The weekend of November 4th and 5th at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as Heroes & Villains, which is a Cosplay event.
I arrived early again and was first at the gate when it was opened.
I enjoy getting to the festival early and seeing the day unfold.
Being first has its’ perks.
I’ve been parking on row 6 and that is close enough for me. It’s just a short walk to the entrance plaza.
I’ve never arrived later in the day to experience this long walk from way back there. It seems like a mile long walk from the higher numbered parking rows.
As I was walking up, I saw Robert Self and Willie. Robert was first from the South side and gets to park in the preferred parking.
Two great guys.
One benefit of arriving early is that there is never a line to get a photo on the throne. I’m usually the first person to do this each weekend day.
The plants had been watered but the trash bags weren’t put out yet.
I stepped inside the gates with Robert to grab a drink. He got hot apple cider and I chose hot chocolate. Maddie is a great server.
On a chilly morning, hot chocolate is great.
I was the bad cop again on this day. When is a bad cop good?
When you can’t be good, be good at it.
This veteran said he was the most dangerous person on the battlefield. He said that he carried the maps and radio, which meant that he could call in airstrikes.
With Ace and Willie, two really great guys that love their job.
The Beefeaters are always happy to pose for me and I like that.
The Royal Guard are some busy fellows.
The King works them hard.
On this day, they were dog-tired and in need of a quick rest.
It’s a good thing that the King didn’t catch them lying down on the job.
These ladies sell programs.
On this morning, Captain Hook would be igniting the cannon to start the day at TRF.
Here is a still frame of the firing.
And here is the video of the cannon going off.
Sherry is always so cheerful.
I learned more about those purple, red and yellow badges that certain people wear at TRF. Phil Brayton mentioned that they mean a person is allowed to receive tips for photos and Sherry told me that the badge means that the wearer is a performer.
King Henry the VIII and the Royal Guard.
When the gates open and patrons enter, the TRF photographers are there to capture their photos.
Elizabeth always has fun with her job.
I ran into Kevin, a favortie pirate of mine. He’s such a nice guy and so well-dressed.
The morning ceremony is always fun to watch.
A pic with Hamish MacGregor aka Rudy, the bagpipe player.
I’ve photographed this couple before and they always look fantastic.
Such good makeup.
I think the nose makes everything else work.
The King and Queen greeting their subjects.
The patrons really enjoy the morning festivities.
Jade is always so well made up.
One of the most beautiful people at the TexRenFest.
On this day, John Pfister, from Action 5 News Houston, joined me for the day in the Kingdom.
I asked these ladies if they had seen their previous photos that I had taken of them. They told me that they didn’t make the cut. I was confused by this so I asked them what that meant.
They told me that their co-worker went on Instagram and didn’t see their pics. I explained to them that I can only post a few pics on IG and that their photos were on the website. I’m sure that they were upset when they thought I didn’t use their pics. We had a good laugh about that and I told them to set their co-worker straight, lol.
The Kettle Korn is very good.
Three bills for a dill.
These two lovely ladies work at the Polish Pub.
So does Edyta, Kasia and Cheyenne.
Baubles sells great cigars and looks great doing so.
I finally found the Chimney Cake booth. It’s number 14EF.
They have several things to choose from.
The first thing is to make the dough into strips then roll it around the cooking rods.
Next, the cooking rods are placed over the coals for cooking.
After cooking to a golden brown, the chimney cakes are covered in cinnamon and nuts.
The chimney cakes can be filled with whipped cream or ice cream. Another choice for the customer is strawberries or apple strudel. They also serve a chimney cake with Nutella.
This dessert photographs so well and looks delicious.
John enjoyed his chimney cake and would have it again.
We stopped by the ‘Become a Blacksmith’ shop.
Here, you could make a knife.
They had a lot of people watching the process.
Everyone doing it were having a good time.
Snapped a pic of the King as he was out and about in the Kingdom.
Jessica and Stephanie always look so nice.
Remi and Karlee photograph well also.
Julie looked great as Maleficent.
One of my favorite stops.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber.
Another favorite stop on my morning route.
These ladies were nice enough to hold up some of their food.
Beignets, cheese bread and bread pudding. It all looked so delicious.
I have an interview scheduled with these beautiful ladies for this next weekend.
Where’s Waldo?
Haley is another TRF Beauty.
And she’s always ready for a pic, which I appreciate.
I had the stone-fired pizza again on this Saturday.
So, so delicious. Yum.
Renaissance Iron Man and Loki. I have a better pic of them coming up.
Another of the children’s attractions.
All of the shows at the TexRenFest draw large crowds and they all leave feeling entertained.
Here is a favorite pic of mine. Notice that I captured 100% of their outfits. Some people will take a photo and cut off the feet. I think the footwear is important in garb or a costume and should be shown.
A pic with Greg and Kara from Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
My daily pic with Erika from the Asgardian Armory.
Erika and Alex.
A good look.
That’s a lot of green. She looks good.
Here is the other pic of the Renaissance Avengers. Another 100% pic.
After I take a full body photo, I take a mid-range pic as well.
These ladies looked great in their black outfits.
This couple was having a great time and I’m sure that they loved this photo.
June, looking fun as usual.
The crowd for this Saturday was a good size.
The Kingdom had thousands of fun-loving people in it.
They were eating, drinking, smiling, laughing and enjoying the day in New Market Village.
If I had to pic a highlight of the day it would be finding the chimney cake booth.
These photos were taken from the Tea and Strumpets patio.
This spot is a favorite of mine for a photo.
Another fun group arriving at the festival.
Steadily coming in as I was leaving.
I don’t post attendance numbers but this day saw many thousands attend the Texas Renaissance Festival.
When I got to my Tahoe, there were four police officers waiting on me to talk to me about impersonating an officer. Just kidding. They were parked there to watch people arrive and were happy to move so I could leave.
This concludes the Saturday pics. Sunday is next.
On Sunday, I arrived early again.
I could hear the blowers cleaning the entrance plaza. They make a cloud of dust for a bit.
As I was putting on my gear, the water truck passed by.
TRF waters down the path so it is not so dusty for the patrons.
Each morning, several workers walk the path and parking areas to clean up. They always do a great job because it always looks so clean.
The valet parking is located right next to the entrance plaza. Such a close walk.
I plan on entering this contest. I would love a free European vacation.
These gates see many thousands of guests each season. Some estimates are that the TexRenFest entertains 500,000 a season.
It was a bit foggy on this Sunday morning.
TRF Founder, George Coulam. A great man that has entertained millions.
Good info to know about King George.
Willie was out waiting for the first patron of the day.
Ace snapped my morning throne pic for me.
A good pic of the Beefeaters.
Willie, Spider and Ace.
The Royal Guard undergoing a morning inspection by a patron.
The guests love doing this.
All quiet before a busy day.
If the TexRenfest has 500,000 attendees, then each of these 6 gates will see 83,333 people during the 8 weekends.
I got a pic of Rudy before he was going out to entertain the patrons that were waiting for the gates to open.
The morning cannon crew and myself.
Alan getting the cannon ready.
Here is a still frame of the cannon firing.
And here is the video of it.
The Royal Guard.
The program vendors. I know Zak, Aislynn, Stormy and Rob.
A pic with the Royal Guard. Such fun guys.
A photobomb.
Captain Hook, looking splendid.
A Renaissance Wonder Woman, very cool.
“You shall not pass.”
Glinda, the good. Beautiful.
Fun ladies enjoying their roles.
Mel works in the Marketing department. Here he is with an expensive camera, capturing the morning ceremony.
The dance always looks fun.
A good way to start a day in the Kingdom.
A pic with MJ of Ravenswood Leather.
Some good yard bird.
I hope they found their pics on the website.
Karlee is another Renfest Beauty.
Elizabeth and Amber always dress for the theme and look great.
Fernanda and Tonya.
I asked them to hold some of their food.
This is the crawfish Mac and cheese, and the fried crawfish with cheese fries. Both look delicious.
Haley works at the Red Lion Tavern. Stop by for a pic.
Later in the season, I’ll make special galleries on the website that has just the Red Lion Tavern pics. I do that for several of the places that I photograph regularly.
I passed back by the Steak on a Stick booth and Tonya let me try their main item, the steak.
This is one of my favorite things to eat while at TRF.
I ran into Alexandra again this season. So beautiful.
I was glad to get a pic with her.
Remi and Karlee photograph well.
I would have loved this as a child. If I did this now, I’d be in traction for 2 months.
I stopped by Odin’s Table for some pics.
Lolo looked fantastic.
Another very photogenic lady at TRF.
The bar at Odin’s Table is very cool.
A fun pic of Haley.
Odin’s Table will be a regular stop for me from now on.
One guy said, “Not in that order” and I agree.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Another fun attraction for children.
Pirate Airships.
Pam works at the Bilge Pump bar at the Sea Devil Tavern.
Kay, looking splendid.
All the Mead you need.
A fun couple.
The King posing with a nice family.
Two more great performers.
A well-dressed couple.
Some fun games to try.
I’m not smart enough for this.
Maybe checkers.
This family was enjoying this game.
“Alas, poor Yorick.”
A great patio to grab a drink and relax.
A good photo op.
Two fantastic costumes.
And beautiful smiles.
Ronnie may be the most in shape person that works at TRF.
How is she squatting like that? If I did that my knees would sound like cereal… snap, crackle and pop.
Mindy works at Ye Olde Portraits and is so very nice.
A great looking guest.
Love it.
Erika and I.
Alex and I.
Sunday had a good crowd of people.
June and Shane are always up for a photo.
I wonder how many Turkey legs are sold each weekend. I bet it’s a lot.
The same goes for bottles of Mead.
The crowd for Sunday is always a little smaller than Saturday but still in the thousands.
I enjoy the view from the Tea and Strumpets patio.
This group was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting their photo.
This is the best Steampunk couple that I’ve ever photographed.
The TRF photographers were still hard at work capturing memories for the arriving patrons.
Jessica was ready to stamp your hand if you were returning that day.
This is the booth where the guests can pick up the photos taken by the TRF photographers.
I had another good day in the Kingdom.
The throne is always busy.
Only three weekends left to enjoy the Texas Renaissance Festival for this year.
Rob was selling programs on the walkway leading to the festival. A really nice guy.
Still arriving by the hundreds.
No police officers today.
This concludes the blog post about the Heroes & Villains weekend. To see all of the photos, visit the link below and click on Photos.
The weekend of October 28th and 29th at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed All Hallows Eve for Halloween. And it never disappoints.
