Spark(ly) Notes: Aeri Rose in 2013

17 May 2013 1 Comment

by Aeri Rose in Local Events, Transportation, Faeries, Observations Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My goodness it has been a while since my last post! Almost four months, two states, and two shows since my last post in fact.  Being the lead fairy of a costume boutique is hard work!

But so much has happened! I will try to catch you up.  First, the Spark(ly) Notes:

- Adopted by Ace

- Drove to Arizona and opened the Arizona Renaissance Festival

- Was accepted to vend at Scarborough Renaissance Festival

- Sold Alice

- Drove to Texas and opened Scarborough Faire

-Schmooze with Travel Chanel Team

- Road trip to New Orleans

- Bought a Van

- Was accepted to vend at the Virginia Renaissance Festival

- Survived exploding fertilizer plants and rouge Tornados

I think that’s all. That’s enough right? I’m sure some of those sparkly notes have you saying “excuse me what?!”  and I promise they are all as silly and exciting as they sound.

So to begin, at the beginning, which is often a good place to start.  Except when the end seems like a good place to start. So long as working backwards is an alright thing for you to do. But I digress.

In January I arrived in Santa Barbara and spent two weeks with Teri Evans, owner of Unicorn Clothing, in her workshop. While there I learned that Ace needed a home. Ace was a six month old Siberian Husky that was adopted by Teri’s neighbors as a puppy.  Only after adopting him did they learn that their landlord did not allow dogs.  Not the  best order of things to be sure.  So poor Ace was faced with a tough decision: the pound, or me,  He chose me! And so two weeks later, into the Jeep he climbed, and away to Arizona we did go.

Ace is the beast up front. Lucy, my Dad's little lady, is in the back.

Ace is the beast up front. Lucy, my Dad’s little lady, is in the back.

In Arizona we had the exciting task of opening a new booth for Unicorn Clothing.  And I got the exciting information that Reincarnation Outfitters had been accepted to vend at Scarborough Renaissance Festival, in Texas in April and May.  And I sold Alice, my Jeep Cherokee, to my good friends Alex and Stephanie.  With not a few tears I said good bye to my loyal road companion and went from “Has It Together Hippie” to “Irresponsible Road Rennie”.  On the road, with a large dog and a business’s supply of inventory and no way of transporting it.  Yikes!

Operation: [Learn how to] Ask For Help was in full effect.  And I have to say it was a good lesson for me.  After spending the full run of Arizona steadily sewing skirts, making tutus, and preparing for the show; it was finally time to hit the road to Texas as the grateful passengers to Repo and Shadow.  Ace was an AMAZING road dog, incredibly patient and calm for the 20 hour road trip ahead of us.  Repo and Shadow were entertaining travel company and Repo’s van did a decent job of getting us to our destination.  It willingly humored our midnight departure and my through the night shift as driver.  It patiently weathered the hail and freezing rain that met us over the Texas border.  And it finally gave up with a cough when we cracked a radiator hose.  Luckily Shadow and some gaffing tape came to the rescue.

Pulling onto site the next morning, I was instantly faced with the next adventure: Set Up Camp.  Yes, I would be CAMPING at the show this year. I hadn’t had to CAMP at a festival since 2009 and I was feeling very uncertain of my memory and skills regarding such an activity.  Could I still put up a decent shade/weather tarp? What about platforms. What about lights? God I didn’t even have a KNIFE with me. How unprepared could I be?

But again, thanks to the success of Operation: Ask For Help and the local Wallyworld I soon had a cozy camp established.  And I have to say, after countless storms, and tornado threats (keep reading!) I am pretty damn proud of my Tarpentry skills.  Not a single unwanted drop has entered my tent.  Well, maybe five unwanted drops found coming through a hole in the tarp; a hole quickly defeated by a sliding a trash bag in between the tarp and the tent’s rain fly.

"Abstract Roofentry"

“Abstract Roofentry”

Cold nights forced me to warily grant Ace tent privileges, an honor he me with surprisingly good behavior.  What a cuddle butt he is.   But I knew the cool days and cold nights would not last.  Soon the Texas heat would descend: 90 degree days with 90% humidity and no where to hide from it.  But luckily I had a plan.

