different ways to reach a point, and I choose one way, and invariably I lose an exit or VDOT decides to change highways around or am just so focused on my music that I land in a completely different part of town. Every (4) time! It’s funny innit?

Well, the 1st time was when I conveniently watch it go past coz the husband said 2 miles, and who knew 2 miles lands within a minute(?!) did a detour and landed on the other side only to discover that exit 15 only comes northbound! It was exasperating and I landed 5 minutes short of the performance.

The 2nd time, I kept staring at the sign and shot past it. Nope, can’t blame the husband but I did yell at the kids in the backseat. They took it good-naturedly and we had to drive through million dollar homes, and lush winding slopey roads to arrive at the back of the Barns.  Huffed and puffed our way up with the help of the guy at the post.

The 3rd year, it was raining cats and dogs and since I knew I was going to mess up anyway, I was extremely alert and yet managed to do a daredevil stunt and cross medians and took the exit. Very bad of me, but I didn’t get lost!

This morning I was animatedly discussing something with the daughter  and yes, shot past the exit. I didn’t realize it till she started laughing. This is the toll road, so everytime I lose an exit, I pay heavily, with quarters. Quite amusing I tell you!

There’s another story with toll. I hate throwing the change into that little bin they have from the car. I always always lose some part of the change, and then there’s some bozo behind me who’s in an extreme hurry and would start honking at the flustered lady who can’t toss a coin in straight! I tend to take the SUV and usually gravity helps there, but the car is really annoying to me. The height just doesn’t cut it and I quite feel like I am on the floor. Anyways, so yes, lost a  quarter to the angle at which my left arm could fling, and annoyed the daughter since she was saving the Nebraska quarter and had to part with it.

Today I had some time to run around all by myself [ah the joy!] and managed to catch a few nice dances and activities, met a few dozen folks I knew and hobnobbed an hour. Ended it with the cha-cha slide, [click here for some really cute kids doing the cha cha] before I returned home.

Apart from the occasional gray sky and humid weather, which truly made me feel sorry for some of the performers, there was lots of laughter, kids, strollers, some serious techy kids along with some equally serious dancing ones! Those Flamenco dancers from Spain were hot! As in perspiring yet managing to look cool and very sexy!

Enjoy!