Winfield was great, and even though I really enjoyed it last year, I enjoyed it much more this year for several different reasons. I think the main reason that I enjoyed it more this year was because this year we went on the trip just for the festival and didn't do much else on the way. Last year when we made a bunch of stops on the way for my dad's work to make it possible for him to be able to make the trip. This year, we were able to camp at the festival instead of staying an hour away. It added to the experience being able to have a station to go back to, and it also allowed us to watch more concerts and competitions. The highlight of the concerts was watching Tommy Emmanuel. 
Another thing that made this year extra enjoyable was placing in the competition and winning a new McSpadden Ginger Model dulcimer, which has been on my wish list for a while. Like last year, except more this year, I had a very nice time jamming and talking with some friends. We were also more familiar with the festival and the people there and had at least a little sense of tradition that we could build on.
And now, straying from the general tone of the first part of the blog, here is a very interesting competition story -- or at least I think it is. In the second round of the competition I planned to play Redwing and Greensleeves. So I got on stage and played Redwing. Then it was time for Greensleeves, which is a song that I use a capo on, but when I looked at the head of my dulcimer, where I keep my capo........ it was not there!!! I had not prepared another song for competition but I quickly regrouped and played an improvisational version of the Old Rugged Cross, which turned out just fine. And after I got of stage I just shook my head and thought, "What an adventure."
-Nathaniel
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