Ale, my adventurous step-mom, was going to be meeting me in New Orleans after the second weekend of the show to deliver the inventory I had stored in Maryland.  She took Ace home with  her to spend time as a house dog, complete with a yard to run in and air condition to hide in.  New Orleans was New Orleans.  Repo, loyal road dog himself, came with me for the adventure and a chance to see The Big Easy for himself.  New Orleans is great. Every time I go I tell myself, “Self. You need to live here one day. You really do.”

This time was no different. We three wandered the city by night, exploring streets with music pouring out of dodgy bars and lit by real gas lights on the corners.  In the morning we ate beignets and drank chicory root coffee and hit the road home by the afternoon.  I got to introduce another road connoisseur to some of my favorite roads in the country: the beauty of I-10 as it spans the swamps outside of the city.

First Faire Booth!

First Faire Booth!

Back in Texas things seemed to settle down. Sort of.  Each weekend was a whirlwind of tutus, and hula hoops.  Each week was filled with tutu production, dance parties and concerts, and other standard Scarborough Fare.  Pun intended. The highlight of the season was again the Naughty Clown Party. The Naughty Clown is an annual show hosted by the resident clowns.  It began as a chance for the clowns to get out some of the naughty jokes they just can’t use on the kiddies during the weekend.  It has since grown into the most stunning display of talent on the circuit.  Performers and those who don’t perform professional but sure as hell could if they wanted to put on acts of such beauty and skill that it makes you cry out of joy and love and respect for our amazing community.  Those of us in the audience are just as enthusiastic, dressing to the nines- or the sixty-nines as the case may be- in our best naughty clown attire.  This year I wore a rainbow.  That’s what it felt like anyway, an accurate description do you think?

20130514_210751

Dudes in Drag: Another Naughty Clown Tradition!

Dress like you love yourself!

Dress like you love yourself!

One weekend the Travel Channel was on site filming for a new show about fan culture. The renaissance festivals, with their playtrons, comicon fans, and authentic hobbits, was a wealth of footage I am sure.  And of course I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk to someone from the TRAVEL CHANNEL!   I couldn’t leave my booth to find them, sadly, so I planned- and pounced! I sent a flower with a message something along the lines of this: “No festival experience is complete without feeling the excited delight of being told you’ve been sent a flower. But there is no blushing admirer at the other end of this bloom. Only an enterprising fairy who hopes you’ll stop by her booth to hear some tales of travel and adventure, glitter and angels.” I sent it with the flower girl with instructions to give the flower and the not to “the most important looking crew guy”, and it worked! The next morning someone came by and we  chatted and I told him about this here blog and gave him my card and I hope hope HOPE that someone from the TRAVEL CHANNEL is reading this blog! What do you think? Would you watch a show about a backpacking fairy? Wouldya?

Whew!

Somewhere in all that merriment I managed to find my new road vehicle.  A 1994 Chevrolet Sportvan…the kind of van that the Mystery Machine was drawn to resemble.  I am going to paint the sh*t out of that van! No white space will be left unadorned.  The Era of the Van has begun.  I LOVE IT! Lets just hope she is as loyal as Alice was.  Her first big test is coming up in less than two weeks when we make another mad dash north.  I’ll have four days to tear down in Texas, drive north, and set up in Virginia.  Wahoo!! Coffee please!

The new Van. Name still Needed!

The new Van. Name still Needed!

And there you have it.  An update on the life of Aeri the Traveling Fairy.  I promise I’ll try to keep on top of it this spring!

Much Love! I’ll be back soon!

Aeri

lifting reality’s veil

29 Aug 2012 Leave a Comment

by Aeri Rose in 1001 things to do before you die, Faeries Tags: ,

This week Cloe, a good friend from Paris, has been in town visiting.  Today we took a trip up to Philadelphia for some good ol’ tourism.  But that good ol’ tourism just wasn’t working for us today.  We tried to see The Carpenter House, but it was closed; we saw the Liberty Bell and were underwhelmed; and we just couldn’t bring ourselves to bother with the Constitution Center.