I arrived about 7:15am and parked on row 10 with no problems.
I usually post this pic to advertise Contraband Clothing Company in case anyone is interested. The website is http://www.Contraband.World
I like arriving early and being the first one to park.
The walkway is always clean and in the early hours, a water truck comes down the path to wet it down so it’s not so dusty for the patrons.
The TexRenFest is the largest RenFest in the U.S.
Ace snapped my morning throne pic.
I asked a patron to take a pic of Ace, Willie and I.
The Beefeaters, looking sharp and ready for a big day.
I was on duty this weekend, keeping order in the Kingdom. I had to issue many warnings to some young ladies about their conduct in New Market Village and even threatened a few with my pink, fuzzy handcuffs.
As a bonus of working at TRF, I’m able to get tickets for my friends to attend. On this day, I had 4 guests coming.
The morning inspection by a patron.
This is always entertaining to watch.
The TRF photographers, all dressed and ready to snap some pics.
Aislynn sells programs as the patrons enter the gates.
She did a great job on her face.
This is King Henry VIII aka Christopher Millard and the cannon crew of Kenny, Lisa and Alan. Christopher would be lighting the cannon on this Saturday morning.
I enjoy getting a pic with them each weekend day.
Here is a still frame from the video of the firing.
And here is the video of the cannon going off to start the day in New Market Village.
The Royal Guard is always up for a good pic.
The TRF photographers from the other side of the entrance area. I wonder how many pics they take on a day and weekend.
The first patrons arriving through the gates of TRF.
Take note of the purple, yellow and red badge he is wearing. He looks great.
Sherry enjoys her role and does a great job. So hard-working.
King Henry the VIII’s Royal Court.
The morning festivities.
The characters will have a dance with some of the guests.
My daily pic with MJ at Ravenswood Leather. They fixed my leather pouch for free by putting on a new snap. That pouch holds all of my business cards and I can’t afford to have them all fall out and get ruined before I can hand them out.
Rebel and MJ are so nice and very good friends.
I passed by the morning festivities again and they were busy having fun, as always.
Angela, on the right, always looks fantastic and does such a great job with all of her many characters.
The Washing Well Wenches have one of the funniest shows at the TexRenFest and should be watched.
The undertaker was in attendance on this Saturday. Phil Brayton looks great in character.
The wenches were showing Phil their map of the Kingdom.
I’m always confused so when they finish showing their map, I always ask where the exit is again. In this pic, she is showing me. Too damned funny.
Getting a pic with Phil is always on my To Do List. Such fun photos.
Another great costume. Notice that they each have those purple, yellow and red badges also. I’ll explain later.
Taylor sells the flower wreaths and has one of the best smiles at the festival.
Jazi Love works at the Polish Pub and that’s one of my usual stops in the morning.
I bought a hand-rolled cigar from Baubles and enjoyed it when I got home. Baubles always looks great and sells good cigars.
Catalina Longview works back by the elephant area and is worth the walk.
The shows at TRF always draw large crowds. And everyone is thoroughly entertained.
Jenna was dressed as the Pink Panther, complete with pink tail.
Who wouldn’t want a cold beer from these ladies?
Julie is another regular stop for me and she always photographs so well.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber always dress for the theme and never disappoint me.
Julie and her daughter, Kylee. Two real beauties.
Luckily I didn’t have to arrest them.
Three horny devils with beautiful smiles.
Reagan and Vendella having a laugh.
Fifi and Jeanette.
The food booths and merch shops had candy on this weekend for the kids to Trick or Treat.
And the candy all looked delicious.
I may get tired after a day in the Kingdom but my job never gets old.
These guys cook up a lot of steak on a stick.
Fernanda and Tonya always have smiles on their faces.
The crew at the Red Lion tavern always dress for the theme also.
I enjoy getting pics with Hayley. It’s a highpoint of my day.
Notice the skeleton hand coming out of her top. Fun.
Saxon Moon always draws a large crowd. They are all very talented and Violet is their Fire Dancer. This show should be watched.
TRF has several attractions for the children.
Kids love carousels.
Riding a live animal is always fun for children.
Here are some ponies taking a break.
As a child, I would have loved to jump really high like this.
I bet that after a day of fun and activities, the children all sleep really well from all of the excitement.
This guy grabbed two of his favorite heads for this pic.
Here, you can throw heads through hoops to win.
While at TRF, you can have your palm read or future told by Tarot cards.
I think that parrot owners are good people.
A beautiful bird.
Another fortune teller.
I’ve never had my fortune told. It might be interesting to hear.
The TexRenFest always has some great families enjoying their time at the festival.
The Mud Show is a lot of fun and always has a crowd watching it.
You never know what will come down the street.
That’s Angela in the middle. So talented.
This is Reagan and her friends.
I always enjoy getting a pic with her. Everyone loves her outfit and so do I.
The choir draws a good crowd. Here, the ladies are singing to the gents.
Lots of great costumes. They always look fantastic.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House.
Emmy, on the right, will swing in a swing over the bar. It’s fun to see and she looks fantastic doing it.
Mickey, Shelby and Bri, the Wyrmwood bartenders.
Great costumes. She is a spider woman.
Now, the gents are singing to the ladies.
Quite entertaining.
There are several facepainting booths located around the Kingdom.
Spider with Greg of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Erika and Hyle of the Asgardian Armory. Erika was named after Erik, the Viking.
Erika and Alex.
I didn’t have to arrest Erika either.
Artemis has a beautiful smile.
Two young ladies enjoying their time in the village.
Brandywyne had several spiders on her.
Two of them were called Laverne and Shirley and the others were named after “Friends” characters.
When it gets colder, Alex will still dress the same. He is a tougher man than I.
Demon and Angel.
I photograph this couple each year at TRF. Nice people.
Cool Knight garb.
This guy was dressed as ‘Day of the Dead’ and looked great.
These young ladies work at Ye Olde Portraits.
Saturday drew a good crowd.
The Kingdom had many thousands of guests in it.
And all were having a great time.
This is the patio of Tea and Strumpets. It’s a great place to get a bacon sandwich and enjoy the view.
The kid giving the thumbs up made me laugh.
Pirate logos are all around at TRF.
Patrons came in all day long.
Another successful day for the TexRenFest.
Aislynn was still at her post and selling programs with a smile.
The photographers were busy getting pics.
Another good memory.
Jessica had her desk decorated well.
This couple is dressed as characters from “Kill Bill.”
Another well-dressed couple.
Willie does a great job of overseeing the front gate Beefeaters.
People would continue to arrive by the thousands.
More cars than when I arrived at 7:15am.
This concludes the pics from Saturday. Sunday follows.
On Sunday morning, I arrived about 7:15am and parked on row 6. There was already a car parked on the other side of the row. They told me that they arrived early to avoid traffic. They must have arrived at 7am or earlier.
The guy, Brian, came over to me to borrow a lighter to burn some threads on a costume so I got him to snap a pic of me and the STORM Factory Tahoe.
I had a little shorter walk to the entrance plaza on this day and I liked that.
The valet parking area is right by the entrance plaza so a person that uses this service is really near to the front gates, making for a short walk when they are ready to leave. If you arrive later in the day, you might be stuck in a long line of cars, have to park way down the walkway and have long walks to and from the festival.
On this weekend, tens of thousands entered this area.
You could get your tickets from this electronic kiosk.
This is a very nice restroom sign. It is for the number 1 restroom. Notice the 1 by the red arrow.
Willie is always ready to pose with the patrons. He does an awesome job and everybody loves him.
Ace is always happy to take my pic on the throne and I appreciate that.
No leather NYPD cop shirt on this day, but I was still on the lookout for women causing trouble… and in need of a Partner in Crime, lol.
Ace, Spider and Willie.
Ace and Willie, discussing world affairs and working out global problems.
I may be the only photographer to regularly get a pic of the Beefeaters and I’m proud of that fact. They deserve a little attention also.
A nice seating area near the front gates.
There are several banners located above the entrance plaza. Each with a different image.
Aislynn with her candy for the kids.
Some good stuff.
If I could have dressed in my costume as a kid and come to TRF to go Trick or Treating at all of the shoppes and booths, I would have been in Heaven. Trick of Treating for candy is one of the best things that the TexRenFest does all season. The children love it and the employees have fun giving out candy all day long.
And you’ll notice that there was a wide variety of candy offered everywhere throughout the Kingdom of New Market Village.
I enjoy getting photos with the cannon crew each morning. I feel privileged in knowing them and shooting video of the cannon.
There are thousands that have now seen what the morning cannon looks like thanks to me and I’m happy to share this every weekend day. It’s a special moment in a day at TRF.
Here is the video of Kenny igniting the cannon.
Ready for a busy day of facepainting.
She also has a purple, yellow and red badge. That explanation is coming soon.
The King and Queen do such a fabulous job of promoting the festival and interacting with the guests. Here, the King and Queen are talking with a family. The little witch was so cute and enthralled by the King.
I told the King and Queen that these were some of my favorite Royal Clothes.
Hamish MacGregor aka Rudy. Such a nice guy.
The crowd of villagers bow for the arrival of the King and Queen to the morning festivities.
Ravenswood Leather also has some great furs. Some are behind MJ in this photo.
I ran into Donald Trump.
Phil Brayton is a great D.T. So talented he is.
Phil and others wear this badge that lets the people know that he is allowed to receive tips for photos. Only a certain, special few can wear these badges and it’s a good status symbol.
When people ask my why I spend so much of my time working at the RenFest, I explain to them that I love what I do. This photo is an example. I love knowing that they will enjoy this photo for years to come.
In the above photo, you’ll notice that I captured 100% of their costumes, including the feet. Some photographers will cut people off at the feet or toes. I find those pictures could be framed better.
And many times, the shoes or boots of a costume should be in the pic because they go with everything.
I also will shoot a midrange photo of people so that they have a 100% pic that includes everything and also a shot taken a little closer. I do this most every time that I stop someone for photos.
Having a drink on this outside patio would be very relaxing.
The King’s Patio Bar has a lot to choose from.
Anything you could want to wet your whistle.
Picking a tune to entertain in the morning.
This young lady sells jewelry.
And has a great smile. Love the hat.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Looks and smells delicious.
This is Nuria in front of the Big Hat Pirates shop.
She has a great skeleton pirate costume.
This is another fun ride that the kids enjoy.
Two lovely ladies from the Polish Pub.
The entertainer gave this little girl a prize for assisting him. He gave her a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sticker and said he gave her that because he… “was born in the 1900’s.” That’s funny.
