Scarborough Faire

Shayla's mentioned once or twice about Master's liking of rennaisance faires. He's not SCA or anything like that, simply enjoys the history, the costumes, the chance to meet so many people. Of course, he also enjoys showing us off & the scenery (of the various sizes of bodices). So while Master & miranda were at work on Saturday, shayla saw to it that the packing & preparation of food was taken care of. There're distinct advantages to having an adult at home all the time. That person's able to take care of the home & such while the others are bringing in the $$$'s. And one person gets worn out trying to do both. This case was no different. By the time they'd gotten off work & home (at 3:45 a.m.), things were packed & ready to load into the truck. We stopped at the store for a couple more things & were on the road by 5:30.

Scarborough Faire is in Waxahatchie, about 3 or 4 hours from Houston (depending on route & how much one breaks the speed limit). Master's been there a few times but this was a first for miranda & shayla. Though, most faires are very similar. But they're all fun.

When we got there shayla'd had all of perhaps 2 hours of sleep in the previous 24; Master and miranda hadn't had any more. And trying to sleep on the way up in the truck didn't work at all for shayla. Just wasn't able to get comfortable enough. So she did the next best thing, and dozed as much as she could.

One of the fun things about Faire for shayla is the amount of people watching. A rennaisance faire is the perfect chance for people to express themselves. There are few limits to the creativity that people put into their outfits and demeanor. Miranda & shayla, as has become the norm, drew more than our share of looks & attention, but our wear was certainly not the most elaborate. As with the mail entry, shayla's not got any photos available. But the costumes worn ranged from the 'standard' midieval clothing to fauns, faeries, a centaur, leather armor of various colors and types. Chain mail such as what miranda wore the 2nd day, numerous Scots (with kilts, worn the traditional manner), even a nun (so the wearer was a man, so what?).

Of course, not going on much sleep as we were, by the time we left to go to the hotel, we were all worn out, too tired to even to go eat. We wound up ordering pizza instead. Pizza, it'd been a long time since shayla's had pizza. It was close to midnight before we all ate, showered, and got to bed. The next day was much like the first, though there were more looks directed to miranda, due to the chain mail that we'd gotten for her the day before.

The second day was actually beter than the first (no doubt because we were better-rested). One of the members of the jousting had noted miranda the day before, so she had a personal invite to watch the jousting. A while later we three girls took our turn at the archery. Shayla's aim is every bit as bad as her handwriting and houseplant care, so it was a little stunnig when she actually hit the target. Not a bull's-eye, but well within the outer border (there will be no mention of the target being no more than 25 feet away).

But by far the best part was one of the shows that we went to in the late afternoon. Iris & Rose have known Master for years, and they always appreciate having him in their audience. This time was no different. They've just recently put out a new CD & they had sold out, only to have one buyer give it back to them. So they auctioned it off at the last show of the Faire. Master, who'd already bought one CD, kept upping the bidding until it hit $70. And then after paying the money he gave the CD back for them to re-sell. The 2nd time it went for $65, bought by the man that'd just gotten out-bid by Master. Everybody in the audience loved it, and Iris & Rose were stunned. It set the mood for the remainder of the show. Normally they'll invite the audience to contribute four or five jokes or limericks to the show, but this time it developed into an impromptu competition, lasting a good 45 minutes past when the show was supposed to have stopped.

Another night in the hotel, & we headed hoje the next day. Master took us on some of the side highways on the way home. Beautiful scenery, even a hill or two. We'd been in miranda's old home territory so she was able to tell us a little about much of what we drove past. It rained on the way home. One of those downpours that start slow & end after pummelling everything with huge, fat drops. Shayla's not stopped loving the rain yet.

shayla