A Renaissance Freeze

A tiny knight on the zipline

Let me, first of all, be perfectly clear.
We enjoyed The Utah Valley Renaissance Faire held at Thanksgiving Point's Electric Park this past weekend.
It was very much like a visit back to England to Warwick Castle with knights and beautiful ladies all about.
We enjoyed the Joust with the Knights of Mayhem breaking their jousting lances on each other's armour.
We liked the little tots who did tricks on the backs of the equestrian vaulting horses.
We liked the magic, the belly dancers, the smell of Shepherd's Pie in the air, our visit with William Shakespeare on the walk.
We laughed at the little kids dressed up as royal ladies, fairies and tiny knights in shining helmets and shields.
Everywhere there were people who took this event very seriously.
They were in cloaks and gowns and boots and carried swords and daggers and pelts.
We learned about carving wood, throwing pots and working leather.
It was intoxicating and a visit to a different time and place.
But on Friday night, we misjudged what the weather was going to be like.
Sure, it had rained hard during the morning and early afternoon but after the sun came out we figured we were fine to pop over to check out the goings-on and attend the Medieval Feast.
After all, we had complimentary tickets from the Faire's organizer and didn't want to waste them.
At the last minute, I kicked off my socks and shoes in favor of my new flip-flops.
I reasoned that I'd be walking a lot and they are more comfortable.
Big mistake.
I knew it when my feet got all wet walking out to watch the Joust in the damp grass.
My toes were very cold by the time we finished and headed for the Feast which I thought would be in the Show Barn.
It wasn't.
It was outside, at night, in a tent, without heaters.
I had basically bare feet. Neither Marc or I had worn clothing designed for 40-degree weather.
The food — while hot and tasty — came slowly while the temperature dropped rapidly.
It was miserable and, by the end, we were frozen solid. (Only the teen-age girls seated by us in thin Renaissance gowns and light wraps were colder.)
But it won't keep us from going again next year. We'll just dress more appropriately.