Fowl Faires and a Little Wine

Happy Mother's Day!

I spent my Mother's Day obligated to absolutely nothing. Great way to spend the day in my mind!

Eating her banana watching the Scots battle

Gina from Cain's Crossing gave me a second day pass so that I could take Evelyn with me to enjoy the fair since we left her behind the day before. I wanted to take her (honestly, horrible as it may be) so that I could see how long it would take before she cried... turns out she loved it (good thing). Joke was on me though because I wasn't really planning on spending that long there but she did NOT want to leave.

I had already spent the previous day wandering around (guided non the less!) so I let Evelyn direct us to where ever her little heart desired. She really loved walking up to the costumed folk... until they started talking, then she would slowly back away and find somewhere else to walk to or point out to me. The gypsies found her very cute and were trying so hard to talk with her but she just stood there before she made up her mind that she didn't like people in costumes talking. She eventually found herself a treasure chest at the pirate ship that captivated her heart pretty well and of course, there were no costumed folks around!

I know I'm not supposed to find enjoyment at other peoples discomfort but while we were watching the Scots battle it out, an older woman approached and said she had something she'd like to give Evelyn. The woman opened her hand revealing several colored glass stones (a dragons tear to protect from bad dreams and sad thoughts-evil spirits) so that Evelyn could choose one, and without hesitation she picked a pretty green one and popped it in her mouth. The poor woman nearly had a heart attack on the spot. Evelyn is very good about not putting inappropriate things in her mouth-when she knows it's inappropriate- but I failed to explain to Evelyn what she was getting before she grabbed it. I bent down and told Evelyn it wasn't food (she spit it out no problems) and that it was a pretties. She was a little mad it wasn't chocolate as she first thought, but she was happy with holding and admiring her new gift afterwards.



I directed her towards the falconers thinking she'd really like the birds and especially the owl, but even though it was turning it's head for us she really wasn't very interested. The tent of Saint Ambrose (next to the falconers) however, was able to convince her to enter their occupied tent with a shortbread cookie. Evelyn was very pleased with that arrangement and then walked happily up and down the rows looking at all the sights, her cookie in hand. She was especially enamored with the knight suit outside the House of Swindon. After that I'd point out the (rare few) walking knights that we would pass and she'd stop and stare. The royal ladies frightened her but the maids (less puffy dresses) and knights she liked. She wasn't even frightened when the tree man walked by or by the House of Payne and their executioners. You can tell she has brothers!


We were about to leave when I saw Fowl Tales Parrot Show getting ready to start. It seemed interesting the day before so I decided Evelyn and I would settle in and maow on our own giant turkey leg (not nearly as tasty as they looked) and watch the show. It was actually pretty funny, and I enjoyed it. While he was setting up Evelyn would point to the parrots and exclaim "CHICKEN!" I would tell her that it was a parrot and ask her if she could say parrot. She would say that she could, and then say chicken again. The Germans behind me thought it was as funny as I did... or they were calling me stupid, one can't be sure.

The show had a segment at the end where he asked the "beautiful, intelligent children" of the crowd to come forward and offer 'more than peanuts'. It took me a couple of minutes to locate my dollars but I found one and by the time I sent Evelyn to place it in the basket (in front of the stage not near me) it had many other bills in it. I can honestly say I was worried that she would try to take money from it, but she put her dollar in just fine, then came back wanting more to place in the basket (I had her gave him more at the end of the show).

 He also did a bit where he asked for a volunteer from the audience to assist him- and I must confess I really appreciated my husband even more after seeing how rude the volunteer was. Why raise your hand to go on stage, not interact, and be a jerk to the performer. It made me sad that there are *ADULTS!* like that.

