I was heading back to my hometown of Fulton, NY because I had a lot of things to take care of and many people to see. One joyous task was staying with my friend Heather for a week after she had her new baby. She also has a two year old, Nelly, and I was around to help out by mostly playing with Nelly. It was a fun week that went by quickly.
Afterward, I met back up with Jorrie and we both wanted to check out the Oswego Harborfest. We took my bus, which I parked on a side street, and we walked over to the excitement. There was a lot going on but we eventually found ourselves listening to the bands. We met up with my friend Kristy and we all danced to the music as the sun went down, until we heard the boom of fireworks. Jorrie and I sprinted down a nearby hill and sat on the water’s edge, watching the explosion of lights being set off the breakwall. It was the perfect spot, except for the occasional ash raining down on us.
Then we set out to explore around town and stumbled upon the section with rides. It was closed, but that didn’t stop us from climbing on the equipment. We went down a giant slide that was so tall it seemed like we would rush thrillingly right down, but in actuality the trip was rather leisurely. We wrapped up the night by meeting back up with Kristy, and hung out at a packed bar until it closed before Jorrie and I retreated to the bus for the night.
A few days later we had my family reunion, which is an annual two day event held at my parents’ house. At night we have a bonfire and some of my uncles and cousins brought out guitars and a banjo and played and sang. Jorrie and I brought out our instruments as well, drums and a guitar, to let the little kids use them so they could play along with the grown-ups.
The next day was the main part of the family reunion where more people showed up. That day was spent talking, swimming, eating, and reconnecting. It was great to see a lot of my family again.
I spent the rest of my time in Fulton visiting friends and getting stuff done. I had missed all my friends and their children dearly, and tried to spend as much time with them as I could.
Jorrie and I also went to the amusement park Six Flags Darien Lake for his birthday. We tried to go on every ride there and spent most of the day riding roller coasters.
My Dad took time after the reunion to help me with my bus. I wasn’t loving the open roof concept after my skylight blew off in Wyoming. He built a new skylight and attached it so it would slam shut instead of snapping off if I forgot to lock it before driving. I had wanted to do it this last time, but the solar panels were in the way. My dad, being the expert carpenter that he is, found a way. He built a lip on top of the opening to go above the solar panels in order to attach the hinges on the correct side. He also put in a bigger fridge for me. The one I had was only about a foot tall, which didn’t leave much room for food. He replaced it with the one I had in college, which was about three feet tall, and it took days of engineering on his part to make it fit. I was thrilled to have a bigger place for food.
While he was working away, my mom fed us well, making my favorite meals and pampering us with treats. Mom and I took one day with just the two of us to go thrift store shopping and out to lunch, an annual event we both look forward to.
For the last weekend of August, Jorrie and I headed to Perch Fest at the People’s Perch Water Tower in East Baldwin, Maine. We left his bus parked at my parents’ and he, I, and our three dogs packed ourselves into my little bus. Thomas the cat stayed with my parents. I was reluctant to take him because of his traumatic disappearance and accident last year while we were there. (see blog from September 25, 2022) We left Thursday, staying the night in a Park ’N Go parking lot and got there Friday afternoon.
We arrived in time for a wire wrapping workshop led by Laura. She was showing us how to make different style rings and earrings. I made jewelry as I said my hellos to old friends and met and talked with new ones.
After a dinner of lentils as the sun was setting, my friend Cat showed up. I had met her at last year’s Perch Fest. She was there to play music, and as we caught up, she told me she had something for me, gifting me a beautiful tarot card deck that her friend had made. It was breathtaking, and I was so grateful. I made sure to use them that night.
Back at The Perch, Cat grabbed her guitar and played music for us as we all sat around a warm fire. She played only songs she had written. In one of them she sang about howling at the moon, and each time she said it, we all howled out in unison.
Next was show and tell. Everyone was welcome to bring whatever they wanted and tell us about it. Montana brought her metal drum and played a little song of beautiful chime-like music. We had the great idea of bringing it into Little Buddy: a giant metal tank that had been setup next to the water tower. It sported a small circular door you could climb through to the inside with its painted walls and carpeted floor. Since it was metal, the music ricocheted off the walls, echoing with every chime. We all laid on the floor listening to the beautiful music. Cat also sang for all of us in there. Her voice has an amazing range and sounded even more beautiful as each note echoed on.
The next morning after an oatmeal bar, I took a break from the festivities to make sure the dogs got a good long walk. Jorrie and I took the three of them on a hiking trail that ran down to a river.
We arrived back just as a puzzle game was starting. The idea was to flip over a puzzle so it was just a blank canvas. Everybody started with one puzzle piece and drew a picture on it. Next you found the connecting puzzle pieces and drew connecting lines onto the pieces. Somebody else would then finish the drawing without actually knowing what it was. I loved this activity even though it was a bit of a hodgepodge. It took forever to finish, and everybody got a little mixed up with the directions, but I was still so thrilled once the last piece was placed and it all came together.
Next we had a pole raising. Ian had a giant, 400 pound log that he wanted brought to the front of The Perch and placed upright by the road, where we would make signs to nail to it. He had attached two-by-fours with ratchet straps every few feet, creating a handle on each side. There were a total of 12 handles, and if someone got tired they would yell out “Switch!” and someone would take their place. It wasn’t as simple as just carrying it though, since we were bringing it down a narrow trail in the woods. There were times that we had to weave through the trees working as one as we zig-zagged the board handles around the obstacles.
Once we cleared the forest, we carried it down the road to the edge of the property line where Ian had dug a very deep hole. He had also dug out a sloped area leading into the hole. We were skeptical at first that we could get this thing upright because it was a huge pole, but we worked as a team to line it up, sliding it down the slope and into the hole. The hole was so deep that it started standing partially upright on its own, then everybody just pushed it the rest of the way, far easier than we thought it would be. It was braced, concrete was poured, and it was done.
Next we took a tour of Willem’s “worm hole”. He was staying at The Perch full-time and had made a house out of a hole he had dug into the side of a hill.
The inside was round and lined with wood. It was the perfect tiny house.
I finally got to take my turn going up on top of Little Buddy, where they had welded a teeter-totter. The seats were hanging over the edge of the cylinder, and the best part was it also spun. Montana and I sat on the teeter-totter, twirling while going up and down. It was definitely the most exhilarating teeter-totter ride I had ever been on.
The rest of that day and the next were both filled with random activities and hanging out.
Jorrie and I left late in the day Sunday, heading to Portland Maine. He had never been and I wanted to show him around one of my favorite cities. We spent two nights and days exploring, playing games, and relaxing. We also attended an acro yoga class while in town before heading out.
On the way back through Vermont, we happen to be passing by Camp Kelly Campground. I have often stopped there on my travels, and we stopped again for a few days. There is no cell service whatsoever, and I enjoyed escaping from the world for a bit. We spent most of the time playing more board games and hanging out with our animals.
We swung back through Fulton so we could see my parents again before heading west. We also made time to go to the New York State Fair, which I have always gone to and love, before we hit the road. It was the perfect way to wrap up our time there before heading to Portland, Oregon for a wedding.
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