Ren Fest, Part II

Monday, February 09, 2004

To briefly continue my previous entry on the Ren Fest feast, after said feast we started wandering around. Before the debauch, I found a pewter merchant and bought my very first piece of pewter: a really cool pin (that is also simple and understated) that says “Unforgettable Knights Club.” I then received a great compliment from an ex-girlfriend who said “It certainly is appropriate.” At least I’ll take it as a compliment.

I ran into an amazing number of people that I knew, including: a programmer contractor who did some work for my group at my previous job, a guy who used to work at my former place of employ who retired and went to another agency, a casual acquaintance that I see at all local game and SF/F conventions, and this really cool lady whom I had a great time chatting up at DarkCon.

I wandered with some caffeine inhand, inspecting wares, silently laughing at two of the cutlery vendors. There’s one vendor who does Damascus blades: he had a full length rapier with a basket hilt made of interlocking antlers, it came in just under $4000. Amazingly light blade. I’d love to get a Damascus steel Sgian Dubh from him, absolutely beautiful work.

As happens every year, I ran into Miguel of Don Juan and Miguel and spent some time talking to him. Because of timing, I didn’t get to see any of their shows in full, but I did catch the end of their last show of the day and I bought their DVD, The Tale of El Gusano (The Worm). It was all of $20, and for a 25 minute movie with another 40 minutes of material from their shows, I didn’t feel bad about buying it. It actually was pretty funny, I’m glad I bought it and will be showing it at our next gaming get-together. He either has an incredible memory for remembering people or he’s one of the greatest scammers of all time. I think he was involved in the local SF/F community when I was in, I just don’t remember.

I had separated from the rest of the group and eventually we found each other again. Much more wandering ensued, a brief discussion regarding lingerie, some fun with my leather lash, much playing with greyhounds, just general silliness. We lost a quarter of our band of merry-makers directly after the feast, we then re-gained and not long thereafter lost another two. So we were back to our Core Four. No one in our quartet, except for me, had ever seen Cast in Bronze, an act added to the Ren Fest in 2003. It is a mobile carillon that must be seen and heard to be believed. I believe the performer said it weighs four tons. It is it’s own trailer, he hitches it to a truck and drives away.

This was conveniently timed and located, there was a vendor of roasted nuts near the stage. I had been hoping for some chocolate-covered strawberries, but the vendor closest to where we started from had gone away and become an omelet shop or something. So nuts to us! We enjoyed Cast in Bronze, I was able to get my DJ&M (Hispanics to the World – very obscure joke) DVD and get it signed by the two performers plus the lovely Esmerelda, Mistress of the Whip.

When the show ended, it was time to depart. It was after 5:00, the Fest was beginning to close down, and the sun was setting which can have quite a chilling effect when you’re in the middle of the desert. Of course we had another “friend encounter” on the way out. Liz peeled off from us to track down some friends, so it was down to Rich, Karyn and I to leave. We stopped to admire the Living Tree (who oddly was without his digeridoo chanter), then there was the black-clad bird man balancing on the giant ball. And there was the leather & fur –clad barbarian, this year he had his rather fetching female sidekick, I haven’t seen her there the previous couple of years.

Thus endeth our day, driving off into the sunset, listening to Shoggoth on the Roof.