1st Faire Weekend on "The Juicy Tour!" :)

Juicy moments for this last weekend did abound here in Florida!
I've made juice each day of the trip so far and am packing fruit and veggies and I've personally not eaten meat since last Tuesday. Here I am, making beet, carrot apple juice for Dre's family and us and Jay and Abby in Dre's kitchen! They love the fresh juice too!

You know if it weren't for bacon, I think I could be a total vegetarian :) Whenever possible I am trying to pick Vegan choices, but have eaten whatever our hosts have been generous enough to provide. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And hey, I've been a carnivore for years....but so far, picking less dairy and meat has made my heartburn go away. I hope to have Harry and I drop a few pounds through all this too.
I remain open to choosing vegan or vegetarian whenever possible. Feeling pretty damn good too! Of course we have an upcoming date with Star and friends in Coconut Creek at a HUGE Japanese Sushi Bar and I am really looking forward to that! It's a treat and I will not restrain myself, but enjoy the bounty I find there on this big adventure!

The weather down here is gorgeous, sunny, hot and with a bright blue sky. Ninety degrees was a bit too hot for these Snow Birds who left snow and single digit weather, but it IS wonderful to be in shirt sleeves!
Indeed it is faire weather!
Here are some "Faire" moments!

Getting ready...Jingles ON!

 Abby! "Pour Me Another Pint!" :)

 Harry...with a Fever...but still being a Good Minstrel!

Our buddy Braze!

 Yes. He's is Big :)

 Harry has been fighting a bit of a bug, but I think that the juicing has really helped him kick it. Abby has been feeding him Vitamin C as well. LOTS of water too. He's back on his feet, and was a real trooper in the heat and playing doing sets all weekend.

Here is a funny thing....a ROMAN GLADIATOR at the Ren Faire... :)

 The Joust!

 After our Village Stage set, chatting and enjoying the breeze and shade with friends!

 Service Doggies named "Summer" and "April" :)

 Here is Sandy, the Faire Manager and I...hey....Great Minds think ALIKE!" :)
TOO Fun!

One of the most wonderful things I can tell you that happens when we play music, is that people are waiting for us when we get to our shows. They give us ideas for requests and we try to accommodate them in any way possible.

Some really "juicy" moments for Harry and I have been: Sitting in Manna Booth with Terry the director of the faire and singing bunches of old songs (not all "ren"). Terry is a Musicologist and a Folklorist. He is a walking encyclopedia of music. I was actually able to come up with several songs he'd never heard, which is fecking AMAZING! :)

We played with "The Harpies" on Saturday night for Pubsing, with our joint rendition of "Greensleeves". It was captured on video and I will post it if and when I get a link.

Sunday of faire found us playing with Jay and Abby on their stage for one set. Terry doubled us up as 2 groups on one set, as the band "Craic" is a very LOUD pipe and drum band and the volume bleed from their show was too much. So we got moved to playing with The Harper and The Minstrel for a joint show and we are all SOOOO pleased to share stage time together!

One REALLY really fun and juicy moment was our slot at the Pub at 4:50pm on Sunday. Harry and I decided to play in the pub, not on the stage itself. "Hoppy" the Pubmaster sat in with us on his acoustic bass and Darren, the fiddler from Empty Hats came to play with us. We ROCKED that pub! It turned into a HUGE singalong and the bar man brought over a tray of free ales for us all! One lass stuffed a $10 tip into my bodice with the words, "That was just AWESOME! You MADE my faire day!! Thank you!" Another  man followed suit with another large bill as well. Being a former pub wench I accepted the tip and the feel with pleasure! :)

Last night after faire found us relaxing in a puppy pile here at Dre & Max's, eating Shepherd's Pie (Dre even made a veggie one for us! :) We stayed up late telling "Minstrel Road Stories" back and forth and laughing and drinking remembering the odd, fun, weird and tragic things that we can now laugh about....but couldn't back at the time. We have a lot of similar stories!

Today is Monday and it is the "official" kick off of our vacation! This week we will be traveling over Alligator Alley to see my brother Gus and his family for a wee visit. Then to Coconut Creek to visit Star and Mikal (who looks amazingly like Harry and I'm pretty sure he has the same birthday as Harry too!)
We are traveling with Donna and staying the night at Star's along with Jay & Abby. Martyn from "Celtic Mayhem" will also join us for the evening's special outing to the Japanese Sushi Bar.

Tomorrow (Gods willing and the Creek don't rise) Harry, Donna and I will head off to our first adventure to "Coral Castle Museum".

This is a castle made of 1100 tons of coral and is a mystery as to HOW it was done in the 1940s by someone who had no engineering background.

Interested? Check out the site right HERE: The Mysterious Coral Castle!!

Will take pics and keep you informed!

We can't wait! But first....more coffee and to repack the garb bag, suitcases and car!