Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Atlanta Leather Pride Weekend

Four events in four weekends in four different states - yep, we're crazy. But we kicked it off by heading to beautiful Atlanta, Georgia, for Atlanta Leather Pride Weekend and the Mr./Ms. Atlanta Eagle Contest.
We flew out of cold Colorado weather and landed in warm Georgia weather - a welcome change of pace! Our hosts for the event were our friends Jeff Donaldson and James Menge. Jeff is the outgoing Mr. Atlanta Eagle 2012 AND the current American Leatherman 2012. James is his wonderful partner - such a pair of darling men opened up their home to us. We did, of course, have to pay tribute and pet the dogs as much as possible - they do run the house, you know.
The good people of the Atlanta Leather community took us into their pack and we ran with them for the weekend. In those busy days, we visited the Atlanta Eagle many times, ate great food, drank so much sweet tea that our mothers got diabetes, met folks in person that had previously only been online friends, snuggled with as many people as possible, spent time with the Panthers Leather/Levi club, ate amazing homemade peach cobbler, made new friends, participated in a photo shoot for a fundraising calendar (stay tuned for details), watched an amazing contest, and had a wonderful time.
Congratulations to Pup Tank, Mr Atlanta Eagle 2013, and Lizzy, Ms Atlanta Eagle 2013, and best of luck to them in their title year.
We were met with such warmth and kindness that it warmed our hearts all the way back to frigid Colorado.  Our flight home was delayed - snow in Denver, but eventually we did get home. Time to unpack, do laundry, repack, and get ready for the next adventure!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Colorado Master/slave Contest

About one week after we came back to Denver with the ITPC titles, I attended the Denver Danse of Life. It's a hook pull event with live drumming held in sacred space - bliss.
Afterward, one of the organizers, Master Trent, asked if I'd consider serving on the judging panel of the Colorado Master/slave Contest he was organizing. I looked at him and cocked my head. "You know how I feel about that track, right? I don't really get it." Yes, he knows. We've had many discussions before. He asked me to bring my Leather viewpoint to the panel and contribute that way. I agreed.

Friday night, March 29th, we met at the Denver Eagle for the introductory Meet & Greet with the contestants, judges, and general public. There were two contestant pairs, and both represented well. I sent a "mystery person" who was not dressed very leather-y to visit with the contestant pairs and report back to me later, and I made sure to spend some time visiting with each pair as well. It was a fun night and the turnout was great.

Saturday the 30th rolled around, and the judges and contestant sat down for Interviews at 2pm. That is always an interesting dance, and this one was open to the public. I was honored to sit on a panel of highly respectable judges from the local community, and I learned a great deal from them over the weekend. The interviews were fun, spirited, and intense. Afterwards, we broke for a snack/meal, and returned at 5 to begin the contest. When it was all done, Lady Marquetta and Slave Leonis carried the patches home with them and will represent their community for the next year. We all wish them the best.

While I don't "get" the entire Master/slave dynamic, I'm always learning more. This weekend exposed me to people who are willing to educate and share their lifestyle in a very public way. I appreciate their dedication and thoughtful discussions. They listened to me as I expressed some of my perceptions and opinions based on personal interactions; we laughed about some really funny bad examples of how NOT to approach this lifestyle, and they opened up their hearts to me so I could better understand a dynamic I haven't yet grasped. I am grateful and blessed. Thank you all.

Catching up

I have been absent.
Situations and experiences overwhelmed my motivation to share, but I believe that it is important to discuss where we've been and all the wonderful people we've met. So instead of picking up now and leaving a two month gap, I'm going to backtrack and start filling in events as they occurred. Sorry to disappear like that.