A Midsummer Night's Dream

To be bored...or not to be bored.  That is the question.
So in an effort not to let the summer slip by unnoticed, I scoured the internet for fun things to do in our area.  I discovered a free Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park.  Just the thing-eth!
Hillary had to work, but Hubby, Parker and I packed a killer cooler, grabbed some lawn chairs and headed to the city.

The park had been transformed into "Shakespeare Glen"...complete with colorful tents, gypsy dancers, and multitudes of rabble like us.
We picked a shady spot on a hill and spread out our blanket.  Aside from a few ants, we were all smiles as we laughed and ate and watched people.

The variety was amazing.  There was a group of elegant senior citizens in front of us eating off real plates and drinking wine from crystal goblets.  They even had a cake in a tin cake pan!  Then there was a group of teenagers behind us, snacking on Doritos and sharing several mis-matched quilts.  There were young parents with their small children, and college kids with dreadlocks.  Even if there hadn't been a play to see, there would still have been a show!

Parker and I walked over to watch a side show juggling act.  The handsome young jester had us laughing with his antics and gasping at his ability to juggle knives while standing on a giant pink ball.  I have a feeling Parker and I are going to be saying "Oookaay?" in a fake british accent and giving each other thumbs up and cheesy smiles for a long time to come.  It was magical.  Only the sun setting over the tops of the line of port-o-potties reminded me we were still in the 21st century.
Finally it was time for the main event to begin.  We settled in to watch a live performance of The Taming of the Shrew.

It only took us a few minutes to get used to the Bard's language, and then we were laughing at his jokes.  When intermission came, Hubby and I walked around to the concession tents to see what they had to offer.  They had hot dogs and mixed drinks and...coffee?!  I couldn't believe it!  Right in front of me was a Kaldi coffee tent.  Not exactly Starbucks, but it could definitely pass for a first cousin.  But, alas, we had accidentally left our cash in the car.  I sighed and went back to our seats while Hubby headed to the Port-o-pot.
A few minutes later, he came walking back and handed me a Kaldi Mocha!  Perhaps he was trying his hand at the Taming of His Own Shrew...but never has such love shone from my eyes for that man. The show had resumed so he whispered, "I'll explain later."  Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I just drank my coffee and asked no questions.   Later I found out that while Hubby was using the urinal, he looked down to see a crumpled $10 bill on the floor.  He figured it was a gift from the gods and used it to make his woman happy.
When the fun was finally over, we packed up our stuff and said goodbye to Shakespeare.  We were tired but happy and spent the drive home talking about our favorite parts of the show and friends who would've enjoyed sharing it with us.
Thank you, Shakespeare, for a mid-summer night's dream.