Sherry made some delicious blueberry pancakes for breakfast this morning. We went back to the street fair on Maunganui Road today, hoping to catch the Easter Bunny who we missed yesterday, but he either didn't show, left early, or we weren't looking in the right place. Ro didn't seem to mind...he was having too much fun bouncing in the inflatable pirate-ship that had been set up in the carpark where the race cars were yesterday. There was also a farmer's market set up in the same carpark (there's one every Sunday) and Sherry bought a big bag of tomatoes to make her favorite tomato sandwiches.
Ro horsing around with a school chum he ran into
Ro bouncing in the inflatable pirate ship at the Farmer's Market
There were even more musicians out playing on the street today, including a kid who couldn't have been more than 8 years old, dressed as Angus Young with AC/DC suspenders, rocking out with his guitar and amp in front of one of the many surf shops, doing a pretty good rendition of Metallica's Enter Sandman. There was another kid playing near the pirate ship with an acoustic guitar that Ro loved dancing to, so Sherry put a couple bucks in his guitar case.
Ro clowning around a street musician
We drove into Tauranga for lunch and to check out the National Jazz Festival. There were a bunch of stages set up all over town, but the biggest concentration was near The Strand on the water, where all the performances were free. Some of the bigger acts elsewhere in town required tickets. As we ate lunch al fresco, we were treated to a pretty good jazz/rock band that did a spot-on cover of SRV's Couldn't Stand The Weather.
Fortunately there was a "Family Zone" nearby with games and a big inflatable slide. Only 5 bucks for 20 trips down the slide...a small price to pay to keep Ro entertained for over an hour. We did encounter one of those moral crossroads that every parent faces. The line for the slide was initially pretty short, and Ro was able to get back on shortly after getting off. As the line grew, we noticed Ro getting back in line at the spot he originally entered the line when it was short, only a few people back from the front. Nobody seemed to be saying anything...not sure they even noticed. Do we let our child cut in line to speed up the process for us so we can go do something we want (i.e. listen to jazz), or do we take this opportunity to teach him fairness and make him go to the back of the line? Of course, we made him go to the back...after the next time down.
Ro enjoying the slide at the Jazz Festival Family Zone
After letting Ro play in Herries Park along The Strand for a while, we wrapped up the afternoon listening to the music on the Maori stage in Aspen Reserve, a couple blocks away. We sat on the lawn with our drinks while Ro danced around. He even earned some more money today. There were a few concertgoers who'd apparently had a few, and they were making a game of tossing their flip-flops into a knot on the aspen tree for which the park is named. Ro took it upon himself to retrieve their wayward tosses for them, earning him their thanks, laughter, and a cool NZ$1.50 for his bankroll.
Ro trying to climb a tree by starting on a low-hanging branch
Sherry at Herries Park, Tauranga
The Maori stage in Aspen Reserve
Ro enjoying a cold one at the jazz festival
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