We made our way  home so we could head up to Robert's for dinner. Unfortunately, she didn't sleep and refused to eat much of the turkey leg but all that considering she was in a really good mood. She wanted to play with Bella so bad but had to settle for swinging in circles with Daddy. Dinner was DIVINE and Evelyn loved it, too! So much actually, that she wasn't willing to wait for me to get the spoon to her mouth and she made a wee mess. She couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to play with Sasha or not and got upset easily when he would try to play with her. Or rather, she would get upset when he changed how she wanted things like magnets on the fridge. At the end of the night though, she said her goodbyes unprompted. "Goodbye, Sasha. Goodbye!". 

My day really wasn't planned, but it turned out better than I could of hoped for. I feel refreshed and ready for a new week.

Cain's Crossing

During the Queens Entrance to the fair I
noticed that they had owls!
They had falcons too but they had OWLS!

I kind of felt like this week just wouldn't end. It has not been one of my shining moments so I was very thankful that I had Cain's Crossing to look forward to today. I wasn't totally sure what to expect of a Renaissance Faire in Auburn but I figured we'd go in, nab some free food from our meal with the queen, get our fencing lesson (the main reason I wanted to go), and cut out all before it got too hot. As it turns out that was NOT how it was going to happen at all (much to my pleasurable surprise, not sure about Cliff's).

Gina, who showed us
around the faire
*Not my Pic or her current costume*

First of all, when we arrived the people at the ticket booth didn't know what to do about our auction paper so they told us to just enter the gate with it... the gentlemen at the gate wasn't comfortable with that and wanted to hear the ticket booth explain that it was okay for us to enter. This went back and forth for a little bit until the decided they needed someone of a higher power. During all this commotion Cliff managed to get inside anyway, while I got detained outside the gate waiting for the Queen to make entrance while they searched for the appropriate person who might know what to do with us or who we were.

See, I really am in the tower. Not much to photograph.
They took a picture of us though.

Our auction gift got us fair entrance, lunch, and a fencing lesson (why we really wanted to come). We didn't realize it would turn us into actual VIP but when the appropriate people all got contacted and confirmed our paper was legit they were quick to put special ribbon pins on us (because lanyards are so 21st century!) and began showing us around the fair in a very high class kind of way. I realized later after reading my auction paper that a guided VIP tour was part of the package. Score.

  *actual wordage: entrance and guided VIP tour of the shire; Repast with Her Most Gracious Majesty, Elizabeth R; and Introduction to the art of fencing for up to 6 people

We were allowed to enter the tower (only the captain of the guard is allowed up there) so they could take a picture of us (not much of one from my end) and walked us through the booths pointing out different interesting facts; the long-bowmen Germans and how obvious their codpieces were (to make up for other *ahem* shortcomings), how EVERYTHING in the fair is handmade, suggested shows, and more. We made a pass by the Queen (whom I had to curtsy for whenever I passed her-not that I mind, just strange in pants) and I figured I was getting a great close up chance. Boy, was that far away compared to my 'repast' with her where we literally rubbed elbows and broke bread together. 

Normally anytime I'm at any kind of fair I want to try the craziest fair food they have, in this case the giant turkey legs.  Instead, I had to convince Tasha to do it (who seems to have a love of fair food similar to my own) since I already had lunch plans with the queen. Excuse me, The Queen. Turnabout is fair play however because after mocking her attempt to de-flesh the giant leg she got to sit with Jared and the kids watching Cliff and I eat in the middle of the fair as passersby took pictures. Cliff again offered his flower to Jared.

Look how close I was to The Queen....
Oh wait, this is only the beginning 

Turns out our lunch with The Queen was literally WITH the queen. As in RIGHT next to her. And to think, I thought walking past her court was going to be a cool picture because I got so close! Cliff and I were literally IN her court, in many peoples snapshots, having a very delicious meal with her listening to her 'royal' harpist play period music for our entertainment. Weird at first, but not something you get to experience *especially not being in costume ourselves!*. The food was never ending trays of 'gifts from the town' and the very best was the quail from the falconers (and if they're to be believed actually hunted by the falcons as well). Several trays of sweets were brought out as well, when we had finished with our main meal. In * slightly changed* words of Mel Gibson "It's good to be the Queen".

