Bands on the Bluff

You hear a lot about how hard it is to make friends as adults, and there is truth to that. But Daniel and I have been pleasantly surprised at how many friends we have made since we had kids.

 

We have met people at church, at the Y, at local playgrounds, and also through sports (nothing like sitting on the sidelines watching kindergartners learn how to maneuver balls the right direction down a field). 

One family we have befriended over the last year has two little boys with similar ages to our boys, and they also share some of our hobbies (see here).

The dad in the other family plays in a band, and they invited us to watch his band perform at the Hunter Museum of Art's Bands on the Bluff.

 

Admission was $5 for the evening and included entrance into the museum to see the Wayne White Exhibit.

 

Wayne White is of Pee Wee Herman fame (designing the sets and puppetry) is originally from Chattanooga, and opened a local venue called Wayne-O-Rama to showcase his work here in his home city. I heard him speak a couple of years ago at a graphic design conference and was excited to see his work.

The kids were impressed by the crazy, bigger-than-life sculptures and puppets. They also had a blast running around, playing tag on the roof with their friends.

Our friend's band did a great job – Jack loved dancing to the music. A bit of a crowd formed around Jack just to watch his exuberance at dancing. Adults rarely dance at these things and it's refreshing to see children be completely uninhibited in their love for music. 

After the performance, we went out on a back deck to watch the sun set over our city. I liked the juxtaposition of the new and old architecture that forms the museum.

It was our first visit to the Hunter Museum and our first time at Bands on the Bluff, and we really enjoyed our time there. 

Our two families were the only ones with children, but the kids didn't mind. A little mid-week exposure to music and art is good for everyone.