Day 7 of the Great Adventure, Day 4 of performing
An interesting observation - they love to dress their girl children here in pinks and turquoise. The boys were wide spectrum, but the girls... sheesh. It's like there is a conspiracy or something, although it's a very harmless one apparently. However.... yes, within the fabrics are woven colored wires which, at a predetermined moment will emerge, embed themselves into the little girls eyeballs and turn them into ravening zombies who will turn on their families with razor sharp teeth and rend them into....
Can you tell I'm getting a little slap happy? Plus, I keep talking like Hoolia, even after I've climbed out of the wagon. (Whooo whooo!)
So, we decided to do a late one today ending around 7:30pm. The reception was M.O.T.S. (more of the same), with children of all ages being enchanted by the Enchanted Wagon (trademark). Another interesting observation - people walking towards us who were not actually coming to see us would be drawn closer to the wagon as if there was a magnetic attraction. It was fun to watch the tweens and guys trying to be cool, and yet they could not help but pass closer than would seem reasonable for just walking by.
Magic rules!!
No Kay today, but Wyatt and another little girl from previous days, Gabrielle, came to see us and to be hugged. (Hoolia's got a fan club.)
Very cute guy flirted with the fairy. Hoolia was very jealous, but he wasn't into birds. <sigh>
Speaking of birds, Animal is contemplating adopting a button quail or two. I'll keep you posted.
Not a lot more to say - went to a great diner called Kroll's and then back to the hotel to get in a short jacuzzi (there are, apparently, no long jacuzzi's, but I digress) before coming back to the room, showering, blogging and then crashing like Evel Knieval.
Tomorrow is another day, and then there is one more after that, and then.... WHEEEEEEE!!!! again.
Btw, the "you betcha" count is at 6. Two were from one guy who just said it twice in a row.
Hee!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Oh, right. N.D. IS part of the U.S.!
Day 6 of the great adventure, Performance Day 3
I really must let go of some of my preconceived notions. For various reasons I had it in my head that N. Dakota is full of pink people who ranch, and brown people whose land got snatched by the pink people for ranches.
I'm sure there's that dynamic, but there are also a lot of Somali and Bosnian refugees, and not far from our motel (Howard Johnsons) is an Indian restaurant (not counting the Chinese restaurant), so the color spectrum is a lot wider than I've been assuming.
We see a lot of children in groups in matching t-shirts of loud and obnoxious colors (screaming yellow is prevalent, followed by ORANGE!!!) and the children tend to be of the rainbow variety. YAY VARIETY!!
Now, on to the Fair.
It was a bit less windy today but the humidity was definitely higher. Not so bad earlier, but as the day went on the inside of the turtle would get downright stuffy if we were staying still. (When the turtle is moving there's usually a good circulation kicking up.)
We shared our building with a crew of beauty pageant kids and baton twirler types. I have definite opinions of that dynamic, but I'm going to stay mum, cuz it's none of my business.
So, todays heartwarming story involves our beloved fairy princess A. She made her way over to a family with a young girl who appeared to have ALS. As she interacted with her the child began to shake less and less, and even actually focused intently, particularly on Anima's eyelashes (which are humongous, I must say.) She was able to touch A with a fairly steady hand and laughed when she got butterfly kissed by those lashes. The grandmother told Anima that this was the only thing the girl had focused on all day. Good going, A.
A. also took the time to speak with the girls little brother about his big wheel bicycle. (It's a good thing to single out any siblings for special personal attention.) It was a great moment for the whole family. Lots of pictures were taken and they'll have this to remember in the days to come.
We also had a talk with Kay's mother, and DreamWeaver Productions (Animals company) may actually get some additional bookings out of that connection. YAY!
We started late today - partly because we wanted to be there later, but mostly because we slept in. We are contracted to do 4 hours daily, and we are able to make our own schedule. So we break up the time in chunks.
At one point we got asked to go over to one of the livestock barns because some girls wanted to 'fairy dust' one of the cowboys. I didn't get to see him but A. says he was cute and hunky and took it with good humor. While she was doing that the wagon stayed at the entrance to keep from panicking the cattle (scared cows bad!). An audience built up quite quickly, so Hoolia entertained them with her edition of 'She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain', only she changes the words to 'She'll Be Coming Round the Fairground', and 'She'll Be Driving a Big Turtle'. The audience was amused.
Pictures were taken with a combine and a tank. These will be posted to Facebook asap.
Hmmm, anything else? she mused to herself. Nope, can't think of anything in particular. Three days down. Three to go. And then further West we go. WHEEEE!