Classic Guard Sleeping at his post

How true to character the actors all stay make it quite entertaining. Sir Robert Dudley (the main person besides Gina who conversed with us and was at the table during our meal) made sure to question us about why we would be so improper as to meet the queen with naked heads and me in my undergarments. He explained that when you meet The Queen you put your hat over your heart not for any sentimental reason, but so that your bugs don't get out (or The Queen have to see them). He then went on to tell us how the queen was displeased with him because he arranged amusement at the next stop of hundreds of small animals (piglets, kittens, puppies, gophers, and the such) to be lit on fire and hoisted into the sky. The Queen was not pleased by this idea at all and during our dinner (supper is the last meal) she explained what to do with all the extra animals (kittens taught to mouse, puppies trained to hunt, piglets to feed the poorest towns). 

The falconers visiting The Queen in her court

Our Fencing Instructor
*Not my picture*

During our meal the Danse Macabre Guild paraded through with upbeat music looking like skeletons with happy faces. I assumed it was a dance of the dead but we were informed that it was actually local villagers trying to ward off death from the Black Plague. They dress as though they are already dead & dance through the lanes so The Angel of Death will not visit. See, isn't learning fun?


At the end of our meal we were guided over to Diamond Rose Academie d'Armes for our fencing lesson. There were two instructors for Jared, Cliff, and myself and they taught us 4 of the 8 basic moves. It was very interesting to see how everything in fencing is done in little movements and how strength has nothing to do with it if you know how to move. 

Scottish Demonstration 

Our tour was insightful, our lunch was delicious, and our fencing lesson was fun, but the highlight of the day was our last event when we watched the Daredevil Chickens preform.

Cliff and I still had on our special ribbon flowers that marked us as some sort of VIP (whether or not this actually had any effect on why Cliff got chosen *repeatedly* I doubt it, but at the time, he was convinced of it-those of us watching knew he was chosen because he added to the comedy). There is video, but I have been informed that it actually deters from just how funny they (the chickens and Cliff) actually were.

However, even with our tasty lunch that was followed with our very fun (and much more difficult than expected) fencing lesson the best part was at the end of the day when we watched the Daredevil Chickens. Cliff and I still had on our special ribbon flowers that marked us as sponsors or something (whether or not this actually had any effect on why Cliff got chosen *repeatedly* I doubt it, but at the time, he was convinced of it- those of us watching knew he was chosen because he added to the comedy). There is video, but I have been informed that it actually deters from just how funny they (the chickens and Cliff) actually were.

The show started with the chicken wife (Attila the Hen) catching 3 rings thrown at her simultaneously and caught on her body. Then, the husband chicken chose a member from the audience to attempt the same thing, failure would result in shaming, and success would allow the show to begin. The audience member choice being Cliff. It took two tries, but Cliff did it with flair (the first time really was a bad throw, not a bad catch). When he completed the task he got to sit back down and watch as they selected a child from the audience so that they could make the child fly and land in a *small* net. And then came the fun part, they needed someone to hold that net to catch the child and they saw the best choice-Cliff! So he got dragged up there again.... and they didn't let him come back so easily after that.

Okay, it was so many shades of hilariousness and that's what makes the video so bad: I was laughing so hard and using a small picture camera several rows back, but I'm going to post it anyway. I still find it giggle worthy.

His first time up... you can see he actually tries while he's up there... all the more reason why he got chosen a second time

a bit longer, but the second bit (after he caught the 'flying' boy)

When the chickens finally released Cliff the second time he returned to his seat and tore of his flower pin, positive it was the reason he was selected. Apparently several people noticed this movement and after the show he had his own gaggle of followers (all ladies, probably single) complementing him on his great performance and asking how he got his flower pin that got him selected. 

If having to sit right next The Queen and be photographer throughout our lunch didn't convince him ren fairs are for fools, this probably did. 