What we did do was fantastic, or at least full of fantasy.  We started the day at Philadelphia’s Magic Garden, on South Street.  The Magic Garden is an amazing art in progress begun by artist Isaiah Zagar in 1994. It is mosaic, sculpture, poetry, and painting like you’ve never seen it before.  And it is most certainly high on my list of 1001 things to see before you die.

Here’s a little taste of the magic that is Philadelphia’s Magic Garden.

There are so many details that it is impossible to look at everything in one go.  This time around, I decided to read the Garden.  To find all the hidden messages built with painted tiles and lettered squares.  I am so smitten with some of the worded imagery I found.  Here were some of my favorites:

“Delicately poised between excessive vitality and destruction.”

“A masterpiece of chaos.”

“Remember walking around inside this piece of fiction.”

“Luminous consciousness”

“Convulsive beauty”

and

“Imagery which refuses to stabilize” 

With these poetic fantasies dancing in my mind, we continued our tour with a yummy lunch at the Fourth Street Delicatessen, and a quick trip down fabric row.

After spending entirely too much at the Pennsylvania Fabric Outlet we attempted our historically accurate tour of Philadelphia’s National Historic Park, which includes the major sights: Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Center, Independence Square, the Constitution Center, and the Massive Wells Fargo building. Wait, what?

Liberty, Independence, and Low Interest Rates.

Perhaps it was the looming shadow of high finance, perhaps it was merely the food coma induced by a hearty lunch at a Jewish delicatessen, but we couldn’t muster the interest in classy brick buildings and well phrased praises of liberty and independence.  Instead we found ourselves on a meandering walk past Love Park, around City Hall, and down Broad Street.

Once walking, like flashes of light in the corners of our vision, Wonderland kept catching our attention.

Historic reflected in the Modern.

We found it on the sides of buildings- in murals painted and buildings reflected.

Do passionate musicians become their work?

It twittered mischievously with us over cake slices cut bigger than bricks and cookies with magically gooey chocolate chips.  It delighted in board game pieces bigger than we were.

We all but followed the rabbit through the crack in the bell before we decided to wink back at Wonderland for the present and hit the road home instead.  It was a successful, unconventional, and extremely unforgettable day in the city. We started with a little magic, and found it’s glimmer all day.

I hope you can keep your minds and eyes open for the glimmers around you, too!
~Aeri

 

 

 

 

boba tea for me!

13 Jun 2012 Leave a Comment

by Aeri Rose in Faeries, Food, Local Events

A couple weeks ago I took a break from Texas by hiding away in a Korean spa for the day. Today I seemed to have been dropped off in The Philippines for lunch.

The Place? Cebuana Filipino Store in Austin, Texas.  This place is another one of those great places that looks like a dive on the outside, and you really aren’t expecting much out of the food even after ordering and sitting down.  But then a trail of mouth watering scents wafts your way and the meal comes out.  You know you’ve hit another cultural gem before you even take the first bite.  This is the real deal.  This is abandon your fork for finger licking delight.  This is thank the good Earth for lemon grass and ginger.

Go Ejoy Maria’s WONDERFUL Filipino Food!

Maria, the owner and chef comes out with beef stews, pork chops the likes of which you’ve never had, sweet rice, a stunning Thai basil soup, and a creamy cabbage salad.  We dipped bites of pork chop into the soup and delightfully slurping the whole mouthful up.

After the meal we wandered the tiny Filipino grocery store, excitedly cheering over real rice noodles, glass noodles, packaged curry pastes, ginger pastes, spicy sauces, and more. I couldn’t help but pick up a few spice packets to try on my own stir-fries later.

A mango boba tea for the road, and we were ready to head back out into the American afternoon.  A delightful ethnic meal was exactly what I needed to excite my travel bug again.

Just in time too because on Friday I hit the road again and head north, back to Annapolis for a few days. But before that I need to run through Austin with my Tutu on! That’s right.  On Thursday, Chela of Medieval Moccasins and I will be running in the Midnight Margarita Run.  In some Reincarnation Outfitters tutus and Medieval Moccasin boots (GREAT for running btw!!) we shall frolic through downtown Austin.  Come run, come play, come cheer on the faeries!

Paalam and Gud Lak!