Coconut water is good for a hangover. I tried it last season and enjoyed it.
Two of the funniest ladies in all of the Kingdom.
A fun couple.
On this Sunday, I had a breakfast of the meat lovers pizza. It is stone fired pizza and tastes so good. I’ll have this again before the season is over.
Jenna had another nice headpiece on this day.
The yound lady on the right, Cris, donated to our children’s charity. We really appreciated that. We’ll be offering gifts and treats to children in the Harris County Children’s Shelter this Christmas again. If you’d like to help us in this project, you can learn more info and donate to our cause on our site.
I plan on trying some of the food from Julie’s booth before the season is over. They have some great items. Here she is holding her candy.
You can’t go wrong with Dum Dums.
Mother and daughter, Julie and Kylee.
Here is an interview that I did with Julie.
Kylee is just as photogenic as her mother.
Here is an interview with Kylee.
Elizabeth, Amber and Ariel always look so fantastic.
Here is an interview that I did with them.
I’ll interview Bri this upcoming weekend while I’m at TRF.
Kenley and Reagan are going to join Angela and Vendella in singing a song on video for me soon. I’m excited to hear their song.
Fifi said that this is the only fox allowed near the chickens.
Kelsey and Alex always photograph well.
This young lady looked great as well.
Making leather headbands with a smile.
You can get a cold, refreshing lemonade from this fine, young lady in the Greek section of the village. And you even get a souvenir cup. I have a few from over the years and use them often.
The buidlings and architecture of New Market Village are amazing. Every building has such character and style. I love that so much thought went into the designs.
The Red Lion Tavern ladies had candy also.
Everybody loves Tootsie Rolls.
More great Knights. Love this look. So cool.
Mr. Fox out on a stroll through the Kingdom.
Pyxie, at the Wyrmwood Public House, had candy too.
Lots of chocolate. My favorite and yours as well.
Mickey and I inside the Wyrmwood.
On this Sunday, he made me a classic Lemon Drop shot. It was delicious.
Here is a video of him making the Lemon Drop.
The bartenders at the Wyrmwood are the best in the land.
Doyle and Timely Rain. Timely runs an Open Mic in the Montrose in Houston. She hosts musical acts, burlesque, stand up comedians and more. I’ve done stand up at her Open Mic and had some success. I’ll be back after RenFest season to tell some more of my jokes. All are adult content, as you might have guessed. I even discuss the time that I had sex underwater with Scuba tanks. That’s a funny story.
A day in New Market Village is so much fun. Lots to see, lots to eat and drink, friends to meet and fun to be had.
Ran into Donald Trump again.
The choir was out again on Sunday.
Quite pleasant to listen to them sing.
Another cool pirate flag.
Handmade soaps.
TRF has 400 shoppes and so much great merchandise.
I enjoy getting this shot of the crew at Catskill Mountain Moccasins because it shows off all of their moccasins on display. These moccasins are custom made to fit each person by creating a cast of their feet and creating the moccasin around said casts.
Greg and Spider. I’ve known Greg for a few years now and he is a really great guy. And so knowledgeable about their product.
The Asgardian Armory had candy and Erika was giving it out.
Such a good variety. Reese’s, Almond Joys and great blow pop suckers. Love her rings.
The Asgardian Armory is one of the coolest shoppes at TRF. Last year, they fixed my utility belt for free and really helped me out. In my utility belt, I carry a battery, a charging cord, extra business cards and a few other things that I need throughout the day while working in the Kingdom.
Fun pic.
Sometimes Mead is all you need.
I think it would take several weekends to see all of the shows at TRF.
The noon parade started with Hamish MacGregor at the lead, playing his bagpipes.
Being a Knight of the Joust would be a cool gig.
I know it’s something that I could never do. This is a highly skilled position with years of training around horses.
Great promo outfit. So easy to read.
A day in New Market Village is always special. And seeing the daily parade is always a lot of fun.
The cast, characters and crews all love being in the parade and it shows.
I’m probably too broken down to walk at their pace, but it would be fun to ride in the parade.
Mindy has the right idea.
Ronnie may be the most in shape person that works at TRF.
After the parade, I was walking towards the front gates when I heard, “There goes Spider Michaels.”
I stopped and snapped the young ladies’ pic. I’ve photographed them before. Really nice girls.
Great garb.
I liked her look also.
I’m always a fan of great face makeup.
I stopped by and got a pic of June again. So nice.
Always a crowd at the Queen’s Pantry area.
Next year is the 50th Anniversary of the TexRenFest. I know they are planning lots of special things to commemorate this milestone.
A day in New Market Village is like visiting a fantasy land where you can see just about any type of character that you can imagine. You also can be anyone that you wish in a Judgement-Free zone.
Many times I wish that TRF had a Spring season also.
I’m sure others would enjoy that as well. October and November weekends are my favorite time of the year and I’d like more of that throughout the year.
This was a funny scene as she was explaining the map to the dragon.
Lady Iris, creating smiles and beautiful faces.
Another happy guest.
Jessica was ready with her candy bucket also.
The children could grab one for the road as they left. I imagine many kids left TRF with a bag full of candy. What a haul? For me, as a kid, this would have been fantastic.
That throne gets great promotion for the TexRenFest because a lot of people post their throne pics on social media.
I’m curious to know at what hour of the day do most guests arrive.
On the way in or out of the festival, you can stop by this building to sign up for a prize giveaway.
Just fill out a form and drop it in the bucket.
Somebody will win. Why not you?
A chance to live like a King & Queen.
My choices of trips are Hawaii and Vegas.
The crew were all very nice.
I had another successful weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. For the two days, I shot 603 photos and 7 videos.
Look how many were about to enter the Kingdom.
This concludes my blog post about All Hallows Eve weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. To see all of the pics and so much more, visit the link below and click on Photos.
It seems like the year has flown by since we were at the TexRenfest last year. I, for one, am glad about that because I love the Texas Renaissance Festival.
The 2023 season got off to a good start with great weather for Opening Weekend. I was excited to see all of my friends from last season and also to make new ones.
On this Saturday, October 7th, I was up at 4am to get ready for the festival. I was dressed, geared up and left my place at 6:30am. I arrived at TRF by 7:20am and was parked on row 10. I was the first one to park on this side, but I wasn’t the first to arrive.
It is a short walk to the gates of the Kingdom. The staff that keeps the walkway clean always do a great job. I never see anything out of place and never any litter.
On your way into or out of the Kingdom, you can stop by this building to enter a fun contest to win a trip.
I always enjoy coming into the entrance plaza because I know fun and excitement are nearby.
I usually get up on the large King’s throne to take a few area shots. It’s a great vantage point to see everything.
A statue of George Coulam, the TRF Founder. He is a true visionary.
Good info to know about King George and the festival.
This throne is such a good photo op. I try to get a pic on it each day that I’m at the festival.
I went by the Media office and picked up my Media badge and ticket. They are always so nice to allow me to work their event. I enjoy working at the TexRenFest and would never take that for granted.
Rudy plays the character of Hamish MacGregor. He entertains the patrons as they wait for the gates to open in the morning. Rudy also plays his bagpipes as the lead of the daily noon parade. He does a fantastic job.
Jeff Baldwin is the General manager of the Texas Renaissance Festival and does a great job. Everybody loves him.
Here he is igniting the morning cannon to let the patrons know that the festival is open for the day.
This is a short video of the morning cannon going off as Alan holds it. It gives quite a kick.
The lovely Queen. This Opening Weekend was a celebration of the Queen’s Birthday. She is beloved by all in the Kingdom.
Phil has been a part of the TexRenFest for many years. I love getting a pic with him. He is a mountain of a man but a gentle giant with a great heart and personality. I love Phil ‘Tan Man’ Brayton.
I have photographed this lovely lady for several seasons. Nice pumpkins.
Quite a regal group.
Alan worked as the doorman at the Wyrmwood last season. This season he is in a management position. I’m happy for him. He’s a great guy. So nice.
Ravenswood Leather.
I stop by Ravenswood Leather every morning to get pics. This is Rebel showcasing some of their merchandise.
I always try to get a pic with MJ.
These two young ladies were happy to pose for me. I love to see smiling faces.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub is always on my morning route.
Michelle, Michael and Rosie work at the Thirsty Pirate Pub. They are all very nice.
Kristen, Shelley and Margot work there also. So sweet, all of them.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub has great decorations. This is in their upstairs section.
During the day, this area is full of pirates and partiers.
This is the view from upstairs at the Thirsty Pirate Pub. This stage has 2 shows that play all throughout the day. The shows are the Tease of the Seas and the Spice Boys. Both are good shows to see.
The joust arena gets packed several times a day to see the action.
Jazi Love works at the Polish Pub. The staff at this pub is very nice also.
Cheyenne works there also. Very hard-working.
This is Jenna. The food stand that she works at has the best cheeseburger.
Jessica and Stephanie are always ready for a pic and I like that. They are good friends.
I never forget to stop by Julie’s stand. I tried several of the food items offered at her stand last season and loved it all.
This is Elizabeth, Amber and Hannah. Fun-loving girls.
Kylee and her little co-worker have such great smiles.
Kenley, Angela, Vendella, Reagan, Gussie and Marlee. Another favorite food stand of mine. They have fried alligator, yum.
The Steak on a Stick staff are another fun group. They always dress so nicely.
I remember Harley Jane and Amber from last season. I’ll know the names of the others soon.
TRF has many things for the children to do.
Tee and Hayley work at the Red Lion Tavern. They are on my regular route each morning.
Hayley is always nice enough to pose with me.
Photobombers are funny.
I happen to catch the King taking a stroll through the Kingdom.
These young ladies told me that they didn’t need my business card because they already follow me on social media. Cute ladies.
Greg works at Catskill Mountain Moccasins. I stop by his booth to take a rest.
These guys work at the Asgardian Armory. Fun guys.
A great family pic.
This couple was interesting.
He had this on his back.
Lots of time and effort to make this. He should be applauded.
This woman looked great.
Such a great outfit and face.
Only at TRF.
This guy sells pickles. He yells out, “Three bills for a dill!” I love that line.
Dex cooks up some good chicken.
Pam always strikes such good poses. She’s a good friend. I always enjoy hanging out with her.
You will always see great pirates at the Sea Devil.
Kevin has such great pirate garb.
The Sea Devil staff is great and always having fun.
It looks like he’s saying, “You better have my money.”
A face only a mother could love, lol.
Young ladies love getting a flower wreath for their hair.
