Carl's Blog

Sunday started off much better, weather wise. After eating breakfast I went to my car to get my mug belt holder and I saw the sun rising. It was a very nice sunny drive and I made sure I left early so I could get a closer parking spot.

This got me to the Faire about 30 minutes early and they had early check in so you could get in quicker through the main gate.

I was also able to hear the introductory speech to the whole day. This was just the start to a fun day.

I’m working on a video walk thru but it’s taking sometime to get it uploaded so I can edit it. I’ll probably post it to my YouTube later and then link it here. (FUTURE VIDEO)

My plan to organize the shows I wanted to see worked, mostly.

The O Danny Girls performance was very PG with plenty of double entendre. I only recorded a short sample. There was plenty of opportunity for audience participation. I couldn’t tell if the two women preforming the act were general impressed with the audience reactions or if that too was just part of the act, trying to ham it up. Either way they were funny, if not a bit naughty and on a Sunday morning too.

Next up was Tudor Ghost stories. These two guys earned their salary. The show was part comedy, part history. I had wanted to do the ghost tour of the event but I missed the start time.

Time for some music with Ally Piper. A mix of classical bagpipe tunes with rock covers. Her TikTok channel is mostly focused on “Will it bagpipe” and there are plenty of rock and metal tunes that work.

I missed the Mustardseeds Fairytales because I was late to boot makers booth. I got hungry so I had what they called “fish and chips”. It wasn’t bad, but was really just a fish sandwich and wavy fries.

I wish I could show you my boots, but there is a 22 month wait on the production. It was fun getting to design the boot from the color choices to the style of the buttons and what type of embellishments. This was one of those times, that you just don’t ask the price because they are not cheap. They are made to last and the makers guarantee the craftmanship for the life of the boot. One of the people who was taking orders has had his boots for 20 years and they still look very good. For them to get started I had to put on a sock and they taped up my left foot (it was the bigger of the two) so they have a model of my foot when it comes time for my boot to get made. Needless to say that boot will be part of my updated costume; however, I’m hoping to be able to wear them on a more regular bases. They are designed for daily use not just a few times a year at festivals. They will be dark brown base leather with dark green accents, Celtic knot inlay and Celtic geometric imprinted bronze buttons.

I had started to think about leaving when I heard another group playing bagpipes at the entrance and had to listen to some of there songs.

Went back for another performance by Ally Piper and then on to the MadWitch.

The MadWitch is an instrumental ensemble of two violins, guitar and box drum.

The jester from the kings court showed up for the last song as a special guest and his routine was differently PG. The crowd got into it and he had a medieval conga line going by the end of the song.

And with that ending it was time for me to make my departure. I made one last stop to buy a stuffed baby dragon and a special cat nip knot for my cat.

Tomorrow’s adventure will be a 9 hour train ride to North Carolina. Stay tuned to read the adventure.

Wish I could say that I slept well last night, but when it’s not your bed you just can’t sleep. At least when I went to the hotel lobby, the complimentary breakfast was almost ready. There was turkey sausage and bacon, ham and cheese omelets (They didn’t call it that, but that was what it was.) biscuits and gravy. I could have had cereal or yogurt too, but why when you are on vacation? The coffee was good and helped me wake up.

After breakfast I went for a walk around the hotel and stumbled upon 2 cemeteries but no churches. One was in the island between three roads, and I don’t think is in use anymore. I’m guessing a Methodist Church must have been near that location.

The other cemetery was a Greek Orthodox with first resident occupying the location in the 1960s and the most recent was this year.

I then headed toward the Whole Foods because I’ve only seen them in Dallas. I wish there was one of these in my hometown, it would make meal prep so much easier.

On the way back it started to sprinkle. The forecast predicted a rainy day, and the forecast was right, however; the rain held back until about noon. More on that later.

I drove around Annapolis a bit looking for a park along the water and found one.

