After leaving the blacksmith we ran across this poor fellow. Apparently he had insulted the Queen and was sentenced to a full day of being pelted with tomatoes.
In between throws he would taunt the crowd with insults. Something about our mothers and lack of moral character. This poor fellow was just informed that his dad was a donkey or possibly a pig.
We made a quick stop at the archery range so Nicholas could practice his rabbit hunting skills.
Action shot!
Tuyen found a new friend near one of the shops. She was the strong silent type. I warned him to be careful of dry rot.
Local craftsmen and women selling their wares.
Neat looking wooden staircase and sagging roof.
Another blacksmith shop. You can buy knifes, swords or axes at the fair, but they hold them at the front office and you have to pick them up as you're leaving for safety reasons.
Living is good at the fair. Makes me want to have a large mug of mead and mutton.
This woman was preparing wool to be turned into yarn. There are two paddles in her lap that pull the fibers back and forth enabling them to be later twisted into a single thread.
Kids were playing a tug or war game with a four-way rope. Last person left standing on his/her box won.
This lady was right out of Alice in Wonderland!
Snapped a quick picture of assorted metal headdresses in a chain mail shop.
They have a birds of prey show that's put on here. Two people stand on either end of the field and you can watch some of the larger hawks and falcons fly back and forth performing tricks. We were in a rush to make the jousting show so we kept walking.
Quick stop at a glass blowers shop and watched him put a base on a glass vase. I always wanted to try my hand at glass blowing. It looks like fun.
The worlds biggest rocking horse??
This is the tower prison for unruly kids. We could hear screams for food and water as we passed. But I just ignored them. Ankle biters deserve what they get.
We were moving fast towards the jousting grounds so I was just snapping pictures as we went. Two noble ladies walking with their greyhounds.
A cool looking wooden dragon in the window of a wood workers shop.
There are a lot of shows going on all day. They're all free..but they ask for donations at the end of each one. It's handy to bring a lot of small bills.
Quick peak into the sword makers shop.
Finally! we make the 2:30 jousting show. The stands were already full, but we were lucky enough to find a spot at the top of the stands, out of the sun. Say what you will, a renaissance fair in the desert sounds pretty funny..but we have the best backdrop for a jousting tournament. Those are the
Superstition Mountains in the back there. Home of the notorious
Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine.
Each section of the stands have their own cheering coach. This was ours. Hubba hubba!
The King arrived, along with his son, and the festivities were under way. No sign of the Queen. She was probably off rolling around in the hay with Lancelot somewhere.
Each of the knights entered the tournament grounds and made a grand loop. This was our section's knight, Maximilian. He also just happened to be the "bad" guy. Never let the rules stop you when you're trying to win a joust. It's always fun to cheer for the bad guy:)
The various knights start off with some feats of strength. Racing at full charge capturing rings hanging from posts, and hitting various targets before the other guys gets to them.
Then they had to hit a wooden structure that was weighted down with sand bags. The knight who was able to knock it over with the most sand bags won the right to challenge anyone he wanted. They got up to three or four sand bags before they had a hard time pushing it over.
Then the jousting started and soon lances were shattering into a million pieces. I was trying to get wood pieces flying in the air, but the camera wasn't working with me.
As usual, Maximilian was accused of cheating and a nasty fight broke out.
Luckily the King called a stop to it. He told everyone to come back for the last show of the day to see the final outcome. Usually Kiri and I always catch the last joust show..it's the best one. But today we wanted to get back to Tucson before it got too cold. As we were exiting the jousting area I saw some belly dancers and snapped a quick picture.
Kiri and I bought some metal roses at a fair a couple of years ago. She wanted to stop and pick up another. They weren't the same as we got last time..but these new ones were scented like real roses. They smelled great!
Kiri bought a limited edition 2012 red rose.
There was a fair maiden playing a harp as we walked back towards the entrance. She was very good!
We found a rich merchantman who was willing to take a picture with us. I think I need to buy myself a cane. I could really bring those back into fashion!
We stopped for snacks before leaving. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm.
Well we didn't get to see as many shows as we'd liked. We just got there too late. But overall it was a great time. I know Tuyen said he'd go back next year. Kiri and I being silly as we left.
A few more bikes were in the parking lot then when we got there.
A nice looking Harley Wide Glide parked next to me.
I like how the owner of this Ninja left his shoes under his bike.
Sorry this post was so long! Thanks for staying through them all. Until next time!
