The Remains of the Cupcake

31 October 2008
I took the day off work as it was my birthday. I feel a moral obligation to convince society that the only true holiday one deserves to have off is one’s own birthday. The rest of the holidays are manufactured and exist inside constraints of some sort. Your birthday, however, is truly your day and you deserve to spend it the way you want. I wanted to spend it NOT working; so I didn’t. Marita Beth & I slept in, then I ran a couple of errands while she finished some work. When done, we went to Early Vote (if you didn’t early vote and you live here in the U.S., I sure hope you will be voting on the 4th), then started the trip to TRF. The dogs went to the kennel and we headed South. Since we would be there so much earlier than typical, we arranged a birthday dinner at Rancho Grande, a decent Tex-Mex restaurant in Magnolia. MB and I were first where we met up with Sherrie, Susabella & Jo. Kelly joined us soon after and was quickly followed by George and Delaenya. Donny & Mary got there a little later bearing treats. I found, earlier in the year, a recipe for Guinness cupcakes. The recipe sounded too good to pass on and under Mary’s careful tutelage has indeed turned out to be a fantastic find. They are precious little Chocolaty, Guinnessy, yummy treats.
This one died in my belly.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 3 November 2008 )

Listening to:
Purple Haze by Brother
from Your Backyard

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.2 sec (1/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire
Software: picnik.com

Halloween Weekend: Part 2 - Renfest

Saturday night after Bryan and Traci left, Corey, Cody and I packed up and headed over to Houston to Ryans place. We left around 6pm but the pics I took of the buildings at night came out horrible, digital cameras fail at night. I took this one the next morning:

We had never visited Ryan at his place in Houston so we took the opportunity to visit before the four of us left for Renfest. It also saved us the trouble of a hotel the night before, or driving all the way there in the morning. We were worried about getting there too late in the morning and having to deal with traffic and parking but they had more traffic control out this year as well as bigger signs to the location. The previous years it was a matter of knowing where the place was if you wanted to find it.

Cody and Corey dressed up, Ryan and I were the bums and didn’t. I like Renfest because you don’t feel so out of place not dressing up. I remember Scarborough Faire being a little snarky about not dressing up. The guys had gotten breakfast burritos before we left and wanting to steer clear of digestive distress I opted to wait to eat till we got to the Faire so the first thing we did was go and grab some Gyros and Mead from the Greek pavilion. (yeah i know mead and gyros but they are soo good together!) Here was my food:

Corey getting some mead: The cheapest place to get Redstone Mead if you dont have a Grapevine Market near your house.

While we were eating the Gypsies started playing and dancing over in the theater in the Greek section:

I love going to Renfest to see all the cool costumes everyone wears.

And for the first time I saw EVERY Renaissance being represented! See Grete below:

And of course the best part of the Faire is the fake jousting! Its like the rodeo for nerds:

My favorite thing about it is shopping, however the incense place we went to last year wasn’t there this year. They added some other cool artisan booths. The blacksmith was doing demos when we were there this time as well as the glass blower. There were a lot of new booths and vendors though, which was good because you see a lot of the same folks selling the same stuff you got last year. For instance we bypassed the leather cup store and the pirates sword shop because it was the same stuff we already had. This year was mostly about the mead and food. Both worth the trip.

Travel: Renaissance Faire Crownsville Maryland

Autumn is a wonderful time for country fairs.  And in the mid-Atlantic region, where I live, the season kicks off in August with the Renaissance Faire held in Crownsville Maryland, which lasts through mid-October.

The organizers go to great lengths to make you feel that you are in a country village in 1540s England, and King Henry VIII (the one with the 6 wives) is coming to visit.  And so you wander down dusty paths past cottages where people are selling everything from pies to feathers, from pastries to magnificent court gowns.  You see people dressed up in 16^th century costume, and realize with a pang, how much better the average human form looks decked out in doublet and hose, or gown and headdress, than poured into a pair of jeans.  Along with the places selling food, clothes, leather items, swords and daggers, are the numerous places of entertainment.  You see jugglers, acrobats and actors from a variety of venues, all engaged in old-fashioned entertainment with audience participation.  Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Faire is the jousting.  It is really good.  Not only do these people dress up in 16^th century armor and wield a lance, but they actually do all that while riding on horseback.  My friend who rides told me that their riding was superb and that they were able to control the horse mainly by leaning forward or back in the saddle.

