Eat a Lime!

In the spirit of adventure, we decided to take the kids to the Portland Pirate Festival this last weekend. They were very excited to dress up and bring their swords out in public (not something we usually do). They had a great time watching Captain Bogg & Salty, were a little overwhelmed by the authentic cannon demonstration (see photos) and wanted to know if we were REALLY going to leave them in the stocks. (Tempting...)








The best part of the day, however, came later that night. You think your kids are at that age where they can, you know, differentiate reality from fiction. Jackson knows about Santa, he understands that cartoons are fake, and he knows that the Red Robin is actually a guy in a suit. But let me back up. When we first arrived at the parking area for the Pirate Festival, there was a guy in a very authentic pirate costume putting something away into the trunk of HIS car. We got the boys out, and the stroller out, and the baby out, and the backpack out, and all the various pieces of the pirate costumes (see photos). About 10 minutes later we were ready to set out. Let's just say that we realized at some point that this wasn't just a fun, silly festival for some of these people. It was a LIFESTYLE. I can't decide which was worse - the entire families dressed to the hilt in authentic pirate garb (including fake rum bottles for the kids to drink out of) OR the families in which JUST THE PARENTS WERE IN COSTUME. That's right. Kids totally in regular clothes, mom and dad looking like Blackbeard and some sort of (ahem) wench, so to speak. If I were 12, I would have died.

Anyhow, I digress. So we saw this pirate guy putting away something (his street clothes would be my guess) in his trunk. Later that evening, after we've been home for a few hours, Jackson and I have the following conversation:

Me: Did you have fun today bud?

J: Yup. Hey mom, wasn't it crazy how we saw that pirate going through peoples' trunks in the parking lot? I wonder if he found any loot.

Me: Um, what?

J: You know, the pirate that was next to us, in the parking lot, going through peoples trunks.

Me: (With realization dawning) Jack, that was HIS trunk. Of his car. He was a guy in a costume. He wasn't a real pirate looting peoples' trunks.

J: OOOOOhhhhhhhhh. (realization AND relief) I was kind of worried he'd get in our trunk next.

Apparently that whole reality/fiction thing wasn't quite as clear as I had assumed. Hmmm.

A few more of my faves, including Chloe's first time in the double decker Phil & Teds.