Opening Weekend - aka Hot Hot Hot
Aug. 27th, 2007 06:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blueeowynI think I will swipe the term that ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dawntreader90 picked up from Master Denny, ... hotter than "H - E - double jousting lances." Actually, when someone saw the "Joust Info" tabard on Sunday and asked how hot it gets in the armor, I said it made Hades look temperate. I honestly don't know how hot it gets in there but I am quite sure that 'Beastly' doesn't even come close. I also really like Dawntreader's description of how most of us felt at the end of the day. "I've felt like death warmed over before, now I know what it's like to feel like death that has been hard boiled, deep fried, baked and then sun-dried before being re-fried again." Giggle.
Heat
Hot, humid, gross. That pretty much sums it up. According to Weather.com it only got up to 90. They LIE. I have heard that people had thermometers that were in the 100-108 range ... before humidity. I have trouble believing 108 but I can believe mid-90s to 100 easily. The worst openings were either 1986 (I wasn't there) or 1992 (I felt like my eyelids were sweating by about 11:00 on Saturday. I did manage to drink enough to keep needing to visit the privy all day and you know you are really sweating up the proverbial storm when your tights have gone from sticky to slippery. EEEWWWWWWWW. The privies were fouler than foul because A) people keep forgetting to put the lids down and B) they have menthol in the solution again this year ... not a good thing for me. I was also putting a fair amount of salt into me but I suspect I can still use some more potassium. Need to watch that this coming weekend. The use of the bathroom at home was not scary (i.e. what I was producing wasn't a 'bad' color or specific gravity. GoMe. However, I managed to sweat through the underwear, tights, shorts and the top 3 inches of my skirt. EEWWW It was still damp on Sunday. EWWW. Of course the storm rolled in just as we were getting to the house on Saturday so I just did a quick change instead of the shower I desperately wanted. Java made dinner for us and it was good. Sleep was better. I think I spent about 15 minutes total from when I loaded in Sat. morning to when I loaded out Sat. night in A/C. Ugh.
Jousts
Of course I will start with the jousts. I was concerned about the knights and the horses in this heat, esp. with the 4:00 joust being the hottest one time of day (or so it seems to me) and the one whose start time is the least predictable (need to wait for courtiers to get there from the Chess Game). On Sunday we had Otto von Nurenburg (grey shire) and Martino Fernandez (black Perch/QH) vs. Henry Clifford (black Perch w/stripe) and James Grey (black Perch w/just a star). The Empire took the day with 3 victories out of four jousts. Otto bested both of the English, and Martino out-scored James, but Henry was victorious against Martino. Henry vs. Otto was fairly close. The style was French and we saw at least one shattered lance (which is NOT common in that style). I was scheduled to cheerlead 2 jousts but ended up substituting at the 6:00 joust for a cheering 3/4 jousts in that 'lovely' weather. Sir Barchan and I shared the shady side for the information portion which was nice because I got to hear some of what he tells people. He is such a gentleman. I was sorry to not be able to move to the other side (he had come to 'my' side because there was no one on 'his' side but since I didn't know for sure if I was cheering, I needed to stay put. I also got to watch a certain black Perchie charge w/out a stop horse. That can be a bit, um, intimidating. The Marshall was on the grey Perch
Sunday we saw Otto (grey Shire) & Soltoro de Tuscany (huge Belgian) on the HRE side vs. Henry (black Perch w/stripe) and Jonathan Hawkwood (black Perch w/star) on the England side. Otto won twice again (though it looked like he got rocked at 4:00 vs. Henry), Henry won against Soltoro and Soltoro won against Hawkwood in more French style jousting. I did see another shattered lance. I wasn't cheering but was doing more Joust Info (hey, I actually had people to talk to). One family was utterly charming with a young lady who is learning to ride and was asking all sorts of questions about the horses and if they were boys or girls and so forth. The Marshall was on the European Belgian (bay w/large star).
