November would come quickly. As the days grew shorter and shorter, the temperature would also drop. Most November mornings would come equip with a layer of frost and a crisp chill to begin each day. The season was winding down and there was no stopping it.
While
frost remained an indicator that Winter was coming, it still didn't
break my spirit. Rather it was a beautiful change happening before me.
Things all around me were preparing for winters rest, so that life
cycles could begin again.
Fall Faire work pressed onward with more efforts focused on future planning and resource harvesting for the upcoming seasons to come.
I had already made it a goal to stock up on fire wood in case of a surprise storm, and slowly began to transport all the wood to the loft to be sure the wood was to be dry enough for use.
Elon would frequently visit the Faire during the late Fall months, but spent most of his studying stream flow mechanics. The following video is a 5 minute clip of what Elon was working on during this time. It is mostly the breaking of a small dam and how the surrounding body of water reacts.
The Faire only gave us a few more "warm" days when November hit. Then it was time to down on two layers of both socks and pants, three sweatshirts, hats, and gloves just to keep warm in the shade. It was so cold that the only way to stay warm was to move, and the best way to move around continuously was to do work. Revisit Vol 8: Tales of Ruin and Restoration for a chance to review what projects were complete at the end of the season.
Finally it began to happen. On November 11th 2013, the Faire began to slowly put on its winter coat.
When I woke up the following morning, everything was white. View the Faire as few have witnessed her: in WinterScape.
The above is my favorite photo of the entire WinterScape shoot, followed by the one below.
The snow would stay on for almost three full days. A small ratio melting off as each day went on.
I believe I mentioned the presence of the Beaver during the last volume. This is evidence of his work. One of three dams that were located on the Andes River throughout the season.
The third day dawned a sunny and warm one. Well... warm compared to the last three days. This day just so happened to be my last full day at the Faire before preparing for departure. I was so grateful to spend it in the Sun.
I was both grateful and humbled to have experienced the Faire in WinterScape, yet sadly it was time to leave the outpost before it literally became a game of chance with the elements for Survival.
More than half of me desired to stay at the Faire to test my survival skills. Spending the whole winter getting stronger and leaner, spending my days collecting fire wood for heat and light, and my evening planning the future of the Faire by the fireside. However, real life responsibilities had already begun dragging me back into the realm of reality.
The last project of the 2013 season, complete on my last full day at the Faire, felt a symbol of what progress had been made in the seasons that had passed. With the refilling of the landfill as my last task, it felt as though, I, along with others, had literally filled the hole the land of Britannia Faire was sinking into. Next season was to start on level and flat ground. As for what I did my last few days at the Faire, please revisit the ending section of Volume 8: Tales of Ruin and Restoration for a more detailed description. With so much having been competed in this last season alone, I was excited to see what unplanned progress was to be made next season on this ever-evolving-fantasy-survival-outpost. And with that, I packed up my personal belongings and prepared for departure, winterized the Tavern as was best to my knowledge, and prepared myself for a winter of travel.
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