I have just updated Tomas' Online Calendar with the events we are planning on attending this year.

Tomas should be reaching Ft. Myers tonight sometime. He is setting up for the Riverdale Kiwanis Medieval Faire in Lakes Regional Park. The show runs this upcoming weekend and the next.

I have a long list of things to do before I get down to my first event of the year (Gulf Wars). Work on the list started today with spring cleaning; since Tomas and the trailer are both safely out of the way, I spent the day cleaning the workshop. Tomorrow I should be able to finish, and get myself organized and ready to work.

Well, I suppose it is time I got on with posting again... I really have no excuse except laziness. I find myself writing less and less. I suppose that might be good, in that I am off doing more and more...

( Holidays and thereafter in summary )

I just received word that trouble131's husband Mark just lost his father last night. If you know Mark, he could really use some support. He is home with his family right now. It is always sad to lose those close to you, but for it to happen right before Christmas just makes it all the more painful.

"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma." - Eartha Kitt

Today Tomas and I stopped by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, since we were passing through on our way north. They are currently hosting an exhibition titled Leonardo da Vinci: Hand of the Genius. I mean, seriously, was it even possible for us to pass up a chance to see the work of one of the greatest artists of all time? No. It wasn't. We went, and enjoyed it. It made me think.

Like me, Tomas, and many others, LdV was the sort of person who started lots of things with great enthusiasm, and really finished relatively few of them. The difference is, even his half-finished pencil-sketch type stuff is brilliant.

After viewing the exhibition, we walked around the permanent collections. Their medieval/renaissance collection was terribly small, and what there was, I can't display photos from. The High is very protective, and won't permit any photos from their facility to be put onto personal websites.

But moving back to the real world... I did learn some less-than-brilliant things on this trip. And I'll share them, on the slim chance that they might entertain or enlighten you...

What I learned in the Keys:

The Keys are infested with fire ants. Intellectually, I did know this, but didn't think about it. We disturbed a nest setting up our pavilion, and they literally swarmed the booth. A week later, I still have healing bites on my feet. At least when we took down the tents, I was paying better attention and avoided stings.

Next time, bring a bike. The Keys are very friendly to bikes, scooters and motorcycles. Not so much to autos. There are almost no auto parking areas, and all that there are, are metered or pay-lot situations. There are, however, convenient and free bike racks all over.

Next time, carry cash. There are a lot of places in the Keys that simply don't accept credit cards. Neither I nor Tomas was prepared for the fact that many restaurants down there are cash-only. The ones that DO take cards are generally the touristy over-priced places.

Chickens have gone wild! There are flocks of wild chickens all over the Keys. It is weird seeing farm animals running around like pigeons or sparrows.

Duval Street=Bourbon Street Ever been to New Orleans? Like Bourbon Street there, Duval street is dead quiet and full of art galleries and restaurant/bars. By day, anyhow. By night, the street is filled with hookers and other nightlife. The "Duval Crawl" is apparently a tradition, which I handily ignored.

Key West is apparently a center of gay/alternative sexual culture. I didn't know that going in, but walking around at night you will see a lot of people in drag. You can also find fetish shops, blatantly, though tastefully, advertised.

Crows are intelligent enough to teach. One of the pirates had a pet African Pied Crow that he taught to understand commands much as one would teach a parrot.

I could probably think of more odd tidbits, but I think that is enough for one night.

On our way home from Pirates in Paradise! The show was a blast, although it was more of a working vacation than a for-profit show. It was a show for the reenactors, with not much general public.

Our sleeping tent had a lovely view of the ocean, but our sales pavilion was inside the fort, in an open area with no shade, and direct sun in our faces all afternoon. When it rained, the water pooled there. I think it was the "Haha, newbie sucker" spot... Fort Taylor, or what remains of it, is pretty cool, but unfortunately the merchants were not allowed to set up in the shady remains of the barracks, as they were deemed unsafe, and fenced off. We were all in the courtyard, but at least the one end of the courtyard had shade from the walls. We were not on that end.

Thursday and Friday were both hot, muggy, stifling days. We sat there and sweated all day long. Since there wasn't much traffic, we talked with the reenactors, and got stockwork done. OtherSusan (Susan G., not Tomas' mom) was with us, so I had someone fun to talk to. We even went out and watched the battle they had outside the fort Friday.

Saturday started out cooler, but clouded over quickly. We had lines of squalls come through all day long, and into the evening. Everything got soaked. The wind was pretty rough. But the brand new circlet stands my father-in-law made for us got put to the test, and did admirably well. They stood, despite not even being staked down. Great job dad!