~Aeri

teahehe party

28 May 2012 1 Comment

by Aeri Rose in Faeries

A few days ago I turned 5 years old. Fairie years that is.  We fairies like to take things slow.  I think in human counting it was 25 years old.  That’s quite a bit older. I guess. To celebrate, my friends threw me a tea party and it was WONDERFUL!!!

 

They were so nice and it was so fun.  We had tea, and cake, and coconut macaroons, and cucumber and creamcheese sandwiches.  And there were boys that got dressed nicely, and girls that were so pretty. It was in a wooded, shady, sun dappled glade with a light breeze through the warm summer day.

 

Even though we didn’t technically “Go” anywhere, I wanted to talk about my tea party in my travel blog.  Because it was AMAZING!! I love my friends.  I love that I said “tea party” and they said “yes, absolutely.”

They came to play. They liked the wings and the silly fabrics and the tiny sandwiches.  They let me feel like a princess whether I was turning 5 or 25.

When I travel I meet some amazing people, people with strange stories and new perspectives. But it has been a long time since I’ve had good friends to ground me at home.  Friends who love me because of my stories, and friends whom I love because of their stories.

 

So this post is dedicated to all my homies.  Who make the return flights worth while.

Thank you, I love you.

 

Aeri

i love doggies with wings!

07 May 2012 Leave a Comment

by Aeri Rose in Faeries, Local Events

I spent this weekend at the Spoutwood Faerie Festival as a vendor for Reincarnation Outfitters.  It was my first time as a vendor, and I was nervous and excited.  But I didn’t need to be nervous! It was SO much fun!!

I arrived on Thursday afternoon with plenty of daylight to set up the booth which was comprised of an Easy-Up, some clothing racks, an old wooden barrel and a suitcase.  Oh and some curtains in the corner to make a dressing room.  The shop felt like a vintage living room turned walk in closet.  There was a whimsical air to it once all the colorful flowery skirts were in place.  Thanks so much to my Dad, I had a big beautiful banner with the company name on it.

Friday was slow, a “practice day” everyone said.  But Saturday and Sunday were busy and fun.  I saw so many fairy friends on Sunday that I couldn’t contain myself.  And I made some fun friends across the street that make Hula Hoops!! We traded a hoop for a skirt, and she’s going to wear it next weekend when she performs an interpretive tree hula-hoop dance.  So Cool!!! I hope we can get some pictures!

Throughout the weekend so many things were so fun, but I decided to make a list of my three favorite things about fairy festivals.

1. I love to trade stuff!!

2. I love little kids and tiny dogs with fairy wings on.  I love little girls with dresses and wings, running around the field, pretending or believing they can fly. I love little fluffy dogs with tiny pink wings that chase after butterflies and french fries.  And I love great big dogs with tiny tiny wings that look like overgrown bumble bees, and flop over happily in the grass whenever their people stop to look at something.

Which leads me to my third favorite thing:

3. Confused bumblebees.  I had SO MANY bumble bees flying around my skirts and hair clips this weekend.  And I take it as a huge compliment! If the silly bees confuse my flower skirts with actual flowers, than I consider that a job well done! Though I do feel sorry for the little bees that aren’t getting any pollen from my little cotton skirts.  I’m sure they’re glad to have all these silly glittery people out of their fields now.

Last weekend was so fun, that I am glad we can do it all again this weekend at the Maryland Fairy Festival in Darlington, MD.  If you couldn’t make it last weekend, or even if you could, come out to play this weekend too! And don’t forget about Mother’s Day!!

 

Love Muchly,

Aeri

an enlightening bus ride

13 Dec 2011 1 Comment

by Aeri Rose in Faeries, Transportation

Essaouira was nice. Warm, sunny, beachy.  I spent three days and $82.78 getting there, being there, and getting back to Casablanca.  The trip itself was uneventful, and not nearly as entertaining as the bus ride back to Casablanca became.

It all started, I think, when I went to the bus station and was convinced to but a ticket for a no-name bus company, despite repeated online warnings by other travelers to take only CMT or Supratours busses.  But the salesman said it was less expensive, and would get me there quicker since it didn’t make any stops along the way. Direct to Casablanca he said.

