26 July 2009

Another beautiful faire day, with such a small crowd and poor sales it was almost surreal. But, despite that frustration, we got through it . . . “like ya do.”

I would imagine that the “getting through it” was made easier by the observation of our Sunday morning traditon of bloody marys. Once again, although not all of my staff is interested, Sean, Kelly, Carol (even though she wasn’t working today!) and Paul (from Ginger’s shoppe) and myself, all enjoyed our drinks, and pretty much killed off another bottle of Zing Zang mix.

Chili’s (second night in a row for some of us) was the dinner spot, and after that, paperwork and computer stuff, followed by a shower, and some sleep. I must admit daylight was starting to glow in the sky by the time I laid down to take a nap. Leaving around 9 a.m. is the plan. Off to Florida for a wedding!

~MB

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25 July 2009

Weekend number three at Bristol started with a lovely Saturday—nice weather, and unfortunately, a very small crowd.  Who knows what’s up with that?  It was Oshkosh Air-Venture weekend.  I guess that pulls some folks away from us.  And, the weather was a little threatening toward the south.  But, at faire it was lovely, if a bit muggy.

At the end of the day, I changed clothes, and decided this was my very last chance to run out and try to find a pretty new dress to wear to my brother’s wedding.  At the last moment, Kat decided to go with me, and off we went. First stop at the outlet mall, and then, to the new JC Penney’s store in Kenosha that I’d had my eye on as a place I wanted to visit. 

I was sucessful in each stop of my little whirlwind spree!  I walked into Chico’s at 8 o’clock, out at a quarter after, on to Nine West, and by 8:40, we were at Penney’s.  We were met at the door with coupons and the knowledge that they were open ’til ten, not just ’til nine.  Then we came to realize that we were there on opening day!  I’d been thinking the store was open for weeks, and then here I was on their first day!  Obviously, my visit was meant to be.  I ended up finding a darling little dress and picked up a couple of other things as well.   My little shopping spree that began at 8 o’clock ended at 10 p.m. as we were among the last folks checking out at the Penney’s store.   By then, we were really hungry, so we took ourselves to Chili’s before heading back to faire.

I took this photo of the really charming dressing room in the lingerie department.  And, yes, Kat laughed at me, too! But, I was impressed.  This is a classy store!  In the dress department, there is a waiting area with cushy chairs and a big screen tv playing sports!   Now, that’s clever!

It’s also my only photo today!

~MB

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24 July 2009

My day was largely overtaken by ruffles!

My photo is of the interior—the yummy part!— of the Can Can skirt I made for Susabella.  I love it!  I have way too much fun with this sort of thing.  With three of my dancers having danced a Can Can number with me before, I only have two new skirts to make for this year’s group, and now one is done!  (Of course, Ginger saw this one, and immediately had ruffle-envy, so there may be some tweaking to hers as well! <wink>)

So that’s the “ruffles” part of my day I wanted to share.  The remembering part of my offerings have to do with Hurricane Ike.  Remember him?  He swept into our lives and changed our world last September, and although hundreds of people still think about him daily, the news media has little to say about him, now.  So, when they do, I find it worth passing along to our readers here at The Daily KRuMB.

http://www.eesti.ca/?op=article&articleid=24578

Amazing to me, to stop and think that only 65 percent of the folks who lived on Galveston Island before Ike, have even returned to their homes, much less, resumed a life of any degree of normalcy.  One of my new friends, a dear woman I met as a result of Ike and our shared love of writing, has written of the “new normal.”  Much like for New Yorkers, and indeed all Americans after 9-11-2001, life must go on.  But, it is forever changed.  I personally believe that it is all too easy for those of us who don’t live in places affected by these tragedies to forget what others are dealing with on a daily basis.  The news media abandons such stories within hours or days in favour of sports figure scandals and healthcare reform issues.  And in the case of Ike, there was this crazy election thing going on which, perhaps rightfully, took center stage.  Unfortunately, once out of the limelight, Ike was mostly gone forever from news reports.  But, the effects of that storm on so many people, continue to hold the spotlight of their thoughts and their daily lives.  Homes that are still not inhabitable.  Federal aid money still unpaid.  Businesses still in ruin.  Trees that will never again bloom or be green. These things are worth the rest of us remembering.

~MB

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23 July 2009

This is a close-up of the knitted sweater jacket I wore to the RenFeast last night. I love it, and as I put it away, I decided it would make a nice texture-y photo.

Today was another day of Can Can rehearsal and much sewing. And much in the way of aches and pains from all this exercise I am not used to getting. I love it, but wow. Feeling a little on the . . . “old and out of shape” side!

~MB

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22 July 2009

One of our favourite summer traditions is the wonderful evening we’ve come to call “RenFeast.” Our dear friends, Larry and Denise began this wonderful tradition way back in the year 1998, when they invited me and my young girlfriend Stephanie, to come to their house on a Wednesday evening for dinner. Our friendship was new, and it was still rather novel to have a “home” to go to for a meal and running water! They live in a northern suburb of Milwaukee, and in what was only my second year of coming to the Bristol Faire, that drive was a very big deal! For some reason I can no longer remember, Stephanie ended up being unavailable that evening, so when the day of the dinner arrived, I went alone.

