MDRF Weekend 3...Hanna paid a visit.
Why yes...it was wet...
That was Leah with some bedraggled younger friends from the festival. Ahhh...the vagrancies of youth. Much of the teens and trash rats were stomping about the site splashing in the mud and jumping in puddles. Me...I am almost 37 and when I get too cold and wet, I tend to stay that way, so I kept myself mostly under wraps.
Hanna came and went, leaving us very wet in the process. The festival is always open rain or shine and this day was no exception. We got there on Friday and proceeded to pull our Bubble Cart behind scenes and tarp it up. The show may be open, our our booth required to be staffed, but the cart can roll and we took the opportunity. Called all the crew and told them them to take the day off. Except for Jingle Jamie, whom we had come in for a couple of hours to help set up. The booth itself, we prepared as best as we could. We put up plywood on Friday night, after slapping a coat of brown paint on it to hide the new wood. These panels went up over our side windows which leak and let in rain. Here is a picture. The two brown rectangles on the the side are our boarding. This has inspired us and next year we are going to construct shutters to close the front of the booth.
Plenty of booth workers and staff were out and about, visiting, as the patrons were hardly present. The ultimate gate count hovered right around 300 for the whole day. Here are some friends sharing an "Umbrella of Unusual Size". The fellow in the back is carrying this around, which made for a great image.
The pubs were filled with good music and fun, as is often the case during heavy rain days. The shows performed modified versions of their standards on the limited pub stages and the were impromptu jam sessions. Here is the excellent band, Cercamon performing while the rain comes down and Irish dancers step out.
The weather really was everything to the day. The crowd wasn't. Rain days are difficult for many of the participants in the festival, but the patrons that come often love them. They are....a fact of life for us. And of course, the best thing about hurricanes, which Hanna never quite reached status of, is the beautiful weather they leave behind. And the mud puddles.
As the evening passed, and the brilliant blue of the evening sky peered from the behind the clouds, the subtle light creep into the tree tops. It was really impossible to capture on film, but here is the golden glow in the leaves behind the quiet green of the vines on the Market Stage.
By the dark of the evening the wet was subsiding and the denizens of the wet were coming out. This was one of two toads we caught. And catching a large toad like this is more important than you might think. The planet is experiencing a World Wide Amphibian Crisis. Personal observation alone can show that I don't see nearly the numbers of toads and frogs as I did as a child. So ever encounter is special and we are very careful to not harm them. This Bufos Americanus, or Eastern Toad, was trying to hide in our booth. We convinced him that the garden would be better.
The next day dawned stunning and clear, washed clean and bright, as we expected it to. Perfect weather many huge crowds and a busy day. So we took down the plywood, moved the bubble cart back into position and had a wonderful day. The quality of the light made for a particular brilliance. Once again I wish I had captured more of it on film, but here is one picture that is just stunning. This is our newest member of our Faery Crew and Sarah is looking lovely in pink.
Now not to play favorites, here is Pretty Pixie, who is tiny little bundle of bubble energy!
Seems like a time for a gratuitous Ellawyn picture, so here she is.
Ellawyn has been making some new friends...well old friends all over again really. We are immediately next door to Rapunzel's hair braids and Ell is in the booth constantly. It's a bit like being next to a Hair Salon, which I guess it is exactly that. Lots of ladies and gossip, and chatting, and estrogen. Our little corner of the festival is mostly populated by those of the female persuasion, with boys being in the minority. They swear that Ell being around on the the time doesn't bother them, and I think they are quietly turning her into a braider. That's OK. Here she is with some of our delightful neighbors.
Of course, Ellawyn is all ready a part of the bubble cart crew and spends alot of time there bubbling and generally getting under foot. That's the boss's daughter for ya.
Once again, Ell visited Robin Hood and Maid Marian for a chance to get in the show. This time it was St. George and the Dragon and she played the Angel.
Incidentally, I do have a son as well. Jared is with us at the festival and working hard, I just never seem to get good pictures of him. So here is one, and I will try for some more.
Oh, and then there is my darling wife as well! Here is Leah, modeling her new dress. It was a gift from our Faerie Magazine friends. From Xylem Clothing, a creator of natural materials clothing, it's blended of organic soy, cotton, and a little Lycra for stretch. She loves it and is looking forward to creating it into a garb piece.
While we are on the subject of beautiful ladies, here she is again with our booth manager, Jingle Jamie, and Pixie.
And then, the day was done. Good music, good food, good crowds, good friends. And yes, we do party after hours at the festival...occasionally and quietly. Really the stories of wild parties and late night revelry by workers at Renfests is generally true...except at Maryland. MDRF is mostly business with a strong focus on the important task at hand of making a living. Other festivals there is much parties. However, when one of our own has her 40th birthday, we get together and celebrate. So our dear friend, known Kristi Big Smile did exactly that we had a little birthday party. Kristi works at the Star Creams near the Wine Garden, and has been one of our "Shop Elves" for many years as well, helping us craft the masks. Here is a cluster of Rennie ladies. Leah on the left, Kristi, the one with the Big Smile, Ann Curtis, the life caster at the festival and Megan who works with Kristi selling pottery and creams.
Yep, this is at O'Shucks, after hours. Nope, we weren't drinking from the taps. Yep, this was a private event for participants. Yep, it was fun. The festival graciously allowed us to use the tables and lights, spread our potluck buffet on the bar. A handful of Kristi's good friends came and we blew bubbles and ate yummy cake. It was an excellent way to end a tough weekend. We had so much fun that we decided to bring Kristi home with us. She is here in the mountains, sleeping on our floor and crafting the masks this week. It nice to have her around, like old times...only different!
See ya in the woods.