Well, promptly at 2:00 pm, after waiting in a bus station that reeked of vomit, I stowed my backpack beneath and boarded the bus.  We left Essaouira on the main road, which we just as promptly left.  For the next six hours we traveled along a country highway; past fields of Argan trees, roadside markets, towns with more donkeys than cars, and hovels (homes?)- some of which showed no sign of electricity, plumbing, or even complete roofs.  While we didn’t make any scheduled stops, per-se, we did make frequent stops at unmarked points along the highway for country travelers to quickly hop on the bus.  As we slowed again and again for robed men and veiled women, my aggravation at being mislead by the ticket salesman quickly turned to amusement.

How the Hell, I asked myself, do I get myself INTO these situations? 

Well, I answered myself, this bus left at a more convenient time, and it was a whopping 40 dirham cheaper. At least you’ll get to learn how the locals really travel, I rationed.  Settle in and enjoy the ride. 

And the ride really was enjoyable, once you got over the vicious side to side sway of the bus just barely maintaining it’s position in the road, and being very liberal with its use of the lanes.

Looking out the window at the passing fields and setting sun, I let my mind wander.  I started out wondering at the motivation for travel some of the passengers had.  They looked like they carried their whole world with them, shoved into a few twine-tied boxes. One came on board with a hamper full of tomatoes at their feet.  The only thing missing were chickens in the overhead shelf.

Not for the first time, I cringed at the things most Americans complain about. The “horrible”, “unfair” conditions of our country.  A country where every child has access to a school, a school that will probably feed them most of their meals if necessary.  I thought about the little beggar kids I’d seen in the desert and at the beach.  Where was their school?  I’d willingly pay taxes to maintain the system we have.  That’s what a community is for.  To work together to make things better for everyone.  The US is just one big community.  Sometimes, in search of our American Dreams and individual aspirations I think we forget that.  But then of course the next argument is, “Well, we wouldn’t have to pay so many taxes if we quit blowing people up.”  And thats true too. If our army expenses were smaller, we would have more room in the budget for community building.  Thinking about communities made me again think of the recent protests, protests for more and more things for the people.  Perhaps what we need to protest isn’t for more, but for less.  To use less resources, to stop using resources so wastefully, so that there are some to share with other people. People who still don’t know the comfort of constantly available water, steady heat, or a light in the dark.

I think about the way some people have to live, and I think, “Now, THEY would have something to complain about.” And I’ve never even been to a third world country! Second world at “best” and even those can be considered on the cusp of becoming a first world nation.

Sometimes I talk like a fairy, to disassociate myself and give an unbiased perspective. But today, I can’t remove myself from the culture and community I’ve been fated to represent.

All these things were swirling in my  head as I disembarked from the bus in Casablanca. Before my bag could be pulled from beneath the bus, I saw trash bags, plastic laundry bags (you know the plaid square kind with a zipper), and- yes- live chickens being removed.  So there were chickens on the bus, I thought with absentminded amusement.  Before I’d even gotten my bag I had cabbies shouting at me, offering to take me to my final destination.  I admit I was a bit overwhelmed.  Unlike the Casablanca train station, the bus stop was not well lit, well signed, or comforting to a lone traveler.  Then, out of the blue, another travel angel saved my day. She was a quiet girl with a leopard print scarf wound tightly around her head.  She spoke perfect English.  She had an entourage of several other scarf bedecked women, probably sisters or aunts. She asked if I was traveling alone, and took control (much like my previous travel angel) when I replied yes.  She helped me to a fair cabbie, helped me call my host, and gave me her number- should anything happen on the way.  This much confidence and love for a stranger from a woman suppressed by her nation. Just think how strong these women would be, were they allowed to stand up for themselves!

I was so grateful for her help, and somehow humbled I almost cried in the cab.

I don’t have any more answers for the world than I did before my bus ride.  I wish I did.  Or maybe all I can wish for is to be as confident and loving as that leopard print lady had been.

And the rest will follow.

~Aeri

fairytale savings

08 Nov 2011 2 Comments

by Aeri Rose in Budgets, Faeries, Local Events, Trips

While we have been in the middle of a series on alternative lodging, this post will take a step away from that series.  After all, when travel happens it happens! And what happened this time?