The evening was a delight, and the food, magnificent. And thus, a friendship was cemented and a tradition was born. The next year, Stephanie didn’t miss it, and Larry and Denise extended the invitation to include Ginger and I believe there were five of us. By the fifth year the group was a healthy dinner party of seven or eight, and by last summer, the event was officially “RenFeast” and Larry fed eighteen of us! This year, with many who had previously missed the evening determined not to miss it again, the dinner party reached an amazing total of 26 people! The cooking began the day before, and Kelly went up to help. Allyson flew in today, and added her two hands to the busy kitchen. By about six o’clock we began descending upon the yellow house known as Giesen Manor, and the kitchen table was laden with various cheeses, dips and appetizer-type treats. The wonderful Vidal from Cedar Creek Winery was in plentiful supply and the company that gradually assembled included most of my favourite people in the world. Someday, I dream that Kyle will be available to fly up and attend this event.

The baked brie was ready by about 7:15, and by seven-thirty or so, we were all gathered in the dining room to toast our hosts. A five-course meal followed, with the traditional creme brulee for dessert. My photo is of Larry as he puts the appropriate crispy carmelization to a ramekin of the tasty stuff.

This evening also marked Allyson’s 30th birthday celebration, so there was a chocolate dessert specially baked by Kelly for those who had room to shovel it in! Happy Birthday, Allyson!

It is on nights like this that we are reminded just how special is our chosen family of loved ones. I am proud to be the original guest of the RenFeast, and even more proud to call all of these wonderful people my friends. Thank you Larry and Denise for one of the highlights of my/our summer.

~MB

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23 July 2009
At the end of a very long, very difficult, very frustrating and not at all rewarding work day, I felt as worn and tattered as my old shoes.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 24 July 2009)

Listening to:
Pale Blue Eyes by R.E.M.
from Dead Letter Office

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.2 sec (1/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

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22 July 2009
Not an exceptional day, really. Nothing of note. No photographs of note, either. Just this:

Grapes for lunch.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 24 July 2009)

Listening to:
She Fell Away by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
from Your Funeral…My Trial

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

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21 July 2009
Not too long ago I fished a vintage button out of the bottom of a bin of costuming that dear Squeak had brought to my house. That button and it’s reflection is the subject of today’s spectacular photo. The frame in the background holds a beautiful photo of my niece.

One of these days I’ll probably sew the button back onto the gunner’s jacket I now own. Or maybe not.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 22 July 2009)

Listening to:
There Is No If by the Cure
from Bloodflowers

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 1
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

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20 July 2009
On the 19th my camera was acting up, so I got it out and took a couple of test shots today. Seems just fine. But, they’re also the only photos I took all day.
So, here’s the dull, lifeless cubicle across the hall from me.

Cheers

~KR (Written on 22 July 2009)

Listening to:
Yankee Rose by David Lee Roth
from The Best Of David Lee Roth

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.2 sec (1/5)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 11.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

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21 July 2009

My weeks here at Bristol are always full of both work and fun, and always seem to fly by. I miss Kyle and I miss the dogs and I even miss the house. But, even with the frequent pangs of homesickness, the time here passes quickly. The community here is so populated with fabulous people, some of whom I only get to see at this show, and some of them local folks, offering dinners at “home” and hot showers and porcelain conveniences! And, it’s an active community—breakfasts, dinners, parties, daily boccee games, charity fundraisers, and themed events—there’s always something going on! I’m working hard on helping to produce a Folk Dance Showcase show, as a benefit for RESCU. I’ll be assisting Shannon in the glass studio at least one morning a week. And, of course I squeeze in some sewing.

On this Tuesday, I had a meeting about music for the dance show, did some work in the workshop, and left site early in the evening to attend ballet class. I made it all the way through the class, by the way! I cheated a little and stayed flat for some of the relevers at the barre, which enabled me to be able to do the center floor work. I skipped only two combinations across the floor, and was able to do the final port-a-bras! Much better than last week, and very little pain! Woo hoo.

On the way home from class, Carol and I stopped at this neat little Irish pub that we’d seen on our way down the first time. She says it’s been there “forever.” The Irish Mill—totally adorable on the outside, and very comfortable on the inside, as well. Half-timbered-looking structure . . . a big rectangular bar, with seating all around, a few tables with chairs and a couple of snugs. I had a Guinness 250 while Carol ordered a cabernet, and we chatted about our childhood dance experiences and all sorts of other things as well. A change in music styles and volume chased us out at about 10:30, but that’s probably a good thing. We were both still 45 minutes from home, and very tired. This is a place I’d like to bring Kyle back to someday, though. He’d like it.

~MB

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