Julie was serving up some fried shrimp so I snapped a quick pic. Their shrimp are delicious.
You get 4 large shrimp with potato wedges.
And yes, she deserves a close-up.
Everyone at the TexRenFest always have a great time.
Scott and Amanda hang out at the Glory Hole and solve the world’s problems. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
This young lady was enjoying a drink while having a seat.
Another children’s attraction.
Letting the horse eat while on a break.
I stopped back by the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Always people here.
Here are some patrons watching the Spice Boys act.
Elizabeth works upstairs at the pirate pub.
So photogenic.
And always up for a pic.
Such a fun photo.
As the day goes on, this area gets packed with people.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub is a favorite hangout of mine.
I ran into Pam and her friend. They were having a good time.
When I told this couple that they could download this pic for free from my site, she went for her money and told her boyfriend that they should tip me. I told her that wasn’t necessary because I do this for fun.
Hyle and Erika work at the Asgardian Armory. A very nice couple. So friendly.
Erika is another lady that I usually get a pic with.
Alex is at the Asgardian Armory as well.
I enjoy photos with him also.
Mickey works at the Wyrmwood Public House as a bartender. Here, he is serving me my daily kamikaze. He’s a good friend.
These ladies were happy to pose for a photo.
The shows at TRF are always great entertainment and the artists are all so talented.
A day at the TexRenFest is filled with fun, food, festivities and you leave feeling fulfilled.
Here are the knights of the joust heading to get ready for the daily parade.
That’s a cool job.
The weather was great all day long.
I’d say that Opening Day was a good success for the TexRenFest.
As I was leaving for the day, I saw this guy and definitely wanted his photo.
Then, I saw a friend, Tony.
They were there together so I snapped a pic of them.
This fine lady will stamp your hand if you plan to return that day.
The King’s Throne stays busy all day long.
This photo was taken about 1pm and you can see that the crowd is still flowing into the festival.
It is always good that the first and last face you see is a smiling one.
This concludes the photos from Saturday. The Sunday pics are next.
On Sunday, October 8th, I arrived early again.
Not many have seen an empty parking row because they usually arrive later in the day.
A clean walkway again. Kudos to the grounds crew.
As I was nearing the entrance plaza, I could see Willie already at work, entertaining the first guests of the day.
I took a photo of them with a good background.
Then, I shot them closer so they’d have two photos to choose from.
Ace and Willie are two great guys. They love their jobs and it shows.
Ace took my pic again on the throne.
It was looking like it was going to be great weather for the day.
The Beefeaters are the first and last people that you see at TRF. They are a great crew.
I picked up my ticket and new Media badge from the Media office. I love working at the TexRenFest and I’m pleased that they allow me to do just that… entertain people with my photography and videography of the best Renfest in the U.S.
On this day, I invited John Pfister from Action 5 News to come hang out with me. He took all of the pics that I’m in on Sunday. We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves.
This is Alan, Elizabeth and Kenny. Alan loads and holds the cannon. Elizabeth was the one to ignite it on this day. And Kenny is Alan’s assistant.
Here is a still frame from the video.
And here’s the video of the morning cannon going off to inform the patrons that the festival was open for the day.
The lovely Queen of the Kingdom.
June looked good in her glasses.
She and Shane, on the right, are good people.
Many patrons will get breakfast from the Queen’s Pantry before starting a busy day of seeing shows and having fun.
Cast members at TRF are all so nice and never refuse me a photo of them.
Here, a musical group are playing to entertain the King and Queen.
Having an oil portrait would be very cool indeed.
This is Eve Myles and she is the artist. And so sweet.
I stopped by Ravenswood Leather again to get some pics. Here’s MJ at her usual spot.
She sold me two leather pouches last season and I use them all of the time.
She looks like a Queen with her headdress on.
I met Rebel at a comicon and we’ve been friends ever since.
This crew was more than happy to pose for me. The young lady on the left said that she still had my card from last season.
The food at the Texas Renaissance Festival is so very good.
If I’m not careful, I may gain some weight from eating too much, but it is all so delicious,.
And the desserts are fantastic.
Here, the King and Queen are doing an interview. They are both so very good at promoting the TexRenfest. They are really great in their roles.
Such a good family pic. The mom told the baby to look into the camera and he did. Super pic.
I had to convince the lady on the left to get into the picture. I’m glad she did and I bet she is too. It’s a good memory of their day at TRF.
I made my usual pass by the Thirsty Pirate Pub to get pics of the staff.
Pictured from left to right: Rosie, Margot, Michelle, Kristen, Michael, Shelley, Katy and Marlen.
Elizabeth never takes a bad photo.
I go upstairs at the pirate pub every time to see Elizabeth.
Easy to see why, lol.
The Polish Pub is another favorite stop of mine. Pictured from left to right: Edyta, Cheyenne, Jacob, Kasia, Eva and Danuta.
This group of people are very tight-knit and work so well together.
Kasia is a great manager and such a hard worker. Her co-workers love her.
Elizabeth is another very photogenic person.
Her and Amber take a nice photo.
Kylee, on the left, is the daughter of Julie, on the right. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, they say.
Kenlee, Vendella, Reagan and Marlee.
Fifi and Jeanette.
Kelsey and Tonya.
In this pic, they are holding the loaded potato wedges and the beignets. Both so very good.
You can’t go wrong with either one.
My goal next weekend is to learn all of these ladies’ names besides Harley Jane and Amber.
Love the hats.
The drinkware offered at the TexRenfest is great. I have several pieces and use them often.
The crew at the Red Lion Tavern are great. Always smiling.
Hayley always dresses so well.
I plan to have the BBQ from this tavern later in the season. So good.
The bartenders at the Wyrmwood Public House are some of the very best. Friendly, professional and fun.
I love that Greg and Pat always dress with the RenFest theme.
They do a great job of representing Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Erika has some great clothing and always looks so awesome.
Here, an artisan applies his craft at the Asgardian Armory.
Such a happy fellow.
We look good in matching black outfits.
I asked Erika to pose with their merchandise.
She looks good with all of their leather goods.
The Asgardian Armory sells knives, swords and axes. When Erika sits out front, she will yell. “Come to Bloodbath and Beyond.” It’s like Bed, Bath and Beyond but really funny and fitting for the Armory.
The guys at the Asgardian Armory are always good for a funny pic.
Alex looks very mischievous in this photo.
He is a good photographer and does great leather work.
These young ladies were having a good time.
I love good face makeup.
I walked up and said, “Three bills for a dill.” He thought that I wanted a pickle. I had to tell him that I was just saying his catchphrase. I told him that I would have a pickle soon.
I have photographed this guy before in previous seasons. I don’t have the body for an outfit like this.
The employees at TRF are some of the finest anywhere. Always smiling and ready for a photo.
Another good face.
This couple is always polite enough to stop for a photo. And they always look great.
When wandering through the Kingdom, look for this sign and the Wyrmwood door is nearby.
Here is a short video that gives you a tour of the Wyrmwood, ending with Mickey serving me my daily kamikaze. It’s worth a watch.
This is Shiny. Last year, he would hold 2 coconuts up like they were his breasts. This year, he has become edumacated because now he’s doing Hamlet from Shakespeare. This is Hamlet holding the skull of Yorick, the King’s jester. Hamlet says, “Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio.”
Each area of the Kingdom has a sign like this that shows all of the food offerings in that area. These signs are very helpful.
I’m getting hungry just reading this sign.
Fifi works in booth 408. They offer some great food. On this day, she let me try their popcorn chicken. Myself and John Pfister from Action 5 News enjoyed eating them. So delicious. Remember, booth 408. Ask Fifi and she can help you with anything.
My stomach says yes, my arteries say no. My stomach always wins.
One of the best dressed pirates in all of the TexRenFest.
A girl and her bone.
And she deserves a close-up.
Kay is a favorite of mine to photograph and talk to because she’s nice and also very funny.
The whole crew at the Sea Devil are fun-loving and it shows.
Scott plays Santa during the holidays. Not hard to picture. He said it’s the greatest gig ever.
The daily parade starts at noon and goes through the Kingdom.
The knights come riding by.
I wonder how that job looks on a resume. “So what was your last job?” “I was a knight that fought in jousts.” “Maybe I can find you something in sales.”
The parade is one of many highlights during a day at TRF.
And everyone in it is having a great time.
MJ from Ravenswood Leather was in the parade. I think I’d prefer riding over walking in it. I think most would.
Smiles are contagious.
The parade has a lot of people in it, showcasing many aspects of the TexRenFest.
This photo is important. When I saw her coming, I got her attention so I could snap this pic.
When I returned to my office, I duplicated it then cropped in to get a closer look at that dessert. Two different people told me about it. It’s new at TRF this season and it’s called a Chimney Cake. It is made of a pastry that is shaped like a chimney and then filled with different things. The one she is holding looks to be filled with strawberries then topped with chocolate.
Alex works at the Steak on a Stick stand also.
Alex and Kelsey.
This is Gandalf the wizard from Lord of the Rings. He told me that he followed me on the Book of Face. Then, he showed me a ring on his finger that was Gandalf’s ring. He took it off and placed it in my hand and closed my fingers around it.
He then reached into his bag and when he pulled his hand out, he was again wearing his ring. I opened my hand and there in it was the ring to rule all other rings, complete with the inscription inside.
He then told me that I could have it. I immediately put it on my finger and he said, “Oh no, you must never wear it for then evil will know your location.” I put it on my Media badge where it will remain. Cool dude.
He wanted a selfie and I was glad to oblige.
I’ll think of this gold ring as a sign of good luck and good friends.
A different pickle vendor, same deal. Three bills for a dill.
The weather was great on Sunday and there was a good crowd enjoying the day in the Kingdom.
They were eating, drinking, walking, talking, seeing shows and having a great time.
Shaka, the King of Zulu Kingdom.
Facepainting is a popular thing for the kids to get. Here are some options.
Lady Iris has worked at the TexRenFest for many years. This is her 30th.
She is very proud of this, as she should be.
The Beefeaters have cool outfits and hats.
The throne was busy all day long.
And as I was leaving about 1pm, the crowd was still coming in by the hundreds. Many thousands visited TRF on Opening Weekend.
A program is a necessity when visiting the TexRenFest. It has so much valuable information to help you enjoy your day in the Kingdom of New Market Village.
A lot more cars as I was leaving for the day.
That concludes this blog post about Opening Weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. To see all of the photos, go to the link below and click on Photos.
For the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo BBQ Cook Off, I was invited into the Kilowatt Kookers tent. Everyone was very nice and I had a really good time. Here are some of my pics.
