Renaissance Faire 2016

Another Renaissance Faire visit under the belt! This year, we invited one of our son's friends, and the boys had a great time running around the Festival together. I dressed as a pirate lady this year, with a minor adjustment to my hat (reblocking the crown to make it flatter). Everything I wore this year was cobbled together from items I already had, with the exception of a pair of skirt hikes my husband made for me (Thanks, Hubby!).

This year, we witnessed a demo of archery by Whipperwil Archery, and also the use of siege weapons! I wish my video of the trebuchet had come out better. It was impressive and creepy, all at the same time, watching that machine lob a ball the length of the jousting field and then seeing that ball land with a bone-shaking thud. As for the archery demo, bowyer Bill Darr is very, very good at what he does. I learned a little and was extremely impressed with his skill!

For more photos of my trips to the Renn, past and present, click here!

New Year, Fresh Start

Cleaning the Clutter

I spent last weekend cleaning out my office.  I didn't think I had a lot of clutter, but it seems I was sorely mistaken.  I removed over two boxes of papers for shredding, five bags of books for library donation, and a bag of Renaissance Faire garb I never use, which will go to a friend in the SCA.  Even my desk had loads of clutter.  My bookshelf was the worst offender, full of papers that didn't need to be there because I have digital copies, or they were simply not being used.

I even have several writing books to donate to my author friends at this Saturday's CNY Romance Writers meeting.  My office closet now has a floor, too.  Shocking!

What To Toss

My rule of thumb for de-junking is to get rid of anything that has not been used or looked at in a year.  If it's been that long, chances are you're never going to use it again.  A reference book is nice to have, but only if you use it.  Even sentimental items are of no value if they're stuck in a closet.  Everything should have a place.  If there's no place for it, and you can't make one, perhaps someone else can get use out of the item.  The Salvation Army and Rescue Mission are great places to donate those unused items, and you get a tax writeoff for donating.  Win-win!

Clutter in the Digital Age

Clutter can take over your computer, too.  After cleaning the physical funk out of my office, I tackled all those Document and Picture files on my computer.  The same rule of thumb applies: if you haven't made use of the file in over a year (and don't need to archive it for record-keeping reasons), press that Delete key!  You won't miss it, I promise.  After you clear out that computer clutter, do a system disk cleanup and defragment your computer.  It should run faster after your efforts!

What To Keep

If you use it and have a place to store it neatly, keep it...but only if you have a place for it!  Labeled boxes are terrific for this.  Then you know where to look if you're in need of something, rather than buying more of it because you can't find where you stashed it.  I use anything from old shoeboxes to crates for this purpose.

A Job Well Done

Winter is a perfect time for indoor de-junking.  Clearing out clutter is beneficial to you - satisfying, as well as improving your productivity - and to others, who'll benefit from your unwanted items.  You might find yourself wanting to tackle the rest of the house, but I suggest doing one room at a time to make it less of a chore.  Put on some good music and freshen the air with candles or incense while you work.  You'll be surprised at how much weight is lifted off of you when you free up that space.  Happy cleaning!

Hiccup's Armor (or, How to Be Your Geekiest)

Most of you are aware of the Dreamworks hit movie, "How to Train Your Dragon."  The movie now has a hit sequel in which the hero, Hiccup, wears a leather armor flight suit (see above).  My 7-year-old son thinks this armor is The Coolest Thing Ever.

Most of you are also aware that I'm a big, huge geek who's into the Renaissance Faire and leatherworking projects.  The gauntlet had been thrown.

For the past few weeks, Hubby and I have been making a modified version of Hiccup's chest armor for our son.  Modified because, once we built it, our growing-like-a-weed son would have it for five minutes and then be too big to fit in it.  So, we designed this armor to fit him for several years to come, because it can be taken apart and adjusted as he grows.  It's also easy for him to get on and off.

Thus, I give you Modified Hiccup's Armor.  Dragon not included.

It's not film-accurate, but for its purpose, it will do very nicely indeed.  We tried it on our older nephew, so we're reasonably sure that this will fit our son for the next five years or more.  Heck, taken apart, it even fits me!  We watched some pretty amazing video from "Modrenman," who designed the whole flight suit and went to pains to make it accurate.  We then cobbled together a posterboard mockup of the pieces, and made several subsequent trips to Tandy Leather for supplies.

We decided against doing the collar, so it would fit him more comfortably as he grows, and even made a miniature saddle for his stuffed Toothless, who attaches to his left shoulder using the big strap.  (I did mention we're geeky, didn't I?)

