I'm outta here......(on vacation, that is)

Early tomorrow morning, I am leaving on the first leg of my three week vacation. First stop, Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Center at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV, nestled in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. I am so looking forward to seeing my friends again, who I hope show up as they do each year - Jim, Jeff, Peggy, Candy, Bob, Dan, Kathy, Karen and all the rest of the "Augusta Regulars" who've made their way down to Elkins every summer. It's going to be odd without some of the regular instructors like Declan Forde, Mick Mulkerrin, Jim Keene, Bridget Fitzgerald and some of the others who've been there every summer, but I guess with the change of management, there is also a change in staff. Fortunately, my regular instructor, Robbie O'Connell, is still coming, so at least there is some continuity for me. I just wonder how much gas prices are going to affect attendance. I remember when it was nothing for Irish Week to be the biggest week of all of their summer workshops, regularly attracting 400+ people, many of whom got caught up in the Irish Dance craze fueled by Michael Flatley and Riverdance. But now that the dance craze has faded, Irish Week seems to have dwindled in attendance, last year not even hitting the 200 mark. I suppose high gas prices are also going to keep numbers down this year, as those who regularly used to drive ridiculous distances to come to Augusta will probably not be there, as even flying is getting very costly due to high fuel prices, so I'm not expecting a huge crowd this year. In some ways, it's kind of nice that we've returned to some of the intimacy of past years with smaller numbers, but still, it was nice to have large crowds and great "craic" at the sessions at night. And that's another thing that's changed - the sessions aren't as high energy as they once were and they die out far earlier in the evenings than they once did, when it was not uncommon for them to go well into the wee hours of the morning. Maybe it's just that we're all getting older and more sedate. I don't know. But I do hope to have a good time this year, despite all the medical issues that have put a damper on my spring and summer.
The next leg of my vacation will be spent at the annual Pennsic War, an event that is put on by the Society for Creative Anachronism every year in Western Pennsylvania. In years past, it has attracted some 15,000 mediaevalists from around the world and we live in a mediaeval city of over 10,000 people for two weeks in the hills of Pennsylvania, but again, due to high gas prices, I am not expecting that the numbers this year will go much over 10,000, if even that much. I wouldn't mind a smaller event, quite frankly, even though large numbers make for a lot of fun and atmosphere, but it can get overwhelming at times. Still, I always look forward to a good time when I get there, even though there is never enough time to spend with friends, many of whom I have known for decades and who have moved great distances away. Pennsic is my only opportunity to spend with some of my friends and I relish any time that I can squeeze in to see them. Some of my friends have already told me that gas prices are keeping them home this year, sadly, so I will not see them. I suspect that this is going to be the case with a lot of SCA events in the future if gas prices continue their meteoric rise. I've noticed a significant drop in numbers at events in recent years as gas prices have risen exponentially, and I think that this is going to eventually affect the way we play the game. There will be a lot more emphasis on local groups and local activities instead of big regional and Kingdom events. There will still be those big events each year, but fewer people come to them because of distance and expense, and more people are choosing just to participate on the local level as opposed to the Regional or Kingdom level. I know that I've had to scale back my ambitions where those things are concerned due to high gas prices. I don't go to as many events anymore and concentrate on only going to local ones that I can day trip. I just can't travel long distances anymore because it's gotten too expensive for me to do so. So these two trips, Augusta and Pennsic, are going to be my only significant travel for a good long while. Gas prices are going to have to come down a lot more before I ever think of driving long distances again.

So this blog will be on vacation until August 10th, when I return from my travels. If I have time, I may add an entry when I come home from Augusta next weekend, but it all depends on how much energy I have. Until I write again, au revoire, mes amis!