Well, what can I say? I’m a damn dirty hippy and proud of it!
Just got back from AutumnMeet last night and I haven’t come down yet.
I drove out there Monday night after a short work day and set up camp. There may have been “better” campsites available but if I’m camping, I want to be in the woods! By the time evening fell, some friends arrived and wanted to camp by me. I helped them set up their tent (in the dark) and by the next morning, we had established the unofficial staff-camp annex much to the chagrin of those that wanted all staff to camp together over by the RVs.
I spent Tuesday doing the shopping. This is my second time running the kitchen at the festival and my first time doing the shopping. I’m trying to take over every aspect of the kitchen from Dianne so she can go on to worry about bigger and better things. I think by the next event I’ll have most of the kinks worked out and the kitchen will truly be mine. $1300 of groceries is difficult to fit into even the largest of pick-up trucks. It was funny dragging 3 “flatbeds” and 2 carts around ‘Sam’s', each of them so full that things were falling off of them constantly. On the way back I snuck over to my side of town to vote, getting in just before the polls closed. Early voting for me next time.
Wednesday I shopped some more and was able to convince Dianne that I could do it myself so she could stay on site. My plan is working, she is slowly beginning to let go of the kitchen…. Ughh! The closest place near us is Macclenny. They do not have a ‘Sam’s’ or ‘Home Depot’ and their ‘WalMart’ is always missing the stuff we need so back into Jacksonville! I’ve got to be back to cook and serve dinner by 5:00 and as I leave my list just gets bigger and bigger because no one else wants to drive into town either. The pressure begins. I’m only now beginning to understand the chaos of trying to run around and care for everybody while still putting dinner on the table on time. I go nuts trying to do it for one week a year and my mother and my wife do this every day of their lives! I couldn’t do it. I’d go insane.
After all is said and done, we did well and I couldn’t have done it without such an outstanding crew of kitchen slaves this year. Bekka, Leprechaun (Shayla), Greenfox and Naked Tom were incredible. And as always, Scarlet and Zephyr were indispensable. Every meal was served on-time and they looked edible to me. I rarely get a chance to eat because I’m running around like a lunatic trying to make everything perfect. I’ve got some more ideas to improve the efficiency of the kitchen. The ones I implemented this year seem to have worked. Maybe we’ll have the kitchen under control soon. Anyone who has any ideas on how to get rid of hordes of flies please e-mail me. I’m cooking and serving in an outdoor kitchen and I can’t leave any food uncovered for even just a second. I’m guessing we fed around 90 people on average at each meal. Wade is guestimating 600 in attendance in March which means we’ll be feeding around 250-300. Better get busy!
I was absolutely ecstatic to see my friends again. E-mail and phone calls just won’t do. It was good to embrace them and talk for hours…
We came together to celebrate as our ancestors did and boy did we! We had a re-dedication of vows hand-fasting, an anniversary, 2 birthdays, 1 un-birthday and we said goodbye to a few friends that passed over since we came together last. And those are just the ones that I knew about.
Teresa and Becca each got their first tattoo. It’s only henna but it’s still a tattoo… Teresa got a butterfly on her ankle and Becca got a sun-burst around her belly button. I got a simple design on my wrist. It’s fun but the lady that put it on was either new to it or had some lumps in the mixture. It got a little sloppy but still looks good. They’ll wash away in a few weeks. Here at work, Paul still pretends he doesn’t see it. I’m thinking about learning how to do it myself. Really get into and learning all the meanings of all the intricate designs from India/Morocco.
The dancing and drumming around the fire circle was incredible! The planets aligned and we had a collection of the greatest drummers in the country playing with us this weekend. Nighthawk, Cephlian, Freedom, Tabber, Migwell, Kelly, Talon, Panther and about a dozen other big names. Everyone just came together and the drumming was powerful. I sat there with Thom’s little ashika and joined right in. I WILL have my djembe by March! Becca jumped in and danced around the fire like she had been there a thousand times before. She made me realize that it won’t be long before she leaves the little girl behind and grows into a young woman. I’m not so sure daddy’s ready for that. Sunrise, Sunset. Right?
Sure enough, Sunday came around and it was time to go. I knew I’d miss everybody again. To steal a line from festivals past, “I DON’T WANNA GO!!!!” At least this time it’s only for a few months. PhoenixPhyre 2005 is right around the corner in March and I already can’t wait!
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