WA Renaissance Faire in the News!

Our first press of the year...and a good thing too, considering we'll be at a new site and needing new attendees to replace the ones who don't pay attention. This is a very nice, comprehensive look at the birth of an up and coming major attraction in the State of Washington, courtesy of the Kitsap Sun.

Starting up the horse season...

This last weekend was not exactly the first "training weekend", but it finally feels like Spring is coming so I'm calling it the opening of horse season. I'm sewing in earnest (clothes for humans and horses), Gordon and Bev are making/fixing/purchasing armor pieces, and I'll be starting work writing our shows for the Renaissance Faire in August. The horses are blowing out their Winter coats (read: shedding like snowstorms), and it's time to start getting them in condition (read: trail rides, jousting practice and cavalry drill).

The gorgeous photo of Woody and me (right) was shot by Randy Pollett, who came out to visit us instead of doing the typical model shoot he had planned for that day. The few images I've seen so far are fab, but this one gets the prize in my book. Really nice atmosphere. Thanks, Randy!

Here I am as the lone pikeman, facing down the cavalry coming at me with pistols, which I think is totally unfair.



I died, of course.

All of Guillaume's photos here...

International Assn. of Time Travelers: forum excerpts

What if there really existed a group of time travelers in the distant future? Wouldn't it make sense that they would be no different from ordinary, mortal tech geeks? This short piece made me laugh out loud, for several reasons. Very nicely done.

So long, and thanks for everything, Arthur C. Clarke!

It is with fond nostalgia and a bit of sadness that I report, belatedly, the passing of one of the true great minds of our age, Sir Arthur C. Clarke. His hard science fiction novels were instrumental in shaping my childhood dreams and aspirations. Kevin Murphy's comments were the first to inform me of his passing today, closely by Hotspur's. Clarke's "3 Laws of Technology" should be a guiding light for scientists everywhere, and it's a shame that it's obviously not the case. There is no group more religious and calcified than a group of scientists or technologists. If you doubt this statement, crack any biography of Einstein, Newton, Galileo, or, for instance, anybody who proposed the theory of plate tectonics in the first half of the 20th century.

Horse Sense: can it be taught?

The "Fugly Horse of the Day" blog is always an entertaining, educational, and occasionally frustrating read. Today she poses the question: Is 'horse sense' a totally natural thing that's just instinctive, or can it be taught? The Natural Horsemanship people, like the infamous Pat Parelli, seem to think so. I think it's instinctive, but that the "animal reading" instincts can be further developed with proper training and learning from old hands. For instance, I'm pretty good with animals, but I have a huge amount to learn when it comes to reading and handling horses. What's saved my bacon so far is patience and freedom from the fear that I'll hurt their wittle feewings if I slap (flat of the hand), poke (finger, elbow), or growl at them for bad behaviour.

Easter hot on St. Paddy's coat tails...

What's with the holidays stacking up so close together this year? I'm a bigger fan of Passover these days, anyway. I think a celebration of the resurrection of Christ is much needed, but Easter started out as a co-opted pagan celebration, and then the Victorians cuted it up so terribly that it's all bunnies and chickies and eggs anymore. Feh. What happened to Jesus busting out of his tomb and knocking down over a hundred Roman soldiers?! The marshmallow peeps people seem to have forgotten that part.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

There's something equally likable and yet odd about this card. What has he been smoking and or drinking? He seems to be having a vision of Ireland personified...or is this tailcoated gentleman enamored with an inanimate object? We may never know, poor sot.

Bill Corbett has something to say about St. Patrick himself, and sets us all straight.

What I'm doing when I should be sewing...

Want to be in a Jousting Show?

We're always looking for recruits!

The Pomposity of the Inflated

This was made by my friend Hotspur to illustrate an issue in the Second Life neo-Victorian community, but I think it applies to 1st life re-enactors and other groups as well. SCA, anybody?

The Joy of Ren Faire

I made this strip in honor of my friend Amy, who is the Performing Arts Director of the WA Renaissance Fantasy Faire. I could never do her job...

Academia Della Spada in the News!

Our friends at the Academia Della Spada are in the Features section of USA Today...today! The article is pretty decent, surprisingly, and the little video is quite nice. Wish I knew how to embed it here, oh well.

Be sure to scroll down to the comments section and be entertained by the usual crop of disparaging idiots who instantly associate this group with the SCA or some LARP group. Luckily, the erudite and constructive comments far outweigh the dweebs.