This is when it started to rain, which made me decide not to wear my Ren Faire outfit today. l am glad I decided to wait until tomorrow to wear my outfit, because the rain would have ruined my boots.

So, let’s get on to the Maryland Renaissance Fair… I should have gotten there early.

Once I arrived at the entrance, I had to stand in two lines. Well, I only needed to stand in one, but I wanted to sample adult beverages, so I had to get my age verified wrist band.

Time to go into the Faire.

I’m glad they provided a map of the area, because all the side “roads” were confusing.

There were plenty of vendors selling everything from hats, masks, boots, jewelry, journals and magic wands. If you forgot to wear a costume, they even had costume rentals.

I think I walked around the place twice before I decided on doing anything and even then, I missed some of the side roads until later in the day.

One thing I did notice was all the choices in food. Eventually, I went and got a Scottish Egg and cheese bread for lunch. I forgot to take a picture, but I’m guessing you are tired of seeing food you can’t eat while reading this blog. I’d also bought myself the official 2023 mug for the Faire, the only time the beer cost $2. (Empty mug $26, mug filled with beer $28) after that 16 oz of beer cost $7.

So I told you about the vendors and the food, now what would a faire be without the entertainers. And there were plenty of them. I’m going to create a schedule for tomorrow so I can see as many of the acts as possible. I’ll post better images and short videos tomorrow.

And now let me talk about the rain…

As I said earlier, the rain started just around noon and kept raining until 2 PM. I tried to leave around 1:30 PM but the line was moving so slow that I sat there going nowhere and ended up needing to go to the bathroom. So, I parked again and just went back into the faire and the rain. I found a table under some trees and just sat under my umbrella waiting for the rain to stop.

Eventually it did stop, and I was able to visit a few of the vendors I wanted to see before I left. This time there was no line, and I was out of the parking area in under 5 minutes and at my hotel in about 15 more minutes.

I’m going to save the next adventure I had today for another blog. If you remember my first room’s key wouldn’t work so I go another room, well I tried to get back into a similar room oh my oh my. But that story will have to wait for later.

Going to end here. Tomorrow, I return to the Faire with a plan and in an outfit.

After 2 days of extreme effort for me at least. I normally average 5 miles a day on my Fitbit, but two days in a row with over 12 miles per day has proven to be a bit much for my back. So, today we will be doing a bus tour of Salt Lake City.

The tour by CitySites, was led by Jim, a retired teacher from the area.

The State of Utah was founded by the Church of the Later Day Saints, needless to say much of the tour included stories of their struggles to find a place where they could practice their faith in God.

With all of the stories I’ve heard about this faith, I was surprised to learn the first woman to vote was in Utah, even though Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote. Utah was second but was the first state to actually have a vote. Seraph Young, a niece of Brigham Young, was the first woman to legally vote in the United States.

The tour took us by the stadium used in the 2002 Winter Olympics. You can see the Olympic Torch in front of the stadium. The event raised millions of dollars for Salt Lake City and Utah, because many of the vendor workers were volunteers.

The tour also stopped at The Cathedral of the Madelenie. I really do love stain glassed windows and vaulted ceilings.

We were able to get into the building where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs. We did get asked to leave shortly after because they were closing for a practice session. Enjoy some photos.

One of our stops was the Utah Captial Building. The outside is faced with granite and the inside is all marble.

Here are some pictures inside the capital building.

And after any good adventure, an appetite is worked up. So I decide to try Ruth’s Dinner. I arrived just as the lunch hour rush was ending. This dinner started out as just a dinning car and as the dinner found success it expanded. I enjoyed a limited view outside while partaking of a very delicious chicken fried chicken sandwich.

And with lunch finished I decided to call it a day. I returned to my hotel and enjoyed the Harry Potter movies and a beer or three.

Tomorrow’s adventure is yet to be decided. I will ask the hotel staff tomorrow about mountain climbs I can make in my rental car.