Blog du Wren

A Walk in the Woods

What a better way to celebrate rolling over the old odometer than heading out into the woods with some new friends. That's what I did this last week: a 5-day backpacking trip in .

The plan was to do a 35-mile loop from North Fork Sauk River up to White Pass, Red Pass, Kennedy Hot Springs, and Byrne Lake*. The first day, just at the beginning of the switchbacks*, the rain starts. By the time we reach camp that first night, we are soaked. The decision is made to take the next day off, at least from packing up camp, and do a day hike south on the Pacific Crest Trail. The weather somewhat clears on and off to allow for some great views*. The following night/morning, it rains again so we do a day hike north on the PCT. We all decide that hiking without crazy huge fully soaked packs is the best way to go anyway.

All in all, it was a great time. The , , fresh abundant berries, , escape, and greatly outweighed the weather, bugs, and two flat tires. I might just have to try this backpacking thing again someday.

Friday August 14 2009

File under: misc, pics

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Kitchen Crew Takes the Stage

I'm not a performer. I think I must have stated that 100 times on the trip (and hundreds more throughout my life). I just don't really enjoy it. I wish I did, but I don't. I've come up with many rationalizations for it, but the root of the matter is that it just doesn't do it for me.

That said, I made it on stage for the last show of the tour. For some reason, "Kitchen Bit" made it to the line-up. Originally it was just supposed to be a fake fashion show for the awesome recycled aprons we had been wearing all tour, but since everyone in the kitchen can juggle as well*, we decided to spice it up a bit. Lime juggling, broom chin balancing, padiddling*, and more: we took out all the stops for the final show. My part: besides being a padiddling and group juggling a huge pot, pot lid, broom and water jug, I ended the bit by juggling 5 raw eggs. Of course half of them ended up on the floor (after a solid run), but the audience wouldn't have liked it any other way.

I had a blast and was glad to be able to contribute to the show part of the tour (which is the most forward facing aspect). I had such a good time that I catch myself thinking that maybe I should rethink my non-performer title. Perhaps "semi-reluctant rare-occasion performer" is better.

Saturday August 8 2009

File under: chautauqua

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FC 76 - Berry Season

Back to the real world means back to Friday Comics. I still have at least one circus post up my sleeve that I'm waiting on pictures for, but there's no reason to delay the inevitable.

After a long hiatus from comicdom, Deanna is back behind the pen on this installment. As always, she did an awesome job. As for any Penny Arcade readers out there*, any resemblance there is totally a coincidence. Deanna had never even seen that comic until I pointed out the striking similarity. (For a fun exercise, go page through their archives and see if you notice the resemblance.)

Anyway, Friday comics are back for a while (although next week's might be late or rain checked because I might be hiking around in the woods with a big pack on my back), so if you are aching to stretch your comic drawing muscles, drop me a line*. Otherwise, get out there and eat some blackberries...but be sure to check your teeth afterward.

Thursday August 6 2009

File under: comic

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Random Chautauqua Pics

Finding internet has been hard, so I haven't been able to post as much as I would have liked. I'm also kind of slacking on the picture taking front. Hopefully now that tour is over, I will be able to find a little more time and a few more pictures to eke out at least one more post. Until then, here are a few random pictures to tide you over.

Tuesday August 4 2009

File under: chautauqua

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Group Dynamics II

As a people watcher, I see group dynamic watching as the next logical step. (Last time I ran away with the circus, it was one of the first things I posted about.) When you put 60 or so people (with people coming and going daily), group dynamics is something that exists in abundance. Who contributes and who doesn't really pull their weight, who complains and who makes due, who gets along with whom, who are snuggle buddies, etc. etc.

One of the things that intrigues me most about this ever-morphing animal that is called Chautauqua is the way responsibilities are handled. There is no end-all buckstopper to whom you can take your questions or even figure out who you should take your question to. In general, if you start asking the questions, you become the one that has to answer them. Take "When are we going to leave?" for example. A simple question, right? Well, try asking it around a Chautauqua camp the day before a travel day. You quickly become the one to coordinate between all the people that know what else has to happen and when, such that you become the authority.

This whole concept of responsibility for the taking is one that has its ups and downs. Ups: everyone is responsible for the experience, rather than being able to point to just one organizer; each year is very different (so I'm told); everyone has a say in how things go down; you can be as involved as you want; the fact that it works is just plain amazing. Downs: it is easy for people to decide not to pull their own weight since there is no one to call them on it; each year is different*, the people who care often get overworked and burnt out; personality conflicts can have a bigger impact.

Sufficive to say, it is a trip, both on the performance/travel/circus side as well as the group dynamics side.

Thursday July 30 2009

File under: chautauqua

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Show Day

Salt Spring Island B.C. is the third stop on this tour. Three stops is enough for me to start to get down the routine. The big day of every stop is Show Day, the day where we get all up in , through "town"*, put on a teaser show and workshops (in hopes of drawing as many people in), and finishing the day with the big show. As a non-performer*, it isn't as stressful a day as it could be, but it is still a lot of hustle and bustle, and we all play our role.

