Day 3 of October Vacation

The day began at 0700, with me in the shower and dressed and ready (even fed) by 0835. Renee was not so quick (she is more of a night person, not an early morning person). We managed to leave by 0900, but had to go back to get the ticket for me that was in her bag all along. But they needed a couple of other things, so it was not a trip in vain. We were back on the road quite quickly, chatting the whole way.

The weather was gorgeous, just lovely. It was beautifully clear, sunny, a nice breeze, just so gorgeous. We parted at the gate, and I made my way to the front and Renee and Alex went into the faire to be prepared at the Maypole for the dances that she would be calling out. The actors were of good character and cheer and did their parts well. The royal procession was gorgeous and had many beautiful horses in it. The royalty looked like royalty. The cast at the NYRF still has dresses from when I was first working there. These people looked much more like the real thing. I loved it.

They started off with a huge *BOOM* as a cannon went off just outside of the walled grounds. The area inside was nothing like the huge open farmland-type area outside of the walled area, but inside was a lovely woodsy area and on a graded grounds - gorgeous. The structures there are much more amazing than ours and much nicer. The areas wend about the large scale grounds and they have many shows and musical performances going on all about the grounds. It was incredible.

Alex had on this enormous hat and when he took it off his hair was up and out all over the place. Alex has a well-structured face and is good looking, and very expressive, like most artists - even I - who hasn't drawn a thing in YEARS - I still have the typical very easily read artist's face. There is no mistaking what I mean. Anyway, when he took off the hat, with the funny spikey hair, he'd make a face - very funny!

I really am delighted for Renee and I love Alex very much. He is wonderful - wonderfully intelligent and wonderfully sweet and wonderful to my beloved cousin, Renee. They very obviously love each other and were a lot of fun to watch. And it made me wistful. I wish Luis was as emoting as Alex and Renee. I know Luis loves me but there is something so endearing about watching Alex and Renee dancing together in the woods. It was beautiful. Renee did have some good guys in her life but no one like her husband. I will never worry about them as a couple or as individuals.

Almost immediately I found Catskill Mountain Moccassins and ordered my fourth and final pair of "fairy boots", as Greg likes to call them. This is the all out pair, the best ones yet. They are the nine button high ones, in dark brown bull hide, with green and white trim along the edge with green oak leaves. They'll have brown tabs and green and brown entwined laces. The tops will be done with natural edge flaps with an oak leaf applique on the back. The buttons will be deer antler, natural edge. They will be incredible. They will also have the new hiking boot sole. I can't wait. I put about a quarter of the full amount down and will pay out the rest slowly. I hope to have them half paid off by late December or early January to begin the production process and the rest paid off by June or July to get them before the 2008 faire. I doubt I will be working it but I will undoubtedly go up there to visit if nothing else.

Alex and Renee waited for me to get the boot fitting and then we were off and wandering around. She had a good couple of hours to kill before needing to return to the Maypole for more dancing call-outs. She's very good at dancing. I'm a dancing enthusiast but not talented. She's both. Very different.

That day was Opposite Day, or something like that (I have forgotten what it was really called). There were men in wench drag, and this specimen in vinyl and a gas mask... he was a very tall and thin kid (he really was [compared to me] a kid). He was shaking when we had our picture taken together. I don't know why. It wasn't cold and he'd not have felt it anyway...

I went to meet Izolde and have a tarot reading, which was very good and very satisfying. It was really positive, with many interesting insights and revelations. I enjoyed the interaction with Izolde. She is a really unique individual. There is something very open and friendly about her but also intriguing. I don't know how else to describe her. I like her a lot.

Then we went to hang out in the woodsy area where the Aerial Angels hang out (they weren't there at the time, though). We hung out, chatting, until Izolde returned to doing readings. Renee, Alex and I walked around looking at the various vendors and goods, and also got lunch and listened to the Rogues playing bagpipes and bohrans and pipes. The music was great and I bought three of their CDs and burned the songs from Renee's collection onto my laptop. I love Scottish music. I went on to listen to Cercamon as well and bought three of their CDs as well. Renee burned mine and I also burned her O'Danny girls one and got copies of the lyrics - really ribald stuff! I can't wait to listen to it.

I met so many amazing people, the members of the Rogues, where I became stupid and gushy as I do with adorable men who play wonderful instruments and treat me not only to great music but to meeting them as well. I loved meeting E.J. (to the left), and the Rogues' drummer Jon. I also met all of Cercamon and had them sign one of my CDs and also get a photo with me and them. (And at the end off the public grounds they turned out to not have any accents (they were French out there) - very funny to hear them sound just like me or my cousin. But I love meeting musicians, even though I get gushy and say stupid things! And E.J. was very huggy and sweet - and I wished I'd apologised. I said something about other people not liking bagpipes and realised after the comment came out that I had put my foot in my mouth. I hate when I do that. So not me...

The most amazing thing happened. We were talking with the musicians that Renee performs with in the dances, and there was a man hanging out by a tree with dark, reflective sunglasses on and a strange tee shirt. I kept looking at him and with the sunglasses on, I wasn't sure if he was looking at me or not. I had the nagging feeling that I knew him. Finally I couldn't take it any more and approached him. I told him that I could help but think I knew him from somewhere and maybe it was work or at the NYRF or as an EMT... we ran through the whole gamut. Finally he said, "Well, maybe... do you watch any television?"

Sure. Of course I do. I said I do watch some telly, why? He asked if I watched any reality television. Welll... not so much but one or two things... He asked me if I ever saw "Beauty and the Geek"? Oh, MY GODS...

It's Will! Will (I don't remember his last name) was on this season's "Beauty and the Geek" and was "voted off the island", as I called it, just the week before my vacation. Or maybe two weeks prior. Anyway, I really, really liked him as a person on the show and went I met the real deal, the very warm and fuzzy and delightfully geeky Will in person, he was the exact likable guy I'd found on the show. He was perfectly wonderful, kissed my hand several times, which I found just absolute charming and said I was the first person on the street (so to speak) to recognise him from the show! How funny is that? We talked for a good twenty or twenty-five minutes. I really loved meeting him and wished I'd given him my e-mail address to keep in touch. Well, here I am with him... Maybe he will see this, read it and e-mail me!

We stayed there until 1630 and finally left around 1700. Good thing - it took Izolde hours to get out of there when she left at 1900. We ate at a restaurant called the Round Robin or something like that... no, Red Robin, maybe. Anyway, it was good. We stayed until Izolde called to say she'd be really late and finally left around 2030. We headed home and watched the telly until Izolde showed up with dinner around 2200. She was knackered, we all were. Sitting in that traffic had to have been the most unbelievably frustrating thing. She headed home close to midnight and I went right to bed.

It was a long but wonderful day!