Fair maidens, turkey legs, and burly men...

A couple of weekends ago, The Girl and I loaded up with her aunt and uncle and went off to the annual Bay Area Renaissance Festival. (Or, as the traveling gypsies performing there called it: B.A.R.F. I wonder what it says about us that we never picked up on that anacronym.)

Sadly, we missed out on the giant turkey legs and passed on the pickles (did they have pickles in Renaissance times?), but enjoyed some shows, marveled at what passes for Renaissance themed items these days, and employed the use of some burly men to push The Girl around on the swings. A lot. A whole lot. A whole lot times three dollars each time. Ahem.

And of course, we stopped at the pub for a pint, where we enjoyed the Bawdy Boys ("Ireland...by way of Detroit") perform a very impressive - and very long - version of The Green Grass Grew All Around. (I secretly wish we had been able to stick around to see if they knew Railway.) The Girl was so impressed she even tossed some money in the hat.

Note: Ren Fest still has two more weekends two go. This weekend is "High Seas Adventure" (where I'm sure the pirates will be out in force), and next weekend is "Huzzah to the King". Be forewarned: it's dusty and dirty (in more ways than one). But where else can you find a man in a leather leotard and thigh high boots, accompanied by a dog in a cape?