Well, it's taken me a week to process so I can write about the July Crimson Moon party. It ran from July 31st to August 2nd. We rented a car and drove up with our buddy, Purple Angel. We had great weather and she got a free upgrade on the car. Very nice and comfortable. We had several delays which kept us from getting on the rode as early as we'd planned. First, we had to make a stop at Wal-Mart because we were out of something one should never go to a party without (I'm talking about deodorant here) and then we had to get some food before I died. I was really hungry and prevailed upon her to take us through drive-thru for some burgers. After a mix-up involving our drinks, we were truly on the road. I can't explain the feeling I had during the whole drive up. I just felt giddy and euphoric the whole way there. I was driving to a spanking party with one of my best friends in the world and I had my sister with me. It was great. We did manage to get lost once, but even that was a temporary situation.
This party was being held at a hotel I'd never been to before so I didn't know what to expect. When we drove up, I had my first bad thought. The neighborhood was somewhat seedy-looking. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, I told myself. We met GC at the hotel (he had flown in earlier) and he helped us get our bags to our room. Our room mates were already there, one of them napping in the buff LOL. It was so good to be there and to see our old roomies again. We sat and talked with the one who was awake and then we put on our party clothes and headed down to the party suite. This time, we only had to move between the seventh and eighth floors of the hotel because we didn't get a ballroom this time. And by Friday, the smattering of vanillas had checked out so we had those two floors to ourselves. We were free to play and talk freely. Although, to be honest, I saw very little public play. I think people were sort of hesitant to play in the hallway. Maybe they were afraid that someone (a vanilla) would get off the elevator having gone to the wrong floor. In October, we'll have a large public room so I expect to see a lot of public play.
The first man I played with was an old buddy of mine; a man who's been in the scene for many, many years and has a lot of experience. It really shows. Even though I would say this man is more of a bottom than an actual switch, he always tops me well and gives me just what I want. I have yet to play with his charming wife, but she's had some health issues lately and I'm never sure if she's playing or not. Maybe that will change in October.
My second scene was very interesting. It was with my roomies, another bottom and two tops---one I've been playing with for years and the other I was meeting for the first time. I got spanked by both of them and both spankings were wonderful. Some bottoms are hesitant to play with new tops (or a top who is unknown to them) but I felt secure with my friends along. He had no problem playing with other people in the room and that says a lot about him. A top who doesn't like to have his methods observed isn't one I would rush off to play with. I got to watch the other top (the one I've known for years) do some flogging and, although it's not my cup of tea, I do enjoy watching floggings. That scene went on for awhile. Our scene was breaking up when Cigi came into the room with a switch I recognized from the March party and we all left so she could play with him. I went off in search of a cold drink and some conversation. I found both easily and pretty soon was playing again. I tend to do that at parties--it's called lap surfing. You just play with whoever asks.
Because it was the first night of a three-day party, I played fairly lightly. Most people know me as a hard player, but I was trying to pace myself better than I usually do and I think I succeeded at this party. My next play partner was another man I had played with for the first time in March, although I had seen him at other parties. I wanted him to use some of his toys on me, but he shook his head and said we would do that tomorrow. It was probably a wise decision on his part. Most of his toys are nasty. But he hand spanked me very nicely and then I stayed and took a few pictures while he spanked Cigi. This guy is a young man in his late 20's and it's my hope that all of the male tops in the scene follow his example. If they do, the scene will be just fine once us older people retire from active spanking life. Just like with me, he gave her a great warm-up, promising to break out the toys the next night. We held him to that promise, believe me.
By the time I got finished with that spanking, it was time to get some food. As I stated in other blogs, Cigi and I are usually forced to economize for these parties and bring Lean Cuisines from home. So I popped one in the microwave and checked out what was on TV. As usual, nothing worth watching. I thought about bringing a book to read, but had abandoned the idea as ludicrous. Who wants to sit in their hotel room reading a book at a spanking party? So I just wolfed my food down and headed back to the party room. There wasn't a whole lot shaking. In fact, I was the only woman present. And although I was a bottom surrounded by male tops, I never got an offer to play. Maybe everyone had just played. Or, like me, they had full stomachs. Whatever the reason, I wasn't totally disappointed that I got no offers from these guys, especially after their conversation turned somewhat vulgar. As the only woman in the room, I soon found the immature banter tiresome and went off in search of more congenial company.
