I have the shortest amount of time to write this month’s journal
Traditionally October and November are my busiest months, because I am not only performing; which fills up my schedule, but managing a slew of side businesses at two different shows. I am always pressed for time in the fall but this past month has been really hectic for me; for our whole family… I’m looking forward to Georgia where things should slow down a bunch. I’m currently naked, but must quickly rinse off in a few minutes to go to work. Nothing’s on the television. Heathen and Scarlett are asleep (I have been awake since before six am) in fact the only reason I have a few minutes spare time to try to zip off this journal is because Jamie Harvey has gotten sick and he pushed back our morning start time for an hour. Coffee at my left hand, work clothes and boots behind me I am going to try and finish this whole journal in record time
“Well what have you been doing?†You ask.
It’s not just the show I do here anymore. I write; I manage several businesses; I try and keep my rambunctious daughter from exploring electric outlets with forks… cool stuff like that. All of My day Mondays is devoted to paper work; I’m a slave to spreadsheets and record –keeping. During the run of this fair, we tried to be social… and were stymied a lot. The whole family alternated between two different plagues this month. Scarlett gave it to me – I gave it to Heather and then they both came down with another form of it. It has not been fun around here. Pooping and puking and sniffling do not make for a sexy Tortuga! We had to cancel two dates with our friend Nancy; two or three outings with the Reid’s and though we attempted to do our “Make-up Valentine date night†twice – we were thwarted by viruses. That’s really depressing – so my first photo for you will be one of our cute, new, puppy.
She’s a Maniac, a Maniac on-the-floor!
My little angel is growing up! We have many talented friends here on the road and one of them, the beautiful Jenn from Tartanic teaches a “baby ballet†class. I got to take Scarlett once, to her (more-or-less) twice weekly class. I did not dance with her because I was ill.  Scarlett missed a few classes this month due to feeling poorly. Even the Teacher had to cancel one! Maybe the festival is trying to recreate that authentic “Black Death†feeling? Seeing Scarlett in her dance clothes is bittersweet. How can she be four and dancing already? She loves it, but she may have inherited my awkward coordination instead of her mommy’s grace. *sigh*
I’ve spent most of my “Non-sick†time doing more construction.
I rarely let anybody see me swinging hammers. It freaks them out. Normally at this time of the year I manage six-or-more kayak trips but with work and illness; Two. I helped Jamie build a deck/extension that was literally twenty years in the making. The builder and the booth owner had always planned for the building to have an external stairway and elevated deck. But for twenty years that door you can see in the photo opened on a ten-foot drop. Not anymore. Today I am stuccoing a booth for my artist friend Ruth Thompson – as soon as Jamie recovers enough from his bout of plague to go to work that is… If I didn’t have to be in Georgia soon, or actually California THEN Georgia (More on that in a bit) there’s probably another two weeks of work here. I am trying to set Jamie up so that he has to get here even earlier next year. I enjoy the work – though I hate the hours!
We have managed a few social engagements.
We began celebrating “Pi Day†last year. Mar 14; 3/14? And of course what food do we need on that day? Pie! There was a huge turn-out a “Spice Traders Caféâ€. I only got to stop by for my lunch break from the construction job but it was a nice change from wolfing down burgers. Heather made a grilled shrimp pizza-pie and a peanut-butter-and-jelly pie (Which I think is my sister’s recipe). The very next day we had a writing session and preparations for our cook-out at June and Dave’s house. Heather made P.B. & J. pie for that too – Riki and Jef got the distinct pleasure of licking the mixer blades. You know, we’re world-travelled middle-aged men with amazing histories… and yet still some of the simplest, child-like pleasures are the best. June and Dave’s cook out was fun. Scarlett, the only child present had a blast and kept us all entertained – by asking to be entertained. Dave had a set of giant Styrofoam blocks in his yard that we all threw at each other… scrupulously missing Scarlett each time. We played tag. We ate food. Some of us drank. We talked guns, though not, I hope to excess. Afterwards Dave was kind enough to astound Scarlett with his trains. (And Riki, Ronn and Jef – to a slightly lesser extent). When it was time to leave, Dave started-up the Harley. Since I had to go back and retrieve Scarlett’s adorable pink Hello Kitty purse, I thought this final photo of the party was appropriate.
We somehow managed to squeeze in a meet and greet
Arizona is a weird show for us. We do a very solid, comfortable amount of tip money here. It’s not our biggest tip show, and the R-rated show at the end of the day – which is scheduled against the joust- is enthusiastic, but nowhere near as popular as in Minnesota or North Carolina. That being said – this is the biggest Meet-N-Greet we have each year. We decided to “shake things up†a bit this year. A complaint we have frequently gotten is that since the Dave and Busters upper-deck bar is so populated; often more than a hundred guests attend; our fans feel a little bored waiting for one of us to stop by their table. This year we moved the party to three big tables inside. It was much more interactive and a little crazed at times. There were hot girls and old friends; there was bad food and posing with brilliant young fans. There was photo after photo after photo. Talked to everyone, a lot, had a great time, and even got to shoot some ZOMBIES!
I’m beginning to think the Zombie Genre is done.
I’m not over it yet – but it has become so pervasive, that I wonder if it is sustainable? It has been used as a marketing ploy for everything from Toshiba computers to the search engine BING. From ammunition - Don’t laugh, I bought some of the shotgun ammo for a friend’s Christmas present – to… well these sixteen other adverts. I could mention that I loved Zombies before it was cool – but then Jon/Lucio might try to convince you that he loved fedoras, thick glasses and scarves before they were. Some of the now-mainstream zombie-themed stuff is amazing to me. I have heard of at least two different college courses being taught a zombie themed Halloween attraction in Atlanta that I am told ROCKS, and for the ultimate Dawn of the Dead experience you can even get a full on Zombies in the Mall adventure! I’ve written before how, for me, Zombie preparations are a metaphor. Who knows? You may one day see me on Doomsday Preppers. A lot of people and business (and schools) seem to be taking the same tack. In the end I will just gleefully prepare, have a little fun, and be ready when they are trying to gnaw my flesh. Thankfully I have a good friend who is also my gunsmith.  Thanks Dave!
Jamie is supposed to show up in seven minutes… and I will head off to do some construction.
This weekend is our last in AZ. I think the Monday Morning Breakfast  and hippie-centric yard sale/Bizarre Bazar won’t even be happening this week. Our family will be in a scramble. Heather drives off on Tuesday with the dogs to oversee the opening of the souvenir shops at her company’s first appearance at the Southern California Pleasure Faire in Irwndale CA. I have to pack up House and yard – while wrangling our rambunctious princess; drop our house off at the RV repair place and then we will fly out Wednesday night to meet Beautiful Heather in Cali. Scarlett and I will play and keep each other company for the set up and the weekend. (I get to be a patron!) And then Monday, April 9th bright-and-early we’ll drive back to Phoenix, retrieve our truck and trailer and begin the cross-country dash to Atlanta. Whew! I am looking forward to (hopefully) getting some time to relax while we’re in the dirty south.
Time to sign off until next month.
But as I do, let me show you what kind of woman my wife is. There were some complaints from the guy who has been living in our other RV (The third we have on the AZ site) that - because of its dark colors – it was just too oven-like when the sun hits it. My wife employed her industrious worker-bees and the formerly earth-toned “Turtle†trailer  has been transformed into something entirely different.  The place is now known as the “Pink Princess Palace of Doom†and even has its own Facebook Page! I’m told that Hello Kitty Stickers are soon-to-come.
I’ll see ya all in a month.
