Saturday started out with getting ready to go, shower and all the usual stuff--I forgot my medication and had to head back home for it--and then I only brought enough to last me to Saturday night! Idiot MOI!
The drive was fairly uneventful. I arrived at the Ithaca McDonald's and ate a sandwich there, took my meds and continued on to Alma and Ray's house. He and I decided to take two vehicles, because mine was so full of STUFF that there was no room in my car for him, and there was not much call for transferring to his car, so we drove separately. We found great parking spaces. The day was threatening rain. We walked in to the festival field and over to the Re-enactor's tents, inquiring how we could get all my gear over there without making ten million trips. How convenient! They had a hand cart!
So Ray and I borrowed the hand cart and went back to my car, loaded up and locked the doors and back to the re-enactor's tents to set up. After that, things were pretty settled, until it came time to do the parade. I felt up to doing the parade, but didn't know if I should, until they asked me to carry the banner. Unfortunately, there was no room for me in the vehicles to ride up to the front of the parade route, so I walked there. It's about a mile in the wrong shoes, but I made it. My shawl was in the parade, and I feel very good about that. When the parade got underway (almost 2 hours later), my shawl was right out there in the front of the group. It was cool how every so often, the sargeant would call "Make Ready", and I'd have to move out of the way so that the muskets could fire. They also had a cannon that they lit off about 4 times during the parade. It was LOUD, and I jumped every time, which caused giggles in the parade attendees! :)
We arrived toward the end of the parade, and there's Ray, sitting inside some sort of covered cart, watching the parade--nice and dry.
"I didn't know you were going to be *IN IT*!" He said. I just shrugged and went on by. Later, he told me that he'd thought he'd seen Randy--but that he'd left before the parade even started. Frankly, I think he may have been mistaken.
So then, when the parade was over, we walked back to the festival grounds, and I got out my wheel and started spinning. The sun came out. People started to show up, and asked questions. Ray showed up and offered to buy lunch. I knit a bunch on my doily, too. I couldn't spin much because the sun was SO hot.
The massed bands/opening ceremonies began, and I watched from the sidelines again this year. Cried like a baby. "I should be out there", I wailed! Indeed. Back to spinning and rhythmic pedaling. More questions. More answers. Beeswax candle-making. More cannon fire. Baking pies in the dutch oven. Baked beans. Competitions. I got to watch the Grade I band Peel Police from Canada play. Their lead drummer is a hot ticket. VERY good drummer. Makes it look easy!
Ran into several friends from Flint, some from Grand Rapids. Some from Ann Arbor. The day was totally full. After closing ceremonies, I brought my car around to the tents. Completely exhausted from sun exposure and the parade, I loaded my gear and headed for Ray's house. Tired and hungry. We drove to the restaurant and had supper, and then back to the house for dessert and knitting and a little television. I opted not to go to the ceilidh. I was just too dog tired, and my feet hurt besides. Best to put them up and relax.
That's when I realized that I didn't have meds for Sunday.
And so I packed up my gear and headed for home. To a surprised husband who thought I wouldn't be back until Sunday night. Oh well. Sometimes, that's how things go, right?
On arriving home, I finished the doily.
Then I started to crochet a couple of hot pads for my friend Mary in California. She sent me yarn for them, and I did them up. This happened on Sunday. They are so CUTE! Apparently, the cotton was an ombre, and the balls were just a tad short of material--I did run out of yarn for the two. The ones I put on my wall had plenty of yarn and then some left over--and I was very wasteful with it--but not on these skeins! I ran out and had to buy a neutral shade to put on the second hot pad. End result? You can't even tell that the two aren't from the same skein. It's pretty amazing that I was able to get such a close match.
Now that those are finished, I can work on a pair of socks. I decided something smart and quick was in store, before the market bag--which will be the next long-term project.
Then the fair isle sweater makes a comeback. I have to finish it for fall wear this year. Should be a fairly quick knit, because most of the hard part is done--there is just finishing to do now--attache sleeves, do the steeking, neckband, button band, pocket band, and wear it.
Sunday, Hubby and I drove to his mother's. He worked in the yard, while I relaxed in the house and crocheted.
Now, it's Monday morning, and I'm thinking "where'd the weekend go?" I'm still sore from head to toe from the parade, and next year, I might opt out, and just sit on the side and spin like I did last year. That sounds like a real plan. Maybe some coffee to help me wake up? I'm hoping for a lazy day, but I have laundry and dishes to do. Thank goodness I had the presence of mind to buy a large pan of lasagne, so that I don't have to cook at all this weekend!
I pulled the Ace of Pentacles reversed this morning. It's entitled "Adventure", and stands for the beginning of a new direction, usually in financial matters. Reversed means that something doesn't quite work out the way you planned. As if there WAS a plan in place, but there was difficulty enacting it or going forward with it, because money was a problem. Hmm. Interesting. The only plan I have today is staying home and doing housework. Would that I got paid for that, eh?
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