The FaerieCon!! A family reunion of sorts, for all the east coast fairies.

A weekend of art, wings, and glitter- with a price tag of $95, before food, drink, lodging, and extras.

So how did this budget conscious fey manage to swing the whole weekend for under $100, instead of over $500?  Lets take a look…

The convention was held at the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley Inn, outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The hotel offered room specials at $101 a night.  The convention took over several ballroom and salons in the hotel- room for vendors to spread out their wares, panels to hold discussions on everything from visualizing the unseen realms to marketing your budding business, and stages for nightly balls and concerts.  Oh and a great picture posing station!

So where does our budget max out?

Weekend Ticket- $95

Balls- $35 each, $70 for weekend

Rooms in the Hotel- $101 each, $202 for the weekend

Food- $10 – 35 a pop at the hotel grill, lets say $80 for the weekend

Drink- $7 a pop at the hotel bar, if you’re here to party this could add up quick! Lets say $75 for the weekend.

That adds up to $522 for the weekend.  That’s way too much to spend on a weekend of dress-up and make-believe! And that’s without even getting a treat from all the fabulous art vendors there.  Some of my favorite artists were Moresca, and Jenniveves Wings.

Since I’ve been preparing for my trip to Turkey (less than one week until take off!) I had an even smaller budget than normal for this weekend.  I said $100 for the weekend was manageable.  And I came in totally under budget at $84 for the weekend.

How did I do it?  I started by doing my homework.  I’ve known about this event for years, but never managed to make it out.  This year, I did some research early, learned about the high price of the tickets, and came up with a plan to get there for less by GETTING INVOLVED! This is a great way to enhance your total trip experience, and shave off some expenses.

What did I do? I talked to some of the marketing team, who happened to be friends of mine, and joined their local street team.  I wandered my town, putting up posters of the event, and recording their locations.  In exchange for my legwork, I was given an all access pass to the day events and both balls.  I also got to meet some great behind the scenes people who made the magic happen.  That knocked $165 off my expense sheet before I even got to the event.

Next I tackled that $200 in hotel rooms.  The first night I took the opportunity to visit with an old friend from high school, now living in Baltimore.  He worked until just before the event was over for the night, so we showed up at his home at roughly the same time.  Luckily my friends are used to seeing me in costumes and goofy makeup more often than not! The morning of the second night I was still unsure of my options.  I knew that the worst case, I could sleep in my car.  It wouldn’t be the first time, and it’s not the worst choice I’ve ever made. But the November nights were getting chilly and I really wasn’t looking forward to it.

Luckily, faeries flock together! Running around Saturday, I ran into some girls I knew from the Maryland Renaissance Festival.  It just so happened they had an extra space in their room, which they were happy to share with me after hearing of my current option.  While I wouldn’t recommend being so nonchalant about your sleeping arrangements on a regular basis, sometimes fate works in your favor.  What I WOULD recommend is what these girls had done- flock together and split a room! Split between four, the weekend lodging would have cost $50 each- not a terrible price for the convenience of being in the same building as the event itself.

And when staying in a room with a refrigerator, stock up on food and drink from the outside to improve your budget.  For $18 I snacked on granola bars and salads, rather than greasy burgers from the bar; and for $19 I partied with Sailor Jerry Rum for the weekend.

In the end I even had room in my budget to treat myself to an adorable wool hat with a pin from one of the vendors.

This is what my final budget looked like:

Weekend Ticket- $0

Balls- $0

Rooms in the Hotel- $0

Food- $18

Drink- $19

Treat- $42

That comes out to, $79 for the weekend, plus about $15 gas for the round trip.  At $94, I was able to come in under my budget of $100. Horray!

To wrap up, these are the three tips I recommend for partying at a weekend event on a budget:

1. Get involved ahead of time.  Join a street team, sign up to volunteer, or check out other participation options that come along with a free pass to the event.

2. Team up.  Find out if anyone you know is going to the same event, and split the cost of a room with them.  With something so structured you’ll be doing little more than sleeping in the room anyway.

3. Stock-up. Get some healthy snack and meals from the store (and booze too!) so you don’t run up a massive tab at the hotel bar.

Now get out there and have some fun!

Cheers!

~Aeri