A busy, full, weekend, but relaxing in its own way. Mabon camping, a wedding to officiate and school or work...whew!
Thursday, I worked early, then went to class. Took the second half of the day off so we could get to the campsite and set up before dark. I got my stuff packed, picked up my friend Tom, and off we went. We did manage to get set up in decent time, though it was dark by the time we were finished. The rain did not help. It wasn't heavy rain, but it was quite muddy, and all the wood was wet. Eventually, we got a fire going, and after a nosh, headed over toward the drumming and fire circle. Poor FoxWoman was struggling with wet wood, too, and eventually the bow-drill gave way to the magic of matches and lighters to get the fire started. Yay, alchemy! We didn't stay too long, but it was good to see who was in camp and get a bit of dancing in.
Friday morning, up at the crack of dawn, since I had class and Tom had work, all at 8:00 a.m. I don't know how I made it through the day, but I suspect the large mug of coffee heavily laced with cream and sugar had something to do with it! After class, I scooted down to the Abq BioPark for the wedding rehearsal. We only had time for a quick walk-through, but it was enough. I got my robe and stole that Erich and Celeste had made for me, and swung by the house to grab a couple of things that we needed for camp. Pick Tom up from work, and back to camp we go!
Friday was a bit easier with the fire-starting, though it was still a bit damp. I'd grabbed some drier wood from my house, and that helped a lot. Dinner was ramen noodles, char-grilled chicken and peaches for dessert. Got done in time to head for the bardic circle, and caught the last go-round. I sang my song that I'd written at EMG again, and Matti sang his latest one "Alive", which he had debuted at Beltane. So much talent from all in this community, too. The transition from the bardic fire to the dance/drum fire was really neat. A procession of torches lit from the bardic fire, leading us all to the other circle. A huge gong, lots of drums and other instruments, all sorts of joyous noises! I danced and sang and drummed a bit, and generally had a good time. Good drink, good smoke, good friends...Gods, it's good to be home!
Saturday morning, up early again. Work for the Tom, and I have to get ready for the wedding. Ok, I admit it, I went home and got a bit of a nap, too! :-) Headed over to my friend Yvonne's house, and she helped me do my hair and makeup. I wanted to be clean and nice for the wedding, and well, if it got any notice from certain fellows in camp, I wouldn't complain! We did take pictures, and those will go up on the Facebook shortly. I really think I looked good, which is rare for me.
The wedding went beautifully. It was small and intimate, and the happy couple were just awesome together. This was the first wedding I've ever officiated, and I was a bit nervous, too. Guess I did okay, though! Paperwork done, I got a bit of a nosh while the pictures were being taken, and then headed off to get Tom and go back to camp. I was still wearing my nice clothes when we got there, and as we'd eaten already, we just grabbed some stuff and headed down to the fire circle. It was an awesome circle. I got warm and had to run back to my tent to change into something cooler. The fire was very large and hot, and eventually, it was just a bumper sticker in action...Happy Naked Pagan Dance! Not me, of course, I don't do skyclad, but I did end up ditching my t-shirt for a while and just wearing my bra and jeans. The ground was cold, so I had to put my boots back on after a while. It was good to see everyone having so much fun. The energy was great, and it was truly magical. Even Tom got out and danced a bit!
Today was a day off, and we got up later than we had been doing. Eggs and bacon for breakfast, and we managed to catch the last workshop of the weekend, a talk by Dorothy Morrison. We finished breaking camp, and were almost done when they called for closing ritual. It was a nice one, and then people started saying goodbyes. Lots of hugs, and then I got the truck moved closer to camp so we could pack out. It didn't really take long, and we were back in town by a quarter to two. I dropped Tom off at his place, then came home and unloaded the truck. A bit of a nap and decompression and I think I'm good to go again.
So, there's a brief overview of my busy weekend! Work hard and play hard, for sure.