I got to spend a fair amount of time both days chasing kids away from the railing. Why is it that parents think it is OK to let their child run towards the rail and climb on it? I think the worst was at 2:00 on Sunday when a toddler ran and looked like he(?) was thinking about going under the rope at the end just as the horses were moving out at the exit. That was a bit frightening (esp. since I managed to get there before the parent ... I mean come on, if you have a child of that age, leash it or hold on or something because they are quick and VERY unpredictable at that age). Unfortunately, due to the heat, people were coming up mid-way through the pre-show and thus missed the "keep the kids back" note. *sigh* Fortunately where I usually hang out is less at risk of being hit by Bastons than the sides but there is still a risk from them and more of a risk from the lance tips. There is also the simple expedient that right next to the rails is where we (festival participants) sometimes need to go in a relatively large hurry and would really like to have maneuvering room. I *love* it when someone argues with me (and yes, it happened on Saturday) about moving to an aisle from the center area (or to an aisle with the carriage).
Other
I saw part of the Pyrates show on Saturday which was fun. Got to say howdy to some people and grab some honey. I also got to hear quite a bit of Slaveya's sets (file under "other duties as assigned") which was nice. I (predictably) couldn't understand what they were singing but they explained the song before singing it and they were still very pretty. I also caught part of two Gypsophilia shows and (as usual) marveled at the beauty and skill of Kittarina. I talked to her briefly on Sunday and she has Egyptian training along with Tribal and one other that I can't remember. She borrows from several different cultures. Her joy in dancing (even in that weather) is quite clear and watching her play with Hoagy and Marco was truly fun (esp. the Sunday set at the White Hart). I did miss the wild violin of Yasmin but they are still fun to listen to. I could hear some of E Muzeki but didn't see any of their shows. I spent a part of Sat. hanging with Cat and Fiddle but didn't dance (I was hot and tired and had just finished cheerleading a joust).
I caught O's newest show on Sunday and really enjoyed it. I also saw Henry Meets Anna on Sunday which was great fun (once we get 'real' crowds I don't know if I can make it there in time). I caught Disgrace on Saturday which was nice, I want to catch it later in the season. I saw almost all of Chess Game on Saturday (since there wasn't anyone to talk to for info) but I missed the very end. I probably should have stayed. Oh well.
I'm getting used to my schedule and figuring out where I have 'real' breaks vs. fake breaks. I failed at keeping fully functional for the weekend (bad Eowyn, no biscuit). I didn't go down with heat issues but more the exhaustion from the heat on Sat. + the long week before + day two of not enough food + being up late too many nights meant that I ended up taking a couple of 'power naps' backstage.rsteachout fed me so I didn't have to choose between the needed food and the needed sleep. I just hope that I didn't overly worry Nymblewick or Sir Thomas when they found me. I was really zonked after the 4:00 on Sunday. I did get it back together enough to do the 6:00 with my 'political' cheerleading (cheering for both sides) at nearly full steam.
Lace Goddess had a line both days and the swarm of people on Sat. when I appeared and said "Unlacings here" was quite gratifying. I like being useful and I am good at lacing and unlacing quickly (though I will unlace efficiently with those who need it ... most of the ladies are OK with the 'get me out of this' but some need a slower 'I want out but I need to do it more gradually' ... I think I have them all straight but if I am not sure, I try to ask (or just do it the slower way in some cases). Must give demonstration of the right way to tape a lace.
I also got to hang a bit withscifantasy and point out Java to him. We watched Henry together, I got some coins, and we shared some pretzels. I saw him at the Chess Game but since I need to leave that early, I didn't see him afterwards. I also got to hang with bkleber for a bit which is nice and give him some info on the joust. Preen.
Dinner with the group that we hang out with was nice. Getting to decompress and hear stories is nice. The food was nice too (I was hungry which is a good sign). However, I am a bit sore this morning (the bottoms of my feet are NOT used to tights and I feel like I've been through a really rough weekend in the heat. It was cooler yesterday but most of us had very little in reserves. I did have the fun of making several people swoon with backscritching. I also got to say "Hi" to a few former members of the village who were visiting and welcome back to some that I hadn't seen yet.