I woke up early and snapped a pic of CoCo and I before I left for the Cook Off.
I found parking a few blocks away for $30.
I took a Pedi-Cab from Rosie to the NRG Stadium parking lot where the Cook Off was being held.
Rosie was quite a character.
Here are all of the booths. Lots of cooking going on.
Here are all of the cooking teams.
The staff at the Info Booth is always very helpful.
Here is the Kilowatt Kookers’ tent.
It is one of the larger tents at the cook off.
In these next photos, they are preparing their brisket entry for the contest.
Some beautiful meat.
The slicing is very important.
The smell was incredible.
Attention was paid to every detail.
A clean food tray is also important.
After slicing, the brisket is prepared to go in the food tray.
Notice here that he is cutting the brisket slices to the exact same size as the food tray. This has to do with presentation.
A thing of beauty.
That looks so delicious.
Squeezing out some juice.
And a close-up.
After the entry is placed in a food tray, a judge will tape it up and then the team delivers it to the judges.
Shots for everybody after the final entry is entered into the contest.
Such fun people.
Bottoms up.
2023 Kilowatt Kookers Team
Grilled chicken breasts that looked so good.
Fun, friendly team members.
Teaching the kids how to sauce the ribs.
This photo is mouth-watering.
Beautiful racks of ribs.
A photo of Drew and I. Drew was a really great host to me and I hope I’m invited back next year.
Cutting up the chicken breasts.
Ready to serve.
About that time, the ribs were ready to come out.
And the cutting began.
As a meat lover, this is Heaven.
Ready to eat.
It takes a lot of people to make up a good BBQ Cook Off team.
The ribs were fantastic.
All good BBQ teams have beautiful ladies.
Fried chips.
Hot and crispy.
Raedy to serve.
Seafood empanadas.
Made by a pro.
Nothing beats hot, fresh food.
And these empanadas were great.
The bar staff were also very friendly. I only had one coke because I don’t like to drink while I’m working.
Friendly, smiling faces that were eager to serve up your favorite drink.
This is the food service staff.
They helped fill people’s plates as the walked down the line.
All of the food looked, smelled and tasted great.
Gotta have potato salad, pickles and onions with BBQ.
Everyone really loved their experience in the Kilowatt Kookers tent, myself included.
There was plenty of food for all to eat.
And lots of room to eat.
These two lovely ladies were kind enough to pose for me with their food.
And a close-up.
A great meal served by a wonderful team.
Having a BBQ team can be expensive, hard work, time-consuming and exhausting.
But seeing all of the smiling faces of all the people that were pleased by your efforts can be the pay-off.
When everybody is happy, it worked out well.
One last shot of the food servers. They did a great job.
The Cook Off also has live concerts.
These shows always draw a crowd.
Mounted police. Nice guys.
This concludes my post about the BBQ Cook Off for 2023. Hopefully, I’ll be back at Kilowatt Kookers next year.
To see all of the photos, visit the link below and click on Photos.
I’ll start this post by saying, “Getting old sucks.”
This last weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as Pirate Adventure and it is one of my most favorite weekends of their season. It is also a favorite of many people.
For this weekend, I had an assistant working with me. I usually get about 500 pics per weekend and I thought since I had help, I would get close to 1,000 pics for the weekend. We didn’t even come close.
We also had big plans to campout in the campgrounds and capture the action at the bonfire and also at the Call of Booty camp.
On Saturday morning, my assistant was 2 1/2 hours late in meeting me. My day started off badly. Sitting in a gas station parking lot for 2 1/2 hours will tire a person out. So before my day even started, I was frustrated and tired from waiting.
When he showed up, we went into the campgrounds and found a spot to set up camp. We were one row away from the bonfire. I had high hopes for the weekend.
Now to where getting old sucks. We made it into the festival at about 1pm. We worked until 7pm. I ended up with my quota of 250 for the day but my assistant only got about 62 pics. Much lower than I expected from him.
I also shot video of the Tease of the Seas show at the Thirsty Pirate Pub stage. More about that later.
When we got back to our camp, I was tired but willing to cover the night’s activities in the campground. I laid down for a quick rest. When I looked up in a few minutes, my assistant already had his PJ’s on. I thought, “So I guess we’re not doing anything more.”
We even had tickets to a party in the campgrounds that featured a Pirate costume contest. After I saw that he was dressed for bed, I dosed off again and woke up at about 3am, and we missed everything.
I’ll try and camp out again by myself and try to get some coverage of the campgrounds.
When we arrived at the festival on Saturday at about 1pm, there was a line to get a pic on the throne so I passed on that.
The previous weekend, Lourdes had told me that she would give me a dish of the crawfish mac and cheese if I wanted to try it. That was the first place I went on Saturday.
It was delicious and I’ll have that again before the festival is over. Lourdes is a sweetheart.
I always stop by the food stands and I definitely make sure to stop by Julie’s stand to get her pic. Others have commented on how beautiful she is. I agree.
Kylie works at a nearby stand and is Julie’s daughter. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I love seeing families working at the festival.
The French area is always packed with people eating the great food and drinks. It’s one of my favorite areas.
I had heard that the attendance for Saturday was around 32,000 people.
Last week, I misspelled Blaise’s name. I thought it was Blaze. She has a very cool name to go with her good looks.
Bandanas and corsets. What’s not to love about Pirate weekend?
Alex is always so nice and never refuses me a photo of her.
The Red Lion Tavern has some good shows and I plan to shoot video of them soon. They always have a packed crowd. And great BBQ.
Haley was looking as cute as ever in her Pirate outfit. I liked the skeleton hand coming out of her shirt.
I also plan to shoot video of Saxon Moon again this year.
A nice group enjoying their day at the TexRenFest.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House for my daily kamikaze from Mickey. In his real job, he is a teacher of young kids. He told me that the discipline problems are getting out of line. Kids today are wild.
Monsieur Bunny prefers to be called Daddy.
This pic makes me laugh. He’s a randy fellow, lol.
I ran into Ms. Lilly Bontemp, aka the High Seas Barbie. I always enjoy getting her photogrpah.
This is what the patio of the Wyrmwood Public House looks like from ground level. It’s a great place to view the festival and all of the goings on.
The thousands of patrons were enjoying their day, seeing shows, eating and drinking.
The Sea Devil Tavern always has a big crowd.
Lots of Old School Pirates are found here.
Love the beard and pipe.
You may notice that I spend time around the Thirsty Pirate Pub. I just love the building and the area. It has drinks, food, a stage and great shows and lots of people having a great time.
It is a great addition to the Kingdom and I’m a fan.
And going from the Royal Mint to such a money making investment is a success story.
On Saturdays, there is always a crowd in the upstairs area.
It has a great view of the stage area.
And yes, beautiful women.
You had to know that I’d get a pic with them.
I even like the design of the ceiling.
Three more lovely ladies enjoying their time at the pub.
More skeleton hands grabbing tatas.
The staff at the pub is always nice and ready to serve you up something good.
I’ve never seen a dog or baby skeleton.
If my assistant was a woman, we would have taken a carriage ride.
Another look at the Sea Devil area.
There’s always colorful characters hanging around there.
I ran into Tim and his lovely lady and had to get a pic. Very cool outfits.
I stopped by the Polish Pub and saw another packed house.
My assistant got this shot and it’s one of my favorite ones from the weekend.
Even scooter riders can be Pirates.
Lots of shows to take in while at the festival.
Another fun group.
A fine Pirate and his best gal.
This is a view of the upstairs patio of ‘Tea and Strumpets’. Another great view of the TexRenFest.
Three cute Pirates.
If you can’t smooch your gal, you’re not a good Pirate.
Photographing the workers never gets old.
Such a beautiful smile.
Later in the day, I had the grilled pork on a stick.
It was delicious.
I photographed this lovely lady last season. Showing her Call of Booty pride. Love it.
I ran into Kevin again this weekend. He’s a favorite Pirate of mine.
Kevin and his main squeeze.
I ran into Erika and her friends and was happy to get a pic with them.
Daniel is a fun cosplayer I met last year.
Always good to get a thumbs up… instead of a middle finger salute.
Love the hat and her smile.
Another favorite of mine.
A beautiful Pirate.
I really enjoy photographing people having a good time. Nice pic.
More animals that the kids can ride.
The Pirate Pub always draws in some fun people.
A fun way to get tips for the performers.
This is a pic of the crowd at the Tease of the Seas show. Another packed house.
The show was great and the ladies are as beautiful as they are talented. The videos are good.
I plan on getting pics of the show this upcoming weekend.
This is my favorite pic of the pub to date. The lights and the sky make it a good one.
I’ve said this before but it’s too bad that the festival is only 2 months long once a year.
On Sunday morning, I was up early and headed into the festival for an appointment that I had.
A look at the entrance area before the thousands enter.
The Polish Pub.
They have a nice stage and great performers.
Kasia is the manager of the Polish Pub. She was so nice and pleasant. She offered me a jello shot to start my day. Any day that starts with a jello shot from a Polish beauty is going to be a good day.
Kasia also manages the Facebook pages for the Polish Pub and the Thirsty Pirate Pub. Her day job is working at the Consulate General of Poland in Houston. Great gal.
Jacob is a nice guy also.
He told me that he has worked at TRF since he was a young teenager. He even kept his streak alive while he was in the military by scheduling his leaves so he could work at the festival.
Some of the staff of the Polish Pub.
And a few more.
These two ladies missed the group shot so I snapped their pic later.
Kasia had her staff serve me breakfast.
I had never had pierogies before and loved them.
The two groups of performers at the pub.
A fun and talented group.
The Polish Pub has a great stage area where there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Love the dresses, the hair and the hats.
Another keepsake pic.
The Pirate Pub before the crowds arrive.
Ready to entertain.
Chris is married to the Spanish Queen Juana.
As I said before, every good Pirate wears many rings.
Legal brass knuckles.
A different view of the Pirate Pub.
The staff at the Pirate Pub is one of the nicest and most hard working at TRF. They serve a lot of people each day and always enjoy their work.
Rudy is always good for a nice pic.
Getting ready to start the morning dance.
I’ve seen this area really crowded with patrons enjoying their time at TRF.
On a busy day, you can see thousands from this vantage point.
The staff of ‘Tea and Strumpets’.
Alex and his weapon.
I’m glad that the food stand workers haven’t gotten tired of me asking them for pics.
It’s a favorite part of my day.
One of my favorite staffs.
A mother and daughter working together. I really like that many families work at the TexRenFest together. Family is always important.