Result: one very happy little grade-schooler.  Too bad we don't have a Night Fury handy to send him off on an adventure. :)

An Evening With the Barony of Delftwood

The Barony of Delftwood is the Syracuse, NY chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA, an international organization that promotes research and re-creation of the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe. The SCA divides our present world into "kingdoms" and smaller landholdings, of which the Barony of Delftwood is one. It provides instruction on many forms of medieval culture, from embroidery and manuscript illumination to cooking and combat. If you're a history buff, you should definitely try this.

Non-members are allowed to attend all BoD meetings, though there is a fee for tournaments and special events.  Last week, the BoD held an event at the Liverpool Public Library to share some of their knowledge with the public. My family and I had the chance to hear a psaltery, a hurdy-gurdy, and a hammered dulcimer - and even to play the instruments! It was a hands-on workshop in which I even learned how to churn butter. You laugh, but it tastes way better than that stuff you get in the store, believe me. *grin*

 

We were also treated to a small combat tournament, including fencing and heavy weapons. Historical writers, you'd love this. Not only did I enjoy watching the combat, I learned a little bit. Did you know you can fence using a cloak as a weapon? Back in the days of the Romans, gladiators used nets to distract and trap an enemy's weapon. That cloak? Same principle, hundreds of years later.

When the tournament was over, the Baron and Baroness of Delftwood presented the champion of the lists with a prize:

My family came home really excited from this event, and we look forward to visiting the Barony of Delftwood again.  Huzzah!

Sterling 2013: Missed the Joust but Got the Men

Our 2013 visit to the Sterling Renaissance Faire was something of a first for me. I have now been to the Faire and completely missed a joust! This year, I finally scraped up enough funds to put a down payment on my Holy Grail of Renaissance Faire wear: boots! I am having them custom-made by Catskill Mountain Moccasins, a regular vendor at the Faire, and maker of some pretty amazing footwear, which I've been eyeing for twenty years. The joust, unfortunately, took place during my fitting, so Hubby and the Peanut went to see that while I was measured for my boots.

While I was disappointed to have missed out on the display of horsemanship and lancework, I did get in a few fresh experiences. This year, we tried turkey meatballs, which were terrific, and I had a go at the archery booth. Turns out I'm not a bad shot, after warming up to it. I'm better with a recurve bow, but my love is the longbow.

I also got to see the Queen's Duel toward the end of the day, where the Queen and her ladies witness a display of martial skill, as well as the knights' attempt to successfully woo a lady. That was such fun! At the end, I also had the opportunity to pose for a photo with a couple of the knights, Sir Francis Drake and Sir Christopher Hatton. Now what girl in her right mind passes up the chance?

The Hubby and Peanut are taking martial arts classes, and so found some wooden practice swords for sale and purchased them. Hubby must've thought I felt left out, because he also picked me up some wooden knives, which are Way Cool.

Finally, another first: we were there nearly the entire day! We've never attended Faire all day, and we managed to remain until an hour before closing. Someday, we hope to see both the opening and closing ceremonies. I'm told the end-of-day Pub Sing is not to be missed!

Check out the rest of the new photos in my Renaissance Faire Album

Renn Faire Revisited - 2nd Trip 2010 Recap

Must have been the weather. It was PERFECT yesterday for our second trip to the Sterling Renaissance Festival. While we didn't get the Ultimate Parking Spot this time, we did get a great day. We saw a Pirate Show, our toddler went on just about every ride possible, and we caught a showing of Don Juan & Miguel. I bought an ocarina from Fire Om Earth, and I am currently learning how to play it, much to the distress of my family's ears. *grin*

We ate at the tavern, too. I had my first Portabello Mushroom Sandwich, which was pretty good, but their pierogies were to die for! I was supposed to meet a friend there, and we somehow managed to miss each other ALL DAY! She and her family had an awesome time, too.

Oddly enough, now that my middle class noble outfit is complete, I find myself wanting to go backward and revisit my wench outfit (the first outfit I put together for the Renn). I had added some pirate trappings to it, but I think next year I'll just wear that, rather than the blue. I wasn't afraid to get it dirty, for one thing. The grass was still wet in most places from all the torrential rains we've been getting. It's nice to change things up, anyway. Yarrgh!

Hat Trick

Question: What's a self-respecting pirate wench to do when faced with hatlessness for an upcoming Pirate's Weekend at the Renaissance Festival?

Answer: Make one!

