The Sterling Renaissance Festival aka The Best Day Ever

Here ye! Here ye!

Last weekend (two weekends ago?) I went to the Sterling Renaissance Festival and had the greatest time! I went with three of the Summer Youth Tour actors, and it happened to be one of their birthdays!

The entrance to the fair.

Garden Noms. *chuckles*

 

Enjoying some "Peasant Bread". Delicious!

The group I went with knew one of the characters, and we were able to catch his shows as well as see some on our own. We saw a "Dunk Trial" where they actually dunked the actors into a pond! Apparently it is home to a few snapping turtles and snakes- yuck! Then we went to a jousting match. Our guy lost- womp womp. Then we listened to some beautiful madrigals, and then sat in on an Irish storyteller who tell dirty tales. It was hilarious to see one older woman turn around every time he said something dirty! Though to be honest I did blush every now and then. Then we went to a 30-minute cut of The Tempest. Thirty. Minutes.

Watching a jousting tournament.

Listening to some lovely madrigals. 

G-d Save the Queen!

Entertainer during the parade

A flamboyant Spaniard

The last show we saw was a mud-pit fight. Three guys told a story while throwing each other in mud. We sat in the front row, and though my friends got some mud on them, I managed to remain clean!

Posing with the Queen and a Spanish Princess!

That's a man on stilts in a tree costume!

At the end of the day!

The fair ends the day with the actors singing pub songs of the time. It was the perfect ending, and you can really tell that everyone there loves what they're doing.

All in all, it was a great day!

-B

And for your entertainment.... (ignore my disgustingness and direct your attention to the three guys in the back) 

A turkey leg! #I'mGross

SUP!

Today I learned how to SUP! No, it's not a throwback to the "WAZZUP??!!" It stands for Stand-Up Paddleboarding, and it was oddly easy.

I went with my co-worker to the Finger Lakes Paddleboard, which is right on Owasco Lake, the one where the Playhouse is located. We were in a different part of the lake, it was more of a "passageway" from one part of the lake to another, though it was very close to the theater.

Surprisingly, Stand-Up Paddleboarding isn't that hard. You start sitting on your knees, then work your way up to standing. That was the scariest part- standing up. It's a delicate shifting of you weight, but once you've found your balance it's pretty much smooth sailing (pun intended) from there. There also weren't any waves or anything that would rock the board, so we lucked out.

It was calming and fun, something I'd like to do in the morning as the sun is coming up, it was so relaxing- once I got the hang of it that is.

Our teacher took these cool photos of us on the boards...

We didn't even fall in!

A beaver in the lake!

-B

Oops, I haven't updated in a while (even after I said I would)!

MGR has a company scavenger hunt that goes on all summer, so here are some of the things I've been checking off the list...

Getting a drink at Parker's Bar- 5 pts.

Picture with the first electric chair (which happens to be at a bar...)- 10 pts

Wearing an MGR Shirt- 10 pts

I need a total of 200 points, and I've already got 170. Only 30 more to go!

-B

Adventures in Auburn

Welcome Back!

It's been over a year since my last update, and since then I've returned from London. But, I'm in a new part of the world again! Well... really it's just a new part of the country...

I now find myself in Auburn, NY. Home to the William H. Seward House, the Harriet Tubman House, the first "talkie" camera- the first camera that was able to have sound as well as moving pictures- and the first electric chair, that is now located at a bar. Auburn never ceases to amaze...

Since my last update, I've graduated from college and have started a new chapter in "the real world." I was fortunate to find a job with a summer stock theatre company until the end of August. I've been in Auburn for about four or five weeks now, and I figured, since I'm off on a new adventure- albeit it's not as geographically distant or culturally diverse as London was- why not start blogging again?

So, here goes...

-B