Forward...into the past!

Saturday is the big day of the con: art show closes out; Pawpet Show; Big Dance (the one that goes strong until after dawn Sunday).


Full Flickr Set Here

The Pawpet Show: End Tide
Once again this was a monumental effort resulting in a spectacular show. The guests of honor were suitably impressed by the result as well (which was much appreciated by the people behind the show, that's for sure!). As I've said, seeing one's creation brought to life by skilled puppeteering is the big moment for me. Congratulations to the cast and crew of End Tide!

tioh has a nice set of pictures of the actual show . End Tide was a story about the seas around Hawaii, industrial espionage and guns.  Oh, and exploding seaweed.

This was the most fully produced show yet, featuring an original soundtrack by Fox Amoore. The music was sweeping and beautiful. I highly recommend buying it (from the above link).

Saturday was also a day of many panels: I tried to go to every panel run by the GoH's, Andy Heath and Warrick Brownlow-Pike. They are two of the people behind the rauncy British comedy show, Mongrels. They were able to talk the BBC into letting them bring original puppets to the convention! I have long-admired the design and smooth mechanics of these characters and to see them up close-- let alone handle them-- was quite an experience. More on them in another post...

Saturday night after the Show is the best night of the con.  The con staff-- who is most of the Pawpetshow as well-- can let out a huge sigh of relief and finally relax a little.  People are at their goofiest.  Interesting conversations abound. The next time you check your watch, it's likely to be after 4am...

As before, I enjoyed hanging out and chatting with everyone well into the wee hours of Sunday. I barely managed to get to bed before the sunrise.

My flight from SFO to LHJ was blissfully uneventful. I had the Wool Omnibus on my kindle (along with other great books), an iPod filled with songs and audio books and a seat near the restrooms. I read two chapters of the Wool Omnibus, then promptly fell asleep for five hours.

Arriving in Frankfurt Airport was like a homecoming. Have I mentioned I love Germany? I'm still puzzled as to why so many people assume one only visits Germany for business...they were genuinely surprised to hear it was for a vacation...Fresh baked breads, pretzels, and so much efficiency.



Full Flickr Set Here

I got to Magdeburg proper in no time at all and checked into the hotel. I got lucky again: a handicap room. Lucky because just before the trip I'd wrecked my leg, so these facilities were actually a boon for me.

It's a shame the convention is moving to Berlin. I have grown to like Magdeburg quite a lot: it's a beautiful city, on a river, with a decent zoo. The Ottokaiserfest is the best RenFaire I've ever gone to (open at night!) when it over-laps with the convention. Also, I know how to get there by rote. I will certainly miss the shopping mall and market that is right across the street: there is a giant toy store, electronics/dvd store, drug stores, travel stores and a very large market.
Having settled into the hotel, I marched across the street to get my supplies: German Meusili; Coke Lite; apples; Nic-Nacs and a few other things. Foreign countries are the few places I actually -enjoy- shopping: I like to see the different products, American foods (usually different in some way), foreign gadgets. Of the latter, the winner this year was the banana slicer: so precise-- very Deutsch.

Interesting finds: Sauerkraut juice (did not try).

Also, R0ndo brand coffee! (Bought a slab for the label. Very amused.)

Stopping in at the Pawpet room, I saw new and old friends in various states of disarray. Plus, all the hard-working team behind the show. Great to see everyone again!

PS: Yes, I know this picture (from an ad at the Frankfurt airport) has nothing to do with the convention-- but visually it's probably what most people think the airport looks like when a furry convention comes to town: