I was out of the house at o'dark thirty and drove to North Syracuse to meet the bus. When I boarded the bus, I found that each rider had a new Sheep Thrills messenger-style tote bag - very nice! We pulled out of the parking lot around 6:45 am and stopped twice to pick up additional riders to the east of Syracuse. Once all passengers were settled, our lovely hostesses brought around mimosas and pastries; later in the trip they brought us chocolates and granola bars.
As we neared the Dutchess County fairgrounds, traffic came to a dead stop. We sat in traffic for an hour and a half - the driver said it took an hour to go just three miles. I finally walked in the gate at noon and immediately met up with Geri, whom I had planned to meet for lunch at 11:30:
Note: In the photo, I am sporting my "Hello, my name is RowdyGirl" Ravelry button (RowdyGirl is my RavID) and my Rhinebeck Bingo button, since I was a square (shut up) in Rhinebeck Bingo. The names of participants or squares were randomly placed onto the bingo cards, which were then emailed to players before the festival. Players printed their cards to take with them to Rhinebeck, and searched for the squares. Strangely, only one bingo player came up to me all day but I did enjoy meeting and talking with Christine from Denver.
Geri and her friend Mo had arrived in Rhinebeck on Friday and were at the festival when it opened at 9 am. So after the two of us shopped and visited for a while, Geri and Mo left to return to their hotel. I went in search of the beer tent that I noticed when I first arrived at the festival (priorities, priorities), purchased a cold one and enjoyed some first class people watching while I took a break from dealing with the enormous crowds of people.
I met up with two of my other knitting friends, Laura and Jacqui, whom I know from the Ravely Motherhood Later group:
It was fun to see them again, although we were unable to make contact with another friend, Andrea, who was also there but had lost her mobile telephone at her hotel.
I bought very little, choosing to window shop for the most part. I bought treats for James and Aidan, and two yarns that jumped up and down and caught my eye.
When the festival closed at 5, we boarded the bus for return trip and, once again, sat in traffic. Our hostesses passed around wine and cheese, and about midway through our drive they handed out popcorn and Goldfish. We pulled back into the parking lot around 10 pm, and I was home by 10:30.
Overall, it was a good day. The bus trip, albeit long, was more fun than I anticipated and I enjoyed talking with Maureen, the woman who sat next to me. I liked seeing all the beautiful yarns and amazing handknits, and I especially liked spending time with friends. I think, however, that I will take a hiatus from attending Rhinebeck for at least a year. A day trip makes for a very long day, the crowds at the festival were overwhelming and the traffic woes were mind-boggling.
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