Ren Faire Diaries~ Checking in

Travel Log to Silver Kingdom 2013

Stopped into the Thruway rest stop for coffee, gimped out of our car and creaked to a full standing position….stretched out and when I walked in, I was heading straight for the Ladies Room. Then I saw a woman coming out of the men’s room, who was obviously in some alias. A man in a woman’s wig, skirt and awkward heels, almost looked like he was either (in my imaginative mind) in a witness protection program, was hiding from the mob, or was up to something. He didn’t seem like a real transvestite to me. His vibe was way different, like he was incognito.  He, however, was the first of several interesting cross dressing men that I saw over this weekend. That, in itself is an interesting phenomenon.I wonder why?

Speaking of vibes, I’m reading aloud yet another book to Harry on the trip. I’m reading my current fascinating choice, “The Lightworker’s Way” by Doreen Virtue.

So we’ve been on another dimensional mind set all the way here. Interesting indeed. Like how to better listen to your Intuition, read people,  and talk to dead people kind of stuff,  and how to better your psychic readings. We’ve already established that my psychic abilities are Clairvoyance and Clairsentinence. Harry’s is also Clairvoyance and also Clairaudient. SO we’ve been comparing notes.

Like for instance some fun we had was that we took our time and went on a relaxed pace here…didn’t really watch the clock. I asked Harry “what time do you imagine we will get there?”
He said, “5 o’clock.”

So we traveled along, and stopped and got gas, I read, we pondered, he drove some more, we stopped and watered…and then we pulled into the Faire and it was exactly…..5 o’clock. On the button, driving into the faire driveway. Kewl.

Saw the faire director and he told us we had our pick of some of the cabins down on the lower shire. So we drove down there. After all the rain that the area had in the last few days, the jousting field is wet and the path to our site is “sog-trodden” (Merlyn’s new word).

Hopefully, it will be dry by the morrow....

We stop at the first cabin…. I open the door and I see a quaint, nice, clean little trailer, swept out with care….And den?

Instantly In front of me about 1 foot away is a writhing, wiggly, SNAKE!
It shoots right past me and writhes RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.  
 It’s at least a yard long, and I’m guessing (and hoping) it’s a stripey garter snake. Who is now only inches from me in the cabin.

IN THE CABIN!!!!

(Insert blood curdling scream and some sort of an Epileptic style seizure from Merlyn on the threshold)

OH HELL NO.

But that’s not what I said.
I said something more like
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAKKK!"
And then I kept murmuring to myself for awhile longer…. “oh fuck no…no…no…no.”

Yes, friends, that’s the Universe’s “Sign” for Merlyn to NOT sleep in THIS cabin. While the snake symbolism translates to being lucky for “Transformation and “Fertility” and “Guardian”, there is absolutely no fucking way I’m ever going to feel any easy living in THAT particular space. EVER. It has been tainted in my phobic mind's eye.. Can you actually imagine me walking across the floor at night in dark just thinking of it? That image was hard to dispel.
Even though the snake is long gone (I probably scared him too with my scream)....his image still lingers in my mind.

We look over the other options  and aren’t quite ready to take them on for various reasons. The one we settle on is a Tudor style LARP shed that is made for LARPing battles and  Zombie attacks.

We move in for the weekend.

Open eves, no lock, no screens, and the floor has slats in it. A bonus point here is that there is a ladder in it for going up to the loft. (as you know,  most folklore and info says that zombies can’t climb stairs. Having an untouchable getaway safe ground is a bonus point in my opinion.)

 But still you could also sleep in this building. And so we planned to, and Harald, the faire director helped us by dragging some of the bed frames from another cabin over and making it our house. We did that instead of staying in the snake pit or other dicey choices.

Yes, I know, there are slats between the floorboards of which you can see the ground under it about 6 “ away… No there aren’t any screens, but hopefully we won’t get eaten alive by bugs. Yes, there are open eaves but hopefully there won’t be any bats or bird friends visiting. Nor are there any locks. I post an Angel at each door.

I maneuver the twin wire cot frames together and strategically place them a bit away from any wall (no unwanted guests please).

We do have a “porch” though and it will be a good spot for eating, practice and feeling at home.  

 Hmmmmm.....

I crawled in my sleeping bag and snuggled in next to Harry. I am most thankful we brought a potty with us, cuz there’s no gdamn way in hell I’m walking across a wet field of soggy grass with possible snakes and zombies, in the dark, in my jammies, to a porta-john at 3am.

I mean, how much more like Zombie Land can you get for a possible scenario?

How’ere, I WILL be brave enough to traipse across the room with my lantern in a Tudor Zombie shed, and I will also hope that the snake that is in the cabin across the lawn, doesn’t decide to come visit us here in LARPland. There are cracks in our floor and I can see the earth underneath and am hoping for no more surprises in the way of snakes.

Or possible bats.

While I appreciate these awesome creatures....they both freak me out about the same.
They are unpredictable, quiet and surprising.
And wiggly.
Very wiggly.

I close my eyes and dream of a bright, dry, sunny and fun Faire day tomorrow.....

It sure is beautiful here tho.....