I’m at the folks’ place in Victoria recovering from one of the more memorable days in many moons.
I got up at 4:30 and left the house with Jarmo and crew around 7:30. We launched from Burrard ramp. There were eagles at the launch site. The launch was hilarious, mostly because the Suburban’s muffler was under water for a good chunk of the launch. Anyway, that was successful. Out into the Georgia Strait where the combined one two punch of the Fraser’s two arms dumping into the strait caused incredible lumpiness. I lost my hat (I had sunscreen), applied sunscreen to the back of Jarmo’s neck and his bald spot, and stood for the first 1.5 hours. We stopped at Galiano and got ice cream bars and pumped the bilges, after which the boat behaved in a much peppier fashion.
Got to Victoria Harbour long about 11:30, with bunting flying and hordes of people for the tall ships festival, including the Nina, and Jarmo just moseys up to the nicest section of dock and gets everybody a pass to the docks. I bail to go to Pondside for the filking.
Shortly after I got there me and twenty other people ran through the Tapioca Song… EVERYBODY there knew it off by heart, it was amazing. Instruments included stand up bass (thank you thank you Peggy) hammered dulcimer, banjola, many guitars, resonator guitar and many harmonious happy voices….. AND – and this makes me so happy I could burst – it was simultaneously signed in Ameslan.
I played with Devon Rex cats and listened to some of the nicest and smartest people in the world tell stories and sing songs and play exotic instruments. Happy, happy sigh.
Then I realized I was exhausted and begged Dr Filk for a ride to my folks’ place on his scoot, which he kindly provided. There I was thinking I wouldn’t get a ride on a motorcycle this summer, ha! THEN I got to ride to my granny’s place in the Camaro, with the top down, during a cloudless summer evening. I had a lovely (and brief) visit with my gran, then came back here and drank a cup of tea. There was a deer in the parking lot across the street from her apartment while we were there.
You have to admit I had an amazing day and I send big hugs and kisses to Douglas and Juliana for sponsoring the amazing event that is Pondfilk. But I am sun- and windburnt and entirely bagged and my bed is calling me in three part harmony with stand up bass accompaniment, so good night moon. mOm’s going to give me a lift back there in the morning, and then with any luck I’ll hitch a lift back to Vancouver with Tom and Peggy.
Tired and happy. That’s me right now.
