Another One Down

There is nothing like the adrenaline rush that comes from the successful completion of a much anticipated, and somewhat dreaded, event. No, I don't mean "event" as in this past weekend's MSKD; I mean another successful Quest. Seamas and I worked together again this year, but for some reason, our ideas didn't gel easily or quickly, so our last minute preparations were even more frantic than usual. I don't remember ever being so worried about a Quest before, including last year when I soloed for the first time. Still, everyone involved - denizens, pilgrims, and spectators alike - had a great time.

Seamas and I had fun with it, too. He did a fantastic job putting together and painting the signs (they were made from wood salvaged from a fence we'd torn down in our backyard years ago). He also really, as always, got into the details of fleshing out our rough ideas. I think he was proudest of his map, though. From a single site visit, he was able to use the photos and a few measurements he took to create an accurate map and plan exactly what to put where to take best advantage of the available space...and the available shade at that time of day. That's quite a feat!

Me, I had a blast researching Tablero de Jesus and creating a variant that could be played reasonably quickly. I am tickled at how many people enjoyed the game and want to get together to play again soon. Making the boards and pouches for prizes was also a good way to wind down at the end of a mundanely busy day. We nearly went too far with the Barber's station, though. It's probably just as well that I couldn't find a mannequin limb in time and had to use a crock for the pasta and jello mix instead. But the mix turned out well! I was going for "Yuck!" and was pleasantly surprised to discover I had achieved "Ewwwww!" Even I, knowing what it was, didn't want to stick my hand in it! I initially resisted the idea of requiring the teams to sculpt a falcon from simulated horse flop. However, others liked the idea so much that I had to go along with it. It didn't take much research to find a good homemade playdough recipe, but coloring it brown was another matter altogether!

I will be posting Quest-related stuff over the next few days, including the Librarian's Occupations list. Seamas wants to try to format it as a form so folks can take it as a quiz, then see their scores. I told him he has until the end of the week.