If you have not been and you are in the area next year between August and October, I suggest you go.  It is great for families, great for couples, and great for those who like to sample the past. 

For more information click here.

–Cynthia Haggard writes short stories, novels and poetry.  During the day, she is a medical writer and has recently opened her own business.  For more on her creative writing, go to spunstories.  For more about her medical writing services, go to clarifyingconcepts.  (c) 2008. All rights reserved.

My Confession: The Kilt Fetish

So many have suspected, but not everyone knew: I have a kilt fetish. I wrote a friendly, flirty blurb about this topic over at The Costumer. Check it out!

Capt’n. Black’s Sea Dogges Release first CD

Capt’n. Black’s Sea Dogges have released their first CD. The self-titled work features sixteen songs, nine originals and seven traditionals. A variety of instruments including guitar, mandolin, bodhran, and Native American drums combine with tight harmonies to create a unique new pirate…ahem…privateer listening experience.
Check them out at http://cdbaby.com/cd/cbseadogges. Also, please take a look at them at: http://www.maritimeheritage.net/ where they are this week’s featured performer. Also, please visit their homepage: www.seadogsmusic.com.

read more

The Costumer Reports on the Versatility of Renaissance Faire Costumes

I’ve reported (as The Costumer, of course) on the Versatility of Ren Costumes, just in time for Halloween. Please check it out!

Alabama Renaissance Faire

Come to the Alabama Renaissance Faire in Florence this weekend. You’ll love it! I promise there’s more than bellydancing there, but I can’t help bragging on my older daughter, who performs at the faire with her dance group from Huntsville. The Alabama Ren Faire is meant for families. It’s in the small downtown Wilson Park, renamed Fountain on the Green for the faire, and is very easy to get around. There’s no alcohol allowed, and everyone is friendly and helpful. And it’s free! You can come in costume or not. Everything has a Renaissance flair. Vendors selling jewelry, art work and crafts are in costume and all entertainment is Renaissance-style, with juggling, magic, singing and other music as well as bellydancing. The faire is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Check out http://www.alarenfaire.org/ and http://www.myspace.com/alrenfaire for details and other photos.

NH Renaissance Faire

Here is a map I just got of the layout of the Faire! If any of you come, you make sure to say hi to me! Super duper excited!

Del’s Blog

So, yeah, the real reason I have this is to get an API key for akismet

See my real what-passes-for-a-blog at http://del.downinit.com/

To Err is Human; To Arrrr is Pirate!

19 October 2008

Another really beautiful day at the Texas Renaissance Festival.  I cannot figure out why the crowds this weekend weren’t much bigger.  It was perfect weather for being outdoors.  But, sales were fairly average, so again—I feel I cannot complain. 

At one point, late on Sunday afternoon, I looked out into the lane in front of our shoppe and saw a gaggle of young boys all dressed in almost identical pirate costumes.  I was so impressed that so many boys had cared enough to dress up!  So often today’s kids, especially boys, get all bent out of shape when someone suggests they might do something out of the ordinary, or different from what other kids do.  Of course, by the very nature of the group of them doing the same thing, I suppose there might have been some of that going on, anyway!  But, I was taken by it, and I grabbed my camera and ran into the lane to try to capture the sight.  The obviously saintly women herding these kids, had their work cut out for them, and it just wasn’t possible to get them all in a candid photo.  So, I complimented them on their outfits, found out they were all cousins (!) and asked if I could take their picture.  All but one were more than willing, and the group gathered, while the one front and center whined, “Why do we always have to have our picture taken?”

I told him it was because they all looked so great, and I thanked them for going to the effort to participate in the spirit of the faire.  The ladies seemed grateful for the praise, and the boys were off down the lane.  But, I got my photo, and although I don’t know anything else about who they are, I am charmed by it.

I love the youthful energy it captures.  I love the feeling of fun and adventure.  I am delighted anytime any patron has taken the time to play along and dress up to come to faire.  No matter how many “packaged” pirates . . .  no matter how many poorly-made Simplicity patterns . . . no matter how many “Witharrrrrds” in bathrobes and fake beards . . . I am happy to see them.  That a patron takes the time, energy, money, and imagination to buy or make or borrow whatever his or her idea of a costume is, and then wear it, is a gift to those of us who need the faires to be successful.  Without the people who have that sense of fun and participation, I wouldn’t have a job. 

Thank you, pirate clan!

~MB

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