For some time we had planned to spend this weekend up north a bit, at the Sterling Renaissance Festival, possibly camping overnight even. So we did just that, but instead of meeting up with just Bob and Helen and Adam as originally intended, we also met up with Scott and Laurie and Emma, and Mark and Zeke.

We arrived first, having decided to attend regardless of rain on the way up, and experienced a torrential downpour before the others arrived. We had dressed and prepared for that but many others had not. At one point - while sheltering in a doorway - I watched some woman try to run through the rain. She crossed over a huge puddle (like 12 feet by 5 feet by 6 inches deep) and as she reach the far side, she slipped and fell full length on her back into it. She got up and walked back to whence she came. Silly person.

Overall the place is quite nice: wooden buildings almost entirely shaded in a woodsy setting. I had been to the place quite some time ago, although Shelley had never seen it, and she found it a pretty good experience. The things that count against that, at least today, were the crowds, the smoking, and the rather poor layout / traffic flow around food booths.

Kelley did not get much out of it; she definitely enjoyed riding one of the jousting horses, and some of the rides (all people-powered!) but not the ribald jokes or period-dressed actors who wandered the place. When the queen came by and greeted Kelley in person, Kelley played the shy thing and buried her head in my shoulder.




Welcome to the Ren. Faire!





Swing!





Green Dragon!





Seen on the way home.