Believe it or not, it was beginning to get a little bit late. I started thinking about going to bed. Cigi had the same idea after I ran into her coming down the hallway from another room. I asked her if she was tired and she admitted that she was and that it might be time to consider hitting the sack. So we headed back to our room to go to bed. Our room mates were right behind us, it turned out. One of them had worked her third shift job the night before and hadn't gotten very much sleep (aside from what she could get on the drive up and the naked nap she'd taken at the hotel before we got there). We talked briefly about some of the people we'd seen and played with, but pretty soon, weariness won out and we were all soon drifting off to dreamland.
I had heard that we had had a thunderstorm during the night, but I had slept through the whole thing. And the day dawned cool and gorgeous. We went down to the hotel restaurant for the complimentary breakfast. There was plenty of seating but the food left a lot to be desired. My bagel was fine, but the biscuits and gravy weren't exactly like Mom used to make. But I was hungry, so I ate them. The company was great, as the lady in the room next to us was there, too. We had met this lady at the previous years October party and had struck up a friendship. The women in the scene have to stick up for and protect each other. And this depends on us becoming friends first. After breakfast, we went back to her room for some conversation. I hadn't seen her since March and I knew some things had been going on in her life and I wanted to touch base with her. I adore this lady, but she has issues (like most of us). One of her issues involves being conflicted over being in the lifestyle. I can relate to that as I often feel conflicted myself about certain aspects of scene life. We had a very nice conversation, during which she showed me a picture of her cat that she took with her phone. Her cat looks a lot like mine and we had a nice chuckle over that.
As much as I loved talking to my buddies, I was itching to find someone to play with and get the day going, even though I wasn't in my party clothes yet. I found one person who was interested in playing with me, but I had already played with him and politely told him I really didn't want to play with him at that moment. I was looking for someone I hadn't played with yet (at least not at this party). I was then found by the lady I had had the wonderful conversation with and she asked me if I'd like to go with her and some of the others for lunch. I was getting a little hungry by this time, so I said 'Why not?' I had no idea where Cigi was or what she was up to but I really wasn't worried. I can remember parties past where I did worry about her and that caused some conflict between us. She was angry with me then about "checking up" on her. So I've learned to trust her and stop doing it. But since she's been ill, I've caught myself doing it at various times. She understands that my worry is just the normal feelings a twin has for her twin and she doesn't get mad any more.
We went to a place close to the hotel. I wanted to get a Reuben, but I thought sauerkraut at a spanking party was a bad idea so I got something else instead. Again, there was great conversation. I remember when I got a little jaded after a couple of years in the scene. I told myself 'I don't wanna know these people. I just wanna play with 'em.' But now I find myself wanting to get to know this new batch of people in the group. Many of them are very interesting people and live very interesting lives. I'm not really into the whats and wherefores of their particular scene, but it's interesting to hear them talk about their vanilla lives. Since we were in public, that's pretty much what we had to do. The food was great, but our waitress was somewhat ditzy (think Vera from "Alice"). She got our orders confused not once, but twice. But she was so nice we left her a big tip anyway.
By the time I got back to the hotel, it was time to get showered and changed into my party clothes. I don't really dress up at the summer parties, opting more for comfort than style. But I try to look nice. The first night, I wore a denim skirt and knit tank. Pretty comfy, right? The second night, I wore hot pink shorts and a print top. I had heard that a top who loved to spank women on shorts might attend and the shorts were sort of for him. Unfortunately, he didn't show. But I still got some compliments along with several attempts to make my bottom match my attire. But the highlight of that evening (maybe the entire party) was the arrival that night of a man who I can never pass on getting caned by. He's more well known for his leather toys, but because he's English, he has to know how to cane, too and, believe me, he does. The way this came about was that I was sitting in the hallway on one of a long row of chairs talking to some other people, when a top I'd already played with came into the hallway and beckoned me. Now everyone knows I'm not submissive and it's not my thing to just go when summoned, but I thought he wanted to play again and I didn't want to pass on the chance. But he asked me a favor. He said that if he warmed me up, would I allow his friend to cane me? This guy had been at lunch with us earlier and this top knew him from another site. I think (judging from the site he was on and the fact that someone else was going to have to warm me up) that this guy was all about punishment. I don't think just playing because it's fun ever entered his mind. Anyway, the top who warmed me up did a great job. I went into the room (which was sort of quasi-public) this other guy was standing there with a bunch of canes. I wouldn't say that I was afraid of him. But I felt a little uncomfortable since I didn't know how extensive his experience with canes was. He held them out to me and asked with ones I would be interested in trying. I picked the thicker of the canes he held and explained that I don't like thin, whippy canes. He looked a bit put off by my saying I didn't like something and he was going to have to accept it because this was fun party and not a punishment. Anyway, I was glad the door was open. I got on the bed, sort of on all fours, a position he asked me to assume. I told him I couldn't hold that position very long and that I would let him know when I wanted to change positions. I think he considered this topping from the bottom because he got that same displeased expression on his face. I asked him how long he had been using the cane but his answer was non-committal. "Long enough". Well, we would soon see. He gave me about thirty strokes, about half of which missed the target. I said earlier I was glad the door had been open because the Englishman came in shaking his head. He asked the man if he could show him a different approach and the man reluctantly gave up his cane. This is how I managed to get caned by this lovely Englishman. He told the man several things he had been doing wrong and then proceeded to give the room a 20-stroke demonstration using me, his blissed out bottom, as a subject. The Englishman instructed the man in several ways to make sure he was safe and didn't wrap his subject. The man said 'Well, I find that when punishing a submissive, that wrapping isn't entirely unwanted.' The Englishman sighed heavily. 