Dancing under the stars...

Last night was our yearly hoe down at Pokagon State Park. Actually we call it the Autumn hoe down. I have been attending this dance for as long as I can remember. When the boys were little we all worked at the Fall Fest and then attended the dance. They spent their younger years hiking up to Hell's Point...anything to get out of dancing! They eventually spent time in the trees watching the dancers before they were brave enough to join all the dancers on the dance floor. Oh, those days are long gone...those boys of mine are grown and have their own lives now.

Last night I went to Erin's house for a chili party and then headed off to the park. The evening was cool and clear and the parking lot was full of folks of all ages! The caller did a great job teaching dances to the masses! I danced every dance even a staggering try at the waltz with a few friends. (Philip left so he couldn't go with me!!)

Part way through the evening the moon rose over the trees. It was lovely and romantic and so beautiful to be outside for the evening. The bonfire kept us warm if we were dancing and the boy scouts sold popcorn and coffee and coney dogs!

I didn't leave until all the folks had left and I bade my farewell to the band.

It was a dark and quiet drive home. My house was warm and inviting when I arrived back at midnight. I lit my outside pumpkin and just read a while before a 2 a.m. sleep took me into the darkness.

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana and spends her summers on the wind swept island of Ocracoke. You can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories