Wetumpka, AL -

The Spanish moss was the first thing I noticed as we pulled into our lot in Fort Jackson Toulouse Park. It is all over on the huge ancient pin oak trees and makes everything look relaxed and serene. I have been fond of the stuff since a trip many years ago to see family in Louisiana where it’s absolutely everywhere. There’s just something beautiful and lazy about it that immediately makes me begin to feel at ease when I’m in among it.

The cats showed up just after we had everything hooked up. One male, one female and two adolescents, a female and one of indeterminate gender. The adult male remained quite aloof, but the adult female we called Momcat clearly enjoyed our company even though she never came close enough to be stroked. She and the youngsters would sit quietly on our porch less than five feet from us, paws tucked in underneath in classic cat-loaf fashion. We fed them canned chicken two nights in a row and that made us their Official Favorite People, probably for the duration of our stay.

We grew used to their rustling about outside in the leaves in short order. So used to it, in fact, that we could tell immediately when that rustling changed in pitch and intensity and led us outside to discover a large armadillo determinedly rooting about in the soft earth behind the back bumper. They are bizarre looking creatures, almost like a pig and pill-bug all spliced together. They don’t see well, but it was able to deem us too close at one point and took off across the park at top speed, which was comparable to that of an elderly and slightly crippled Labrador. At one point it stopped and sat up to squint at me, giving me a good close look at its front digging claws while twitching its leaflike ears, then it was off again in the gathering dark. The sun had been on the way down when we started the chase and now it was down behind the hills.
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Filed under: On The Road, Swordswallowers In General

Westfield, IN -

We owe a huge debt of gratitude for the hospitality and care of a way cool lady whom Alex has known for many years. She opened her land and her home to us, allowed us to completely commandeer her kitchen to prepare a Halloween meal of nearly a dozen different items and lay a fire for us all afterward which burned long into the night and kept us very warm.

Thank you, thank you for making such a wonderful night even more wonderful through your enthusiasm, skills and love. We will not forget and we hope to be back to see you very, very soon.

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Filed under: Food & Drink, On The Road, Swordswallowers In General

Centreville, VA

I finished up a show for a wedding reception earlier this evening and have to say that I had a truly marvelous time. There is something deeply moving that occurs when people from completely different walks of life show up to celebrate a joyous occasion with people they genuinely love and love deeply. I saw people with interests in polar opposite camps come together in costume and true Halloween spirit to honor the nuptials of two wonderful people. Some were relations, some were not. There were adults and children alike. All seemed to truly understand why they had gathered and where the true importance of the evening lay. I was honored and humbled to be included as a part of it all. The belly dancer I worked with agreed. We were quietly witnessing something sacred and rare and we both knew it on a very instinctual level. We shared our gifts accordingly and I imagine we both emerged the better for it.

On the way home I stopped in to see my brother, his wife and my nephew, though the hour had grown late and Ian was already down for the count. I stayed for a cup of tea and fellowship, catching up with my brother professionally as well as personally and remembering many of the wonderful times I spent living there in years past. By the time I was on the road home I was overwhelmed with gratitude for everything in and around my life.

I still am.

I wonder how Alex is doing after a weekend of shows and think fondly on our last few shows together. I am tired, contemplative and content to lay down with Pinball, stroke his soft orange fur and drift off to sleep on the gentle waves of his purring.

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Filed under: Shows, Swordswallowers In General

Yorkville, IL

I blame my newfound addiction to Bob Blumer’s Nutcases recipe for my lack of textual contributions lately, but much has happened that I need to get down on the page while it’s all still fairly fresh in my mind.

The Feast of the Hunter’s Moon is what I imagine an introductory version of PennSic might look like. We were camped among tents, trailers and a cacophony of lashed wood-and-canvas lean-tos, flys and other less organized shelters. Flags and shields displaying allegiance to a particular group went up quickly, bold and bright. The numbers quickly swelled to well over 5000 participants on the field. Our neighbors immediately across the way spent the better part of Wednesday and Thursday as well as part of Friday raising their triptych shelter and I must admit it was a rather impressive structure when completed. I have no idea how they managed to stay warm, though they did go though a pile of firewood three feet high any given night.

Further highlights: A crate full of Jack Russell Terrier puppies, an absolutely gorgeous sunrise that first day and a private port-o-let with its own trailer.

It was crushingly cold that first day and this coupled with the dust constantly stirred up all across the site compromised me quite a bit. By Saturday night I was achy, sniffly, chilled and miserable. The evening’s festivities included a called dance boasting over 3000 kids participating as well as a fire show that Alex and the Budabis had started up last year on the same site. This year everyone who worked with fire was invited to play. I felt like I’d been beaten with sticks, knew I had to work a second day and was struggling with what was best to do. I ended up on the field, loving every moment spent there and feeling none the worse on our return to the trailer. Shows the following day were stellar.
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Filed under: On The Road, Shows

Penn Wood Airstream Park – Limestone, PA

I am trying to relax. It isn’t working.

Maybe it’s the “trying” part that’s messing up the entire equation. The geek in me brings out the flash card bearing Yoda’s adage “do or do not, there is no try,” then the analytical part of me replies “relaxing implies no ‘doing’ at all, so sit down and be still already. Criminy, are you trying to give us a heart attack?!” I’m getting nowhere with it all.

We’ve been here at Penn Wood for nearly four whole days, having made it to our Wednesday evening gig here with an hour to spare, just enough time to unpack, change and perform dangerously stupid skills on a few hours’ sleep. The crowd loved us, we loved them back and everyone had a wonderful evening.

Now, four days later, I’ve honestly tried to relax. We took in the Autumn Leaf Festival parade yesterday, complete with a half an hour of Shriners astride various motorized objects. We ate sparingly of the carnival food (the deep fred Oreos need to be patented and sold on pharmacy shelves next to the Midol). We did some Christmas shopping, finding a few gems just perfect for their intended recipients. I even found (and purchased for a staggeringly low price) a vintage Singer sewing machine, since identified as a Model 128, converted from hand crank to motor power. We watched some very gifted entertainers here at the Park and have shared a number of excellent conversations with the residents and other friends we’ve just made. We went to look at the antique tractor show today, with Alex acting as inside lecturer for my benefit, rode some rides and sampled the local pizza, which was amazing.
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Filed under: On The Road, Swordswallowers In General