Okay, Hoolia. Go to sleep now.
{Okay!}
I really must let go of some of my preconceived notions. For various reasons I had it in my head that N. Dakota is full of pink people who ranch, and brown people whose land got snatched by the pink people for ranches.
I'm sure there's that dynamic, but there are also a lot of Somali and Bosnian refugees, and not far from our motel (Howard Johnsons) is an Indian restaurant (not counting the Chinese restaurant), so the color spectrum is a lot wider than I've been assuming.
We see a lot of children in groups in matching t-shirts of loud and obnoxious colors (screaming yellow is prevalent, followed by ORANGE!!!) and the children tend to be of the rainbow variety. YAY VARIETY!!
Now, on to the Fair.
It was a bit less windy today but the humidity was definitely higher. Not so bad earlier, but as the day went on the inside of the turtle would get downright stuffy if we were staying still. (When the turtle is moving there's usually a good circulation kicking up.)
We shared our building with a crew of beauty pageant kids and baton twirler types. I have definite opinions of that dynamic, but I'm going to stay mum, cuz it's none of my business.
So, todays heartwarming story involves our beloved fairy princess A. She made her way over to a family with a young girl who appeared to have ALS. As she interacted with her the child began to shake less and less, and even actually focused intently, particularly on Anima's eyelashes (which are humongous, I must say.) She was able to touch A with a fairly steady hand and laughed when she got butterfly kissed by those lashes. The grandmother told Anima that this was the only thing the girl had focused on all day. Good going, A.
A. also took the time to speak with the girls little brother about his big wheel bicycle. (It's a good thing to single out any siblings for special personal attention.) It was a great moment for the whole family. Lots of pictures were taken and they'll have this to remember in the days to come.
We also had a talk with Kay's mother, and DreamWeaver Productions (Animals company) may actually get some additional bookings out of that connection. YAY!
We started late today - partly because we wanted to be there later, but mostly because we slept in. We are contracted to do 4 hours daily, and we are able to make our own schedule. So we break up the time in chunks.
At one point we got asked to go over to one of the livestock barns because some girls wanted to 'fairy dust' one of the cowboys. I didn't get to see him but A. says he was cute and hunky and took it with good humor. While she was doing that the wagon stayed at the entrance to keep from panicking the cattle (scared cows bad!). An audience built up quite quickly, so Hoolia entertained them with her edition of 'She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain', only she changes the words to 'She'll Be Coming Round the Fairground', and 'She'll Be Driving a Big Turtle'. The audience was amused.
Pictures were taken with a combine and a tank. These will be posted to Facebook asap.
Hmmm, anything else? she mused to herself. Nope, can't think of anything in particular. Three days down. Three to go. And then further West we go. WHEEEE!
Okay, Hoolia. Go to sleep now.
{Okay!}
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Everyone knows it's Windy! (Except us)
Day 5 - Performance Day #2
(Please forgive the rather disjointed meanderings here. I'm writing after getting out of a jacuzzi and my brain is somewhat parboiled, along with the rest of me.)
Our butts were dragging this morning. Unfortunately, we had to get to the fairgrounds relatively early since the building where we park the turtle was going to be used for Bingo (and these people LUUUV their Bingo!) So we had to move Shelly out of there and put her in front of the camper van the fair so graciously has available for our use (it's air-conditioned!!!).
We walked around the grounds, trying to scope out places to hide the turtle when we were on break. Then we sort of sat around like zombies for awhile before Animal started putting on her makeup.
The fair opens at 11am. We began strolling around 12:30pm and went for about an hour forty-five minutes, meeting the kids and their parents, freaking out the junior-high girls, fending off the boys... etc. We had loads of older women running up to the fairy and several females of various ages would just come up and get a hug.
There was an adolescent boy who was trying his best to peek in the windows, and he was actually getting a bit aggressive, so Hoolia went into panic mode and started screeching. He backed off rather quickly. Interestingly, he came back not long after and left a gift to the wagon. It was a little green alien. (I will never understand boys.)
Meanwhile, Hoolia decided that she needed to keep herself busy by singing Mozart (in owl). Unfortunately, she gets rather enthusiastic on the high notes (and my voice is paying the price). But she is definitely a favorite. There was also an owl mascot roaming around named Owlie (how... quaint). Hoolia developed quite a crush but he had nothing to say to her. Oh well - she's young. She'll get over him, eventually.