All in all, it was a good weekend and as I have often said, if it hast to be roasting hot, I prefer it opening weekend than Labor Day weekend. Even with today's much nicer weather, I would have been in bad shape if I tried to do day three. I'd get through it but it would be rough and ugly.
dawntreader90 picked up from Master Denny, ... hotter than "H - E - double jousting lances." Actually, when someone saw the "Joust Info" tabard on Sunday and asked how hot it gets in the armor, I said it made Hades look temperate. I honestly don't know how hot it gets in there but I am quite sure that 'Beastly' doesn't even come close. I also really like Dawntreader's description of how most of us felt at the end of the day. "I've felt like death warmed over before, now I know what it's like to feel like death that has been hard boiled, deep fried, baked and then sun-dried before being re-fried again." Giggle.Heat
Hot, humid, gross. That pretty much sums it up. According to Weather.com it only got up to 90. They LIE. I have heard that people had thermometers that were in the 100-108 range ... before humidity. I have trouble believing 108 but I can believe mid-90s to 100 easily. The worst openings were either 1986 (I wasn't there) or 1992 (I felt like my eyelids were sweating by about 11:00 on Saturday. I did manage to drink enough to keep needing to visit the privy all day and you know you are really sweating up the proverbial storm when your tights have gone from sticky to slippery. EEEWWWWWWWW. The privies were fouler than foul because A) people keep forgetting to put the lids down and B) they have menthol in the solution again this year ... not a good thing for me. I was also putting a fair amount of salt into me but I suspect I can still use some more potassium. Need to watch that this coming weekend. The use of the bathroom at home was not scary (i.e. what I was producing wasn't a 'bad' color or specific gravity. GoMe. However, I managed to sweat through the underwear, tights, shorts and the top 3 inches of my skirt. EEWWW It was still damp on Sunday. EWWW. Of course the storm rolled in just as we were getting to the house on Saturday so I just did a quick change instead of the shower I desperately wanted. Java made dinner for us and it was good. Sleep was better. I think I spent about 15 minutes total from when I loaded in Sat. morning to when I loaded out Sat. night in A/C. Ugh.
Jousts
Of course I will start with the jousts. I was concerned about the knights and the horses in this heat, esp. with the 4:00 joust being the hottest one time of day (or so it seems to me) and the one whose start time is the least predictable (need to wait for courtiers to get there from the Chess Game). On Sunday we had Otto von Nurenburg (grey shire) and Martino Fernandez (black Perch/QH) vs. Henry Clifford (black Perch w/stripe) and James Grey (black Perch w/just a star). The Empire took the day with 3 victories out of four jousts. Otto bested both of the English, and Martino out-scored James, but Henry was victorious against Martino. Henry vs. Otto was fairly close. The style was French and we saw at least one shattered lance (which is NOT common in that style). I was scheduled to cheerlead 2 jousts but ended up substituting at the 6:00 joust for a cheering 3/4 jousts in that 'lovely' weather. Sir Barchan and I shared the shady side for the information portion which was nice because I got to hear some of what he tells people. He is such a gentleman. I was sorry to not be able to move to the other side (he had come to 'my' side because there was no one on 'his' side but since I didn't know for sure if I was cheering, I needed to stay put. I also got to watch a certain black Perchie charge w/out a stop horse. That can be a bit, um, intimidating. The Marshall was on the grey Perch
Sunday we saw Otto (grey Shire) & Soltoro de Tuscany (huge Belgian) on the HRE side vs. Henry (black Perch w/stripe) and Jonathan Hawkwood (black Perch w/star) on the England side. Otto won twice again (though it looked like he got rocked at 4:00 vs. Henry), Henry won against Soltoro and Soltoro won against Hawkwood in more French style jousting. I did see another shattered lance. I wasn't cheering but was doing more Joust Info (hey, I actually had people to talk to). One family was utterly charming with a young lady who is learning to ride and was asking all sorts of questions about the horses and if they were boys or girls and so forth. The Marshall was on the European Belgian (bay w/large star).
