It's good to be home. I was pretty tired after the Gene Foster Traditional Archery Rendezvous. Seems I'm allergic to sleeping in a tent in 27 degree weather. So I never actually did any archery. I was too tired to be running around with pointy objects.
I was inspired however, and first thing this morning I went to the leather shop and got some leather to make a new quiver. My canvas quiver is rather an embarrassment and is falling apart after several years of use.
This event had everything I love about events and everything I hate.
On the plus side:
1. I met fun new people
2. I got to know old friends better
3. I got to meet my friend's new baby Jack
4. I got some exercise hiking over hill and dale
5. The weather was perfect during the day times
6. We had great food cooked in our campsite
7. I saw some amazing archery
8. My friends won some raffle prizes
9. There was a great jam session with banjo, guitar, flutes, and drums on Sat. night
10. Our booth earnings paid for our trip
On the minus side:
1. The drunken idiots that kicked us out of the clubhouse at 10 PM so they could shoot arrows indoors.
2. The member's only indoor bathroom and showers (don't invite guests unless they can use the facilities.
That's four days without a hot shower if anyone is counting).
3. Sore losers who got mad when their friend didn't win the best arrow design contest.
4. Freezing temperatures at night and nowhere to escape from them.
5. Charlie horses...why do I always get those when I'm camping.
6. Musical chairs. I got up to get my dinner in the clubhouse, and someone else pushed all my stuff aside and sat in my chair. My friend got up to get seconds and someone stole his chair entirely, even though his wife was sitting right next to it.
7. Another vendor was selling beaded earrings just like I was. Only hers were $2.00 a pair. And I hear she goes every year so people just assume they can buy her stuff for next to nothing.
8. I was so exhausted with all the packing, booth setting up, booth tearing down, re-packing, and unpacking, I was too tired to do much of anything else.
9. Old men telling tall tales. Did you know big foot was dropped here by aliens?
10. Cuts and bruises from setting up and tearing down camp.
Ah well, that's the best of it and the worst of it.
Would I go back to this event again? Probably not unless I buy an RV some day. It's just too far, too cold, and I didn't really feel welcome there. If I'm just going to meet with friends and shoot arrows, there are much closer venues to do that.