If you don’t have a good time at TRF, it’s your own fault.
The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Becca works at festivals all around the country. Fun job.
Greg knows a lot about their moccasins.
Vebecka works at the Asgardian Armory and is very nice and fun to talk with.
I really like this pic. Great gals and a great background.
Erika at her post.
I enjoy getting pics with Erika.
The Asgardian Armory staff is also fun and hard working.
Avalon Leatherworks.
I try to showcase different shops each weekend.
Avalon has some nice merch.
And great hats.
Also some nice leather goods.
And a friendly staff.
MJ works at Ravenswood Leather. A favorite shop of mine.
This guy was ready for Halloween weekend.
A nice Pirate pose.
This guy cooks a lot of food each weekend.
I wonder how much chicken they use for the 8 weekends.
This cheerful Pirate gives out Pirate coins to the kids. A nice touch.
Pam at her bar, the Bilge Pump.
The staff of the Sea Devil tavern.
It was Amanda’s birthday on this day.
I stopped by the Pirate Pub for a drink.
On Sundays, the crowd is a little lighter.
Kudos to whoever designed this stage area and seating.
The palm trees add to the look and make it feel like a Pirate’s Tropical Paradise.
The upstairs staff are two very cool people and I like them.
I’m sure this guy liked his pic because I framed it with the logo in it.
Michael used to work at Tea and Strumpets but now works at the Pirate Pub. He is a very friendly, hard-working guy and I consider him a friend.
This young lady posed with the funnel cake. It looked good but I didn’t try it.
With the horse drawn carriages, I’ve never seen a road apple, never.
A good-looking Pirate and his better half.
Another favorite staff of mine.
The menu board for the Red Lion Tavern.
The staff always have a smile on their faces.
Haley is on my pic list each day and never disappoints.
Another good Pirate and his best gal.
A lovely lady strolling through TRF.
I enjoy Saturdays as well as Sundays in the Kingdom.
Every day is magical with new people and experiences to photograph. It’s a photographers dreamland.
Rare to see an empty table in this seating area.
On my way out, I try to get a pic of the entrance area to show all of the people still coming in.
Face-painting is very popular and Lady Iris is always busy.
Don’t forget to get your hand stamped if you’re coming back later that day.
I hope you have enjoyed this brief look at the Pirate weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I’ll have more blog posts about the upcoming weekends so check back soon.
To see all of the pics and videos from the festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The fifth weekend that I attended the Texas Renaissance Festival was the Highland Fling weekend. This was my first time visiting the Kingdom on this weekend and I didn’t know what I was in for.
I had an assistant working with me this weekend, so you’ll see some behind the scenes shots of what it is that I do at TRF. These first pics are from the Saturday of the Highland Fling weekend.
I climb up on the King’s throne to get these pics.
At TRF, there is regular parking that is free. With this free parking, sometimes it is a helluva long walk to the festival and then back to your car.
There’s also Preferred Parking, which costs $20. I did that one day and liked the proximity to the front entrance of the festival. And after a long day of walking, having a short walk to my Tahoe is a blessing.
TRF also has Handicap Parking for free and also Valet Parking for $40. The pic below is of the valet area before anyone showed up. It is right near the front gates. I mean, right there.
I was able to get my assistant to snap a pic of me on the throne. It’s not as easy to get up there as you would think.
We ran into this guy at the front entrance area. When I asked for his pic, he struck this pose.
Then, he put on his goggles, extended his wings and struck another pose for us. Impressive is a good word for his look.
Pennywise was right inside of the front gates and I was glad to get her photo. She must have a party size can of helium to have a fresh red balloon every morning. It completes the whole picture.
Tinker Bell was always a lot of fun to photograph. I see the TRF characters from early in the morning until the afternoon. They are always energetic, in character and having fun.
It takes a special type of person to work as a character at the TexRenFest and they have a lot of special people on staff, Tinker Bell being one for sure.
I’m quite sure that there were 2 different girls playing this role. They were good characters and always happily posed for myself and my assistant.
The guy in the middle knows how to pose to make a statement. He was always fun to photograph and gave us some good pics.
After spending some time near the front gates, my assistant, Ryan, and I headed to what I call ‘Food Stand Row’. There are several food stands lined up and next to each other. I would walk down this row and get pics of all of the people working in said stands.
This day, Blaze was wearing glasses.
And we took some pics without them. Blaze knows how to pose to create a good picture.
If anyone gets a close-up, it’s Blaze.
After taking some pics, Ryan and I ordered what would be called Brunch because we ate between breakfast and lunch.
This photo of Blaze serving hot, delicious food is a favorite of mine because it says a lot about the festival in one pic.
On the left is crawfish etouffee and on the right is shrimp etouffee. We enjoyed this meal and headed to the Sea Devil area for a morning beer.
Amanda was there to serve them to us. The little bar that she works at is called ‘The Glory Hole’. That’s really funny.
This is a shot that I’m proud of. They each spent a lot of money on their clothing and hats to look this good. Kudos.
The staff at the Sea Devil bar were always up for a photo. They have a good job at TRF. They work at one of the coolest places to hang out, there’s a live band that plays right in front of them and everybody loves a bartender serving good drinks.
As a note, I bought some Honey Mead from the Sea Devil bar. I think I’ll need to drink some more before I give it a thumbs up or down. One small plastic cup isn’t enough for a fair review.
These 2 girls are good friends and it shows. Fun pic.
Here is an example of a mid-range shot that I always take of people.
And from that pic, I can create a close-up like this. “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
That is a very famous line from an old movie called ‘Sunset Strip’. The delusional Norma Desmond is about to be arrested for murder. She sees a news camera and thinks she’s on a movie set with Cecil B. DeMille directing the film. She delivers that famous line and it has been used over and over again.
That was your Hollywood History for today.
Hercules struck several different poses for me when I came across him in the Kingdom. Some call this pose the Double Biceps. Others know it as ‘The Gun Show’.
Next TRF, I’m going to ask him where he got that head piece. It’s amazing. And I bet it kept his head warm on those colder days during the festival.
This was the second time that I ran into this pretty lady. I think it was 2 weekends in a row. If you are a fan of people wearing great hats, then the Texas Renaissance Festival is for you.
I’ll give you one guess as to what this guy’s name is… He even gave me a wristband with his name on it.
Painkiller.
Mr. and Mrs. Painkiller. Looking good.
I ran into some Star Wars people, but not as many as you would think. Still a good number of people came as their favorite Star Wars character. I always saw a Mandolorian or two, each weekend.
Here is another time when I use the word striking. As in, “She was striking.”
Definition of Striking… Someone who is striking is very attractive, in a noticeable way.
Here is another mid-range shot that I always take of people. Her necklace is awesome as well.
And another close-up that came from the mid-range pic.
Here’s Erika at Booth 211, Asgardian Armory. She had so many different looks for each day of the festival. I think she wore something different each day for 17 days.
I don’t think it’s possible for Erika to take a bad pic.
Ran into Leos again. As you may have noticed, he was at the festival for a lot of days. At the next TRF, his brother Argos is supposed to join him.
How many brush strokes to create the look of Leos’ face? In a previous post, I guessed at 200. It could be more. His face always looks great.
Alex Draco had on his tartan for the Highland Fling weekend.
I would not be able to go to TRF as either of these 2 characters for several reasons.
My stomach hasn’t looked like that in 25 years and I’m a whimp when it comes to cold weather. My hat is off to both Alex and Leos for their efforts to create such a great Kingdom, full of all kinds of characters.
This guy looked really good. A tartan hat set him apart from all others that were there celebrating the Highland Fling.
This fine couple performs for the guests of the TexRenFest. Purple is one of my favorite colors and they look great in it.
Their IG account is called The_Minstrel_Rav’n. Here is what they say about themselves…
“Telling Songs and Singing Stories of Pirates, Taverns and Elven Lasses.”
Fun couple with a cool job.
I saw a lot of people with those wooden drinking vessels. This couple had them and looked like they were enjoying a walk through the Kingdom while having a drink.
Nuria as Queen Isabella. The entire Spanish Court were wearing tablecloths around their dresses. It was their way of celebrating the Highland Fling while still being in character.
Here is another favorite pic of ours. Such beautiful dresses and he looks great as well. I’d wear what he has on just to run errands around Houston, lol.
A second pic, the mid-range shot, is always a great way to capture the details of people’s clothing, outfit, costume or garb.
I also liked this next guy’s look.
I asked them to get together for a shot of the 2 of them.
Then, I asked him to remove his helmet. I sometimes prefer a photo of someone holding their helmet. It shows the face behind the headgear and they always look cool holding their helmet. Like they’re ready for action.
If I hadn’t asked him to remove his helmet, he would have been content with the shot of him and his girl. Like it is, they loved the shot without his helmet also and even posted it on social media and tagged The STORM Factory. I like it when things turn out like that. I feel like I’ve done my job well.
Here is the King of Spain. I didn’t talk with him much, but he was always nice enough to pose for me.
This was a fun group to photograph. The guy on the left had some great eyes.
This is when I really enjoy the close-ups.
If you didn’t think she was a favorite of mine, you’d be wrong.
Blue is a good color for her.
The Spanish King and his Court. Here, you can see them all wearing, what I think are, tablecloths.
I introduced Bird in a previous post about TRF. She works with the bagpipe band Tartanic by selling CD’s and other merchandise to the audience watching their show.
I’ve mentioned before that I love the fact that Pirates show up on every weekend, no matter what the theme is…
“The theme this weekend is the Highland Fling, but we’re going as Pirates.”
“Great. I’m in.”
One of the prettiest Pirates that I photographed.
Alex looked great on this Saturday of the Highland Fling.
Here’s a pic of their crew. During the Celtic Christmas weekend, they called me over to photograph them in their Holiday outfits. That pic came out great. You’ll see it in a future post.
I wanted to try their fried crawfish, so after taking some pics, I order some.
It was a good meal and I almost ate all of it. I didn’t want to feel bloated while I walked and worked.
I never noticed this before, but Kevin is wearing a pair of Steampunk goggles around his neck on this Saturday. I’m a big fan of Steampunk. Here is what Wikipedia says about it…
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.
Any good Pirate worth his salt has a good ring collection. I know I do.
Definition of ‘worth one’s salt’…
To be ‘worth one’s salt’ is to be worth one’s pay, or good at your job or profession. Being a Pirate is a full-time job.
Another good pic of a nice couple enjoying their day at TRF.