I got to spend a fair amount of time both days chasing kids away from the railing. Why is it that parents think it is OK to let their child run towards the rail and climb on it? I think the worst was at 2:00 on Sunday when a toddler ran and looked like he(?) was thinking about going under the rope at the end just as the horses were moving out at the exit. That was a bit frightening (esp. since I managed to get there before the parent ... I mean come on, if you have a child of that age, leash it or hold on or something because they are quick and VERY unpredictable at that age). Unfortunately, due to the heat, people were coming up mid-way through the pre-show and thus missed the "keep the kids back" note. *sigh* Fortunately where I usually hang out is less at risk of being hit by Bastons than the sides but there is still a risk from them and more of a risk from the lance tips. There is also the simple expedient that right next to the rails is where we (festival participants) sometimes need to go in a relatively large hurry and would really like to have maneuvering room. I *love* it when someone argues with me (and yes, it happened on Saturday) about moving to an aisle from the center area (or to an aisle with the carriage).
Other
I saw part of the Pyrates show on Saturday which was fun. Got to say howdy to some people and grab some honey. I also got to hear quite a bit of Slaveya's sets (file under "other duties as assigned") which was nice. I (predictably) couldn't understand what they were singing but they explained the song before singing it and they were still very pretty. I also caught part of two Gypsophilia shows and (as usual) marveled at the beauty and skill of Kittarina. I talked to her briefly on Sunday and she has Egyptian training along with Tribal and one other that I can't remember. She borrows from several different cultures. Her joy in dancing (even in that weather) is quite clear and watching her play with Hoagy and Marco was truly fun (esp. the Sunday set at the White Hart). I did miss the wild violin of Yasmin but they are still fun to listen to. I could hear some of E Muzeki but didn't see any of their shows. I spent a part of Sat. hanging with Cat and Fiddle but didn't dance (I was hot and tired and had just finished cheerleading a joust).
I caught O's newest show on Sunday and really enjoyed it. I also saw Henry Meets Anna on Sunday which was great fun (once we get 'real' crowds I don't know if I can make it there in time). I caught Disgrace on Saturday which was nice, I want to catch it later in the season. I saw almost all of Chess Game on Saturday (since there wasn't anyone to talk to for info) but I missed the very end. I probably should have stayed. Oh well.
I'm getting used to my schedule and figuring out where I have 'real' breaks vs. fake breaks. I failed at keeping fully functional for the weekend (bad Eowyn, no biscuit). I didn't go down with heat issues but more the exhaustion from the heat on Sat. + the long week before + day two of not enough food + being up late too many nights meant that I ended up taking a couple of 'power naps' backstage.
rsteachout fed me so I didn't have to choose between the needed food and the needed sleep. I just hope that I didn't overly worry Nymblewick or Sir Thomas when they found me. I was really zonked after the 4:00 on Sunday. I did get it back together enough to do the 6:00 with my 'political' cheerleading (cheering for both sides) at nearly full steam.Lace Goddess had a line both days and the swarm of people on Sat. when I appeared and said "Unlacings here" was quite gratifying. I like being useful and I am good at lacing and unlacing quickly (though I will unlace efficiently with those who need it ... most of the ladies are OK with the 'get me out of this' but some need a slower 'I want out but I need to do it more gradually' ... I think I have them all straight but if I am not sure, I try to ask (or just do it the slower way in some cases). Must give demonstration of the right way to tape a lace.
I also got to hang a bit with
scifantasy and point out Java to him. We watched Henry together, I got some coins, and we shared some pretzels. I saw him at the Chess Game but since I need to leave that early, I didn't see him afterwards. I also got to hang with bkleber for a bit which is nice and give him some info on the joust. Preen.Dinner with the group that we hang out with was nice. Getting to decompress and hear stories is nice. The food was nice too (I was hungry which is a good sign). However, I am a bit sore this morning (the bottoms of my feet are NOT used to tights and I feel like I've been through a really rough weekend in the heat. It was cooler yesterday but most of us had very little in reserves. I did have the fun of making several people swoon with backscritching. I also got to say "Hi" to a few former members of the village who were visiting and welcome back to some that I hadn't seen yet.
All in all, it was a good weekend and as I have often said, if it hast to be roasting hot, I prefer it opening weekend than Labor Day weekend. Even with today's much nicer weather, I would have been in bad shape if I tried to do day three. I'd get through it but it would be rough and ugly.