A few weeks ago, I revived an old “tradition” of going to the yearly Ren Faire here in sSouthern California. For the third year in a row, on a bright and sunny day in May, for a few hours, I got to travel back into time and spend it with some Renaissance folk. (Near) everyday people who enjoy dressing up in medieval garb, busting out the Elizabethan/Shakespearean lingo, and pretending (quite believably) to be back in the Medieval Times (short of actually going to the namesake dinner/show restaurant in Buena Park!).
When I was a kid, I had a thing for the medieval times. During our weekly library visits with my grade school class, I would always search out books about knights, kings, jousting, falconry, etc. I always wondered how cool it would have been to be a knight, jousting for the honor of a king or queen; or owning a falcon and hunting the skies for prey! Back then we didn’t have computers, the internet, or video games of course, so we had to use this little thing we call IMAGINATION to entertain ourselves.
Fast forward a decade or two, in the early 90’s, I first heard about the Ren Fair over in Agoura, Calif. Just like the one at the current site at the Santa Fe Dam, it was a month long celebration of people enjoying the spirit of the medieval times, complete with Kings, Queens, Knights, serfs, wenches – you name it! So much fun! Years went by, and sadly, I didn’t return to the Agoura site until 2010 when Helen and I decided to go and once again (for me) immerse myself in the Renaissance! Ever since then, I’ve made it a point to go enjoy the day, and just have fun. This year, I even decided to rent a costume! What the?! Yup, I dressed up as a knight. Not with full armor, but just the basics. I finally belonged! LOL!!! (Hey, they had Asian/Pacific-Islander Knights in the Renaissance, right?!!!)
I also made it a point to go up to more Ren Fair people (those involved in it, costumes et al), and take their portraits. Armed with my new Fujifilm X100s (I LOVE this camera!), I went up to as many people as I could asking to take their photo. It was such a blast! Everyone was so open and willing! Plus, where else would you get this type of opportunity, outside of Halloween?!
In between watching my friends eat the iconic ren fair turkey leg (nearly a foot long!), I spent the afternoon, dressed as a knight, strolling the grounds, taking photos, and living out a childhood dream of being in the medieval times. Only in America if you ask me!!! Here are my photos of the other ren fair dreamers such as myself, all taken with the X100s. Enjoy!
That’s my visit back in time 
Hope everyone had a terrific holiday weekend (here in the states). Have a great week, and here’s to JUNE! Yup, we’re nearly half way through 2013!
Thanks for stopping by
Mike
See! I TOLD you there were Asian/Pacific-Islander knights in the medieval times!!!
