My Goodness! I've been slack in posting here...in an effort to get to where I'd like to be...the XIth labyrinth of Jareth Fantasy Masquerade Ball was a great success. The weekend before last my family and I arrived at the Sypher House and dove in headlong into preparations (prop building, finishing touches on costumes, logistical efforts, etc.) for the Ball. The week was filled with the delightful chaos of feverish work from early in the morning until the wee hours of the morn followed by a scant few hours of sleep and then back to consciousness  to do it all over again until this Friday just past which saw us load in to the venue and get the doors open for the first night of the Ball.

As anyone familiar with the Labyrinth of Jareth knows, describing the evening is just the other side of impossible. Pictures fail to do more than show the costumes worn, video give an idea of the acts performed, but the essence, the ambiance is magically elusive and something to be experienced. It is truly an amazingly magical gathering of creativity and wonder fostered by Lord Striders Royal Court as it touches the mortal realm for two evenings.

Yes, I’m gushing about something I help make happen. No I’m not being that helpful in describing it. I make no apology other than for the fact that language truly fails us in the endeavor to covey what occurs. I am blessed to be a part of the crew that helps bring it all together. My family and I put our hearts, blood, sweat and tears into this event as do many of our closest friends.

One of my personal favorite moments of this years ball was when one of the House security staff came up to me Saturday night and apologized for being upset with me Friday night when he asked what Saturday night would be like and I told him, "Just wait to see." His eyes were gleaming with delight and he made it clear that he understood that I hadn't been just putting him off with my answer but had actually been enjoining him to wait patiently to be delighted by something ephemeral and ineffable until experienced. One more spark of magic kindled and carried out into the dark of the world at the end of the evening.

Other favorite moments include watching my daughter as she went from project to project working on props and costumes as at thirteen she is finally physically big enough to join in a lot of work she’s not been able to help out with in years past. (She showed she hasn’t been just sitting around over the last five years, but has been learning what she could as we’ve all taught her bits and pieces over time for working with the materials used in all we do. Blessedly this year I do not have to listen to her usual litany of frustration that she needs to get big enough so she can help out more. No, now its plots and plans for how to help make things work out better!) Seeing the look on all the patrons’ faces as the evening evolved. Greeting old patrons, some of whom have been in attendance for longer than my wife and I have been involved with the show, as well as meeting new patrons who have come not knowing exactly what it is they are getting into and yet are still there knowing they have found that which they hunger for. I also always love seeing peoples reaction to the fact that my wife makes all of our costumes (my daughter gets to make her own next year having proven she’s got a knack for sewing herself this year) and that they always look fantastic!

I also enjoy our crew breakfasts Saturday and Sunday mornings as we go over issues that have come up and discuss lessons learned along with anecdotes from the evening before. Because there is always so much going on it is impossible to see everything going on at once all over the venue and the only way we have of seeing the whole picture is to share what each of our individual evenings was like. We still miss things, but that is the joy of it all as well.

Anyway, that should be plenty for now and I’ll look at posting more once we are finally back home and settled in and rested a bit.