We all had a great time and even Cliff was able to leave with a smile on his face, although I doubt he'll wear any special pins before watching a show that uses audience participation again. 

*I talk to much and if you know me then you already know I repeat myself-so you really shouldn't be surprised. 

Dun na. Dun na. Sand Shark!

 

Another sunny day with very little homework means we got to search out new parks. Love these kinds of days! I felt like trying out a new park today and since we were unsure how long we'd have Noah we chose one near his house. We found out he LOVES lying in the sand like a little sand shark.  Evelyn would follow the boys all over the park whenever one of them tried to run off and play something else. 

Isaac finally got it and got really fast at it.

 Alex figured out how to spin very quickly down  this thing and promptly taught his brother the secret. They spent most of the time running back up the equipment to swirl down again!

I noticed some plastic coins in the sand and  the boys then took turns burring it and then playing "hot or cold" until they found it again. The game ended when they both forgot where that spot actually was. 

First thing Evelyn saw was this little play area. She ran to it first thing, clasped her hands, and started talking in her sweetest voice telling all the world her beautiful story. Alex was there playing with her and I got him to pose for a moment so I could snap this picture of the two of them. 

3 Bullets and 10 Bucks

We started out the day in South Shore Tahoe looking for breakfast and working on a plan for the day. We ended up traveling up(?) HWY 50 and stopping at a vista point for pictures and a little exploring.  We drove though cave rock and later learned the history of it at the vista point. 

Cave rock is the most holy and most sacred ground to the Washoe Indians (and still is) and yet in 1931 we blew a hole in it so we could drive though it at highway speeds....

We wandered around the Vista point for a short while and another couple asked us to take their picture so in return they took ours as well. 

The water was so pretty and clear and the most beautiful shades of blue and green. There was still some snow on the ground (it did just snow the night before) and I liked how it sparkled in the sunlight. Cliff was fascinated with plucking ice cycles  from the rocks. We had been admiring them on all the roofs and on the under carriages of all the cars that sat outside. Even made some really cool frozen stream water falls on the sides of the mountains.  He didn't want his picture taken and got more enjoyment from ducking from my camera much to my annoyance. 

I noticed my car is in desperate need of a good washing after the snow covered it.

We were getting hungry so we went in search of breakfast which came in the form of the local Safeway (my favorite store). They didn't have any breakfast like sandwiches like our local one at home, but we settled on yogurt, a banana, Hostess Cinnamon Streusel cake, and a starbucks coffee.  All-star breakfast for sure!

When we were done eating, but before we left the store Cliff headed to the center (front) of the store and played a little video poker (theme of the weekend). The slot attendant was very friendly and chatty and even let me take a picture after Cliff won 10 bucks (also a common theme). 

We left Safeway and just started driving until we came into Carson City. We noticed a very large movie theater attached to a casino and moseyed on up towards it to see how much it would cost to catch a showing of 'Hannah'. 13 dollars for the two of us and only 10 minutes since it 'started' so we headed inside. The movie had some really cool fight scenes that I likes, but not all that much in the way of plot. One amazing line in the movie though... Someone asked Hannah how her mother died and she replies very simply "3 bullets". Awesome. We then won free game play at the adjacent Club Fandango casino so headed over for a little bit of gambling. We never got the free play, had some fun playing for quite awhile, but still only half way to our free play. Again, thanks to Cliff, we ended up 10 bucks ahead. 

With no real place we had to be (and beautiful blue skies above) we drove though Arby's for lunch on the run and headed out for Virgina City. We were this far already, why not?

Beautiful drive. Such tiny little towns, and small, old houses and yet people STILL live like that. Crazy and a little humbling to think about. I loved the old mining structures still in great condition just sitting on the side of the road all through Silver City. 

Silver City would be a fascanating place to walk though and explore (take pictures). Mine shafts everywhere and there is even a 'Cabin in the Sky' that is for rent and has 'fine dining' available.

