Consorting with Hooligans

There are some places you should not go, and some people that you should just avoid. They are like flypaper for trouble. They exude antisocial behavior and stir up strife and chaos in their path – Hooligans – Vagabonds – Ruffians. These kinds of people can be found in seedy places looking for opportunities to strike against the innocent and unsuspecting. Fortunately, we did not encounter any such people at the Festival of Skalds.
We found upstanding citizens who were orderly, organized, and well-groomed … for Vikings.

The Festival of Skalds was more like a business meeting crossed with a dress rehearsal for a play than an actual festival. Set in the northernmost part of Minnesota, it was the precursor of what is to come in a few years. And it was pretty fun too. We are organizing a not-to-be-missed event that will open potentially as early as 2018. And when I say “we,” I really mean someone else is doing the work and I've been invited to participate.

Iron Ranger Arts and Legend

As it happens, the real organizers are the ruffianest-looking people in these pictures. My brother, Micah, is the visionary for this operation. He is the craftsman behind most, if not all, of the wooden and metal items they sell. He is also the custodian of “The Legend of the Iron Ranger.” In this picture, he looks like a raiding Viking with villainous intent. In his real life, he looks more like a raiding Viking with villainous intent, wearing modern clothing.

Despite looking like a Gypsy peddler trying to sell you cool things, my sister-in-law, Jacinda, is the brains behind the whole operation. She does all the leather goods crafting, but also handles the mountains of organizing involved in any event of this proportion. She definitely has her hands full.

And while Micah and Jacinda won at the costume game, there were numerous others who also did well. Their daughter has that “I don't know I'm a princess being raised as a peasant” look. And my dad effortlessly pulled off the monk look.

My wife and I went for a Gypsy look, mostly because I write about Gypsies and other people (and Boathouse Mouse) who wander off on adventures. I'm not sure where I get that stuff. Our costumes were less than outstanding, but this was the practice run, and when we go for round two … look out!

Famous Knitter Sighting! Jennie Hodge, the renouned yarn magician of otherwise good reputation, is spotted consorting with author RV Hodge and other Hooliganish characters!

Several others with good costumes managed to avoid being photographed. And then there was Rachel. She is married to one of my nephews. I guess that makes her my niece-in-law. She came in a stunning dress that looked to be professionally made to fit her. Her story is she made it herself … when she was twelve! I'm wondering if that was a cover story and she really is royalty. Perhaps she didn't want us to have to defer her as Lady Rachel, or My Lady, or any variation that would keep us peasants from getting locked up in the stocks. Anyway, you be the judge. Is that not striking?

Come to think of it ... she is married to a King!
I wonder ...

Maybe she will go into the costume-making business and we can get that level of professional look in our own costumes.

In all, Boathouse Mouse had an absolute blast at the first Festival of Skalds. He's looking forward to the next event.

Check out the links for how to get into all this amazing stuff.

#AdventuringWithBoathouseMouse

Gepetka, Prince of Gypsies

Iron Ranger Arts

You Are Cordially Invited To Join The Party

In a world where division seems to be the trend, I would like to include you all in my party.

Adventuring With Boathouse Mouse is more than posting your selfie online. It's about discovering the joys of discovery. It's about helping your kids discover the joys of discovery. And it's about sharing those joys in a simple way. And you get all that without being egocentric. Plus it's pretty fun.

Seriously. Most of our lives are spent racing from one responsibility to the next. Even if those are desirable events, we have lost the sense of wonder beyond a passing muse, because we are hurried. It's no wonder the world seems angry all the time. We're all running late for something.

You may be yelling at your screen, as you check the time, “So tell me how to do this already!”

It's really simple.
Step 1 – Take a selfie or snap a photo of your child(ren) with any of the Boathouse Mouse books near something or some place that is interesting. It could be your barn, the local creek, your library, a “welcome to the state” sign, the school bus stop on day one, your aquarium, a beautiful tree, or the Eiffel Tower. The point is, there is something amazing everywhere.

Step 2 – Share it on the Facebook page, Adventures of Boathouse Mouse, with a brief description of where you are, and be sure to hash tag #AdventuringWithBoathouseMouse.

Step 3 – Return to your life of discovery.

As it turns out, it's not all that difficult.
I look forward to seeing all the places Boathouse will go. Your picture(s) could end up on our Adventure Scrap Book Page.
P.S. If you do not have any of the Adventures of Boathouse Mouse books, your life is sadly incomplete. However, there is a simple remedy. You can get your copies here.

Boathouse Mouse Meet Mocha Mouse

Did the planets accidentally align? How is this all possible?

On a recent trip across country, we were traveling through Wisconsin. If you have never been there, Wisconsin is a large, beautiful state. They are also notorious for their dairy products. And naturally I was thinking about food.

