R is for Renaissance Faire

Are you ready for another round of Alphabe Thursday? Let's go!

Attending the Bristol Renaissance Faire is one of the oldest traditions that Jake and I have as a couple. It was one of the first things that we ever did together, and we've been going back as many years as possible since then. Today I'm sharing some pictures from this summer's excursion. You can also revisit pictures from 2011, 2012, and 2013 if you like. Enjoy.

Check out what the other Alphabe Thursday participants posted for the letter R this week right here!

a summer tradition: The Bristol Renaissance Faire

Jake and I have been attending the Bristol Renaissance Faire for many new years now. It was one of the first things we ever did together as a couple and every year there just seems to get better and better. You can check out photos from my 2011 and 2012 trips if you're interested. Of course this was the first year I was there with an SLR so I was even more excited than usual. I still have a lot of photo editing to do (story of my life this summer, which is a good problem), but here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy.

Does anyone else attend a renaissance fair every year? Share your stories and photos!

2012 Bristol Renaissance Faire

Like many people, I have been spending more time away from my usual crafting routine and more time out with family and friends lately.  That's why we love summer, right?  As we get back into cooler weather and more indoor crafting, I'll have more in progress crafting pictures.  For now, you get a little peek into some other aspects of my life.

Jake and I have been to the Bristol Renaissance Faire since 5 or 6 times since we started dating more than ten years ago.  We didn't have the chance to go while we lived in Iowa, but now that we're in Wisconsin, it's an annual event again.  If you've never been to a large scale Renaissance Faire and ever have the change to go, I highly recommend it.  Whether or not you're into this particular scene, it is always a blast with fun shows, good food, lots of kid friendly activities, and numerous opportunities for people watching.

Two of the things I really wanted to watch this year were the torch work and glass blowing.

Click on this photo so you can see the larger version and admire the ship.  It's made entirely from torch work!

We love people watching at the fair.  This doesn't even begin to cover the wide range of costumes that you see there, which cover everything from chainmail to fairy wings to computer game and movie characters.

All of the shows at Bristol are free and include acrobatics, comedy, music, reenactments, and more.

I took a few pictures of Adam Crack's Fire Whip, but you have to check it out in action to appreciate the full effect.

 

Of course there are some mass produced tourist type items, but there are a lot of vendors with beautiful handmade items, too.

Last year we brought a friend with us to the fair.  He and Jake could have watched Vegetable Justice all day.  We were very excited that it was back this year.  There's a lot of background noise in this video, but you'll get the idea.

There are always events in the main arena.  This first picture is of a falcon demonstration.

Here's a final shot of our 2012 group (minus me).

Have you ever been to a Renaissance Faire?  Share your experiences!

[Edit 9:00AM CST: I've already gotten a number of comments about this today and need to clarify.  The Bristol Renaissance Faire is NOT free.  The shows WITHIN the fair are free.]

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July Milwaukee happenings

I finally got around to editing the last July pictures that I took of random events in Milwaukee.  We have had so many social events since we moved here.  I haven't taken pictures of everything, but here are a few events that I did capture.

Jake and I went to the Sprecher Brewery, right here in Milwaukee, with two other couples.  If you are ever in Milwaukee, I definitely recommend this.  It's only $5 and includes a tour, a souvenir glass (a real glass, not a plastic cup), 4 beer samples, and all of the soda samples that you want.  I don't even like soda, but their sodas are amazing.  It's a very homemade taste.

Jake and I went to the Bristol Renaissance Faire with one of the other PM&R residents.  The Faire is within 15 minutes of where my in-laws live, and Jake and I went at least four times while we were dating.  It had been a while, though, and was fun to go again.  There is always so much to see there that I don't think to take pictures.  But I took a few for you guys.

They had glass blowing and torch work.  I didn't want to be intrusive and take a picture of the guy working at the torch, but I took a picture during one of the glass blowing demonstrations.

They always have jousting.  The highlight this year was when one of the knights said, "I really hate this horse." right when he was riding by us.

This was the first time that we had food there.  We shared a turkey leg (the pictures of that are on Jake's phone) and a plate of vegetable tempura, which is one of my favorite foods in the world.  I didn't think to take a picture of it until we were almost finished.

This year they had a guy in the stocks who yelled insults at you while you threw tomatoes at him.  Maybe this isn't a new thing, but they'd never had it in past years.  It was very popular.

Jake and Aaron could have watched this all afternoon.

A couple weeks ago my cousin and I took her kids to the Milwaukee County Zoo.  My parents got me and Jake a membership there as a graduation/moving present, which was very nice because the zoo is not cheap.  If you're going to go more than 3 times a year, the membership is worth it.  Anyway, my cousin's kids are 4 years old and 8 months old so they were interested in about everything but the animals.  Hence I don't have any pictures of the animals.  We still had a good time.

Stay tuned for more fun in August!