Good Music

 I'm pretty sure our week ended how it did for billions of other people-- watching the Opening Ceremonies. This post isn't about the Olympics, but I will say that I thought the Ceremonies were well done and I especially loved that they recognized all of the isles as well as Great Britain's contributions to children's literature (hello, dozens of Mary Poppins, be still my Poppins-lovin' heart). And I will also say that Miss C was fascinated by the Opening Ceremonies and by the idea of London itself. Luckily, I had a children's book, The Story of London, that I picked up when I visited the city six years ago. Between the book and the countless brochures, postcards, maps, and other items I picked up there, my girl is in heaven watching the games and learning about London. She keeps asking when we will go there. I keep telling her, we'll go when we know she'll remember it.

Anyway...this is post is really about how our week began: with good music. Despite being a little tired from last Saturday's reunion, on Sunday we found out that one of our favorite bands, Over the Rhine, was giving a free concert in the neighborhood from which they take their name. So we headed down to Washington Park, and this time we brought swimsuits.

 We also brought some snacks. A late lunch meant nobody wanted dinner. So graham crackers, yogurt, chips and salsa, cheese, fruits, and veggies (and a little wine for Mommy and Daddy) filled our picnic basket.

 A few hundred other people joined us. :-) As the sun began to set behind Music Hall, the band took the stage.

 The kids hung in there for about an hour before they were bored and tired and ready to go home. We changed them into their jammies and headed for the car, happy that we at least got to hear them play one of our favorite songs, Ohio.

On Monday night, a gracious friend stayed with C and B, so that One Ordinary Dad and I could go see Joshua Radin. I love small venue concerts, with only a couple hundred people, where you can be about 20 feet from the stage and not feel claustrophobic. He put on a good show and we're excited for his new album to drop on Tuesday, 7/31. If you haven't listened to him, he's kind of indie-pop, a little mellow at times. In concert, he is amazing (and a terrific storyteller to boot). 

And sandwiched in between the beginning of the week's good tunes and the end of the week's Opening Ceremonies was lots of fun just hangin' around and soakin' up the summer.

Anyone else seen any good live shows recently?

~One Ordinary Mom