Most all Pirates have a swagger in their poses. If you look in the back, on the left, you’ll see Amanda working in ‘The Glory Hole’.
Scott would come by to chat with Amanda every day that he attended the festival, which was several times. I would be there some days also, having my morning beer from Amanda. We’d talk about the festival, the characters, and other things TRF related.
These next pics are funny.
I was told by a guy that I needed to go get this guy’s pic. When he turned around and I saw his breasts, I started laughing. I took a full-body shot and then this mid-range shot.
Then I asked him to grab his tit. Gold.
I was able to run into this girl a few different times while I was working at the TexRenFest.
She happily posed for me and got some great pics.
Pothead. Jay wears a pot on his head and one person called him Pothead. So do I.
Jay told me that every flower in his pot was given to him by a kid at the festival. Pretty cool.
Here’s Tits McGee and his friends enjoying some beer at the Sea Devil.
These girls work at the Wyrmwood Public House. That’s Shelbelle Shamrock in the middle.
The Burlesque Show at the Wyrmwood is great and you should check it out this next TRF. I highly suggest it.
This guy looks so good that he looks like he just walked off of a Hollywood movie set.
This is the crew of one of the shops located around TRF. I tried to get a lot of workers.
Mario and Luigi. Great!!
There is a funny story with this couple.
After I photographed them as a couple, I asked to get some pics of just her. So I did.
I then showed the pics to her and after seeing them, she said, “The girls look nice.”
I had to agree.
I would be curious to know who is the most photographed character at TRF. This girl has a seat on a pedestal and she sits there as people come by and snap pics of her.
I have said this before, but I’m convinced that there are 2 different girls that play this role. And both look great.
Good friends, good times.
I ran into Lilly Bontemp on this Saturday. She had a wooden drinking vessel also.
Her hat has a mermaid on it, but it’s the skeleton of a mermaid. That is very much like a Pirate.
This lady has 3 different nose rings. I’d be so scared of accidentally ripping my nose up when something got caught on it. She fit in at TRF perfectly.
Some choose to stay in character for their photos. I like the guy’s outfit. That’s another one that I’d wear.
Bree and Erika at Asgardian Armory.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I think colored contact lenses can complete a certain look and often times put it over the top.
In this shot is an example of contacts creating a great look. She looks Awesome with a capital A.
If ever there was a reason for a close-up.
I brought Ryan by the Wyrmwood for a drink.
Mickey made us 2 kamikazes. We downed them and hit the road to get some more pics.
I’m not a fan of people raising their arms like this. In order to get the arm in the frame, the pic ends up being a lot further back. She does look great though.
In this shot, you’ll see what I mean. Her arm is lower, which allows me to crop in and get closer to see more details.
Next TexRenFest, I’ll spend more time covering this woman’s act. She’s in a group with other dancers and they’re all as pretty as her.
Haley was wearing a tartan skirt to celebrate the Highland Fling.
This is a good example of my shooting practices. The pic above is a full-body shot. This pic is a mid-range shot. And the next pic after this one is the close-up I was able to create from this pic.
The flowers and her face make-up gave her a great look.
I’ve mentioned several acts that I want to cover the next TRF. This dancer is in one of the acts I’ll cover.
Great necklaces.
Apollo always took some time to pose for a pic. That was cool of him.
Lilly changes the flowers on her hat and uses similar colors on her face that match the rest of her clothing. It all goes together. Her stockings are great also.
If you’ve never seen Lilly dancing around while Tartanic plays, you’re missing out. It’s a high-point of the day for a lot of people.
This lady worked with the band, Tartanic, also. Pretty fantastic face make-up.
Here’s Philip. I’ve mentioned this before, but he was voted as one of the Top 10 Pirates of TRF for 2021 by our group at the STORM Factory.
I would love to have a coat like that. I’d wear it everywhere. Philip was the only Pirate that had a great hook. We love his hat, the hair, the hook, the coat… everything. Kudos to Philip.
My friend, Chelsea. She told me one day, “I want to thank you for always asking to take my picture before you do.” I told her, “Of course.”
That is my policy. I don’t shoot people without them knowing it, which a lot of photographers do at TRF. When you see those guys with the long lenses… well, those aren’t for close-ups.
They like to stay a long ways away and shoot people without them knowing. I believe that to be downright wrong.
This sign is for the booth that I’ll be meeting people next TRF for photos.
This is the Wyrmwood Public House. That upstairs patio is awesome.
Maps on a scroll. Very cool, indeed. Good move by TRF.
One of the things I told Ryan, when he was working with me, is to never cut off parts of people’s costumes, outfits, or garb. This next pic is an example of getting all of the top feathers in the pic. Possibly, other photogs would cut them out.
I love that there are big parades on both weekend days. And always starting at noon helps me cover them.
Who doesn’t cheer for beer?
Jade, looking great as always.
These next shots are by Ryan while I was shooting video of this act. This is Cirque Olympus.
I’ll load the videos from TRF on YouTube soon.
Both of the girls in Cirque Olympus are amazing. It’s a great show and if you’re at TRF again, you should definitely check them out. You won’t be disappointed.
It takes years of conditioning to be able to do this several times a day.
She did all of these maneuvers without anything to catch her if she fell.
What a great shot. Awe inspiring.
I would not want this girl mad at me.
Ryan did a great job of capturing some great images.
Now, for some more shots by Ryan that I was in. We started out our day with getting some great pics of this guy.
Here I am photographing the Food Stand workers.
This was one of the few times that I was able to get a pic with Blaze.
TRF is a fun assignment.
Here I am showing this girl the pics I just took of her. I do this with every person, couple or group. They always have final say as to what gets posted on the STORM Factory site.
Being photographed with beautiful women never gets old. This pic concludes our Saturday at the TexRenFest. Sunday pics up next.
I was the first one at TRF again on the Sunday of the Highland Fling weekend. I may get up early to be there that early, but I prefer it because I never get stuck in traffic and it’s a short walk to my Tahoe when I’m ready to leave.
500,000 people will enter this area over 17 days time.
I love witnessing the calm before the storm.
All quiet… for now.
Approximately 29,400 people will come down this walkway on this day, according to our math.
I had Ryan snap my pic again.
Willy is great. He adds to the whole TRF experience.
Hamish McGregor entertaining the guests before the gates to the Kingdom open.
For breakfast on that Sunday morning, I had an egg, ham and cheese quiche and milk.
Ryan had the kolaches, milk and coffee. We were both happy with our meals from the Queen’s Pantry.
Here is what Wikipedia says about RenFaires…
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests.
These girls were on my daily routine of shots to get. They were always happy to see me.
Funny story…
I’ve mentioned in previous posts about one of the coolest places to hang out while at TRF is the area around the Sea Devil bar. There’s always cool people around there having drinks and looking awesome.
I make it a policy to walk by there every so often. Ryan was off shooting the Joust and I was taking pics around the Sea Devil. I took one woman’s photo and it came out great. As I’m showing here the photo, she says something to me.
She said it so softly that I couldn’t hear her. I asked her what she had said, then she said, “Can I kiss you?”
I said, “Sure.” I could tell then that she was a little tipsy. I’ll chalk it up to a good experience. How many times have you been working and have an inebriated woman ask you for a kiss? Exactly.
This girl looked great in all of her pics.
I couldn’t say how many times someone made a comment about the STORM Factory’s business card. Every time, it was something to the effect of, “Cool card.”
One time, I shot this lady and after I gave her my card, I heard her tell her kids, “Look how cool his card is.”
Another time, I gave my card to a Pirate. He looked at it and said, “Pretty pimp card.”
I noticed that this cute girl was working at different food stands on different weekends. I didn’t know some rotated to other work locations.
If I were a kid at TRF, I would have been all over this horse. For all of the drinking and half-dressed people, TRF has many things for the kids also. I’m always impressed by that. Even elephant rides.
Erin played Glinda, the Good. I heard her explaining one day about how she had made her scepter. She is very talented. More about Erin in my next post.
These people were more than happy to pose for me. They work at a shop and probably don’t get many photo requests.
I’ve been calling this guy a Warrior. Next TRF, I’ll get more info on him, hopefully. He might tell me to F off.
This is probably the look I’ll get when I ask him something, lol.
Skidmark going to work.
His office.
Mid-range.
Close-up.
Another pretty Flower Girl.
I first met Jana during the Cosplay weekend, on the Sunday. Ryan and I ran into her again on this Sunday of the Highland Fling.
I’ve mentioned that I’m a fan of anything Steampunk and her hat is fabulous.
Jana always gives us great photos and we’re grateful. Kudos to Jana and her sense of style.
Lilly and her co-worker. But those abs…
Blaze had her glasses again this day.
The glasses offered a different look for her. I liked it.
It is rare that I meet Jade anywhere in the Kingdom. I usually catch her at the entrance in the morning and I never see her again. TRF is huge.
Ryan and I saw her on this Sunday, so we got some pics.
Full-body shot.
Mid-range.
Close-up.
A great group shot.
This girl works in a food stand way in the back of the Kingdom. It’s a walk to get to her, but worth it. She was always so happy to get photographed.
Memories with good friends are the best.
Here is an example of the shops in the TexRenFest Kingdom. Simply beautiful. Ryan snapped this pic.
And all of the rest of the pics in this post were shot by Ryan. He did a good job.
Great art. Love it.
Tartanic having fun with the crowd. They’re really funny between songs.
You will even see characters up in the trees while you’re at TRF.
This is a good pic of mother and daughter.
Great make-up and worthy of a close-up.
Here is the stage for the Washing Well Wenches show. I’m excited to shoot video of this act next TRF and get some good pics. I love these girls.
A dunk tank. These girls would hurl insults at these men that were trying to dunk them. One guy succeeded, but there were a lot of insults flying. Another fun attraction offered by the great people at the TexRenFest.
Good pic.
In an earlier post, I mentioned that the Washing Well Wenches had a map of the Kingdom. Here I am shooting video of them showing me that map.
She raises the dress and reveals the map… on her ass.
She starts out by talking about the “Entrance” and “Exit”, complete with her pointing at them. It’s quite hilarious. This might be the funniest bit in all of the Kingdom.
At one point, the girl bending over was touched and she said, “I think I just became a woman.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “I love these gals.”
I take the pics after I’ve been given permission.
Then I show all of the pics and get their approval.
And if Ryan is with me, I can get some pics with people.
When you saw that pic of Jana earlier, you had to know that I would want to get some pics with her also.
Jana wears high shoes and boots, but she is still a tall woman without them.
Here I am discussing an interview with a Fire Dancer named Violet.
