Life is still great

I've been waiting to update until I had more pictures from the projects I've done, but I'll just leave this here for now...

I'm looking at Pennsic schedules this afternoon and getting excited. It looks like this will be the year to learn longsword stuff. Bua ha ha ha ha! It feels weird not working on any last minute projects for it...

So last Wednesday I went to practice. It felt good to fight people I'd never fought before... well all except one. The winner of the Ladies' Tourney last Pennsic was there, and it took me a little bit to engage my fighter brain to figure out how to beat her. I'll be ready this year. ; ) The heavy fighter group here, The Brotherhood, seems really neat too. Very genuine people.

Thursday evening Kyle and I got together with his friend Megan to play Arkham Horror, a really involved game based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. It was a lot of fun, but we all ended up getting devoured by Cthulu. Megan and I hung out again the next day, playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance, which was also super fun.

Saturday I went to a graduation party and hung out poolside, and then yesterday it was 70 degrees out and absolutely gorgeous, so we took a drive and went to meet Indiana racing legend Dick Potts. Here I am next to one of his cars. Racing cars are much bigger than I thought they would be...

Gunslinger

So this is me, and the blurry object in my hand is actually a gun. Well, not a real gun. It's a replica used for gunslinging tricks. It's got all the weight and only enough of the mechanisms to do the cool stuff, but it won't fire, which is the only reason why I'm so comfortable with it. In my down time I've learned how to twirl it a little, but I still hit myself in the wrist sometimes. Pretty neat, huh? Other than that, I've been working on some projects; finishing a German cap, painting shields, helping get my pin box wood burned. I should get pictures of those things too probably, but I'm feeling lazy right now. Have I mentioned I'm sitting in a ball pit at the moment? Because I am. They have a ball pit in their apartment. We also grilled some brats poolside yesterday, which were fabulous, and the water felt great. I got flipped into the pool three times because I didn't do it right the first two.

So glad I'm 21...

Yay! I had a great weekend. Friday night I went out to check out the local bars with some of Kyle's friends. It was super fun. There may have been some impromptu karaoke and dancing. :D

Then Saturday we went to a local winery, Oliver, and did some tasting. It was kind of muggy, so we looked around the lake but took a bottle of Gewürztraminer back with us to have with a delicious tilapia dinner. We also had Kyle's amazing fried ravioli tonight, and it's pretty much the best Italian food I've ever had.  Of course we went to the gym today to work off all that great food, but it only got up to 80 today and it rained last night, so the humidity was way down. Life is very very good.

Ok, ok, so here's what happened.

I was supposed to leave on Tuesday at 5:15. I got confused about my flight time and showed up waaaaaay too early (about 2:00), but that's ok, I just sat and read my book (Time Enough For Love by Heinlein). I even struck up a couple conversations with people in the airport. Something about the prospect of being shoved into a metal tube with a whole bunch of other people makes everyone a little more friendly. People would ask about where I was going and why and answer the same questions alike and think nothing of it. It's one of the reasons why I really like flying.

So. I boarded at 5:15, and we sat. And we sat. And we sat. Apparently the engine was overheated, so they tried to fix it, but no fix was being found. They gave us the option of either hopping on another flight to Houston and being put up in a hotel there, or re-booking for the next day, because most people, including me, had already missed their connecting flights at that point. At 7:00 I got off the plane and re-booked for the following day.
Hunter, who graciously dropped me off at the airport earlier, came and picked me up again and we went out for fajitas. Mexican food and BBQ are the two things I knew I'd miss most about Texas, and since we got BBQ for lunch at Stubbs(see picture), there was only one option for my second "last meal". Plus, margaritas did wonders for my mood. Then, because I'd never been, we drove down to the Alamo. That's right. On a Tuesday night. I got a palm frond with the intention of bringing a piece of Texas with me, but I forgot it. Oh well.

BBQ goes best with fried okra and local beer.

The next day I tried to travel again, and lo and behold, it worked this time! I was off the plane in Indianapolis by 5, and eating delicious Italian food soon thereafter. The first thing that struck me is how ridiculously green is is around here. The second thing was how much cooler it is. It was 86 when I got off the plane, and it hasn't been any warmer since. I was a little incredulous about the reality of being 1,000 miles away from where I was used to being, and that feeling comes back every time I step outside.
Yesterday Kyle and I went to Brown County State Park, and it was unbelievably beautiful. The views, the greenery, the weather. We packed a picnic lunch and ate part of it while looking out over a valley, and part at a neat stone table we found. We may go back there for a BBQ or something. I certainly hope so.

The view from the stone table.

A neat "fort" we found. Really more of a lookout tower.

The view from the bottom of the fort.

Safely in Indiana!

It's so beautiful here! I love this weather! More later. I have to go help pack for a picnic, or kyle will get grumpy at me. This is the view from the back porch!

Getting Ready

On Sunday my dad remarried. On Monday I drove home. Today is Tuesday and today I embark on a journey that will last all summer. My bags are packed, and my swords have been shipped ahead of me. I'm traveling on a shoestring butget, but I don't need much; just a place to rest my head and things to experience when I get up in the morning. I'll be staying with friends and making the most of a summer with no responsibilities except the ones I have to myself.


I'm so excited! SQUEEEEE! : )