Every summer we go to the wonderful Paperhand Puppet show, at a beautiful outdoor theater nearby.  This year was the first time I actually got to take Jaden and Kyler -  I was thrilled to finally share this with them!  (Only now getting around to posting the pictures – sigh.)

People usually raise one skeptical eyebrow when I say “puppetshow…”  But seriously, you can’t believe it until you’ve seen it:  gigantic, weird, awe-inspiring magical creations animated by whole teams of acrobats, puppeteers, and dancers, with a live band/sound-effect orchestra to back them up.

Over the years I’ve seen these people turn paper and wood into a swarm of butterflies, a dancing egg, a dragon that swooped down over the whole audience, a troop of dancing skeletons, a goat in a boat…  but this year’s finale will stick with me forever.  A giant Earth-spirit with moon-like face and huge, welcoming hands rose up on the stage, and from behind the audience, puppeteers were carrying down huge Chinese paper lanterns suspended from long poles.  The sun was just going down, so the lanterns’ glow was beautiful.  When they reached the bottom of the stage, the lantern-bearers gathered together, the huge hands folded over the lights, and when the Earth-spirit opened up its hands again, the lanterns had been – like magic – attached together into a human form, glowing with warm light.