Given my experience with Ren Faires and both my and J’s proclivity for spending time at them, we didn’t stop at paying one single visit to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival last weekend. Oh, nay. We could no more go to only ONE day of a Faire, than we could show up at one dressed in Mundane Attire. Since a large part of our universe consists of these experiences, it’s important to us to get to know our new Home Faire, and the people therein.

Getting to know a new Faire isn’t very different from getting to know a new town. It’s the same thing, really – you explore and get lost and don’t know where stuff is and you’re a new face in a place where everyone knows each other and you have to start showing up often enough that folks realize you’re not just Passing Through.

We went a couple of times last year, and had a good time and explored. We started talking earlier this year about how fun it would be to do the Elf thing this year, instead of pirates, but never pursued it as the year’s course took us on other adventures. So, last Saturday, we donned our standard Rennie/Pirate attire and had a nice day of beveraging and shopping and singing along at Marc Gunn’s shows, up at the Sneaky Pub.

There is nothing as fun as walking around a wooded bend and coming across this:

This is a new little spot, added this year.  And my new favorite place!

Later on, at one point whilst shopping, Josh, who has been wanting his own drum for quite some time, found one that he liked, and which liked him right back.  So I gifted him an early Christmas present, and he spent time at the secret Pair O Docks pub noodling.

And then it happened.  We wandered into the archery shop.  One thing led to another and, Elves still on the costuming horizon, J came away with a bow.  An incredible bargain, as it’s perfectly legitimate but the wood is twisted, which decreases it’s value as a good firing bow.  However, it does still fire if you accommodate for the twist, so it makes a great functional costume bow.

And THIS is how we ended up coming home and spending this past week Elfing Out.  J put a stain on the bow and made it personal.  Same with the quiver.  Meanwhile, I had the delight of rummaging through my costume trunk and pulling out anything elfy that I could come up with…things I had not worn in YEARS.  I now have about 4 different fun and Elvish outfits, all comprised of things I’ve owned for at least a decade.  Hurrah!  Going back to the old costumage was like coming home.

And thus, yesterday, a new day dawned on Albright at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival.  We finally arrived in time to see the opening gate show, and once the cannons were fired and we gained entrance upon the Kingdom, we beelined to the shop that sells and applies costume ears.  For that was all we were missing, and we felt quite naked without them!

It was really nice, to do something different.  We decided that, here in LA, we are leaving our days of Faire Piracy behind (save for the Pirate-themed weekend, of course) and relegating that to the occasions whereupon the NOLA pirates storm the FQ.  This elf thing is just way too fun.

We got stopped for photos a couple of times.  And it was great to interact with the other folks inclined toward pointy ears.

It was tempting to go sneaking off through the surrounding woods.   This little tunnel-trail at the sneaky pub held a particular appeal.  Mirkwood, indeed.

So, we gamboled and ambled and looked askance at the strange state of the race of Man and met people, which was great.

That’s one thing, about this Ren Faire society.  We’re everywhere, and no matter where you are, you will find a connection.  Just that day, the girl that gave us our ears turned out to know a good friend of mine in CO.  Marc Gunn, too, was known to me back in CO, via the convention circuit.  And, at the braiding booth, there works a lady who is friends with one of my recent travelling visitors, who gave us an intro on Facebook last week.  It is astonishing, what a small earth it is, upon which we all reside.  This commonality among us, of this fantastical and different world, ties us all together in one shining silver circuit.

And, on that note, I shall leave ye to your day.

But first, here’s an ELFIE!!!!