Time to start the annals of Falcon Ridge 19, the chronological account. It starts on Wednesday morning when Fred picked me up. I’m not going to give a tale of our trip as it was for the most part uneventful. The only pressing question on our minds was rain. Would we be able to make our way up the hill when we arrived.
One nice thing about arriving on Wednesday is getting directed into the parking by Phil. This is a Falcon Ridge tradition. It’s nice that the first face I see is not just a friendly one, but the face of a friend. As soon as we parked I saw Kirk and went over to say hello to him. As we approached the Festival Registration tent we saw Bri and company. They just checked in and got their wristbands. That relieved some anxiety as Bri was my plus one, if they got in it meant my name was on the list. I worry about that kind of thing. The one year my name wasn’t on the list, as I beat the WFUV list to the gate they still let me in. I just had to leave my driver’s license there.
The road up the kill had been closed for a short time due to rain but was now open. We made our way up to the Budgiedome site, but not the Budgiedome. The ribs were up but not the tarp. The first thing the new arrivals, Fred, Bri, Craig, Alexis, and I did was help Steve raise the tarp. Our timing was great as there was some light rain. When it stopped I set up my tent. I set some sort of new record for set up. I usually talk for about 27 hours before I start. There are a lot of people up there that I want to talk to.
I had a brand-new tent. I’m poor so it was not expensive. I thought it was a Coleman knockoff but as I discovered packing up, I went for the genuine article. It is the best tent I’ve owned. It was so easy to set up that I did it in a relatively short time without help. There were far fewer stakes and stays than on my last one. We had a downpour on Saturday and not a drop got in. That’s the two things I want of a tent, ease of setup and keeping the water out. Everything else is minor.
There was a problem with my air mattress. It was covered in mold and mildew and was no longer airtight. Fortunately Fred had an extra self-inflating pad. It’s not as comfortable as an air mattress but it does the job.
After we were all set up Mel’s birthday party started. Mel has become an integral part of our Buddha-Pest community. She was an undocumented immigrant to our neighborhood and was immediately one of us. The same goes for Angel. If someone can put up with our silliness they are welcome to join us.
It was not actually Mel’s birthday. There was no cake but there was plenty of other goodies. We sat together, ate, talked, and of course made music. That’s makes a party. We had something new this year, pizza! Joe brought a propane pizza oven. I now know that it takes 700°F to make a proper pizza.
Jake, Ethan, and Courtney came by. Jake said that he was looking for Shawna. He got a text that she was in upper pasture and couldn’t find us. She had never been to Falcon Ridge, had only been camping once, and needed help. Just then my phone rang. My default ringtone is Pesky J. Nixon’s Talk About Heaven. Jake and Ethan ARE the core of Pesky J. Nixon. The call was from Shawna. I went to find her. As I walked away Jake and Ethan played, Talk About Heaven.
I couldn’t find her. My phone was running out of charge. I found other people that suspected they saw her and I headed in the direction they pointed. I found her, Jake and Courtney were already with her .We helped her set up in the dark. Her tent was identical to mine, that made things easier. Wednesday night at Falcon Ridge is special. None of the lights from the stages and midway are on. That makes the night very dark and night sky spectacular. This year it was extra special as there was no moon. The stars shined in a way that they never do in civilization. You could see why the ancients viewed the heavens as the home of the gods. Jake pointed out a satellite at the zenith. I hadn’t noticed such things since I was a kid. I’m a geek. I used to go star gazing with a telescope. How have I not experienced that before? Now I will always be on the lookout.
Jake and Courtney went back to the party at the Dharma Café and I waited for Shawna to settle in then led the way. I told her to turn her light off so we could see the stars. She got to experience the awe. She said, “Don’t make me like it here.” Shawna is a City girl, she doesn’t want to like camping. My mission is to eventually get her to become a regular in our camp. I’m not rushing anything. This might take years. She knows my scheme so it’s not evil.
With the exception of the search for Shawna and a port-a-potty run I spent the entire evening in Buddha-Pest, aka The Dharma Café and Budgiedome. It might not sound exciting but was wonderful. In addition to the people I mentioned there was Eileen, Jim, Genevieve, Dave, and some Canadian friends of Shawna and the Pesky boys. This would have been worth the trip up there.
I can’t believe I have written 985 words and the Festival hasn’t even started yet. This is what happens. I will probably start compressing events more going forward or I’ll never be finished. But I’ll leave this relaxed, just as the day was in real time.
Wise Madness 