This morning I awoke to find that the good Lord, in his grand mercy, had blessed us with an overcast day with temperatures in the low 70's! Huzzah! Thankfully we were spared the 100+ temperatures we've been having. In short order I girded myself for battle and proceeded to the local library with my goodly squire, the stout hearted Mini-me.
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Ever the good camp wife, the Lady Dorathea was not to be left at home.
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There was a larger turn out than we had expected with a large number of children attending. The library had a lot of activities set up for the munchkins.
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Lady Dorathea was kept busy the entire afternoon helping the children build a medieval costume.
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A small performance group called Heavy Metal travelled from Wichita to entertain the kids with some "contact" sports.
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These men were fun to watch and mixed a lot of humor into their act. There wasn't much in the way of historical accuracy in their gear, but they freely admitted that to anyone who asked. All in all squire mini-me and I found them to be a likeable bunch. Their swords were the practical versions of Hanwei's medieval Hand and a Half and William Marshall swords. We discussed this quite a bit and they told me that the swords are holding up well under this strenuous use. I was more than happy to let them examine my Big Johnsson, and there were quite a few gasps and awestruck looks when it was in-hand. (wash your minds out with soap, naughty, naughty)
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All of the children seemed to have a great time and I was poked at and questioned quite a bit by children and parents both.
It was a pretty enjoyable afternoon.

Here's a link to more photos at higher resolution: http://www.pbase.com/khp_plk/medieval_faire&page=all

looks like ya had a good time. thanks for the pics

Looks like a great time! And even the weather cooperated! After a string of 100+ temps, even 90 feels like a break. I like the matching paint job on the spear shaft, helm and shield. Good job! :cool:

Thanks for the pics!

Thanks for sharing your day with us, Patrick !
You guys looked great and it was cool to see Lady Dorathea & Mini-me joining in the educational fun with you!


Mac

I thought this shield (held here by a guy named Francis) out of diamond plate was a real hoot. It gave me a chuckle. The one thing I really liked about these guys was that they were pretty honest about their lack of interest in historical authenticity. There's nothing wrong with that kind of approach when you're honest about what your doing, and don't try to sell it as something it isn't.

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They told me that they used to have one that read, "The beer's this way".

That's great Patrick! All three of you look fantastic. I don't know if I ever commented on your spear before, but I love how you painted the shaft.

Patrick Kelly wrote:

The one thing I really liked about these guys was that they were pretty honest about their lack of interest in historical authenticity. There's nothing wrong with that kind of approach when you're honest about what your doing, and don't try to sell it as something it isn't.

I really agree with you here. I was first drawn to swords through fantasy movies and literature as a kid, and there's nothing wrong with pursuing fantasy as a hobby. Sometimes people can be a little harsh on such groups, but so long as they aren't trying to portray themselves as something they aren't, there's absolutely nothing wrong with what they do. (After all, we historically-inclined hobbiests are pretty crazy to most of the rest of the world! :eek: :) )

Patrick;

Whoa, WHOA: Great looking kit, nice to see that A & A danish axe in scale and that is their winged spear I think ( I have one to ) Nice shield also. The familly looks great also.

I agree with the fantasy thing being O.K. just as long as one is honest about it. I think one could do both or try to keep strait at least in ones' mind. ( Not both at the same time :eek: just alternating days. :p :lol: )

Thanks Jean!

That axe came in very handy throughout the day. It gave me something to lean on. :D

I did find another use for it though. When the little kids were tossing balls at the "dunk the monk" booth they were having trouble hitting the paddle. I walked over and used the butt of the axe to strike the paddle and proceeded to "dunk the monk". The "monk" that received the bath was actually my optometrist in disguise. I'm glad I just got a new set of glasses. :lol:

A few more photos from the library admin............................................

Me thinks my stout hearted squire doth appear to be overworked.
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The Lady Dorathea expressing her displeasure at my apparent mistreatment of the goodly Mini-me.
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When the Lady says "take only one hot dog" you'd better listen!
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Hi Patrick,

Thanks for sharing the pictures. Your wife and son look great attired in medieval fashion.

BTW What is "Mustard Seed Faith" (located on the 4th picture)?

Thanks again,

Jeff

Hi Guys,

Thanks for letting me know. I didn't know if this was purposedly taken in the picture or not, but I like it. :) :lol:

Thanks,

Jeff ;)

It's from Matthew 17:20a-21. ".... I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Looks like our posts crossed. I guess I wasn't quick enough with that submit button. Thank you Mike. :)