mld, November 10, 2003 at 10:57:00 PM CET

More Wenches of TRF 2003

The penultimate weeked of faire was again a mixed bag. The weather was merely OK, and the light for shooting pics once again sucked. The crowd was fairly good on Saturday at 29,700, but Sundays continue to lag, and we only had 17,200. Once again all stats courtesy of the Beefeaters.

While both of these are the best crowds to date, we're still looking for that killer weekend where 60K+ folks come partying through.

Macker will be pleased to know that I ran into the woman I'd been calling the SpikyWench, and not only got a few more pics of her, but actually chatted a bit with her. She's calling herself Hippolyta, after the queen of the Amazons. I pointed out that she'd have to have one of her breasts removed to pull that off in an authentic manner, but all present agreed that would probably be going a bit too far in the interests of realism. :-)

This lady had a very interesting headpiece, and even had, as more and more folks seem to be doing these days, some bizarre contacts fitted to make her look more alien. Once expensive and largely found only in Hollywood productions, they seem to have become more widespread, and I see a few dozen or so patrons each year wearing them.



My friend Mary was wearing quite a lovely headpiece this week, and the pics I took of her Saturday are among my very favorites of the season.





After I took those two, I started laughing and said, "Hon, I'm just gonna grab a closeup of my favorite part." The result is here. :-)

I don't know the name of her character this season, but this young lady has been a member of the entertainment cast here for many seasons, in various roles.Once a barbarian, then a Native American princess, she's now a gypsy woman of some sort.



This lass is winning the award this season in the category of Bravest Attempt to Restrain the Puppies With the Least Square Inches of Leather.





Stay tuned. More to come later.
 

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mld, November 6, 2003 at 8:15:00 AM CET

Wenches of TRF 2003

Everywhere you go at TRF you cannot but help being amazed at the number and variety of lovely wenches there. And ladies, be not mistaken, unlike in our modern culture, the term wench carries no ill will or insult, it is simply the most common name used for any of the non-noble classes.

Here are some pics of some of the lovely wenches I've run into this season, and, in such cases as I know it, a bit of information about them.

Collette

Collette is a gypsy wench, working as a serving wench in the Prince of Wales pub. In past seasons she's been a cast member, but now works for the Prince serving ale and a hundred watt smile, along with ample acres of eye-candy cleavage. What's not to like? :-)



Collette in her old bodice



Collette in her new bodice. I kinda like this one better, for two obvious reasons. :-)

Aphrodite

Aphrodite is a beer wench in the Greek food and entertainment circle where the LimeyBirds and the gypsy dance troupe perform. A classic slender blonde beauty.



Hippolyta

I don't know a thing about this woman, other than that she was hanging out (in several ways) around Lord Entropy's shop, and that's while she's a bit too skinny for my tastes, most of the male readers are gonna think she's Hot Stuff. I'm of two minds about that garb - it seems to be saying "Look, but don't touch." Like trying to eat a lollipop with the wrapper still on.





Red Hot Momma

Who says you can't be a barbarian and a good mother too? I've been a nodding acquaintance to this barbarian woman for a few years now...



and now she shows up with her daughter in barb garb. :-)





Vision in Blue

I'd never seen this wench before last Saturday, when she came sashaying by the candle shop for which I work as a hawker. Said occupation gives me an excellent excuse to begin a conversation with just about anyone, so I began it by telling the young lad that was escorting her down the lane that a woman as fair and toothsome as this should immediately be gifted with a candle in the aroma of her choice, and were it me, I would be especially interested in purchasing one of our Romance Candles, designed and garanteed to drive women to such heights of lusty passion as they had not yet even known existed.

This young rapscallion brandished his beer at me, a Miller Lite, (that alone enough to demonstrate he was a man of unsophisticated taste, and totally unworthy of such a buxom lass), and replied that were he needin' some romance, he'd just go git him another beer.

In an effort to help the young lad, so new in the ways of the world, I pointed out that were one wishing to start a fire, one could do better than by beginning with soaking one's wood in beer, and further commented upon the additional erotic possibilites of molten wax.
She laughed, he looked uncomprehendingly at me, and said if she wants to look at candles, fine, but I'm gonna go git me another beer, or something to that effect, and stalked off.

