The outside temperature is 47 degrees when Rick parks his Suburban at Row 9 of the festival parking. Perfect cloak weather although my fingers are cold enough that I have problems strapping Rick into his armor.
Someone is giving away tickets, but I already bought ours. No problem. The tickets are cheap for the day after Thanksgiving. $14 with a $1 service fee. The regular tickets are $18 if bought off the internet with a $1 fee of course. The beefeaters at the gate scan the printed tickets and we are free to enter.
I buy a Scotch egg. Lots of people are getting the hot chocolate. I am interested in a pirate's hat so we head towards Renboots. No such luck with the pirate's hat but I expected as much. I need to go the first weekend. Both stores and guests are decorated for Christmas. Some of the garb resembles what you would find at Dickens on the Strand.
It's past 1130 so Rick can't make the parade. I stop and listen a bit to Iris and Rose. Christoph the Insulter joins them for a bit. We then listen to the Bilge Pumps an acapela pirate's group at the Wharfside Music Gazebo stage then position ourselves for the parade during which Mary is given an incense stick and later on a green rose. I am thrown a yellow daffodil. The pretty chainmail blonde is in the parade. My G7 is slow in this light or maybe it's the focusing mode. Gotta play with it.
Mary and I have a bread bowl of beef stew. Big on bread. Little on stew. We listen a bit to Donal Hinely's Glass Harmonica. Arranged on a wooden are glasses filled with water. He dips his finger into the cold water. To tune the glasses, he taps the glass then puts an electronic device on top it. To make his fingers squeak when he strokes the rim, he dips his fingers into apple cider vinegar.
The heavy beat of music draws me further down Musketeer Lane to Dove Meadow Stage. A pretty blonde does a Riverdance step to the music of E Muzeki. The violinist is captivating. Her hair has more body to it and is lighter. The bellydancer balances not one scimitar on her head but two.
As their session comes to an end, I am drawn to music at the Castle Theatre. Shunyata is a new bellydance group. Their spokesperson appears to be the pretty Italian noble who I first saw at the King's Feast. Her accent still sounds more like an Italian. I'm surprised they are showing so much skin for weather like this. She does a few bellyrolls which still amazes as well as some sexy gyrations.
Time to leave. Mary and I have a hockey game tonight. We pick up a bag of cinnamon almonds as we head to the front gates. At the pavilion, Santa and his elves are playing Christmas music. Santa is playing the tuba. I stop at the Dragonslayer Shoppe and buy a Celtic Faerie pin for my collection. For $5, this is a huge heavy pin. It will definitely drag down my Scarborough Guard sash.
Tonight, the Aeros play the Manitoba Moose. We arrive in time to actually recieve one of the beanie hats. These are nice hats. No advertising on them at all -- just the Aeros logo sans the bomber.
Time to leave. Mary and I have a hockey game tonight. We pick up a bag of cinnamon almonds as we head to the front gates. At the pavilion, Santa and his elves are playing Christmas music. Santa is playing the tuba. I stop at the Dragonslayer Shoppe and buy a Celtic Faerie pin for my collection. For $5, this is a huge heavy pin. It will definitely drag down my Scarborough Guard sash.
Tonight, the Aeros play the Manitoba Moose. We arrive in time to actually recieve one of the beanie hats. These are nice hats. No advertising on them at all -- just the Aeros logo sans the bomber.
