The Azalea Festival With No Azaleas

One thing I've learned living in North Carolina is this state love festivals.

There is a festival for fish, for flowers, for food, for just about everything.

It reminds me a lot of our life in Japan when we were stationed at Atsugi.

The Japanese were notorious for festivals and always carrying someone down the street in parade fashion. I wish I had understood more of what was going on back then :) From a foreigners eyes, it all seems quite confusing.

A very similar feeling to what happened this weekend at 

the Azalea Festival without an azalea in sight!

These are azaleas. Absolutely gorgeous and brightly colored flowers! 

Unfortunately, these azaleas were not found at the festival. 

Nope, I took these photos in my neighborhood where azaleas bloom in abundance.

*shaking my head*

Here is an opportunity you won't get very often. This was the start of our Azalea Festival experience, helping out a bunch of clowns who needed a tire changed. The kids and I just thought it was the funniest sight. I mean, really, when in life will this ever happen again?

My saint of a husband took liberty to help out and do the heavy lifting.

Those Marines I tell you. Their job never stops helping out America ;)

The azalea part of the festival may have been a bust but Downtown Wilmington never is! The historic sites and the waterfront walkway never get old.

We loved being able to show downtown off to my mother in law.

I'm  beginning to think festival really means street fair.

There were plenty of crafty vendors to visit.

And free food to sample.

We are speaking the teens love language now.

As we looped around the street fair vendors, we made our way along the Cape Fear River walkway I mentioned early.

It's a great place to stop and observe everything. 

I love looking out across the river. 

The water is crazy powerful and just swirls and swirls.

It also makes you kind of nervous as a momma when your clumsy child sits right up on the ledge of that powerful river. I need one of those monkey backpack leashes!

Believe me we used to have one for that child!

The USS North Carolina is docked here and used as a museum.

We haven't visited but I've marked it on our To-See list.

In my opinion, the giant piñata balloon was the star of the show.

When is the last time you saw a giant piñata balloon?

I think the answer might be never!

That is why I needed a picture :)

We spent most of our time watching the multicultural dance stage. 

These dancers were getting their cardio in early.

We sat there for a couple hours and then decided to go back to the car.

I was a little discouraged the Azalea Festival lacked the flowers I expected.

So, when I saw these flowers I decided I needed a picture. 

A block later, we finally found these azaleas outside a historic building or church (I can't remember). 

They were the only azaleas we came across at the festival.

Which means we had to take all the pictures!

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