It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Why, you ask? I had a low-grade case of pneumonia before I left for the festival, and then as a bonus, I was informed by the airline check-in attendant that I had booked a flight to Rochester, Minnesota, instead of my actual destination of Rochester, New York!! Complete fail on my part. Thus began my expensive odyssey to RIT. I paid for a one-way ticket New York, transferring at La Guardia by the skin of my teeth, literally running across a parking lot with my bags to another terminal and showing up at the gate with mere seconds to spare. I arrived at Rochester a mere five hours later than originally planned, only to find that my bags were now AWOL. Not surprising, given my screw-up, but it added another two hours at the airport and at the supermarket buying things I thought were lost, only to be called by the airline and notified that my bags had arrived, again mere minutes before the baggage area was closing for the night. All in all, I was ahead of the game at this point, even though I had missed Friday at the festival and Renegade COMPLETELY.
Believe it or not, the festival from that point on was perfect. Really. Winning both 7 Ball endurance and Best Trick were complete shocks to me, but I'll take it. Other than that, I have to thank my wonderful hosts Don and his wife. Don drove me to the airport at least three times Friday night and was an absolute pillar of strength. Last but not least, Jeff Peden. This guy has been running this festival forever and he's got it on lock. Great festival!!!
For more personal details and reviews of the festival, you can read the rec.juggling thread by clicking here