'Well, man, there are two things wrong with that. First of all, she's not a submissive and second of all, she's not getting punished. She's at a party where she has another night to play and I'm sure she doesn't want any wrap welts.' When the Englishman had finished, he returned the cane to the other guy, who thought he was going to give me more strokes. I begged off and told him I didn't want any more. I had taken about 50 strokes and that was enough. I can take more than that, but I really didn't want to play with him any more. His attitude sort of made me uncomfortable. I'd only played with him because a top I like and respect asked me to. I had a feeling he wasn't having much luck on his own.
I was pretty sore by this time and needed a rest so I went back across the hall to my room. For once, the room was empty. I wasn't hungry, but I was thirsty so I got a can of Mountain Dew out of the mini fridge. Because of my somewhat negative experience with the new top, I was afraid my head was going to go to a bad place; a place so bad that it would prevent me from enjoying the rest of the party. I thought that by carefully selecting my play partners I could totally eliminate Bad Head Space from my future experiences. But I wasn't careful this time. I allowed myself to make a decision based on what someone else wanted rather than what I wanted. I tried to use it as a learning experience and tried to keep it in perspective--no real damage had been done, after all. And I wasn't a newbie. I was well aware that just because this guy thought he was punishing me didn't mean he actually was. My head space dictates to me how the scene will go in most circumstances. Only in rare instances (back when I was still learning) had I allowed a top's head space to supersede my own. What was needed here was a dose of comic relief. And it came not a moment too soon. I went back across the hall and the Englishman was still there, telling a hilarious story about something that happened to him on a train when he was still living in England. When he saw me, he apologized for interrupting my scene with the new guy. He explained that nothing made him angrier than a so-called "disciplinarian" who doesn't know what he's doing with canes. You can mishit with a strap and, while it's a painful experience, it's unlikely to cause any lasting damage. But a mishit with a cane could be a potential disaster. Instead of giving me what I wanted, he had simply given me what he thought I should take. It was a bad scene all the way around. But it was salvaged by the good humor and expertise of an adorable Englishman who I have grown to really appreciate and grow fond of over the years.
A little while later, some good friends that I would classify as brats, came into the room and asked if anyone felt like going with them for ice cream. I thought it was getting a bit late and admitted that I was saving my money for the next day's vendor's fair, when the Englishman would have a full array of his wonderful leather things for sale. So, despite some misgivings, I passed. I wanted to stay close to the hotel and play some more now that I was rested and my head space had been rescued. I went back to the party room and found one of my favorite lady switches and asked her to play. Somehow, this evolved into a four-way scene involving me, the lady switch, Cigi and a very willing male bottom. The lady switch first spanked the three of us and then she, Cigi and I sort of ganged up on the male bottom. I don't top often but I sort of felt like I wanted to. I think it was a mistake because my head was still not in a good place entirely. The wonderful spanking from the lady switch helped though. She has an amazing collection of toys. I always love playing with her. The male bottom was extremely submissive to us, always asking if we thought he was taking his spanking well. I and Cigi both tried to explain to him that we were bottoms, not tops or Dommes. It wasn't about what we thought. It was about what he wanted. But we could never make him see that. I knew topping this guy was a major error in judgment for me. But I sure enjoyed the spanking I got from my switch friend so the experience wasn't totally negative. But I had to come to grips with the fact that I had done two scenes in a row that went against my better judgment. I thought it was time to call it a night. By the time I got back to the party room, the crowd had thinned considerably since I'd last been there. I did get to have one last scene with the man who had warmed me up earlier for his friend. This time, he used some of his toys on me. He was great. Just what I needed before bedtime. He apologized for putting me in a difficult position with his friend, but he just wanted someone to play with him. I shrugged and told him I could've said 'no'. I had thought about it, but I hadn't wanted to disappoint him. We talked about how the scene had deteriorated and how he would never put another person in the position of feeling obligated to play with someone they have a bad feeling about. He told me the other guy's philosophy greatly differed from his. He had seen firsthand just how different the two of them were. When the scene ended, I went off to bed. This time, our room mates were already sleeping when we went back to our room. Cigi and I had to negotiate an unfamiliar room in the dark. We didn't want to wake them up and had no idea how long they had been in bed. My bottom was sore and swollen, but so far, despite the 50-stroke caning, I didn't have any marks. That was a good sign considering how hard I had played that night. My last spanker had given me about 20 strokes with one of own canes. He was better than his friend had been. And he listened to me when I gave him advice. I have been caned literally hundreds of times and I know how I like it. I reminded him that some ladies who love the cane don't love it done hard and that different women play at different levels. He already knew that, of course, but he appreciated the reminder.