A friend invited me to the Pirate Invasion this weekend at the Sterling Renaissance Festival. This is one of the few years I have gone to Faire more than once in a season. I had the clothing - a wench outfit I bought in the early years of my trips to the Renn. But I had no hat, and almost no money for one, because I bought a fancy tall hat for our last trip to the Renn more than a week ago.

So, I did what any cheapskate person with a knack for creativity does. I made a hat out of one I already had at my disposal! First, I wrangled an old, flat-crowned straw hat out of my mother. Sucker had a scary-looking multicolored sweatband, and the brim was curled up all the way around so that it resembled a chip-and-dip set. Yikes!

Then I did some hunting around for tricorne hat designs, and lots of watching of the three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies (Oh, so painful and all, having to watch Orlando Bloom kiss Kiera Knightley's knee like that. Flutter!).

I re-blocked (reshaped) the hat crown by wetting it with warm water and stuffing it with wet paper towels, then squashed it down onto an upturned bowl of the appropriate size to mold it as it dried. Good thing I did that first, because I think the sweatband was glued as well as stitched, so the water helped loosen the glue.

Once it was shaped and dried, I removed the old sweatband. I then sewed on a new maroon sweatband to match my clothing, and used black seam binding around the brim. I then spent some cash on feathers to decorate it, and sewed the brim up into a tricorne, using buttons I already had on hand.

The result, as you can see, is a (mostly) proper pirate wench's hat, and I discovered afterward that using straw or seagrass for these is pretty common - though not as popular as wool or leather. The crown's a bit high, but I love the result. Can't wait to show it off at the Faire!

2010 Renn Faire Recap

I worried all week that the weather would not cooperate, but magically, Saturday morning dawned cool and clear. It takes a good hour to get dressed up, start to finish, for the whole family. By then we just stopped and got something quick to eat. We arrived at Sterling, NY about a half hour early, but they were doing a skit at the gate, so everyone was well-entertained.

Lots of new things to see this year. The joust is bigger and better, there are new merchants and entertainment, and new pubs and seating. I'm excited to see all the additions. The little peanut didn't have much attention span to sit down for anything but the glass blower, but we did enjoy some of Don Juan and Miguel's show. I was really disappointed that we missed Hey Nunnie Nunnie, as they're a new favorite. We had to move at the toddler's speed. :P He did get to go on the Carosello (sort of like the Flying Chairs at the State Fair, but manpowered), and we both rode the Dragon, which was a (miniature--yes, dragon-shaped) version of the Pirate ride at the State Fair, again, manpowered. He also won a prize at the Mud Ball Toss. He was thrilled about that. :D

We skipped the turkey leg this year (sigh) in favor of chicken tenders and fries, which were more toddler-friendly and easier to clean up after. We did get our apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream, though, and it's just as good as it always is. There are more food options this year, too, which was nice. I missed the lovely wine slushie, but did get a taste of the red and white varieties available (red's better, if you wondered).

Peanut's stamina wore down after about four hours, so we called it a day after that and came home. It has taken us twenty years or so, but we finally got the Best Parking Spot Ever underneath a tree. Car was not roasting at all. Woot!

Best part of the Renn this year, for me, was seeing all the new artisans. Hubby, of course, liked the joust and swordsmith. The peanut liked "The knights!" And I think we all enjoyed getting home after all that. Another great year at the Renn! This is me in our yard, pre-trip:

Kilt - It Does A Body Good

So, the Renaissance Faire was a big hit yesterday. The bride looked beautiful, the wedding went off with a hitch, and the day was all-around awesome. The ceremony took place early in the morning, and then guests were given time to walk around the Faire and enjoy it - which we did - and then we had the reception in the Faire's tavern, with incredibly good food. DH and son wore kilts. The peanut looked adorable, and he was a perfect angel all day. And hubby - well, let's just say hubby is a fine braw laddie who was made for kilts. :-D

I don't know how I'm going to top this year at the Ren, but I'm sure we'll try next year! Gonna be hard to top that food, though. Mmmmm.

The Renaissance Faire

I'm a big fan of the Renaissance Faire. We have one, sort of locally, that DH and I go to every year. This year, we're bringing along the little peanut. We are *all* going in garb, which should just be too stinkin' cute. But that's not why I'm so tickled. This year, we're going to a wedding there! Co-worker of DH is getting married at the Ren, and it should be a great time. I've never been to a themed wedding, much less a Ren-themed one, and I might be just about as excited as the bride. (If you can't guess, I *really* like the Ren.)

Oh, yeah, and there's turkey legs and apple dumplings with ice cream. If you have never been to the Ren, bring lots of money and don't eat for three days in advance. The food ROCKS.