The not so itsy-bitsy spider...

I wanted to share some of the fun from my weekend festival because it still makes me smile thinking about it this morning!

It was a "Shearing Festival"... never heard of one before, but now that I am a traveling face painter I am becoming familiar with some obscure festivals...

It was on a massive alpaca farm and there were plenty of sheep, too. They offer a cool zip line over a pond, a huge slide called "Big Red", a pedal go-cart course, petting barn where you can go right into the stalls and bottle feed the baby lambs. There were beautiful peacocks walking around, hens, work dogs (Akbash) all over the place... live music, "cow train" rides for the kiddies, hayride tours, local wines. This was a true working farm, so the sights and smells were authentic! We had an absolutely gorgeous view across the valley, which was all their property. We were set up under the overhang of the shearing shed, so we didn't even need to set up our canopy. It was a rather warm weekend, but I stayed cool (with thanks to my battery operated fan that blows directly on me - who cares about anyone else!... I'm a large Marge and I overheat faster than a cat in a microwave)

No one annoyed me or drenched me with the water fountain, the kids were all civilized and polite... totally stress free event... YAY!!!!!!!!!


But my one horror story goes like this:

I'm painting a little girl in my chair and her grandmother is standing next to her. Grandma says "Wow, look at that spider!"
I am immediately am on high alert!!!!...."Where?" I ask.
"Right there!" says granny.
I look where she's pointing and I see a spider the size of Jupiter coming down his silk rope from the roof and is heading directly into my water bin... stupid spider.... lands right in the water and I am FREAKING OUT!!!! I look in the water and it is on it's back. I am hard pressed to drum up sympathy, but I screamed at the guy next to me (whose voice sounded exactly like Nick Nolte ) to please get the spider out of my water. He was so chivalrous... he rescued the spider and set poor Charlotte free. SHIVER!!!! Did I mention how much I loathe spiders?

And I kid you not, later on in the day a rat ran from the petting barn to the hen house right in from of us and Nick Nolte and I just laughed. He said all this was like something right out of a children's book...
Charlotte's Web comes to life!

I'll post photos later when my computer decides to let me... I keep trying but it's not working this morning...

Green Acres is the place to be!

We're the sheep wearing bikini tops, or just running around topless?

Shameless sheep... They were baaaare naked!

Is anyone else having trouble uploading photos today?

The "Running of the Sheep"... (they leave the shearing barn and make a beeline for their home back in the meadow)





Alpacas after they are sheared...looking like they are right out a Dr. Suess book.

Sounds like you had a blast.

But ... did he LOOK like Nick Nolte? (YOUNG Nick Nolte I mean...)

Unfortunately, no...

Ahh city folk....having been raised on a working homestead it will take a lot more than a spider and a rat to bother me....a rattlesnake traveling right across my feet would probably do it though...

The rat didn't bother me... I actually like rats. But spiders are my worst nightmare!!! And I've shot rattlesnakes with a .22 revolver when they intruded onto my campsite back when I lived in California. Had a scorpion crawling up my dining room wall even (he got the better end of my high heeled shoe)...but a tarantula would make me run screaming like a banshee!



Forgot to post this big boy.... isn't he gorgeous?!!!!

Lol I think you sound like you had a great time other than the"jupiter sized" spider. Sweet kiddos and great scenery soundl like a winning combo to me!

I think it might have something to do with all those legs and how quick they are Miss Ronnie.

... and how they can raise those legs individually... like they are pointing at you...

yes!