Driving into Virgina City and the very first thing you notice is a very large church steeple (directly in front of a slightly smaller one a street back). There were a LOT of churches, especially for such a small town but I really wanted to take pictures of the "Church in the Sky" so we parked there and headed up to the main (western) street. 

The church in the sky

Most of the street was different saloons and then many touristy shops. About 3 candy shops, 2 or three old time photo places (one had a picture of "Miss Kitty's Bath House"- best old time photo idea I've ever seen), plenty of history, and lots of fun little things to see and discover. We ventured into most of the saloons since they all seemed to have pieces of the towns history preserved. There was the 'silver queen', the suicide table, and one saloon that still had coin slot machines that paid out silver dollars and gold (if you hit big enough). I didn't win much, I actually lost 3 dollars, but Cliff and I both got to watch a silver dollar drop into the tray which was very fun. 

This church was much prettier when you didn't look at it directly next to the  'Church in the Sky' that was in front of it.

This church was much prettier when you didn't look at it right next to the church in the sky.

After walking through most of the street and looking in the most interesting of shops we went back to our car and drove across town to check out the historic cemetery (which was HUGE-several acres).  We were told there was a very interesting story about a local prostitute so we hiked up and down the hills trying to find her grave. Come to find out after we got home her name was Julia C. Bulette and she's entombed east of town at an unmarked site. Since we didn't know that, we walked up and down the paths through the grave markers trying to find something declaring a prostitute buried below for over an hour. 

Every symbol on the headstones had meaning (also something I didn't fully know until later) and the graveyard wasn't just 1 cemetery, it was actually several all next to each other segregated by ethnic, religious, professional and fraternal lines. There was a section in the beginning for members of the Masonic temple and Morning Stars. There were whole areas just for Irish immigrants, English immigrants, French immigrants, Firemen, or military personal all separated by fences. There were graves 200+ years old, and I even came  across one grave that was just a week old. 

We found many graves of infants, children, and very young adults. It was very humbling to see such a reminder that people lived a hard life and death at any age was part of it. Beautiful the way they looked after their dead though. 

The graveyard was designed (in Victorian Times) to be a beautiful, lush garden where people could go to contemplate life and wanted to bury their loved ones. It wasn't meant to be just a lot of holes covered with marble but an actual park to enjoy being in. Now with age, and thieves, and vandals it's little more than dead bushes and lots of dirt surrounding hundreds of beautiful headstones and plenty of town history.

By the time we were done scouring the headstones it was almost 6 so we headed back to town (Tahoe) to find dinner and get some gambling in. We realized when we got into town that we weren't actually that hungry yet so we headed straight to Harveys to play a few games and score a few drinks. We started with Keno (you buy your games and walk away...not that cool) and then Cliff found more video poker that paid him a few bucks before we ventured onto a roulette table. Odds are totally stacked against you, but I'm a sucker for chance games. On our last play I chose the number 20 (since 20 is the day Cliff and I met/got together). 136 dollar pay out after tip and we walked away happy (my only true win for the night). We played some slots in Harveys and Harrahs and I got Cliff to drop 5 bucks on a few games of Big 6 (more chance) and then we walked up the street to check out the other two casinos. One had no tables whatsoever, and both (probably because of the small sizes) seemed less smoky.

Still, not too much going on, and no great luck so we went back to our car and drove up the Fox & Hound for dinner (didn't realize they only serve appetizers at 11:30pm).  We ordered the combination pizza (great crust!) and a bowl of chili. After two nights of eating there I can confidently say the food is very yummy and I will go back next time I'm in Tahoe. 

Wedded Bliss

Wedding planning is miserable. Don't get me wrong, there is some level of fun about looking at everything you can do, picking out your dress, location, cake, etc. but it's really very, very stressful. The morning of I was so relaxed and peaceful just knowing that all my planning was done and the time had finally come so that I could just enjoy all my months of planning. But the truth is, in the end, the day passes too quickly (especially when you arrive an hour late) that while you do enjoy yourself, it's not nearly as much as you hoped for.

