Now that the car is mostly unpacked, though still mud stained, the Falcon Ridge Tan, a mixture of mud, sweat and sunscreen, has mostly faded in the shower, and the backlog of unread emails and social media messages have had their first perusal, it is a good chance to reflect on Falcon Ridge 2009.

Following our standard schedule, Fiona and I drove up Wednesday morning to get a good campsite. Everyone has their own definitions of a good campsite at Falcon Ridge. For some, it is a place near all their friends where they can have great jam sessions all night long. For others, it is a place where they can take their little ones after a day at the kids’ tent and the family stage and can get a peaceful rest. For us, the most important thing is a campsite that is an easy walk from the main stage and the festival.

When Fiona and I arrived at Falcon Ridge, they were not allowing people to drive in or to carry their camping gear up to our favorite camping area, so we sat by our cars in the large field turned into a parking lot near where we check in. We chatted with the volunteers who directed us where to park. One was wearing some henna designs and I spoke with Fiona about how we had painted a henna design on Kim’s belly a few weeks before Fiona was born.

We wandered over to the check in tent where I got my shiny green wrist band. Another person waiting for an opportunity to set up camp was Dan Navarro. Fiona gave him a big hug and told him yet again how much she likes his music, especially the song “Teacher, Teacher”.

Eventually, they felt that the road up to the camping area, and the fields we would camp in had dried enough and they let us head up. We camped in almost the same place we camped last year, just a little further down the hill. We hiked up the hill to fill up our water jug. We passed another volunteer who was expecting a child on August 2. Her husband was painting a henna design on her belly.

On the way back from the water trucks, we found some raspberries which we picked. We ate some, and brought some down to the pregnant volunteer and her family. They offered Fiona the use of some of the henna, and she painted henna designs on her arms. Back at the camp, we ate, read and darkness and quieter voices settled on the 10 acre camping.

Thursday morning was foggy. The festival event wasn’t until the afternoon so I needed to find something for Fiona and I to do. Just down the hill from us I spied a potential playmate for Fiona and we went down and said hello.

It turned out that Sarah was camping with her family and friends at ‘Bungieville’. We chatted as Fiona and Sarah played. Bungieville was designed by engineers using bungie cords to better withstand the harsh Falcon Ridge storms. While we chatted, the porta-potties were from down a muddy road next to bungieville. Plans were made, and later executed on how to make the porta-potties a little nicer. Cheap pictures, push button lights, and air fresheners would be purchased. Bungieville would do its part to help make the Falcon Ridge experience nicer. There was considerable joking about what to use for pictures, from Looney Tunes cartoons to velvet paintings of Jesus.

Thursday, we mostly focused on the folk dancing. Later in the day, Kim arrived and settled into the camp. In the evening, the main stage started off with Kim and Reggie Harris, together with Magpie, singing Pete Seeger’s song “One blue sky above us”. Joan Baez’s Angeline came to mind, “yesterday's news is old news, the skies are all grey”. It occurred to me that last time I was sitting on the hill in front of the main stage, I had a tarp over my head as the hail pelted down.

During their set, they talked about mountain top removal and mentioned the site ilovemountains.org. I sent out a message via twitter to try and remember it, and others commented about it being a great site.

Later, on the main stage, John Flynn sang a song “Two Letters”: “Do we do as we do as if it is to be Or is it as it is so it is up to me” where he mentioned Twitter.

As much as I like getting to Falcon Ridge early and enjoy the music on Thursday, Friday always feels like the first real day of Falcon Ridge. Perhaps that is because of attending Falcon Ridge so many years when it started on Friday. As is our custom, we started the day at the dance tent with the Morning Glory Contra Dance for Beginners.

For me, this is followed by four and a half hours sitting at the Main Stage listening to the Emerging Artists Showcase. Twenty four emerging artists are given ten minutes each to introduce themselves and sing a couple songs. They are selected out of hundreds of applicants and is perhaps one of the best opportunities to hear some of the best up and coming artists live.

Last year I listened to the 2008 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists online and wrote up my thoughts before attending the showcase. This year, I posted my thoughts about the 2009 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists shortly before heading up to Falcon Ridge. As I always do, I take copious notes so that I can recommend my favorites for the coming year. Yet this will need to wait for another post.