An amusing thing- when we took a break past the rides where the carnival vendors were parked, we backed Shelly in with the big rigs. I'll try and post a picture tomorrow on Facebook.
One thing that was very different today - the wind. The wagon was either fighting a head wind, being pushed by a tail wind, or being buffeted from the sides. The Enchanted Wagon tried to turn into a prairie schooner a couple of times. It made for some interesting moments, and while I'm less mentally tired, I am more physically exhausted then yesterday.
We did our 4 hours in chunks (actually, I think we did more than that, but we forgot to note the times), and I think the Red River Valley Fair is getting their moneys worth.
No Kay today, and the rest of the story is as follows - she was given permission by her mother to go look at the kiddy rides, and since the rides were not supposed to be running she was expected to return immediately, except the rides Were running for the kids, and they were free.
Needless to say, when Kay returns this week her mother will be keeping her under tighter scrutiny (thank goodness. It only takes one...)
So there you have it. Nothing of real note. Animal is in the process of mapping our post-engagement expedition and it looks to be chock full, but it's not set yet. If anyone has any suggestions we are open.
Btw, I'm having fun. :-)
(Please forgive the rather disjointed meanderings here. I'm writing after getting out of a jacuzzi and my brain is somewhat parboiled, along with the rest of me.)
Our butts were dragging this morning. Unfortunately, we had to get to the fairgrounds relatively early since the building where we park the turtle was going to be used for Bingo (and these people LUUUV their Bingo!) So we had to move Shelly out of there and put her in front of the camper van the fair so graciously has available for our use (it's air-conditioned!!!).
We walked around the grounds, trying to scope out places to hide the turtle when we were on break. Then we sort of sat around like zombies for awhile before Animal started putting on her makeup.
The fair opens at 11am. We began strolling around 12:30pm and went for about an hour forty-five minutes, meeting the kids and their parents, freaking out the junior-high girls, fending off the boys... etc. We had loads of older women running up to the fairy and several females of various ages would just come up and get a hug.
There was an adolescent boy who was trying his best to peek in the windows, and he was actually getting a bit aggressive, so Hoolia went into panic mode and started screeching. He backed off rather quickly. Interestingly, he came back not long after and left a gift to the wagon. It was a little green alien. (I will never understand boys.)
Meanwhile, Hoolia decided that she needed to keep herself busy by singing Mozart (in owl). Unfortunately, she gets rather enthusiastic on the high notes (and my voice is paying the price). But she is definitely a favorite. There was also an owl mascot roaming around named Owlie (how... quaint). Hoolia developed quite a crush but he had nothing to say to her. Oh well - she's young. She'll get over him, eventually.
An amusing thing- when we took a break past the rides where the carnival vendors were parked, we backed Shelly in with the big rigs. I'll try and post a picture tomorrow on Facebook.
One thing that was very different today - the wind. The wagon was either fighting a head wind, being pushed by a tail wind, or being buffeted from the sides. The Enchanted Wagon tried to turn into a prairie schooner a couple of times. It made for some interesting moments, and while I'm less mentally tired, I am more physically exhausted then yesterday.
We did our 4 hours in chunks (actually, I think we did more than that, but we forgot to note the times), and I think the Red River Valley Fair is getting their moneys worth.
No Kay today, and the rest of the story is as follows - she was given permission by her mother to go look at the kiddy rides, and since the rides were not supposed to be running she was expected to return immediately, except the rides Were running for the kids, and they were free.
Needless to say, when Kay returns this week her mother will be keeping her under tighter scrutiny (thank goodness. It only takes one...)
So there you have it. Nothing of real note. Animal is in the process of mapping our post-engagement expedition and it looks to be chock full, but it's not set yet. If anyone has any suggestions we are open.
Btw, I'm having fun. :-)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
And Now, Ladies and Gentlemen...
Day 4 - Monday, July 10, 2012
First day of performing. Spent a lot of time making the turtle right, then it was into the frying pan. (Today was Daycare Day, so we had masses of kids.) I had to learn how to manipulate several puppets, maneuver the turtle and react to the kids.
Happily the kids were very forgiving of my newbie status and it was actually fairly easy to get into the swing of it - except for the maneuvering part. Getting a six foot puppet on wheels to go where you want to takes some doing. I got better as the day went on though. Didn't even run over anyone (yet).