It so happened, at nearly 1300 miles from home, that I had a hankering for a really good deli sandwich, and I wanted it made with high quality, locally produced cheese and meats. It didn't seem like too much to ask, because those folks up there are really good at that.

As a matter of confession, we are Baby Boomers. We are the caboose end of our generation, but we are firmly entrenched nonetheless. However, we are learning cool tricks from our kids, and my wife did what all Millennials instinctively know. She pulled out her phone and googled it. In a matter of seconds, she was reading me a list of upcoming possibilities which, naturally, were all unfamiliar. So she did the next thing our generation doesn't do. She began reading reviews … online.
As I have stated, we don't do this kind of stuff on a regular basis, so we tend to miss some of the neat little clues, but one review had a particular detail that jumped out at her. It was written by one of our daughters! And it turned out it was our three-year-old granddaughter who had originally chosen the place! They live over 800 miles from there.
HOW COOL IS THAT? Right?

They had liked it. So we plugged it into the GPS, and shortly thereafter found ourselves at the Mocha Mouse.
My cold cut bistro sandwich was too big by at least two times. I ate it all. My wife's sandwich was too big. She ate it all as well. I got coffee as we waddled out the door. But not without looking around first. They have a used bookstore upstairs. They have interesting local crafts, local canned goodies, and more. Plus they were super nice folks.
Naturally, Boathouse Mouse wanted a picture with the people there. He certainly has a way with the ladies. Boathouse really loves #AdventuringWithBoathouseMouse

If you happen to be traveling around in Wisconsin, you might want to stop in to the Mocha Mouse. Tell them Boathouse Mouse sent you. I can't promise you'll get a selfie with a group of pretty ladies, but you will find really good food.

Some of the lovely ladies at Mocha Mouse

Security Breach in the Mop Closet

As you can clearly see by my photo of the mop closet door warning, the North Carolina Department of Transportation takes their mop closet security seriously. Perhaps that is only on ferries. Or maybe, and this makes the story tingle a bit, maybe they only do so on that particular ferry.

Dozens of questions come to mind, but the one that burns the brightest in my mind is: Why is that mop closet so special?

It could be that some overzealous employee slapped a sign in the wrong place. But, since those boats are inspected daily, I think that is not the case. And it's a long way from April Fools' Day.

To thicken the intrigue, the door is actually a heavy duty security door. That is not exactly the kind of budget allotment likely to protect a few mops and some soap. The lock was the type that protrudes when unlocked and when pressed in locks like a low grade vault. I know this because the closet was UNLOCKED! And there is more! The mops were out and about as if no one cared about their security. So again I ask: Why is that mop closet so special?

I was tempted to open the door for a quick peek, but the notion of getting tazed simply to satisfy my curiosity seemed like a poor trade off. However, after pondering the whole situation, I have a theory. It's obvious they are hiding something. I think the mop closet was a decoy. And it worked. Because I can't tell you any details about the opposite wall from the closet.

So, there you have it. Someone is hiding something really special in plain sight. It could be a portal to another dimension! It could be how the aliens slip in and out of our galaxy. Or, maybe we're the aliens slipping into and out of another galaxy.

Why didn't I think to ask? And to top it all off, this was not some ship's officer level cover-up. This is being done by a cleaner. It's so brilliant! I wish I had been the one who dreamed it all up!

Alas, now that I've posted this publicly they will slip their secret … whatever … to a new location. Well, my friends, keep your eyes open. You never know what kind of discovery is awaiting around the next turn.

It Must Be In The Water

I'm not entirely certain that I have ever fit in anywhere. It seems that my sense of humor and ever-driving imagination are not the same as my fellow humans. To be honest, I don't muse on that subject very often. But there are times when my starkly different take on life is undeniable. I really don't know why.

I have been “diagnosed” as autistic, but by a friend who is not qualified to make that kind of assessment.
I have been accused of being from another planet. That's just silly. I remember, from an early age, my parents sitting us down and assuring us we were from this planet. They also insisted we keep our antennae combed into our hair. I'm just kidding here, of course. Or, maybe not. Wink-Nudge.
I have been accused of just being weird. That may well be the case.
But the most likely scenario is that there is something in the water. It has happened so often that I was lulled into believing it was a normal occurrence. Tonight while I was in the shower, a whole new book series came to me. This happens to me on a semi-regular basis. I now have about thirty more books to write. At my age, I had better get on the ball.

Fear not. This past weekend, I was hard at work on Book 5 in the Kingdom of the Falcon series. Ransom of the Falcon will be released … when I get it finished. I wish I had a better date to offer at this point, but I do not.

Stay tuned and I will report as things heat up. Meantime, the plot thickens!