Just an Illustrator. No biggie.

We canz haz a meadwench!

...and pretty much picked right up where I left off, as if nothing ever happened. A lot transpired here at my primary place of employment whilst I was off on the other coast.

As for my trip: once I cleared the frustrating state bureaucracy travel hurdles and talked my way past the TSA, everything rocked. ame_chan remains in my Top Five List of Most Awesomest Human Beings In The History of Ever. Her daughters rock, her friends rock, her four-legged housemates are ...well, frankly, exactly what I expected, and the Guild of St. Helen's made me feel fully at home in less than 15 minutes. I've very much missed doing RennFaires --while they are different enough from SCA events, they are no less fun and I adore the overlap 'twixt both. Some purists may disdain one over the other, but for me they contain equal amounts of delightitude.

Plus I do so love hanging with the peasantry --just as with the pirate (Outlanders) or the mercenary (Shadow Legion) encampments at Pennsic, there's just far greater opportunity for mayhem than when you're one of the nobles. Just my opinion...

San Luis Obispo Faire ("SLOFaire") is an offshoot of Southern (RPFS), held in the wilds of El Chorro Regional Park. QUITE a different environment than this insular New Englander is used to --the mountains are all brown and gold and BIG. Seriously. Vermont mountains look so damned teeny now. Oppressively hot temperatures during the sunshine hours, chilly enough to warrant sweatshirts at night. First-ever camping experience I've been to that didn't actually feature campfires (California's a little jittery about such things and who can blame 'em?).

The Guild made it all spectacular, though. Truly, what an awesome bunch of mischief-making revelers they be. They even tolerated the presence of me as the French interloper looking snootily down on all things English as he hands out free sketches. There was mead, there were epic broccoli wars, there were wayward sheep, there were hot chicks in chainmail bikinis (yeah, I can spot those anywhere), there was music, there was exquisite food. Great dynamic, great people with which to share a camping weekend. Nobody got stupid or irresponsible in matters of hydration OR alcohol intake, and it was as if I was hanging out with old friends who I just happened not to have known very long. A really good Faire (and a really good SCA event, truth be told) is like that.

Great road tripping experiences headed to and from the event, too, I might add. Even stopped to commune with the Pacific Ocean at Morro Bay --very stark and frightening-looking and yet beautiful at the same time. Been awhile since I undertook such an adventure and there may not be a better person with which to travel than ame_chan. Seriously. You've no idea how truly wonderful this lady is. I consider myself incredibly lucky just to have known her this long. And did I mention we have matching Palm Pixis? Such cuteness.

I am of course indebted to noelfigart for helping make sure my absentminded self got travel details properly sorted out and even taking me all the way to the damned airport (i.e., Logan) simply because I was too thick to work out a proper travel schedule. She's in that aforementioned Top Five list too if I've never mentioned...

Last bit of advice for those in the Pasadena, CA area seeking extreme comfort food: drop in at Roscoe's Chicken And Waffles. You will then require at least two other people to roll you out of there but dear LORD will it have been worth it.