The best part was Kay. Kay was a little blonde girl who, at first, was extremely shy but obviously attracted to Hoolia, the owl puppet. One of Hoolia's knock knock jokes ends with her asking for a hug. As soon as Kay got in her first hug she was hooked. From that point on she was never that far from the wagon, and particularly Hoolia. She and Hoolia became the bestest friends and Hoolia told her several times that she was the best hugger. There was a lot of interaction and Kay accompanied the wagon all over the fairgrounds. Slowly Animal and I began to realize that Kay was spending WAAY too much time with us with no adult in sight. Also, I had to take a break,which meant getting out of the turtle, something I did not want to do in front of an audience, particularly Kay. So she was sent back to her mother and I exited Shelly (the turtle) to get supplies.
But when I got back to the wagon there was Kay again. I had to wait until Animal found a way to get her to go off with a friend, then I scurried back into the turtle and we were off again. And here was Kay again, trying to teach Hoolia how to sing the alphabet and how to count. (Owls can't count because they don't have fingers, and also Hoolia is only TWOOOO.)
Eventually Kay was sent off by the fairy and we made it into the building they set aside for us when we are not traveling or performing. We spent the hour or so doing some repairs and then were getting ready to go look around the fair, when suddenly a knock on the door and the General Manager was there looking for her. We immediately joined in the search. Happily she was quickly found by state trooper and returned to her relatives. YAY!
Apparently Kay is here for the duration, so I expect there will be more tales to tell, although I also think her family is going to keep her on a short leash for the rest of the fair. Hope so. She was too cute and too trusting for her own good.
More to come, no doubt.
Oh, and by the way - They do speak like that here. No, really.
But the "you betcha" count is only at 1 so far, though we got 3 "you bets" out of one person in the space of 20 seconds.
I wait with bated breath for more.
It's been a long day and I'm beat.
Talk atcha later.
First day of performing. Spent a lot of time making the turtle right, then it was into the frying pan. (Today was Daycare Day, so we had masses of kids.) I had to learn how to manipulate several puppets, maneuver the turtle and react to the kids.
Happily the kids were very forgiving of my newbie status and it was actually fairly easy to get into the swing of it - except for the maneuvering part. Getting a six foot puppet on wheels to go where you want to takes some doing. I got better as the day went on though. Didn't even run over anyone (yet).
The best part was Kay. Kay was a little blonde girl who, at first, was extremely shy but obviously attracted to Hoolia, the owl puppet. One of Hoolia's knock knock jokes ends with her asking for a hug. As soon as Kay got in her first hug she was hooked. From that point on she was never that far from the wagon, and particularly Hoolia. She and Hoolia became the bestest friends and Hoolia told her several times that she was the best hugger. There was a lot of interaction and Kay accompanied the wagon all over the fairgrounds. Slowly Animal and I began to realize that Kay was spending WAAY too much time with us with no adult in sight. Also, I had to take a break,which meant getting out of the turtle, something I did not want to do in front of an audience, particularly Kay. So she was sent back to her mother and I exited Shelly (the turtle) to get supplies.
But when I got back to the wagon there was Kay again. I had to wait until Animal found a way to get her to go off with a friend, then I scurried back into the turtle and we were off again. And here was Kay again, trying to teach Hoolia how to sing the alphabet and how to count. (Owls can't count because they don't have fingers, and also Hoolia is only TWOOOO.)
Eventually Kay was sent off by the fairy and we made it into the building they set aside for us when we are not traveling or performing. We spent the hour or so doing some repairs and then were getting ready to go look around the fair, when suddenly a knock on the door and the General Manager was there looking for her. We immediately joined in the search. Happily she was quickly found by state trooper and returned to her relatives. YAY!
Apparently Kay is here for the duration, so I expect there will be more tales to tell, although I also think her family is going to keep her on a short leash for the rest of the fair. Hope so. She was too cute and too trusting for her own good.
More to come, no doubt.
Oh, and by the way - They do speak like that here. No, really.
But the "you betcha" count is only at 1 so far, though we got 3 "you bets" out of one person in the space of 20 seconds.
I wait with bated breath for more.
It's been a long day and I'm beat.
Talk atcha later.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Into the West
Day 2 of the Great Adventure
We left Pittsburgh on Saturday, July 7 a little before 5pm. We figured that by leaving that late we'd miss the worst of the heat on the road and also the insanity that is Chicago.
As it stands I actually missed Chicago completely. Animal and I traded driving duties and I pooped out within a few miles of the Windy City. (She told me there was a lot of traffic, even at 1am. Quel surprise.)
We had sort of figured on getting past that hurdle and then finding a motel, but she got her second wind and kept going. We traded off at 7:30am (yes, I know. Me awake at that hour!) and we arrived at our hotel around 1-ish.