Kubiando!
Mythical Designs
That was Leah with some bedraggled younger friends from the festival. Ahhh...the vagrancies of youth. Much of the teens and trash rats were stomping about the site splashing in the mud and jumping in puddles. Me...I am almost 37 and when I get too cold and wet, I tend to stay that way, so I kept myself mostly under wraps.
Hanna came and went, leaving us very wet in the process. The festival is always open rain or shine and this day was no exception. We got there on Friday and proceeded to pull our Bubble Cart behind scenes and tarp it up. The show may be open, our our booth required to be staffed, but the cart can roll and we took the opportunity. Called all the crew and told them them to take the day off. Except for Jingle Jamie, whom we had come in for a couple of hours to help set up. The booth itself, we prepared as best as we could. We put up plywood on Friday night, after slapping a coat of brown paint on it to hide the new wood. These panels went up over our side windows which leak and let in rain. Here is a picture. The two brown rectangles on the the side are our boarding. This has inspired us and next year we are going to construct shutters to close the front of the booth.
Plenty of booth workers and staff were out and about, visiting, as the patrons were hardly present. The ultimate gate count hovered right around 300 for the whole day. Here are some friends sharing an "Umbrella of Unusual Size". The fellow in the back is carrying this around, which made for a great image.
The pubs were filled with good music and fun, as is often the case during heavy rain days. The shows performed modified versions of their standards on the limited pub stages and the were impromptu jam sessions. Here is the excellent band, Cercamon performing while the rain comes down and Irish dancers step out.
Click to viewThe weather really was everything to the day. The crowd wasn't. Rain days are difficult for many of the participants in the festival, but the patrons that come often love them. They are....a fact of life for us. And of course, the best thing about hurricanes, which Hanna never quite reached status of, is the beautiful weather they leave behind. And the mud puddles.
As the evening passed, and the brilliant blue of the evening sky peered from the behind the clouds, the subtle light creep into the tree tops. It was really impossible to capture on film, but here is the golden glow in the leaves behind the quiet green of the vines on the Market Stage.
By the dark of the evening the wet was subsiding and the denizens of the wet were coming out. This was one of two toads we caught. And catching a large toad like this is more important than you might think. The planet is experiencing a World Wide Amphibian Crisis. Personal observation alone can show that I don't see nearly the numbers of toads and frogs as I did as a child. So ever encounter is special and we are very careful to not harm them. This Bufos Americanus, or Eastern Toad, was trying to hide in our booth. We convinced him that the garden would be better.
The next day dawned stunning and clear, washed clean and bright, as we expected it to. Perfect weather many huge crowds and a busy day. So we took down the plywood, moved the bubble cart back into position and had a wonderful day. The quality of the light made for a particular brilliance. Once again I wish I had captured more of it on film, but here is one picture that is just stunning. This is our newest member of our Faery Crew and Sarah is looking lovely in pink.
Now not to play favorites, here is Pretty Pixie, who is tiny little bundle of bubble energy!
Seems like a time for a gratuitous Ellawyn picture, so here she is.
Ellawyn has been making some new friends...well old friends all over again really. We are immediately next door to Rapunzel's hair braids and Ell is in the booth constantly. It's a bit like being next to a Hair Salon, which I guess it is exactly that. Lots of ladies and gossip, and chatting, and estrogen. Our little corner of the festival is mostly populated by those of the female persuasion, with boys being in the minority. They swear that Ell being around on the the time doesn't bother them, and I think they are quietly turning her into a braider. That's OK. Here she is with some of our delightful neighbors.
Of course, Ellawyn is all ready a part of the bubble cart crew and spends alot of time there bubbling and generally getting under foot. That's the boss's daughter for ya.
Once again, Ell visited Robin Hood and Maid Marian for a chance to get in the show. This time it was St. George and the Dragon and she played the Angel.
Incidentally, I do have a son as well. Jared is with us at the festival and working hard, I just never seem to get good pictures of him. So here is one, and I will try for some more.
Oh, and then there is my darling wife as well! Here is Leah, modeling her new dress. It was a gift from our Faerie Magazine friends. From Xylem Clothing, a creator of natural materials clothing, it's blended of organic soy, cotton, and a little Lycra for stretch. She loves it and is looking forward to creating it into a garb piece.
While we are on the subject of beautiful ladies, here she is again with our booth manager, Jingle Jamie, and Pixie.
And then, the day was done. Good music, good food, good crowds, good friends. And yes, we do party after hours at the festival...occasionally and quietly. Really the stories of wild parties and late night revelry by workers at Renfests is generally true...except at Maryland. MDRF is mostly business with a strong focus on the important task at hand of making a living. Other festivals there is much parties. However, when one of our own has her 40th birthday, we get together and celebrate. So our dear friend, known Kristi Big Smile did exactly that we had a little birthday party. Kristi works at the Star Creams near the Wine Garden, and has been one of our "Shop Elves" for many years as well, helping us craft the masks. Here is a cluster of Rennie ladies. Leah on the left, Kristi, the one with the Big Smile, Ann Curtis, the life caster at the festival and Megan who works with Kristi selling pottery and creams.
Yep, this is at O'Shucks, after hours. Nope, we weren't drinking from the taps. Yep, this was a private event for participants. Yep, it was fun. The festival graciously allowed us to use the tables and lights, spread our potluck buffet on the bar. A handful of Kristi's good friends came and we blew bubbles and ate yummy cake. It was an excellent way to end a tough weekend. We had so much fun that we decided to bring Kristi home with us. She is here in the mountains, sleeping on our floor and crafting the masks this week. It nice to have her around, like old times...only different!
See ya in the woods.
Kubiando!
Mythical Designs