She then said that he could from time to time act like the southmost end of the alimentary canal, (though that was not her exact term), and we chatted pleasantly for a few moments, after which she agreed to pose for a pic or two.



Note that she is neither skinny or spiky :-)

I told her I'd send her a copy of the pics, and got her email addy. Since I collect dozens every day, I always ask folks to write down a few words next to their address, so that I can remember which pic belongs to which address. She hesitated, and asked me what she should write. I told her "vision in blue" would be just fine. Hence her title here. :-)

This is just a start - I couldn't possibly post all the pics I have in one shot, even if I used little itty bitty thumbnails, it'd make the page waaay too slow to load. So, more wenches in the next few days, to include Katie, Scorch, Kris, and a host of others, not the least of which would be the ladies of GiggleFest.

Sign up for the email updates, using the form on the right, there, and be the first on your block.

 

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mld, November 5, 2003 at 2:40:00 PM CET

TRF Pics 2003 - Weekend the Fyfth

Mortianna Doubtfire

The fifth weekend was a mixed bag. The weather was not rainy, but it was hot and muggy. While the Powers That Be thought that a 60K+ total weekend attendance was at least possible, the reality fell far short, with attendance being "only" 24,977 on Saturday, and a very disappointing 14,896 on Sunday, for a total of 39,873, per the Beefeaters. I think we're all going to have to resign ourselves to cruddy weekends when the Houston pro football team, the Texans, is playing at home.

Anyway, enough kvetching. It was Halloween weekend, so many of the costumes had that flavor, as evidenced by this pretty witch:

For another view of her garb, click here.

Or these monster-looking dudes:



Dunno what exactly they were supposed to be, but they were scaring the heck out of the little kids

My buddy Scott was clanking around in his full armor, as usual. It's made to period specs, from real steel at the correct guages, so it's hot and a bit heavy, and he does rattle like a tank when he moves.



There is a good bit of detail etched into the armor, as you can see here.

Many members of the entertainment troupe at the faire seem to change roles almost every season, while others keep their personas for years. John has been everything from a barbarian to a goblin, and now a noble, fighting as a "light fighter," that is, with a rapier and light armor, as opposed to a fully armored heavy fighter, in the Art of Self-Defense Show. I caught this pic just after he had rolled up on his feet after "losing" a bout in one of the demonstrations. Hence the baleful look on his mug.



"And just who might you be gazing at, sirrah?"

New this season is a wall of arches around the Arena, where the Royal Joust and the Highland Games are contested. On top of the wall are a series of Roman statuary.



A bust of Caesar Augustus, I think

Maritabeth owns and runs one of the post popular and successful costume shops at this or any other faire, Pendragon Costumes.



Maritabeth and the Furies

In this pic, she's being mauled by the men of Sound and Fury, one of TRF's premiere acts. They're a three man troupe that does what they call "Fakespeare," thirty or so minute side-splitting manic takeoffs on some of the Bard's most famous plays. They are one of the acts I always tout when patrons ask advice on what shows to see.

This year's acts include "Testacles and the Sack of Rome" and "Romeo and Juliet 2.0" Disclaimer: These shows aren't intended for kids. As I warn patrons, if their kids don't know where babies come from before the show, they will before it's over. :-)

I actually took this pic last year, (dedicated S&F fans will be able to tell immediately) but I never got around to putting it up, so, there it is.

After the parade at noon, the jousters and the Master of the Joust came trotting by the booth, and let me tell you, that big black Freisian has a purty gait - she was prancing down the lane...

About $30K worth of horsemeat

He was followed by the English jouster...



A colorfully caprisoned steed indeed

At Lord Randall's Chainmail Shop, in the afternoon they often get some of his chainmail girls to come out and dance, accompanied by several musicians. Most belly dance, but some of the girls just sorta do free-form whatever sorta stuff, like Stevie Nicks after one too many meads. :-)

In any case, they draw pretty big crowds of gawkers, as is evident here...

That little tiny dancing figure? PussyCat



A closer look at another dancer

Finally, I promised Christina that I'd keep a sharp eye out for any more Barbarian BeefCake. Here you go, 'tina.



Still on my To-Do List, getting up the pics from GiggleFest. Toughest part about that is getting up the nerve. :-)
 

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