What have I been up to lately? Quite the whirlwind of a weekend! Summer is here and we were busy welcoming it and celebrating, creating, and performing.
The main event of the weekend was, of course, the Summer Solstice! We celebrated in several ways. The actual time of the Solstice here in Maine was early Saturday morning. BlackLion and I drummed for an early ritual in the delightful garden of the First Parish UU Church in Portland. ElvenTiger joined us and took part in the ceremony. It was lovely. In the evening, we helped a friend celebrate 70 years young – he is a child of the Summer Solstice! Family and friends gathered for great company, a delicious cookout, and the birthday boy’s favorite – pineapple upside down cake.
My Mom, ElvenTiger and I were also part of a Summer Solstice ritual on Sunday, with our Pagan women’s group at the First Parish UU Church in Kennebunk. It is a bittersweet time for the group, as one of our circle sisters is in hospice care with terminal cancer. We offered blessings for her as part of the ritual, and our shared feast was a comfort food potluck. ElvenTiger got to meet the Solstice Goddess, known as Mona.
Also significant was the presence of Dark Follies, the Vaudeville troupe I’m part of, at PortCon. You may have heard of things like ComicCon, where geeks (and I mean that term fondly, as I consider myself one) gather to celebrate comics, anime, gaming, and other fun and creative pastimes. PortCon is Portland’s version of it, and I had no idea it was such a huge event! On Friday, BlackLion and I were at the Dark Follies booth, and met all kinds of cool costumed folk such as these.
That evening, once our shift was done, we met up with friends and enjoyed an evening at the conference. We checked out the vendors and events, had dinner together, and played a rousing game of Star Munchkin in the open gaming room.
The next day Dark Follies offered two workshops. BlackLion and I helped out with “30 Minutes to Vaudeville” by leading a group of participants in creating an improv comedy skit with random props. For the very well-attended “Intro to Bellydance” workshop, we played drums. For a solid hour. Tired paws!
The next day was our big Dark Follies show, and it went super well! We had over 100 folks in the audience, most of whom had never seen us prior to PortCon, and they loved the show. Everything went smoothly, and we received lots of applause, cheers, and laughter.
So, although this tired introvert is still recovering from such a busy weekend, it was a lot of fun! I love the visual stimuli of events like PortCon; they inspire me with loads of creative ideas to play with. Happy Summer Solstice to you and yours!
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