A Winery Show…

Do not forget to entertain strangers,
for in doing so some have entertained angels.
- Hebrews 13:2Isn’t it interesting that I, the avowed atheist start my (very late) August journal off with a biblical quote? I so liked the feel of the June journal with it’s interspersed quotes. I thought to continue that trend.

Today is October 10^th; I sit, watching Survivor on Thursday night in Charlotte NC. I am very very late, but figured I might as well just write my august journal now, then the September journal (complete with another amazing Palooza, and Jef’s 40^th birthday extravaganza) and then in 10 days I have to start the October journal.

Looking over my 18 photos, I remember having quite a lot of fun, and some tough times as well.

Twins and Goulds at the Bistro

The Great Lakes Medieval Faire is a lovely show, with an amazing fan base (and a MARVELOUS fan club chapter head) but it is our smallest pay check of the year and a little show - but with a big heart. For the last three years, I have stayed about ten miles from the faire, (and in the last two years joined by Jef and Sharon) at a very utilitarian but nicely appointed campground called R & R.
But they sold it this year *sigh*

I told you in the last journal how the power was a bit substandard at the new campground... But I figure now is the time to tell you some GOOD points about the fair, and our time there

I mentioned our way-cool chapter head, Linda Gould. You have probably read her bio as one of our Tortuga Minions... She and her whole family are just darling, and are a great example of how lucky we are to be Tortugas, and meet the great folks that we do. Linda’s hubby, the bald and beautiful Bob (ooh, alliteration!) manages a restaurant a few towns away called (ironically enough) the Beachfront Bistro. It is hip, cool and very very tasty food there as well. They invited us, (and treated us) to a swell dinner... is it any wonder I am putting on weight? Wine, great food and warm company!

There were baby showers, and funky formals, dinner parties, and cook outs... summer life for the renaissance festival crowd. At the rather slow Funky Formal I even got Collette to sit on my lap, trying to get revenge on all the times Muggsy was photographed 'mackin' on my girl.

 

Collette's in my lap; in your FACE, Muggsy!

The heart of my sorrow - oh, the horror!

$160 for this new tank

I once again was having problems with my sewer tanks. The following two shots so what I thought was the solution, first is the new, replacement tank... seems so small and innocuous to be such a pain in my ass! And I have also included a shot of the mangled undercarriage, and plumbing. The rust you see is caused by poo water leaking from my tanks... think of that!

 

Blessed is he who makes his companions laugh.
- Fortune CookieWe Tortugas also took a road trip. We have been looking to put together a "B-team" a second team to allow us to perform at more than one festival at a time. Some of the best festival actors in the world are employed at the Sterling Renaissance Festival in New York. We took a drive out there to audition a few young guys to see if they were Tortuga-worthy. Leaving the Lovely Asian babe at home to mind Kitty and Puppy, Riki, Jef, and I headed to New York... Sharon came part of the way too - she had an old friend who’d moved to a nearby town in New York.

 

Breakfast on the road to Sterling

Sometimes I wish...

Like all good trips, you have to have fuel in tanks, and bellies... breakfast Tortuga-style was nice, if sloppy. And a few hours later, we found this great gag-gift in a gas station in upstate New York... if only getting rid of mistakes was so easy.

The Sterling festival was truly magical. I have not ever seen a more beautiful festival... the magic we all felt was just like the first time we came to one of these fairs... and that was on a Wednesday! We have talked to the management at this magical realm... we’d hate to leave the woods of Ohio, but sure would like to work at this storied faire... but we’ll see what happens.

 

Ronn mugs for the camera near the Dunk Show stage

I think Riki's butt was burning "Chastity Bench" If thou shouldst sit upon this bench Then thou will be an untouched wench.

Ronn mugs for the camera again, by the "Sweet Nuts" shoppe

The sweet and talented, Dougie - K (Miguel, from Don Juan and...) was our host in New York, he opened his rental house to us, (I slept in the bed of the absent ‘Sexy-Shannon’, of "Hey Nunnie Nunnie". Doug opened some doors for us with Sterling management, located a couple of likely candidates, and was just generally a cool guy. The least we could do was take him to dinner at a swell Italian Restaurant, get him drunk, and make him miss his hair appointment.

After a brief nap, (not together! Get your mind out of the gutter!) We continued on to our rendezvous with the prospective twins at a comedy club WITH Karaoke! Doug was still a little loopy from partying with the twins.

I have included some video from that night.... Who knew that Jef could sing? I apologize for what I thought at the time was some artistic camera work... there may have been some drinking involved. We met some great cast members, interviewed two cool fellas, (who in the end won’t be part of the team) ran into old jouster friends, and drank.

 

Italian Restaurant with 'Miguel'

Comedy and Karaoke with Drunk Doug

Pretty Pink Princesses

The next morning we headed back downstate to retrieve the Tortuga wife at her old friend’s Melanie’s house... While there Riki and I discovered the princess play castle...

 

Cross your T’s Dot your I’s and Circle your (A)’s
- graffitiOther events of note at the Great Lakes Medieval fair included our first and second shows at the Grand River Cellars Winery. Jef made arrangements with the management of a local winery so we could perform our prohibited-by-festival-management R-rated show.

 

The crowd at the Winery show

The sign says it all

Both shows were beyond sold out... attended by fans, friends and even chapter-heads! A smashing success. Props to Jef for making the arrangements, and coming up with the idea. The show was racy, funny, naughty, scantily clad... you know, an R-rated show.

The second show was attended by some of our dearest friends... Jousters and their wives... Heather was on the lap of the very wonderful Jenna... as the wine flowed more freely, the clothes started coming off.

My classy Heather kept hers on!

 

Good friends in weird times

Weird friends in good times

The Twins vs. Jesus

One last picture to sum up our August adventure in Ohio... Jesus was at one of our early Sunday Morning shows... We asked the Savior to pose for a photo with us after the riotous Robin Show... now we ARE going to hell!

(Click to watch the .AVI)

I even filmed a brief interview backstage, after the last show at GLMF this year.

Since I started writing this, Heather has returned from dinner with our fan Club President... I have one more journal to write so let me leave you with this really funny article about Barbie (the Doll).

Ciao

Oh, almost forgot... According to Terminator 2, Judgment Day was (is) August 29^th... the date the hurricane kicked New Orleans’ Ass? August 29^th!