I have learned that why we plan such an extravagant event is as much for our own enjoyment as it is anyone else's. It is the ONE and only time you will ever see the bride and grooms separate worlds collide and meet in a single location. It is a joy I wasn't expecting, but greatly enjoyed.


My day had flaws, but in my eyes it was absolutely perfect. My dress and hair looked great; My cake was delicious and beautiful; my room was put together perfectly; I LOVED my ring; My groom was perfect; The food was fantastic; my photographer took great pictures; and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

At the end of the day, it was worth every last over-priced, budgeted penny and every single moment of stress I complained about. I will never (EVER) plan another one, but if I had to do this one over again, I would... and I wouldn't change a thing (okay, I have learned I'd probably do a few things a bit simpler on myself, but you get the idea).

Black Friday

Evelyn's first Black Friday Experience. Going out at 2am to stand in line at Target in WET, windy Washington. What a wonderful daddy for doing the dirty work of staying outside and letting Evelyn and me stay warm and toasty in the truck.

3:41am... Almost done

First Den Meeting

Alex has been in the cub scouts for about a month now and last night was his first den meeting. We got a visit from Officer Dan who talked about stranger danger, staying safe, and even showed us his motorcycle. It was highly entertaining. Following that we had hot dogs and smores... what a night :)

Car Troubles

I have a crummy car. Well... mostly crummy. It does get me from point A to B majority of the time, it just suffers from attitude problems and doesn't always want to turn on in the first place so that I may leave Point A and get to where I'm going.

Normally, it only acts up after sitting over night in really cold weather.

Normally, I just need to wait for someone to jump me... I have the cables, I just need a running battery.

Today wasn't normal.

I went to pick up Alex after school. I parked the car in a shady spot and walked to his classroom to get him. Ten minutes later I was back to the car and loading the boys in but by the time I tried to start it, apparently it died. The only reason I can think of why this happened THIS time is because it's so hot outside.
I don't worry too much, I'm outside a school that just let out looking very pregnant with 2 children with me. Surely, someone will help me out. So I pop my hood, pull out my jumper cables and stand by my car looking nice, and in need of help. Several moms load their children into their cars near my own and don't offer a stitch of help.
Okay.
Maybe they just don't know how to jump a car and don't think I know either. Maybe, their little ones are in a big hurry to use the potty.
Two different cars drive by with male drivers (and no children) and they don't stop to help either. Way to man up.

Finally! A van parks RIGHT in front of me, sits in her car for a minute, then pulls out a book to read on the way to her friends doorstep so that I can't bother her. Nice.

I called Cliff, who called our friend who was on her way to a meeting. SHE was nice enough to turn back around, and come help me out within 10 minutes. Just as she was coming, the nice bitch who parked in front of me was ready to mosey on her way out.

It's so great to live in a town where there are people who see past there noses and true gentleman still around.

Gone to the Birds....

I was going through some photos trying to organize the TONS of pictures I've taken in the past two years or so and came across this very interesting picture. It's from our Thanksgiving pictures on a trip we took up to Multnomah Falls. They were absolutely beautiful, but I have no clue how this bird ended up in our photo, and more so, how we didn't notice at the time! I've never seen it before, and I've never seen it since, but here it is in all it's glory.....



Yes, that's right. This IS a picture of a 3 year old, flipping a bird. Thank you for noticing.

Never Enough Hours

I'm 27 weeks pregnant and still trying to keep everything up in the house. Or rather, still catch up in the house. The garage is still just a giant cluttered storage space, we still have boxes that are not put away, and now we have a steady supply of baby gear that's coming in on an almost daily basis to keep up with (no complaints at all, just a lot to put away). I'm still hoping that I'll somehow manage to get it all done before I run out of time, and the ability, to do so.