misc

[syntonic_comma]

Sun Sep 25 15:53:32 EDT 2011

anniemal's gone to the Maryland Renaissance Festival with her OkCupid buddy. He apparently got some steeply-discounted tickets. They had planned to go Saturday, but then the weather sounded better for today, and then Saturday turned out better than forecast

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rennfests

[syntonic_comma]

I think I've been back to the MDRF maybe once since I started going to Pennsic (12, + 1 skipped). I just don't drive as much these days, and it's farther than I'm likely to go for a day's diversion. (Even when I was performing there I would camp for the weekend rather than driving out twice.) I liked performing with Avalon (the recorder/voice quartet), but it didn't leave much time for seeing the other shows. The Capriccio Catch Club wasn't as satisfying as Avalon - some of the music wasn't "period", and I missed playing instruments. Avalon also had the advantage that I wasn't with them every weekend; losing 2 months+ of weekends for Capriccio created problems. (And Capriccio's rehearsals were farther away too.)


Pennsic has been much more fulfilling musically.* And while it's a long drive, it's good to get away - from work and from home. Plus all the classes; the arts, crafts, and sciences (such as they were known); and people I miss. (Not that I don't miss the people from Avalon and Capriccio (and NYRF) too.)

I've somehow gotten on a Facebook** group for NY RenFest "vets". NYRF was an interesting time and place (I don't think you ever met elissaann - she'll be mentioned with the new bike (2015), if not sooner), but that would be a long drive for a weekend (Heck, I thought it was a long drive when I lived in NJ) and I doubt anyone I know is still there.
I think a post about the Gentlemen of the Garter is overdue.... (Yes, I'm such a tease!)

And I did get to the PA RenFaire once. I liked it (smaller (then) than MDRF, but still rather nice), but again, a long drive. And the Faires you visit are very different from the Faires you work.

But if you're planning to come, let me know, and I'll break some of my stodgy habits. The first couple of weekends of August I will be at Pennsic, but the MDRF acts get more polished (and the weather more comfortable) later anyway. (I can't offer any housing because this house is worse than the condo in McLean was. ☹)

*Listening to this is for me what I expect drugs are like for other people: Victoria: Ave Regina Caelorum. I don't know that it will have much of an effect on anyone who wasn't rehearsing it with us for a week.

**No, I'm not spending time on Facebook.

Re: rennfests

[aome]

Will went to the NY rennfaire the year before we met; I think he and a buddy (and buddy's wife) just made a camping roadtrip out of it. I've never been, though.

NJ's rennfaire is pitiful; we went once, early in our marriage, and haven't bothered since. It's just one weekend, and it's really tiny.

If we do slog down to the MD faire eventually, we'll definitely let you know!

I've sung that Ave Regina Caelorum. :) Probably with Ad Hoc, as a matter of fact!

Re: rennfests

[syntonic_comma]

I don't recall singing the Victoria ARC with Ad Hoc, and it's not listed on the website as something we've done - but that list isn't complete. I thought it was new to me, but if not, that would account for why I didn't have any trouble reading it transposed (up 1/2 step - and my voice really liked that key). But I think it was new to me this summer. (I should check with Louise. ☺)

I'm guessing the NJ Faire must have started after I moved south.    http://www.njrenfaire.com/aboutus.html
Looks like it's 3 weekends next year, but it started in 2009, so long after I moved to DC. It's got a very flashy website. (The kind that would not do well on my locked-down laptop, but I'm seeing it at the office.) Maybe this isn't even the same outfit.

There were 2 NY faires. The one closer to NYC is between Tuxedo and Sloatsburg (really) at the Sterling Forest ski resort. The other is in a town really named Sterling.