We went to China and Kenya...

We went to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival concert on Wednesday night. What a glorious evening to visit the lovely Mall, all set up for the event celebrating Kenya and China this year. This is one of our favorite events and I'll tell you about our visits over the next few days. First of all, isn't the castle lovely all freshly renovated? The Festival brings in people from the chosen countries, with culture, craft, info on their lives, stage performances, food and drink. It is like an immersion lesson! With beer!
The first concerts were held in both countries, and I took a few pics in China...

There were pretty costumes, lots of high pitched singing, folk songs about love and other human emotions. 

AND an Appalachian banjo player. 

One that majored in Chinese studies in University and loved all things Chinese! She sang some mountain songs and then duets with some of the Chinese performers. Only at the Folklife Festival.

Cole loves visiting DC, all the people and new smells and squirrels. He is so at home and as you can see, got so into the whole thing, that he put on his Fourth of July bandana!

You didn't expect us to go for a concert at dinner time and not visit one of the concessions did you? Interesting that the Kenyan food seemed very like India's food. We got something like a beignet, or little donut-like puff made with coconut milk. It wasn't quite as tasty as the actual beignet's from Cafe DuMonde in New Orleans, that dh brought back from a business trip recently. We shared a Chinese beer while we watched the show. Cole didn't feel like curry, so he had a biscuit from home, and some of the donut sugar.

on the way back to the car, I had to stroll through the specimen garden next to the Smithsonian castle. More pictures tomorrow, but here's a little taste

Cole imagined playing in the big water bowl.
It was a balmy evening but still warm for a person wearing a black fur coat.

And a very hot bandana.

This bird taunted him by jumping in!