get thee to the faire!

Yup, we went to the famous Maryland Renaissance Festival yesterday! I, personally, have been to a number of medieval-type festivals and events of various sorts, all in Europe, home of the actual Middle Ages and Renaissance. In fact except for yesterday, all the medieval-type events I've attended have taken place at authentic medieval sites, like a castle, a walled city, another castle...you get the idea. But I wholeheartedly endorse Maryland's Renaissance Festival for a great historical experience. Also heavy on the comedy, and not just because of the grown men wandering around in tights, either. If you go, be sure to check out the Hack and Slash show, notable for their great jokes, beer-swilling, sword fighting, and the fact that we saw them twice. Even the Widge seemed to enjoy them, or at least it seemed that way, because he wasn't trying to chop things down with his wooden sword during the entire show (during the joust, on the other hand, that clump of dirt took a serious beating. It'll think twice before hanging around insolently, or being taller than the surrounding clumps of dirt, ever again). The Widge, by the way, is afraid of free pony rides. He liked watching the ponies, but he screamed whenever he got close to them. (its worth noting that I spelled both "renaissance," and "medieval" correctly on my own, but I would have misspelled "afraid" if not for spell-check.)

The music was great, we saw the king himself, and several of his people running around, the food was good, and they have elephants, so what's not to love? We did take pictures, but on a little disposable camera we hastily bought at CVS on the way out there. I'm on the verge of putting out an APB on my camera. I think there may be a worm hole somewhere in the apartment: we've lost at least three significant items in the seven weeks or so we've lived here. Perhaps the Widge is selling them on the black market while he's supposed to be napping. The infrequency of naps explains why only three items are missing. I wonder if he has some new, pimped-out matchbox cars anywhere: that would be the tell-tale sign. If I find a matchbox car with a hot-tub and wide screen TV, I promise I'll find a way to post pictures.

I read my knitting magazine, and it was wonderful: like an ice-cold beer on a hot day. There was a great article about cables: I love the look of cables, but I just never knit any. Maybe I will now. Anyway, it really got me back in a knitting frame of mind, and I feel innovative, so I started a daring new project. I'll write more about it if it works. If not, I'll delete this paragraph and replace it with a review of our Curious George DVD. I love George. He's the only thing that lets spend a few quiet moments in the bathroom alone. For those of you contemplating parenthood, or any life-style other than one of strict abstinence, re-read that last sentence. My ability to answer the call of nature without an audience relies entirely on a fictional monkey. Now, doesn't the convent seem more appealing?