Well, another MDSW has come and gone. This was a good year. The weather was great and I had a lot of fun. I had a bit of drama leading up to it though. After the 08 festival, I decided that staying in a hotel was cost prohibited if I am going by myself. All my life I have gone camping with my family and decided to see if that was a viable option. It turns out that it is very viable and that I am not the first festival goer to think of it. There is a campground very close to the fairgrounds called Patapsco Valley State Park-Hollofield Area. In fact, it had its own thread on Ravelry in the MDSW group. I stayed there last year and had a lot of fun meeting the other knitters and spinners.
The drama I mentioned involved where I was actually to sleep. Last year, I borrowed my dad's truck and slept in the bed. I planned to do the same this year, until the Monday before the festival, the starter on the truck died. My dad had to take off the old starter, buy a new one and put it one. So, I ended up using my mom's van instead. The rear seats fold down, and I slept on them, lying diagonally across them. As usual, I traveled light, with only enough clothes, some basic food (pb&j, a few corn on the cob and potatoes) plus my knitting. I saw a lot of friends that I made last year, like Joe and Lucinda from NY and their three Papillons, Bitsy and her two Scotties, Susie Q, and several others. The festival campers are a very friendly, encouraging group. After each day at the festival, everyone would do show and tell of what they purchased that day.
As usual, my prep for the festival didn't take long. I just packed a few shirts, some jeans and shorts, towels and toiletries meant it didn't take long to pack. I had been saving money all year in preparation for the festival and after counting it all, I had a budget of about $250. I spent the night at my grandmothers, since going to get my mom's van then driving back the other direction to go home would be silly and a waste of gas. I left right around 7:00 on Friday and headed north. One good thing about the route is that it it is very easy to remember: I-64 to Charleston, then I-79 to Morgantown, then I-68 to I-70, then exit 87. After a few stops for breakfast and to use the restroom, I arrived at Patapsco at around 2:30, got checked in and found my site. It was right next to the bathhouse and very close to Bitsy. I just spent Friday evening hanging out at the campground, meeting new friends and reconnecting with out ones.
To be continued in a few days.
