Just Another Line

Just one of the many lines at
Willamette Country Music Festival.

“You better blog about this” my husband tells me. We’ve been standing in line just to get in the Willamette Country Music Festival for over an hour. The line snakes around R.V. and campers and parked cars in a dirty, dusty mowed-over grass field nestled against the rolling hills and mountains of Oregon. It took over 40 minutes to turn off the highway and wait in line to get directed to our parking spot just to wait in yet another line on foot.

“I don’t know,” I reply only to myself. I notice my blogs that get read the most with comments posted to my facebook page are the ones with humor. I am not a humor writer but I do find humor in most of my daily adventures. But how do you find humor in waiting in line? So I’ll stand her and wait for something funny to happen. 

And wait.

And wait.

Nope, nothing funny about waiting in line. I read in the newspaper the next day the line was over a quarter of a mile long and that people had gotten into line at 7:45 for the 11:00 gate opening. Oh, like wow. Makes my hour wait pale in comparison.

The balloon marks our spot.

A mere hour or so later we scoured the grounds looking for the best possible spot to put our lawn chairs. Taking into consideration the view, the distance from the stage and the wind (or lack thereof) I believe the best spot is next to the beer gardens. My husband doesn’t necessarily agree with me, but since the Honey Bucks (aka porta pottys) are nearby I win. (Yea me.) I attach a purple balloon to find our chair later in the massive crowds and also so our friends can find us. (No comments here please, I do have a few friends but I pay them to be such.)

Onward to seek food and shade. Not in that order. Unlike rest of the nation, Oregon has experienced an extremely mild summer with no temperatures in the 90 (much less 100) and today is going to be the warmest day of the year with the mercury soaring to 91. A real barn burner for us alabaster, white-skinned shade-loving Oregonians.

The only shade to be found is in the parking lot thanks to a camper on the bed of an old Ford pickup truck. We hike the cooler over to that shade and experience our redneck country picnic complete with a microbrew and Starbucks. So it was an upscale redneck picnic.

And then we wait. 

And wait. 

The headliner Alan Jackson plays at 9:30 pm, as in tonight. And the waiting has just begun before 10 am.

Nope, nothing funny about waiting. 

In the spirit of Alan Jackson, I kick back with another beer and call it 5 o’clock somewhere. 

Only 10 mere hours left to wait.