Elayne Riggs' Journal (for Leah)

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Boobies and Boo, Bees! A RenFaire Pictorial

Okay, I didn't get a lot of boobie pictures, as that's not really my thing. But trust me, lots of women were letting things hang out that perhaps should have been better supported. It's very much like going to a sf convention with slightly different costumes and way more fresh air. So, let's get the dog and pony show started!


What, you think I'm kidding? When I say dog and pony show, I mean dog and pony show!


And the band played on... that can't be easy on stilts...


We made it in time to see the beginning of the parade.


The Queen awaits her turn to join the pageantry. More parade pictures below:









But we were really there to see my bestest female friend Leah, as we do every year, and celebrate her birthday, which falls next Sunday (yes, 9/11). She looked resplendent as usual, although I can't seem to snap a photo of her without her squinting or blinking.


I'd brought the otter-head walking stick I'd inherited from Robin's mum, and as Leah had an otter pin on her purse it was natural that the two would get together.


As has become our tradition, we went to Leah's shop of choice for her birthday gift, this year a lovely hat to go with her outfit. For some reason this made her try a "come hither" pose. It works much better in person than in this photo.


We then fulfilled another tradition by buying me cheap ($5) earrings, got a bite to eat (turkey leg, yum!) and headed over to one of the pubs for a couple glasses of mead, as I knew I'd have to drink fairly early to get the alcohol out of my system in time to drive home. One of Leah's friends played a very cool 3-stringed instrument for acquaintances and passers-by:


As usual, the combination of bright sun (although it was blessedly dry today) and bees prompted us to take our leave and wander about the "Shire," as the Rennies call Sterling Forest. Here are a few pictures I took on our sojourn.


A "fairy family," I guess.


The first sign of autumnal foliage!


Camels! Cool!


This little girl riding a camel could have been me 40 years ago, except I, um, don't ride camels.

We came back to the pub and Leah and friends were still there. I snapped a photo of a samurai wookiee (well, look at those feet!):


Then we headed down to the Rogues Gallery for some sausage and song stylings. The sausage goes without saying.



Leah was just posing, but Robin was eating the hell out of his sausage.


We stuck around for the Wyrd Sisters' set, but between the exhortations to buy CDs (there are so many cottage industries built around and by Rennies it's mind-boggling) and uncomfortable similarities to sf fandom (I have no patience at all for anyone who refers to people outside of their little cliques as Mundanes) and probable deydration from sitting in the sun too long and particularly the bees, we figured it was time to leave.


And so our leave we took for another year.

I'd have liked to have been a little more awake and alert for the hour-long drive between Tuxedo and da Bronx, but it's a fairly easy journey as well as one of the loveliest and most picturesque to be had. I adore Westchester, Rockland and Orange Counties, the tree-lined highways and gentle hills and mountains as you go further north. I'm hoping to take a few more trips "upstate" during the next couple months, one of the best times of year to be in NY.

We made one pit stop at the local supermarket for some sundries, where I was also able to fulfill my part of the Skippy Challenge by donating $10.01 to the Red Cross to aid in the aftermath of Katrina, and I have the receipt to prove it:


I'm very glad that area supermarkets make this so easy. Got home in time to see the Yanks win, and I'm happy but tired.

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