Sunday was the best day, cool and just a little breezy, with pleasant sunshine. They had the big battle that day, and more of the public showed up then all other days combined. I wish the whole week had been like Sunday. Sunday night the event staff roasted a whole pig and had a grand party for everyone involved. It was a great way to end the show.

I don't think we could afford to go back as a business venture, but it is a great show to just attend as a vacation (and if we happen to be selling, swell). More later, hopefully with pictures...

Greetings! I find myself on the road again, rather late in the year. Tomas and I have made our way far south, in order to attend Pirates in Paradise! Come join us at Fort Taylor, out on Key West, for four days of mayhem! I’ll try to post again with more information once we get checked in and set up tomorrow.

As for today,the drive down was something else; I’ve never been further south than Fort Lauderdale before. It took a surprisingly long time to drive through the keys. It was well past dark when we checked in to the motel; I had thought we’d be here by mid-afternoon.

( Notable tidbits from the drive: )

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since August... I have been busy, but still... Got to stop neglecting the journal.

Today I'm clearing out bunches of mail and messages that have piled up, since I'm stuck at home with the creeping crud. I ache everywhere. I'm just glad I didn't get whatever it was that roomie trouble131 had. Nausea is worse than the general malaise I have.

Turns out my high-school sweetheart and life-long friend cerilus is on LJ, and dropped me a line. It seems the cat I gave him many, many years ago has just recently passed away. Sad to hear, but I am stunned the kitty lived so long! He was somewhere around 16, which is quite a respectful age for a housecat! It is good to hear from him again.

Tomas is heading up to Belleville, Illinois, this afternoon for Crystal Ball. I was looking forward to going, since it was a slavic-themed event. But feeling ill, I decided staying home was the wisest course.

Had breakfast this morning with my sister, her new husband, and some of his extended family. They introduced Phil and me to a very nice little diner chain that has cropped up in Toledo sometime in the past few years... Star Diner. The food there is wonderful! The portions are large, price reasonable, and everything I tried tasted good. I will definitely eat there again!

After breakfast Kelly and I went out to the cemeteries to leave flowers for our people there. I forgot my laptop, though, so I couldn't find two of the plots. When I checked later, it turns out we walked right by one (a very old one) a number of times, so I think the stone has finally worn down to illegibility. I might look at getting it replaced one day.

After that, Phil and I went and spent the evening visiting my Dad and stepmom. We ate dinner together, and sat around and talked until it got dark.

Finally we headed back to my sister's house, and sat around eating ice cream and watching a movie... I introduced her to Repo! The Genetic Opera. I thought she'd like it, but maybe I was wrong. She seemed lukewarm to it at best.

Anyhow, tomorrow we drive home, so I'd better get to bed.

Again, I will be brief, as my sister isn't as open online as I am. Her wedding was BEAUTIFUL, even though she was going for "completely informal". It was moved at the last minute to a friend's GORGEOUS Victorian house. I took a few pictures, and I might add one or two later if I get permission.

The reception was fun, mainly because it was totally NOT formal or traditional. Key words here are "party llama" and "nacho cheese fountain". Yup, you read correctly. Llamont the party Llama was there, carrying beverages in his saddlebags all evening.

Reached Toledo this evening. Drove up with my husband for my sister's wedding! The drive itself was uneventful, once we actually got going. The car broke a belt right before we left, which added an annoying delay to our departure.

I haven't said much about this, since my sister can tell her own story over on her MySpace Page. She's a bit more private than I am online. But I can't resist saying a little.

Kelly and Brian asked me to make their rings. I worked on them all month, and I am thrilled to say that they LOVED them. It was the first time I have worked with gold, and also the first time I carved rings entirely from scratch. Once the wedding photos are done, I'll see if I can post a couple pictures.

Brian's kids were over at the house tonight, and it turns out I have an online game (Runescape) in common with one of them. We traded usernames so we can chat.

But the big day is tomorrow, so it is time for me to get some sleep.

Tomas is up at the site of the Great Lakes Medieval Faire, picking up the tent and remaining merchandise. The event ended the same weekend as GenCon, but we all needed a few days to rest after a very busy month. Our next show is the Ohio Renaissance Festival that begins on Labor Day weekend.

My sister's wedding is this upcoming weekend! Phil and I will be leaving for Toledo on Friday morning. I am looking forward to seeing my family again.

trouble131 no longer works for Aztar; it is up to her to talk about it if she wants to. It isn't a bad thing; she has an interview this afternoon for a new job that looks good.

Well, this Sunday has been interesting. In an "Ancient Chinese Curse" sort of way, anyhow.