After eating and some light shopping (we found a Thrift Store!!!) we are both collapsed on our separate beds, messing with computers and unable to process much in the way of being productive. At some point we will go looking to see what can be seen, but for the moment we are burnt!
Tomorrow we head to the fair to set up. The performing starts on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed for cool(er) weather.
Ta for now.
D
We left Pittsburgh on Saturday, July 7 a little before 5pm. We figured that by leaving that late we'd miss the worst of the heat on the road and also the insanity that is Chicago.
As it stands I actually missed Chicago completely. Animal and I traded driving duties and I pooped out within a few miles of the Windy City. (She told me there was a lot of traffic, even at 1am. Quel surprise.)
We had sort of figured on getting past that hurdle and then finding a motel, but she got her second wind and kept going. We traded off at 7:30am (yes, I know. Me awake at that hour!) and we arrived at our hotel around 1-ish.
After eating and some light shopping (we found a Thrift Store!!!) we are both collapsed on our separate beds, messing with computers and unable to process much in the way of being productive. At some point we will go looking to see what can be seen, but for the moment we are burnt!
Tomorrow we head to the fair to set up. The performing starts on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed for cool(er) weather.
Ta for now.
D
Friday, July 6, 2012
Facts about Stink bugs
1. They are an introduced species that have reached plague proportions in recent years
2. They destroy fruit crops
3. In the fall they invade structures (houses) and hibernate
4. They emit an oil when alarmed, thus earning the name
5. They are suicidal around me
I have told them repeatedly that if I see them they are shortly thereafter going to be dead. (I capture and eliminate by drowning in water with soap added.) No stinkbug that I can reach will escape me if I have anything to say about it.
I must insert here that I do not kill lightly or with malice aforethought - I dislike killing on principle, but it must be done. It's them or us, and I vote for us (this time).
2. They destroy fruit crops
3. In the fall they invade structures (houses) and hibernate
4. They emit an oil when alarmed, thus earning the name
5. They are suicidal around me
I have told them repeatedly that if I see them they are shortly thereafter going to be dead. (I capture and eliminate by drowning in water with soap added.) No stinkbug that I can reach will escape me if I have anything to say about it.
I must insert here that I do not kill lightly or with malice aforethought - I dislike killing on principle, but it must be done. It's them or us, and I vote for us (this time).
THE GREAT ADVENTURE HAS BEGUN - SORTA
For those who don't know, I'm off on a grand adventure starting tomorrow. I'm going to N. Dakota to perform with my friend Animal X at the State Fair in Fargo. After we fulfill that obligation we're going to go looking for sacred sites in the rest of the state (i consider North and South Dakota to be the same place.) We may actually (depending on how much meandering we do) get to Devils Tower in Wyoming (Close Encounters, anyone?:-)
I intend to journal my trip, though probably not on a daily basis (we'll see). But for anyone interested - stay tuned.
Now, as to the sorta begun that's in the title - I consider the fact that the girls are doing a two week sleep over with my wonderful compadre, Sherry, the beginning of the adventure, mostly because I had to round them up, stuff them in cages and then drive them in this heat across as town part of the journey.
I'm sleeping alone tonight. I miss them. :-(
Meanwhile, after much ruminating, Animal and I have decided to leave tomorrow afternoon so that we will hit Chicago well after the main madness (although not all of the madness - it is Chicago after all) is over. We need to be in Fargo by Monday.
For those interested - you can go on Youtube and look for The Enchanted Wagon to see what we'll be doing.
Should be interesting.
I'm also planning to post some pictures if the technology cooperates.
I'm signing off for now.
Westward ho!
DE
I intend to journal my trip, though probably not on a daily basis (we'll see). But for anyone interested - stay tuned.
Now, as to the sorta begun that's in the title - I consider the fact that the girls are doing a two week sleep over with my wonderful compadre, Sherry, the beginning of the adventure, mostly because I had to round them up, stuff them in cages and then drive them in this heat across as town part of the journey.
I'm sleeping alone tonight. I miss them. :-(
Meanwhile, after much ruminating, Animal and I have decided to leave tomorrow afternoon so that we will hit Chicago well after the main madness (although not all of the madness - it is Chicago after all) is over. We need to be in Fargo by Monday.
For those interested - you can go on Youtube and look for The Enchanted Wagon to see what we'll be doing.
Should be interesting.
I'm also planning to post some pictures if the technology cooperates.
I'm signing off for now.
Westward ho!
DE
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