Shortly before the concert started a large extended family, staked out their claim by spreading out their blanket and chairs quite near us. Two young girls in their group were excitedly chatting before the concert. While I have all the tolerance in the world for my grandchildren's vocal nature, sometimes when I am aiming for serenity and peace, other loud children sometimes annoy me. I blame it partially on getting old and cranky as well.

Initially, I worried a bit that these two little girls were going to be a pain, and disturb our peaceful evening. Glancing at my husband, I could tell that he was probably having similar misgivings. As I began my second glass of wine though, either they got quieter, or the wine made me not notice them as much. I am not much of a drinker, so two glasses of wine has a dramatic effect on me and that is nearly all I can usually tolerate.

The elder woman of the clan noticed my mini-bouquet and commented on how pretty it looked. She asked how I had it anchored in the cup holder. We chatted briefly, and soon thereafter the concert started. As I glanced back at the woman who was obviously the grandmother of the group, I happened to notice the other family members as well. A couple appeared the right ages to be the parents of the two girls who appeared to be about 10 and 12 years old. I noticed that the girls had much darker skin than the rest of the family, but did not dwell on it.

Since the Fourth of July was near, the concert consisted of American classics. As the sun sat and the cool breeze blew, we were thoroughly enjoying our relaxing evening under the stars. Our picnic dinner had satisfied our hunger and the wine mellowed us both. We were happy campers.

An interesting feature of a musical concert at an outdoor venue is the interesting array of nature sounds that sometimes accompanies the concerts. Geese and parrots fly over honking and squawking, train sounds off in the distance, all added to the sounds of a summer evening. The one unique nature sound that always accompanies the concerts at the arboretum is the peacocks. You can also count on the peacocks to make their presence known. At one point, I noticed the girls in the family behind us giggling when the peacocks chimed in during the concert.

To Be Continued......................................