43: Home from Confluence
Jul. 25th, 2011 10:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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pondside , fuzzyvanman and rms_butterfly to Confluence. There, I attended Ann Cecil's memorial, and let myself cry for a good friend.
I signed a few concerts, including Pete Grubbs, Joshua and Lisa Kronengold, Wild Mercy, and the filk guest of honor, Alexa Klettner. I impressed myself by being able to sign Wild Mercy doing a cover of "Fly Little BIrd," and impressed myself more by signing a science song explaining photosynthesis. Now, I have taught deaf students photosynthesis in the past, at a basic introductory science level, so I did have signs for some of the chemistry, which helped, but I still impressed myself.
I should have had a "Dressed by J" label, for she lent me a lovely silk waist cincher, embroidered with silver dragons that matched my blue silk signing costume perfectly. I have never had so many compliments in my life!
My very dear friendsbethb and chryssalys celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary at the con. I was pleased to be there with them, both then, and now.
I only got a fleeting chance to see some friends, such asmarkbernstein , and many of my Dorsai friends, but in fairness, they were working the con. I thank Pete and Barry for the pleasure of listening them talk Geek about guitars, and Sally for the coffee, and Gorgeous Gary and the_sheryl for the excellent company at dinner Saturday with J. Portabella and lamb, nom, nom, nom!
The drive home was rainy, butfuzzyvanman got us home safely. I thank J and R and M for making it possible for me to travel on such a limited budget, and for Randy Hoffman for extending the invitation for me to come yet again. Confluence, though a bit away, is still a "home" con for me.
It was raining when I got home, so no Sunday ride.
Today, I helped K again, who is slowly gaining mobility after her surgery, but still cannot operate a can opener. I am stunned at how advanced surgery has become, and how quickly she is bouncing back.
On the way home, I metpeteralway at J's Columbus retreat, "Pondside East," and J and Peter and I had a couple of hours worth of music together. I learned how to play "The King's Lute," which Peter wrote the music for, and Cat Faber wrote the lyrics for. We also played "Which Witch," and I got Peter to teach me a song I had from when I was guest of honor at Pondfilk, "Land of the Traffic Cones." It has been living in my covers filk folder since then, on the first page of my book (under "Alway" don't you know,) and I didn't have the melody, so it has been making me a bit crazy! Now, since I can now play it on the banjo, I can make others crazy with it. I get the impression that that was part of the appeal for hsifyppah when Peter wrote it for her. It certainly is happy making for me!
Tonight's ride was only a few minutes before nine, so that it cooled down enough for me to manage it. It was an earthy ride, smelling of greenery and farm and wet grass. I'm a bit surprised my darling husband didn't get an allergic reaction to me; he said I came in smelling of the Great Outdoors.
On the way to the bike path, I went up the shorter, tougher hill of the alley by standing on the pedals as I rode. I nearly did not make it. On the gentle downslope toward the path lay a gray and white cat smack in the middle of the alley. I slowly coasted along the right side of the road, making soothing sounds to not alarm the cat. The cat was thoroughly un-alarmed, and barely twitched an ear at me as I clicked past coasting slowly. Its paws stayed tucked underneath it. Checking over my shoulder, the cat stretched out even more after I passed it. That's one mellow cat!
pondside , fuzzyvanman and rms_butterfly to Confluence. There, I attended Ann Cecil's memorial, and let myself cry for a good friend.I signed a few concerts, including Pete Grubbs, Joshua and Lisa Kronengold, Wild Mercy, and the filk guest of honor, Alexa Klettner. I impressed myself by being able to sign Wild Mercy doing a cover of "Fly Little BIrd," and impressed myself more by signing a science song explaining photosynthesis. Now, I have taught deaf students photosynthesis in the past, at a basic introductory science level, so I did have signs for some of the chemistry, which helped, but I still impressed myself.
I should have had a "Dressed by J" label, for she lent me a lovely silk waist cincher, embroidered with silver dragons that matched my blue silk signing costume perfectly. I have never had so many compliments in my life!
My very dear friends
bethb and chryssalys celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary at the con. I was pleased to be there with them, both then, and now.I only got a fleeting chance to see some friends, such as
markbernstein , and many of my Dorsai friends, but in fairness, they were working the con. I thank Pete and Barry for the pleasure of listening them talk Geek about guitars, and Sally for the coffee, and Gorgeous Gary and the_sheryl for the excellent company at dinner Saturday with J. Portabella and lamb, nom, nom, nom!The drive home was rainy, but
fuzzyvanman got us home safely. I thank J and R and M for making it possible for me to travel on such a limited budget, and for Randy Hoffman for extending the invitation for me to come yet again. Confluence, though a bit away, is still a "home" con for me.It was raining when I got home, so no Sunday ride.
Today, I helped K again, who is slowly gaining mobility after her surgery, but still cannot operate a can opener. I am stunned at how advanced surgery has become, and how quickly she is bouncing back.
On the way home, I met
peteralway at J's Columbus retreat, "Pondside East," and J and Peter and I had a couple of hours worth of music together. I learned how to play "The King's Lute," which Peter wrote the music for, and Cat Faber wrote the lyrics for. We also played "Which Witch," and I got Peter to teach me a song I had from when I was guest of honor at Pondfilk, "Land of the Traffic Cones." It has been living in my covers filk folder since then, on the first page of my book (under "Alway" don't you know,) and I didn't have the melody, so it has been making me a bit crazy! Now, since I can now play it on the banjo, I can make others crazy with it. I get the impression that that was part of the appeal for hsifyppah when Peter wrote it for her. It certainly is happy making for me!Tonight's ride was only a few minutes before nine, so that it cooled down enough for me to manage it. It was an earthy ride, smelling of greenery and farm and wet grass. I'm a bit surprised my darling husband didn't get an allergic reaction to me; he said I came in smelling of the Great Outdoors.
On the way to the bike path, I went up the shorter, tougher hill of the alley by standing on the pedals as I rode. I nearly did not make it. On the gentle downslope toward the path lay a gray and white cat smack in the middle of the alley. I slowly coasted along the right side of the road, making soothing sounds to not alarm the cat. The cat was thoroughly un-alarmed, and barely twitched an ear at me as I clicked past coasting slowly. Its paws stayed tucked underneath it. Checking over my shoulder, the cat stretched out even more after I passed it. That's one mellow cat!
I also saw a fox squirrel. Most squirrels in our area are small and gray. This one was about bunny sized, with foxy reddish fur and a big bushy red tail. It made sine waves as it made little slow leaps across the path ahead of me, its tail trailing behind on the last curve of the leap or landing as it landed or leapt on.
Other than that, there were a bazillion bugs pinging off my helmet, my arms, my face, and sticking to my white shirt. Ugh.
I was passed by several serious bikers on the way home, whizzing past in their matching team bike uniforms and helmets and bikes. They were all super-fit men, with spandex outfits that actually looked really good in spandex. "Good to see you again!" called out one. This made me feel really good, that serious bikers recognized me. It also made me feel guilty, because I couldn't have told you I'd seen them before they greeted me and prompted the memory...
It was the "short" long trip today, to work back up to the serious exercise after a hiatus, and to get home before dark. I feel it in the calves, which are tight from my decision to trot up and down the hotel steps two flights from our floor to the consuite instead of using the elevators.
My darling husband is glad that I am home, and I am glad to be home, too.
