Gallery and Library Open Stage

 This post promises to be photo-heavy - sorry to anyone for whom that means a loooooong wait....

Ani and I like to spend morning time making art...we recently watched Where the Wild Things Are, and though we often free-float it with our process, I remembered this guided art project that I bookmarked years ago and so we sort of followed their instruction.

I could watch her face all morning, as she concentrates on what she's doing...

Voila, monster a la Anika...(this is supposed to be K.W. for anyone who has seen the movie - that's Richard the raccoon peeking out of her mouth)

We've had some "Jack and Annie" (Magic Treehouse series) on audio from the library that the girls have been engrossed in. Eliza was captivated by one focused on Carnival in Venice.

I am impressed by how intricate the details are on the costumes.

I'm not certain who this couple is...

This drawing jumped out at me for one particular reason.  Do you see the shadow under her jaw? I asked how she knew to do that, and she said from looking at other pictures, and from watching...

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This evening we attended our second, and the season's last, Open Stage at the public library.  It was even more entertaining than last week...

This young man confidently played three tunes on the recorder with his nose. !!! Hilarious.

Jokes are the cornerstone of this open mic, and Dan remembered some of the first ones he ever learned to tell...

Eliza told four riddles, spaced throughout the evening, that she learned from The Hobbit.  This girl is no longer shy and thinks open mic is the best thing ever.

This little tiger decided not to tell the cow joke she had prepared...maybe next summer...

Eliza also helped out Librarian Lee in her skit...

...and sang with a couple other acts who were interested in having some company (Rubber Duckie on ukelele...).

This photo is to prove that yes, it does happen in the library, and not in its conference room either.  That is the circulation desk right there, and no they didn't ask us to quiet down as we "wimowehed" our last song...

I've written about our love for the library before, and I just want to say that the hosts for these three evenings are community members, inspired to create a little tradition for their town.  Several families bring their children every year, and the hosts see them walk in and sing out, "Lily! Oh, will you sing Little Maggie for us??? Josh, do you have any good knock-knock jokes?".  Think of how that boosts a child's sense of self confidence!   I know my kids will talk about this all year and plot and plan what their contribution will be when Open Stage rolls around again...