We slept a bit later the next morning. I looked around for GC and Purple Angel, but there was no sign of them. I had been told the night before that they had spent a good part of that day at an art museum and now she was having pain in her leg that was keeping her in bed. I tried to call her room, but forgot what room she was in. Every time I saw GC, I asked about her. I played with him on Thursday and, although he only spanks with his hand, he's pretty good.
After breakfast, I was on my way to my room when the lady in the room next to ours asked me if I would go to breakfast with her and two other gentlemen. It turned out to be the guy who had warmed me up the night before and his buddy, the one without a clue. She told me she didn't want to go alone with them. I had already eaten and I was feeling somewhat on the spot (again) but the pleading expression on her face told me she really wanted me to go so I said OK. We went in my warm up guy's double cab truck. The other guy (the Caner Without A Clue) kept up absurd conversation during the whole drive and much of the meal. I had an ice cream soda for breakfast. He asked me rather stupidly if I thought that was a proper breakfast for a "young lady". I told him probably not but I had already eaten breakfast and had only come along for the ride. He was trying to show what an experienced Dom he was, but he just put his foot in his mouth at every turn. And he was tiresome company. I tried very hard to be nice to him, but I felt after his caning fiasco the night before I couldn't keep up the charade. I value honesty. If he was inexperienced, he should've said so when I asked him. His vague answer told me all I needed to know. You might be able to fake it with some other implements, but you absolutely cannot fake it with the cane. His ridiculous attempts at conversation were another turn off for me. And so were his clothes. To be honest, they smelled. You know how sometimes you forget you have a load of laundry in the wash and it sits there long enough to go sour? Well, most of us would simply re-wash the clothes. It smelled like this guy just put them in the dryer anyway. I go to great lengths to look and smell nice for the people who play with me. I expect them to reciprocate. Anway, I didn't see this guy again the rest of the party. He said one of the women he "mentors" sent him a text that she was in some trouble and he said he would have to leave. Who even knows if this is the truth or not? Whatever the reason, he was gone and I was relieved. I was nice to him. I let him cane me despite his obvious lack of experience (or was it a lack of concern for my safety?). I even sat next to him at breakfast despite the fact that I practically had to hold my nose the whole time. What more did he want?
When we returned to the hotel, I got showered and cleaned up for Night Three of the party. But first the vendor's fair. The Englishman had his wicked leather implements taking two full tables. His adorable girlfriend was on hand for demoing purposes. Another table comprised of wood fraternity and sorority paddles, rug beaters, assorted canes and brushes. It was a somewhat small turn out, but everyone had a great time. Bill Sova was there with his "Cinema Swats" table and I bought two DVD's to round out my collection. This guy knows everything about every spanking scene ever put on film (or so it would seem). There's no old film or TV show too obscure for him. If there's a spanking in it, he'll find it. Anyway, Cigi and I spent what we could afford and came away with some very nice things. Now it was time to try the new acquisitions out. Simply because everyone was eager to try out their new toys, I had some great scenes that day. The only one that really stands out is the last one of the night. It was with the new top I had played with that first night with the others in the room. He had purchased some new toys and we used them all. He has a fun attitude and doesn't take himself too seriously. He'll be a very popular top, I predict.
By the time we left on Sunday, I was ready to get home. The drive was nice, as Purple Angel had recovered enough to drive. We stopped for lunch at a '50's style diner. I was very sorry the party was over and that she had had to spend most of it confined to her room in bed. But she assured me she had been very well looked after so there had been some benefit after all.
Now all there is to do is wait for October. I can hardly wait.