The reward, however, is worth it. Between the logistics of camping, food, and transportation, etc. and hanging out with awesome people, I sometimes forget that the focus of Chautauqua is on putting on a quality vaudeville show for the communities we visit. After the show, and usually until we leave the community, the people let us know how much they appreciated and enjoyed it. Hearing, "Hey, aren't you those circus guys? You were awesome!" does the whole goosebump thing for me, even though my role in getting the show to go on simply involved mathematics of erecting a trapeze set and putting oatmeal in the performers bellies.

Anyway, Show Day is a good day. (Actually, they've all been good days, but show days are particularly fun.)

Saturday July 25 2009

File under: chautauqua

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Breakfast for 60

Cooking for 60 people is a slightly different experience than cooking for a few friends, or even for a reasonably sized dinner party. Cooking for 60 people requires planning, huge pots and pans, a knowledge of your eaters, and having a little help in the "kitchen" doesn't hurt. The role I've fallen into on this tour is that of breakfast buckstop. That means that I am responsible for making sure there is breakfast every morning. That doesn't mean I necessarily have to do it, but I gotta make sure it gets done. So far, it means that I've been up before anyone else getting the water boiling for coffee, cracking eggs, and delegating to my helpers*.

What makes the experience that much more exiting is the facilities. For the past 3 mornings, we've been camped out on Gabriola Island with an outdoor kitchen consisting of 2 propane fueled burnings, a picnic table for prep, pots and pans in totes, and food strewn about in boxes and coolers everywhere. That didn't stop us from making a kick ass sausage, potato, etc. scramble one morning, and some delicious oatmeal another. At our last stop, Lasqueti, we had a nice at the community center which facilitated delicious berry pancakes among other deliciousness. Who knows what Salt Spring Island will hold breakfast-wise.

The combination of cooking for a large group of people with whoever happens to be around helping out is really an inspiring experience (as long as there isn't too much griping, which there hasn't been at all). And knowing that I have the easiest meal of the day*, I have that much more respect for those putting together the other meals. Then there's the guy who plans and shops for the food we should have on hand, the people who organize the finances of it all, the people who move it and sort it, and the people who help clean up after it all*—feeding a traveling circus of 60 people ain't a small job. But like with everything here on Chautauqua, it can be a fun job.

Thursday July 23 2009

File under: chautauqua

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Chautauqua in 3 Words

So far, the experience of Aqua Chautauqua II is beyond words*. So instead of trying to capture it all in words and failing or waiting until I have the time, thought processes, and pictures to make a respectable post, I've put together a few 3-word phrases to at least hint at the wonderful time I've been having. (Apologies for any insider jokes that found their way in. Ask me any particular one someday and I'll explain.) Enjoy!

Epic tent camp. "Type of Mushroom?" . Pancakes for 50. Breakfast buck stop. Juggle and snuggle. Bioluminescence night swimming. Strangley's handstands happen. Magic juggling clubs*. "Hop on in."*. Load and unload. Load and unload. (Load and unload.) Hurry-up n wait. Fake mustaches everywhere! "Where's the coffee?"*

Saturday July 18 2009

File under: chautauqua

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Running Away with the Circus...Again...

Remember that one time when I ran away with the circus? While this go round is a different circus, a different country, and a totally different dynamic*, I still get to say I'm running away with the circus*!

As for what this experience is going to be like, I don't really know. What is my role going to be? I don't really know much about that either, although on my application I said I'd do pretty much anything (except perform). Besides our itinerary (Canadian Gulf Islands), about all I know about what I am getting myself into is what I've read on the group's website. From the sounds of it, it'll be an adventure.

I'll do my best to keep you all, my friends, in on the fun by posting about my adventures. The last time I went to Lasquiti Island, however, the place we stayed had only minimal solar power and not a wifi signal to be found. Point being that updates might not be as frequent as we'd all like. But when I return, at least, there will be pictures and posts and stories to tell. Yeehaw adventure!

Tuesday July 14 2009

File under: chautauqua

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Bingo! X 2

Are there any Scrabble players in the audience? I thought so. So I assume you know what a bingo is in terms of Scrabble. For those of you that don't, it is using all 7 tiles in a given turn. The reward is an additional 50 point bonus.

In a recent game, I not only scored a bingo (a rare enough occasion in itself), I scored two bingos BACK TO BACK on the second and third turns. It's pretty much the highlight of my scrabble career. INGRATE and TOSSING were my words, both pretty low scorers aside from the bonus. But still. Then on the fourth turn, I was one letter away from a 3rd consecutive bingo, but alas.

What's your highest scoring scrabble play ever?

Sunday July 12 2009

File under: games

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