Of swords and sorcery......family and friends

I'm certain that this will turn out to be a somewhat disconnected ramble, as it attempts to recap a crowded and fun weekend.

It was my every intention to make a return trip to the Olde English Faire this morning. I had a great time with my grand-kiddies and my Son and his Lady, but I wanted today to do some serious shopping for odd things that caught my eye yesterday.
Cheyenne is not very patient with my distracted browsing.
I spotted some very nice costume jewelry, and odd items to scatter about the house, and wanted to return today to shop them properly or at least gather cards and web based catalogues. I also wanted to fill up my camera with more costume and crowd pics.

Alas, it was not to be. I woke up this morning and very shortly discovered that I felt like 7 tons of shit..........I went back to bed and slept til afternoon. I believe a cold or something crept up on me...........

I think the thing that I enjoy the most (and am most amazed and pleased by) about these Medieval Faires is the incredible mix of people and ages and interests and levels of involvement that is represented. In the following pictures I have tried to capture a bit of that sense of variety interspersed with shots of me and my family, followed by a few pics of the evening that ensued upon my return to Modern day Chillicothe.

While waiting in line for Cheyenne's ice cream, I got into a conversation with a pair of young ladies immediately behind me. One was a pre-teen and the other couldn't have been much older than 14. Both were in costume and I asked them what prompted their interest. Were they there and in costume because their folks were really into it (and insistant about their attendance) or were they genuinely into it themselves? Their answers to that and a few other queries, ( I asked them what books they had read about the Middle Ages, for instance)left me feeling very good. I gave them an excellant book reference to check out.

All in all, the encounter with the girls in the ice cream line, and the experience of the Faire in general was heartening for reasons that can best be summed up in the words of Lazarus Long

So without further "rambling", here are some pictures:


A young belly dancer at the petting zoo


Mecca...........


A celt in a kilt.......a goth on a phone


Whatever else may be said.....they're not sitting on their butts in front of a computer


Poet-warrior...........


Weird guy on stilts.......

Cheyenne was fascinated with the belly dancers,(well, so was Grandpa) and went up to them and talked to them and spent the rest of the afternoon acting out "belly dancer moves" whenever she heard the music. Notable also was the numbers of ladies, young and old that opted for the belly dancer costume...........


Real belly dancers....


A close up.........of the girlamydreams


Princess Cheyenne........


More Princess.....

On the grounds of the Faire, they have this small mock-up of a type of catapult (I can't recall the name of it.....shame on me). They fill it with hundreds of pieces of candy and launch it into the air. The candy goes soaring and rains down about 50 yards from the device at which point a swarm of little kids rushes out to gather the candy. It reminds one of what happens when a school of piranha sets upon an unfortunate water buffaloe that stumbles into some jungle stream.............within 10 or 15 seconds there was not a piece of candy left on the ground. The whole thing is so frenzied that I noticed one little girl nursing a bloody nose...............


Candy catapult!


The frenzy............

Every year that I have attended this event, I have shopped for a sword. I wanted something real..........but within reason price wise. I didn't want one of the chrome steel replicas..........some of them look really great, but they aren't "real". They are suitable for hanging on a wall, or wearing as part of a costume, but if you tried to use them to cut anything more formidable than a ham sandwich, they would chip and shatter. Don't ask me what it is about my character that wants a weapons grade sword....(I do like to travel, however, and should time travel ever be perfected, I am at least armed for the journey). I have found honest to gosh sword makers, and their products are just what I wanted, but the frugal part of me wouldn't allow me to part with the major bucks they are asking for their weapons. I always knew there had to be some middle ground, an authentic factory made replica with an acceptable price tag, and this year I found it. Imperial Weapons had a tent at the Faire and I bought not one, but two swords.........a 15th century Scottish single hand and an Irish hand and a half. What I didn't buy (and wanted to very much) was The Sword of Brian Boru. I would have if it had sported a solid brass pommel and an unwrapped wooden hilt(like the Scottish single hand)..........but I may talk myself into it after all.

I also bought a simple linen tunic type shirt.........Uncle Cecil my attend armed and in costume next year..........


Me, posing with a big knife, trying to look hot..............


More of the same........

Meanwhile, after I had stashed my "toys" in the car, Casey, Diane and Hallie showed up........here are some pics of the family........



Casey, Dianne, Hallie (in backpack), and Cheyenne


Close-up of my son and my Hallieberry...


Waxing rhapsodic on the turkey leg.......


Hallie can't get enough turkey........Cheyenne spotted the ice cream stand.....


Hallie chows on turkey.....Cheyenne goes for ice cream



More Hallie......


Close up of my sweety...........

As we were having lunch, a gang of Casey's friends showed up........all had purchased swords. Of course I had to take them to the car and show them my armory and snap a pic or two........


Matt, Carl, Tony, Casey and me........Prepared to sack, pillage, plunder, wench, feast and drink..........perhaps not in that particular order


Athos, Porthos, Aramis, D'Artagnon and Moe.......All for one and one for All

After much wandering around and more shopping, It was at last time to part company and get Cheyenne back home.....


Papa Cecil............


Tuckered........

I got back into town, retired to Tomcat,s and was surprised by my daughter. She had canceled her plans for the evening and accompanied me to Newt's, where my neice was doing a Karaoke show. As it turned out, my voice was so burned out from talking to people all day.........so I wasn't much good in the singing department, but I ran into my brother there, had a good time and managed to get another picture or two.


Cass.........


Amy poses with my brother..........it wasn't his idea Claudia!


Dianna and Jocelyn doing their best "Fuck Me" stuff...........


Shannon, my niece, who was born to sing.....

So there you have it.........all the news that fits, and I've got to say, if you've hung in there and read this whole thing, you either love me very much or you are way too fucking bored to be healthy.

Thus endeth the entry...........