Yesterday Was The Last Day of Ren Fest - Swimming Today So Schedule Changes Begin

I'm trying out my new schedule. An hour from now I'll be in line at the gym, waiting to get into the locker room and then into the swimming pool. I'm so excited I couldn't sleep - at least, DH's snoring awakened me after about four hours of sleep, and I couldn't get back to sleep. So, I took advantage of the extra time, meditated for an hour, and then got a bit caught up, making sure I had everything packed that I needed and downloading the photos for today's blog post to share with all of you. 

Autumn has come to the Fest. It was an incredibly beautiful 
day - crystal clear blue skies, a slight breeze, comfortable 
temperatures. People were streaming into the Festival grounds 
as we were leaving shortly before noon. 

Yesterday was the final day of Ren Fest, and it was a stunningly beautiful day. DH wanted to leave by 11:30 am so that we could get home and watch most of the football game, and I didn't really have any objections. We got there, picked up our tickets from the Will Call booth, and signed up and paid for next year's Season Tickets (basically, we pay the equivalent of three tickets and get the season - usually anywhere from 6-8 weeks - it's a great deal and only available for an extremely limited time). 

The majority of the large trees we have at fest are oaks. We 
do take our lives into our hands sometimes - those acorns 
can hurt when they hit. The trees turn a lovely olivine color 
in the Fall, and sometimes the leaves are gold-lipped around 
the edges. 

We were wandering the circuit - exterior walk through the new and old sections, then one more time for interior walking the old section. There were a few itinerant merchants set up around Shepard's Green in the new section, and one of them caught my eye. Oh! They had corsets in the style I was looking for. I went in and took a closer look. Ten minutes later, I had a new corset that fits beautifully, and it was only $95! If I get two years of wear from it, I've got a total winner, and it's actually well made. I'm totally thrilled with my new corset, even if it took me ALL SEASON to find one - LOL. 

I really love my new corset. It fastens the way I 
wanted it to, it's sturdy and well made, and it's 
in my colors. The cost of only $95 was also a 
winner. 

The woman at the tent first told me to choose a smaller 
one than the one I had initially grabbed, so I did. She 
put it on, and tightened the laces, and I loved it. I asked 
DH what he thought and he nodded. When I asked the 
cost and was told it was under $100 (the ones I had been 
looking at were anywhere from $185 through $450) I 
knew I had a winner. "SOLD" I laughed, and handed them 
my credit card. It started my day out beautifully. 

I also found an excellent gift for Chickie's holiday present, so all in all, I consider it a total win. This was the 50th year (actually, last year was the 50th, but COVID aka "The Plague" shut everything down, so their anniversary was celebrated this year instead). Of course, every year the King and his Court celebrate those members of the general Ren community who have served the Fest. These Service Awards are certificates and sometimes small gifts, and every five years of continuous service, a person could qualifie for. So there is a 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and this year a 50th year of continuous service that was celebrated. Tuey, who I discussed a few Sundays ago received his 40th year Service Award with a rousing round of applause from the audience. Sir David (a lovely man who is almost an Elton John look-alike) was one of two people to receive their 50th Year of Service award. Wow. These were people involved back in the very early days of hippies and celebrating true handcrafted works. 

DH always dresses like a pirate, unless he's 
wearing his kilt. Here, he is flanked by two 
wonderfully-attired Fops, who were kind 
enough to indulge us. It made his day. 

Among the people hanging around the Service Awards were the Fops. In the old days, there was an entire cadre of Fops - five or six men who dressed beautifully in matching court outfits and ranged the Festival Grounds in a small pack of wafting powder and "ivory" fans or parasols. They aren't a group any more, but there often are a few individuals in the cast. DH wanted his photo taken between the two Fops, and they were kind enough to agree. I share it with all of you. 

We had a chance to see our favorite young alligator again. 
He just loves hanging out and sunning in his little area. 
He freaks the turtles a bit, but they keep a sharp eye out, 
and cluster near a hollow log to escape if necessary. 

Autumn has hit, and it was a beautiful drive out and back. Unfortunately, there just no really good way to pull off on very busy roads for photos, so the few I've put into here will have to do. I'll try and do some neighborhood autumn shots for all of you later this week. 

As spiral meditation mazes go, it was pretty darned small, 
but it was also quite lovely, being built with fresh flowers. 
I really loved this small spiral on the grass, and wanted to 
share it with all of you. 

I'd better get photos plugged in and set this on it's way. I'll catch up with everyone else's posts and make my comments to friends after I've returned from the pool. Swimming!!! Yippee!!! I'm scheduled for 5:00 am today, but could only grab a 6:00 am slot for Wednesday. I'll have to learn to be flexible - LOL. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow for a more normal treadmill schedule.