Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Carolina Renaissance Festival

We went to the fair today with some of our homeschool co-op friends.  It was one of three student discount days they have, and the place was Packed (mostly school classes).  Aside from that, though, it was a wonderful day -- clear skies, pleasant temperatures, and none of the kids got lost.  Not even Katie.  How is that for amazing and delightful?

Katie insisted she could climb this twisting ladder and ring the bell.  We offered advice that we couldn't have followed ("Balance!") from the sidelines.

The girls with the talking tree.

The joust was fun.  Katie insisted on cheering for the "good" guy (our side got the Evil Knight who Kicks Puppies).

Katie and Mother Goose.  And her goose.  There were two geese.  Mother and Father Goose told us that they make Excellent house pets.  They wear diapers, snuggle up on the pillows at night, and guard the house fiercely.  And live for 40 to 50 years.  I was amazed.  (And not just by the goose diapers.)


My camera was wonky most of the day, and I didn't get a good picture of Katie on the Giant Bungy Cord Jumpy Thing.  But she Loved it and jumped amazingly high.

When she said she wanted to climb the rock wall, I tried to discourage her.  She's tried these a couple times before, and never gotten very high.  But the third time is the charm!

She only got about a third of the way up the first time, but then the nice woman holding her rope suggested that she try the other side of the tower, where the footholds are larger (this was late-ish in the day, and there was no one waiting).

Katie bought a Giant Turkey Leg.  I have always been mildly horrified by these, but she enjoyed it (and, aside from the admission tickets, the kids were blowing spending money they'd saved up), and now she can check that off her life list. 
 When you have a three pound turkey leg, sharing (in exchange for your brother's french fries) is painless.

This was one of Travis's favorite booths.  Real swords, knives, axes, etc.  And reproductions of Lord of the Rings weapons.  A friend bought a real ax here, but Travis, with a little hesitation, agreed that a wooden ax was more useful for staging dramatic battles for "kid level" movie making.  Also, the wooden ax was rather more affordable.

It was the end of the day (they close at 2:30 on student days), and the woman in charge of the Bang the Hammer/Ring the Bell booth let the kids bang the hammer to their hearts' content.  Eventually Ed and I got tired and dragged them away.

Katie's high score here was Plague Flea, but mostly she was at Pustule.  Travis made it all the way to Cock.  He wanted to hit Scullery Maid, but it was beyond his powers.  If only I could persuade him that he is welcome to be a scullery maid at home any time he wants!

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