DCF 2018 winding down

I note the post about @DonSimpson in @mdlbear recent post.
(Im experimenting with tags, dunno if I got it right or not)
Going through an archive of past printing jobs, I found a card that Sully did for Don.
I really should re set the job and duplicate the order just for fun.
Surprise hell out of him when the package arrives in his mailbox.

Every year, some groups have a better time at faire.

NCRF decided to permanently switch to 6 week season.
Unfortunately, they added the 6th week to the end instead of starting early.
They really wanted that pre Halloween weekend.
Nevermind that this forced an overlap between NCRF teardown and DCF opening workshops.

This was my first Nor Cal Renn Fair since 1978, 40 years.
The politics that drove me away are gone, replaced by others that Im able to deal with.
It was safe to come back.

The real reason I was back was to get into the swing of things in preparation for the
return of the "Roaring Dragon Press".
The Roaring Dragon is a wood "common press" of the wine screw variety,
as appropriate for the late 1500s.
NCRF opened this year on the 10th anniversary of his passing.

It will be a year or two before it returns, but there is prep work to do.

I would really rather print as a scot, but operating a printing press in a great kilt
is just too much. Sadly, I must go as a Brit.

Ive been in "Faire Season" since early August.

This brings us to Dickens Faire...
Im not sure how it is that a Christmas fair is what enables me to endure the
Christmas season, which I abhor.

Season started out rough, with Don tearing down NCRF and the rest of us at DCF Workshops.

Once build started, don had to stay close for French Postcards rehearsal, so Sharon and I
went up north to bring down the part of the shop that lives up there.
One of her brothers usually does this but smoke from the Paradise fire had him out of commission.
We got up there and the trailer had problems.
We had to return empty handed and set up the shop with what Sharon had in her basement.

A number of improvements were made in the shop to alleviate problems that have plagued
us as long as I can remember.
One problem was that every horizontal surface filled with clutter several inches deep by the end of first weekend.
A mug shelf also got a number of other things up out of the way so that we could actually
set type on top of the flat top cabinet.
With mugs, pens, pencils, exacto knives and a few other things up there, things really neatened up.
Don didnt really want to do it, but by the end of first weekend, he was a believer.
The other thing was a small 1ft cube on the wall to hold things like order book, sample books, past order books, extra under tympan packing sheets etc.
He came around on that one too, 2 weeks later, but not til after a useless counter was installed
in the middle that will be in the way next year.

We also had only one press this year, so the shop had a lot more open space.

The plan is to return to 2 presses next year, but probably not the 14x20.
We used to use it to print bags, but Don & I figured out how to do them on the 10x15.
Instead of the 14x20, the plan is to bring down the 8x12 and keep it down here in the off season.
This would make the trip up north less critical and anything else we need can be brought
down before DCF season.

Unfortunately, there was this insistence on building a front counter on top of the half wall inside the booth.
We already had a front counter where the windows open to the street.
With one press, this second counter is OK, although it doesnt do much beyond collecting clutter.
With a second press, this counter and the required space behind it really cramps things.
I really think this second counter was a waste of time but I cant convince the rest who were
oohing and aaahhing over it. I was voted down.
Worse yet, this waste of time was getting in the way of something we REALLY NEEDED.

Somewhere around mid 3rd weekend, we FINALLY got it together.

Health had Sharon out of the shop till 5th weekend.

For the 1st time since Sully died, we did a multi color print job.
For the 3rd year in a row, we will finish all orders in the order book and we still took orders
through the end of the next to last weekend!

We have a LOT off off season work to do this year.
Its hard to explain that time now means less panic later.

Z! and I are going to make some replacement parts for the presses.
They are 140yo and about due for some repair.

The weekend approaches, Ill post more after final weekend.

Edwardian Ball with KSW is coming up
(Like adjusting from Challenge Gordon presses to Chandler Price, - some levers work backwards)
Back to you all then.

Oops, this never got posted!

DCF aftermath... (Le Mal de Palai de Meux)

Will post more later, but suffice to say the "Cow Place Crud" hit me on closing night of fair
and Ive been in recovery since.

Orange snot and all !

Last 2 nights Ive managed to sleep 2hr in a row, this is a big deal.