First the "good" news. We received word from our crew at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire. The faire was open this weekend like usual, and unharrassed. As it turns out, the citations issued last weekend were thrown out by the clerk of courts. The police apparently intentionally misfiled the citations, since they themselves didn't support the township's actions. And this weekend they were "busy" with other duties and unable to "fix their errors". So the faire had its last weekend without problems. Also, our friend Ed Beard was one of the ones who were cited, and he called not only his lawyer, but also the media. Perhaps once the state-level officials get a whiff of what the township is doing, this will stop. But the long-term future of the faire is still in doubt.

The "bad" news? Well, last night there was a fire alarm in the convention center after the exhibition hall closed. A burnt pizza in one of the food areas was the culprit. No one was hurt. BUT some ASS took advantage of the chaos. The exhibition hall was entered that night, and several vendors (including us) were robbed. The theft was reported to proper authorities, and we can hope that the culprit was caught on camera, but there is virtually no chance of recovering our property. Also, the question is raised, who could enter the hall at night? Was it someone with a key, or was a door left unlocked? I don't know.

All I know is the incident left me with an "ugly" feeling. I was in a foul mood most of the day. The feeling wasn't helped any by the fact that breakdown was done by and large without Tomas' help. We were not permitted to park the trailer anywhere near the convention center without paying an exhorbitant fee. So we ended up leaving it at our motel, outside the loop. I did most of the breakdown while Tomas drove all the way back to the motel for the trailer, and then sat in line at the marshal yard until he was permitted to park it for loading at the convention center (which was when I was done).

But at least we ended the day on a good note. We had dinner with the crew from Dragonfire Laser Crafts at Shapiro's before driving home. The drive was blissfully uneventful. We listed to a Terry Prachett audiobook and laughed at the humorous tale of Discworld.

Home for a day between Pennsic and GenCon. Will try to insert some posts for the days I was gone, and edit this one for more information, later. Things are fine with us, though we are exhausted! See you at GenCon!

We did get the big tent set up and washed off today, only for it to start raining here. *sigh* Yesterday was just a long day of driving. Nothing really interesting going on yesterday or today.

Well, we are on our way home from Pennsic, and we have heard from our crew that is running the Great Lakes Medieval Faire for us... and the news isn't good.

For years, the local township officials have been obstructing the faire in any way they can think of. It was annoying, but not really a huge deal. Well, they finally upped the ante. The township passed a number of ordinances designed specifically to target the faire, and sent the local police out to "enforce" them. The result is piles of citations that requires the merchant booth owners to appear in the local courts or face more serious felony charges. The ordinances are silly things, and many of us feel that the township has no legal grounds to harrass us in this way, but they've made their point. It seems clear that they don't really care if they win the citations or not. They just want to force us to waste time and (more importantly) money on court appearances. Either way, they win. They either shut down the faire, or cripple the merchants' ability to make money and force them out, which also results in the faire losing out.

The first court dates are this week. Luckily, our booth hasn't been cited (yet). It seems the police may have run out of forms before they got as far back from the gate as we are. So we've been lucky. But I don't count on our luck to hold out.

At this point, it seems doubtful that the Great Lakes Medieval Faire will continue as it is after this year. I hope it continues, and that we can be a part of it... But we'll have to wait and see.

And just to add insult to injury, so to speak... It rained today. We had to pack up wet canvas. That always is a pain in the butt. Now we have to set up both the tents to get cleaned and dry during our day and a half between shows.

Well, we are set up at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire, and today is the opening! I hope things go well. I did drive up with Tomas and Susan to help set things up, but I will not be selling this weekend, as I have other business I need to attend to. Fear not, Jennifer and Mary should be there to assist Tomas and Susan; we have a great crew for this show.

Most of the perennials we planted in our garden last year survived the winter, which is good. I was disappointed that the Hydrangea died back to the ground, and is just re-sprouting from the roots. It and the foxglove are smaller than last year when we bought them. But the ferns have thrived. We picked up some other attractive plants and it looks better than ever. It took me several hours of weeding and planting, but the garden is fantastic this year. I hope Tomas thinks to get a picture of it.

I regret that our building will not be erected during faire this year in any form. We just couldn't get it finished. Time did not allow; we picked up too many commissions at Origins. But we will continue working on it when we are at home this summer, and we should be able to erect it before Great Lakes opens next year. Progress continues...

And we are now on the two-week countdown to Pennsic! I am looking forward to "coming home" to the SCA's biggest event. Pennsic is hard work, but also a lot of fun for us.

I can't believe it has been a month since my last post...Then again, perhaps I can believe it. We've been quite busy. Since they are predicting rain this holiday weekend, I may have time to sit down and get caught up on some posts. By the time I get home at the end of the day lately, though, I've just been too tired to bother with posting.

