Weekend wrap-up: Horse heads, sock garters and Porta Potties - OH MY

Yes, I'm in a post-Vancouver Folk Music Festival funk.  Well, not a funk, but it is one of my favorite times of the year, and it's over.  Another year of sun, sound, porta potties, hand sanitizer, interpretive dancing, men in skirts, and horse head masks.  OK, the horse head mask was a new thing - but it was an awesome addition - particularly because of the back-pack.  Horses are, after all, pack animals.

I didn't take as many photos, or videos, as I did last year.  But there are a few, and they amuse me enough to post.  The first - the annual shot of me and my forever-partner-in-VFMF, the lovely A - looking considerably more lovely than I do in this photo.  Alas I couldn't scare up my cowboy hat this year...there are contractors in the house and I just couldn't do enough real poking about to find it.  Sad, that.  But things will return to cowboy hatted normalcy in 2011, promise.

There was a new addition (and convert) to the VFMF this year as well - the mysterious man known by some as The Boy.  I've included this shot because it wraps up so many aspects of VFMF - the beautiful sun, green trees, and porta potties.  I'm assuming the one he just came out of wasn't too horrendous, or he wouldn't be smiling...though that smile doesn't look completely convincing, likely because he's extra special pleased with me for taking a photo of him exiting the porta potty.  But I'm too nice to post that one.  Note the natty new lid - a rare find from one of the vendors on site.

Also available from one of the vendors: the Man Skirt.  Not a mundane man-skirt, a full on, multi-tiered satin number.  Our model hear sports his skirt with a pair of fetching sock-garters.  Lovely.  FYI he wore a pink and red skirt the next day.








Now - you might be wondering about the music - which, really, is the point of the whole thing.  I probably didn't see as many artists as I have some years, but I certainly saw enough to keep me happy.  I only took one video (yes, only one) this year - The Deep Dark Woods.  It was a bit of a random choice, though they were one of the bands I liked most this year.
 

They performed right before what seemed to be the big draw of the day - The Malahat Review, a roving band of Vancouver musicians (Said the Whale, Jeremy Fisher, Hannah Georgas and Aidan Knight).  Second song in, the audience of excited youngsters (ok, some excited oldsters as well) jumped to their feet to dance.  I did not, and neither did The Boy.  We just sat, listened, and watched the amazing (but not necessarily in a good way...) view.  I suspect that is actually a slight shine of panic in his eye...

Now the musical stunner for me this year was Luluc, an Australian duo.  I was too transfixed to film them unfortunately.  Singer Zoe Randell's unique, sweetly somber alto really grabbed me, as did her lyrically lovely songwriting.  I've included a video below just so you can get a taste.

There may be more to post on the fest later.  And, I may also post a bit on the New Pornographer's gig if I find the energy....

See, I'm doing what I promised...

...and not waiting a month to blog again.  That's because I have something to blog about - an extended, wine-laden weekend in BC's desert country, Osoyoos, with two of my favorite partners in crime.

We splurged and stayed at Spirit Ridge  - gorgeous, gorgeous.  The slightly crap photo I've posted is the view from our balcony, out over the NK'MIP vineyards.  Why is the photo crap? Because I couldn't find my camera so had to use my Blackberry.  (I'm hoping my camera wielding pal A will let me post some of her inevitably awesome photos when she downloads them). 

We had a great trip - 35C temperatures, an air conditioned car, and many, many winery moments, followed by tasty meals and lazy nights by the pool and beds so high you had to climb into them - who could complain?  Not me, that's for sure. 

A few favorites: Silver Sage (ooooh those fruit dessert wines!!!), Tinhorn Creek (that view! that Cab Franc!!),  and Stoneboat (lovely bright tasting room with some really nice whites).  One to avoid, despite the great graphics - Road 13.  Such lovely staff, such blah wine.  But what I can recommend is taking the time to get away with a dear friends for some luxury and laughs.

And I came home to find THIS - yes, my new, gorgeous, bathroom floor...whoop whoop!  One more reason to break open one of the many bottles that made the trip back home with me...

No I haven't disappeared...but I'm not home either!

I can't believe it has been a month (augh!) since I have posted - to the two people in the universe who bother checking in to see if I've posted, I'm sorry for being a lazy-arse.

The good news is that finally I do have something to post about!  My bathroom renos are finally (FINALLY) starting - I think I purchased the new vanity about a year ago so that tells you how long I've been waiting - and I enclose a "before" shot that hopefully captures the truly horrendous vanity and the awful vinyl flooring (though the awfulness really doesn't show well in this photo - bear in mind the flooring doesn't actually go right to the wall in all places and is more like a badly laid plastic carpet than anything.  And it doesn't show the giant light-laden disco mirror.)

So, I moved to Mum's on Tuesday with the beasts, because bathroom renos mean no bathroom at home for, oh, three weeks.  The cats weren't all that impressed with things, and I think they are likely still not all that thrilled with their change of situation, but they are adjusting.  The first night I slept with Maggie curled up beside my head, and Thom just below her at my shoulder.  Not our usual sleeping pattern to say the least - firstly the two of them rarely occupy the same piece of furniture let alone sleep within inches of each other, and if they do sleep on the bed it is by my feet.  Either they found being by my head somewhat comforting, or they were preparing to lie on my face and steal my breath.  Looking at Maggie sometimes I fear the second option was really the plan, but she likely fell asleep and forgot.

So - right now, my bathroom has NO floor (you can see through to the basement), the drywall with the tiles has been cut out, and two of the three doors into the bathroom have been framed in ready for drywall.  So far so good with the contractors - they have been extremely tidy about things and all seems to be going according to plan. 

And I will try and be a better poster this month.  Promise.