What has kept me so busy? Regular visitors to our booth at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire will be happy to know that we are putting up a building this year! It won't be a permanent building, since local regulations make building such nearly impossible. Our new booth instead will be a modular structure, that we are constructing the pieces for at home, and then transporting for assembly on-site. Right now I tend to think of it as a "yard barn on steroids", but it will be a nice tudor-style place when it is done.

This year we will be getting the walls and roof put up on site. Due to budget and time constraints though, we won't be putting in the concrete foundation until next year. Real glass windows may have to wait as well. But at least we're making progress!

Due to the time and effort needed for construction, we may not make it up to the show in time for the first weekend; don't panic! We will be there. Worst case is we miss the first weekend. Or maybe we'll be there, but in a tent the first weekend, and the building gets erected between weeks 1 and 2. We'll have to see how far we can get with construction before then. It'll be tight, and it is partly weather-dependent; we can't paint/stain/seal when it rains...

But that is what has left me exhausted. So far so good, back to work!

Annual Miles 2009: 7817

A few more images we've found from this year's Virginia Renaissance Festival. We were only there one weekend, but wish we could have stayed the whole run.

RicePeter's Flickr Photostream

This photo from theThink Lynsen Blog came from the weekend we were there, and you can see the blue peak of our roof in the background. :)

Pirates for Sail Flickr Photoset

Fredericksblogger's look at the Faire

We briefly considered going back into D.C. today, but decided against it. We were exhausted after yesterday. So today was just a leisurely drive to Newport News, where we are staying at the same motel as last year.

We stopped at Sam's Steak & Spaghetti House again, since we remembered it fondly from last year. Man, things changed. We weren't the only folks there this time, but the dining room was still empty (everyone else was part of a party in the back). The waitress was friendly, as before, but the food was awful! I don't know if the cook was having a bad day, or what... We tried ordering pasta, and they were out. We ordered seafood instead, and everything was overcooked to inedibility. The fish was turning to paste, the scallops and shrimp were like leather... Yuck. We ended up going for ice cream after to wash the taste out of our mouthes. The place has been struck from our favorites list. :( I hope all the resaturants around here haven't gone downhill.

Annual Miles 2009: 7695

We actually got up at a reasonable hour this morning, and had a much easier time getting into Washington this year than last. Hooray for the Metro! We arrived at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History not too long after opening. It was a good thing too, since we stayed and wandered until they were ready to close at 7:30 in the evening! I'll expand this post with photos and more commentary once I get the few pictures we took off the camera.

First, go ye hence out of Fredericksburg, toward the south and west by Route the First. Continue on through the hamlets of Spotsylvania and Massaponax. Continue onward, across the river Ni ("What kind of world is it that ruffians can go about saying Ni to old ladies at will...") until one sees the signs of the grape. Follow those signs to the vineyard of Lake Anna, and there, past the venerable vines, find ye these five weeks the gate to the village of Staffordshire...
( More about the Virginia Ren Faire weekend after the cut. )

Annual Miles 2009: 7415

Yesterday we left Evansville to head for the Virginia Renaissance Festival. We got as far as Lewisburg, West Virginia. We stayed at a very nice motel called the Brier Inn. I would recommend it to anyone passing through. It was clean, roomy, and not too pricey. They had a pretty good breakfast, too.

Today we reached the renfair site around lunchtime. It is in a little patch of near-nowhere called Lake Anna. The nearest off-site food is about 3 miles from the site, at a gas station deli. We found our spot just fine, the fair staff was friendly and helpful. Getting set up was a bit of a trial though, as it felt like it was ninety degrees outside, and our spot in in full sun.

We are between two food vendors, right across from the joust field. The food vendor to our left is Phil's Mediterranean Grille, whom we see at Gulf Wars every year. One guest that was friendly, apparently, but univited, was the mouse that made itself at home before we'd barely done more than get the tables in place. It ran around, ignoring our presence, investigating everything. Only when I actively tried to touch it did the little thing scurry away (not very far away, either). It is probably still under the trailer now.

Things would have gone quicker if I could have stopped being a butter-fingers and dropping everything. I even broke one of the display glasses. We got set up before the rain started (rain again), and thankfully the vendor coordinator agreed to lead us to the neignborhood of our hotel.

MapQuest said our motel was only 6 miles from the faire site... This is not at all true. Google had it right, at around 22 miles from site. It took us a solid hour to make our way through the windy roads to our motel. Then we had to wait another half-hour while the overworked desk clerk apparently tried to check in half the state. And then we found out that they didn't have the room we booked. We have a room, but it is a smoking room, and everything smells like nicotine. They promised to move us tomorrow. And the A/C doesn't work properly in the room either. :(

But I'm trying to look on the bright side; this event is supposed to have a good and friendly crowd. I just hope that having to get up early enough to make the hour drive to site doesn't leave ME grouchy. :)