You may not notice this… the girl next to Violet is as tall as me. I’m 6’1″ when wearing my Harley boots. Her moccasins barely have a heel. She is what we refer to as, “A tall drink of water.”
This is Violet’s friend, another Fire Dancer. And beautiful also.
Years ago, I went to TRF with a $2,500 video camera and shot everything on MiniDV cassettes.
Now, with technology, I can buy a $1,000 iPhone and get 4K quality video without carrying some huge, clunky camera.
I learned a lot about Fire Dancing from Violet. The interview turned out great and we were both happy with the end result.
Ryan took some good shots for me. I was happy with his work.
On Saturday, he shot over 1,500 pics because he was shooting on Blast. That’s when the camera takes several shots in a matter of seconds.
I had to stay up through the night to get everything organized and loaded onto the Factory site. I ended up showering, dressing and heading back to TRF on Sunday Morning with no sleep on Saturday night. None.
As a rule, I try to load everything shot in a day by that night. This is for the people that are eager to see their pics. I know what that’s like and we aim to please.
I know of some other programs that tell people it will be 3 days before their pics are loaded. That is ridiculous. And totally deferred gratification.
Some of my favorite pics with characters are with Jade.
Another thing about using an iPhone as opposed to a regular ‘camera’ is the view screen is much larger that those little viewers on digital cameras today.
People can’t see the pic well enough to know if it’s good or not. With a Pro Max iPhone, the screen is big enough to see even small details.
Knowing the Doorman at the Wyrmwood Public House is a good thing.
With my friend Greg in the Catskill Mountain Moccasins booth.
This guy was a funny character. And I mean that in a good way, lol.
I’m coming to the end of this post. I’ll close with something funny.
Willy was posted at the exit gate, where they stamp people’s hand if they want to re-enter later in the day.
As Ryan and I are leaving, I put my hand out for Willy to stamp. When he raises the stamp and starts to stamp my hand, I move it and walk out of the festival, laughing.
Ryan said that Willy looked at him with a look like, “What a dick?” Hahaha. Then Ryan snapped a pic of Willy right after I psyched him. The pic says it all.
I would leave the festival every day about 3pm in order to finish editing and loading the pics from the day by 10pm that night. It takes that long sometimes.
And every day that I was leaving, there were many that were just arriving.
Thanx for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. To see all of the 3,105 pics and videos from the TexRenFest 2021, click on the link below and go to Photos.
And remember…
“Always be yourself… unless you can be a Pirate, then always be a Pirate.”
Houston has many great things to see and do. Â One of the more unique things to see is the Beer Can House.
John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, started his project now known as the Beer Can House in 1968 when he began inlaying thousands of marbles, rocks, and metal pieces into concrete and redwood to form unique landscaping features.
The house in 1968 before the project began.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not estimates there are 50,000 beer cans used in this endeavor.
From 1968 to 1988, 20 years of drinking… with something to show for it, which is more than most can say.
These are all beers that the owner drank, along with his wife and neighbors. Â In order to get to 50,000 beers, they had to average drinking 6.5 beers every single day for 20 years straight.
I’m surprised he didn’t die from cirrhosis of the liver, lol.
Then again, that would be dying for your art.
He covered the ground with concrete that he decorated with marbles because he didn’t like to mow the grass.
The fence leading to the driveway was covered.
The fence in front of the house also.
Some even 0n the sidewalk in front of the house.
Even the planter had beer cans on it.
The fence that runs alongside the driveway was covered too.
John considered his work an enjoyable pastime rather than a work of art, but he did enjoy people’s reaction to his creations.
He once said, “It tickles me to watch people screech to a halt. They get embarrassed. Sometimes they drive around the block a couple of times. Later they come back with a car-load of friends…”
I went by today but for some reason they weren’t open when they were supposed to be. Â There’s more to see, so I’ll show you those additional photos when I get them.
Also, there’s another place that is called a monument. Â It’s closed until March for renovations. Â I’ll be sure to share with you when it opens again.
Halloween is my favorite event during the year. Â It always has been, since a child.
On Christmas, you get presents and that’s cool, but on Halloween, you get a bag full of all kinds of candy. Â A kids’ utopia.
Anyway, as I grew older, I started doing different things on Halloween and not going out for candy.
If there was mischief to be had on Halloween, I was a part of it.
Then, when I grew up and could start drinking… well that added a whole new element into the equation.
Going out to a bar and seeing everyone in costume was and is a blast. Â Where else can you see a slutty school girl, a slutty nurse, a slutty she-devil, a slutty… well you get my point, lol.
Many people go to Halloween parties and those are fun also.
Here in Houston, they have a Pub Crawl in the Montrose area of the city. Â It’s a lot of fun.
All of the bars turn their parking lots into outside drinking areas with bars to serve that are set up all around.
I try to go when I can and photograph everybody for my website, to show others what it’s like if they couldn’t be there.
When I was traveling all of the time, occasionally Halloween would occur when we were out of town.
This was an added bonus of my job, being able to party in different cities for Halloween.
One year, I got the idea that I wanted to be Braveheart. Â This was before Mel Gibson got into all of that trouble and ruined his career.
I went to a fabric store and bought what I needed and had some big black boots that would work.
Next, I went out and got a wig. Â It didn’t look like Mel’s hair but it was a wig none the less.
Finally, I went to a Halloween store and picked up the blue face paint. Â If you don’t have the blue face, then you’re not Braveheart.
Over the years, I was out of town for Halloween several times. Â I liked my Braveheart outfit, so I figured I’d show Braveheart to each new city.
I think the first place was Los Angeles. Â We went to a bar on the SunSet Strip called The Key Club. Â We had such a fun time.
At one point, I got kicked out for making the bouncer look stupid.
Once I was out on the sidewalk, as Braveheart, I realized my friend, Epstein (from Welcome Back Kotter) had all of my money and ID.
Now I was screwed.
This club kicked everybody out at 10pm, then reopened a short time later and you had to pay another cover charge to get back in. What money hungry weasels they were.
When I realized I was screwed, I turned and went straight to the window where you pay the second cover charge. Â I heard lots of people yelling at me for cutting this huge line. Â I didn’t care… I was Braveheart damn it.
I told the lady my problem and she let me back in, where we proceeded to have more fun in a club than I can remember.
That was L.A., next was Phoenix, Arizona.
Myself and the people I was with were doing their Pub Crawl when I walked out onto the back patio of this bar.
When everybody turned and looked at me as Braveheart, you could have heard a mouse fart.
Then all of a sudden, there were huge cheers, hugs and free beers all around.
Here are the guys I ran into in that bar. Â We look like Braveheart and the extras on the set of the movie, lol.
I only wish is that the person taking the picture would have taken a wider shot, because there were a lot more guys than the ones in the picture. Â Probably twice as many than you can see.
I don’t think an experience like that will ever happen to me again the rest of my life. Â As the saying goes, “A once in a lifetime moment”.
Here’s some more photos from Phoenix.
Check out the helmet in the bottom right of this picture. Â These guys handmade all of their gear and had a club associated with it.
Braveheart and the Queen.
I forgot to mention, I used a weight lifting belt around my waist to hold it all together and braided the small part of the wig like Braveheart’s was.
This photo was snapped right before I went to jail.
Just kidding. Â I didn’t go to jail, but it was close. Â No cop likes a drunk, Â smart ass, Braveheart. Â I found that out.
Phoenix was such a good time as Braveheart that I decided to bring him to Vegas the next year when I was in Sin City for Halloween.
Vegas was terrible.
I went down to the bar when I got ready and I was earlier than my companions, so I thought I’d have a drink. Â To wet the whistle, if you will.
I sat down at the bar and immediately the conversation turned to me as Braveheart.
The bartender takes my order as I chat with these strangers.
The next thing I know, the bartender is handing me a tall glass of my drink and says it’s on the house. Â Now Vegas is known for expensive drinks, so this drink was easily $15 or $20 if I had to pay for it. Â And this one was so strong it was like turpentine, lol.
I took the straw and drank almost half on my first swig. Â Boy was I gonna have the time of my life in Vegas shortly.
Another few minutes go by and I’m about to leave because I finished that very large glass of Jim Beam and coke.
Before I can leave, the bartender puts another large glass in front of me… so I sit back down and start on this one.
I’m trying to get out of there so I’m using two straws and drinking like a madman.
Believe it or not this happens again and I’m too polite to refuse or too drunk to care at this point, so I drink a third huge, very strong Jim Beam with a little coke added.
After these three really strong drinks in me, I was doing okay.
I went to the valet area to meet my friends.
As I was out by the large area with all of the people coming and going in and out of the casino, all of that Jim Beam hit me like a ton of bricks.
A few seconds later, my friends walk up.
I knew I was in trouble when I tried to speak and slurred my words.
The first thing they said was “Uh, you’re not driving, right?”.
So now I’m in the back of this van and having downed probably more than half a bottle of Jim Beam in such a short time, I was getting really drunk.
Our next stop was to go to dinner.
They had reservations at a nice restaurant and I walked in as a slurring, stumbling Braveheart.
We sat down and I was getting worse by the second.
Finally, my little personal alarm went off and I knew I had to get out of there.
I got up and just staggered out.
Once outside by the valet area, I got in a cab.
I immediately laid down on the back seat.
The cab driver asks me where I’m going. Â First I say one casino. Then, in a brief moment of clarity, I remember we’re staying at the MGM.
Now the next thing I remember is waking up in my hotel room the next morning with my pillow covered in blue face paint. Â I vaguely remember stumbling on the elevator and making it to my room.
That was the last appearance of Braveheart. Â Then Mel Gibson went off of the deep end and now hardly anybody wants to be his character for Halloween, whereas before, I always saw lots of fellow Bravehearts.
If there is a lesson to be learned from my experiences as Braveheart… quit when you’re ahead.
Los Angeles and Phoenix were going to be hard to beat and I think I was so fired up about Vegas that I let that bartender over serve me drastically.
I haven’t had as much fun as I did in L.A. and Phoenix since. Â I need to come up with another costume that was as fun as being Braveheart.
Maybe one day I’ll try Vegas again, but the next time I’m not going to the lobby bar in costume, lol.
In my 20’s I heard about Amsterdam. Â Legalized marijuana, legalized prostitution, coffee shops, the whole story. Â I was curious and wanted to see for myself.
Years later, I got the chance to go, so I did. Â Now I’ve been several times and it’s always interesting.
There is more to the Red Light District than what people think. Â In other articles that I post, I’ll show you what I’m talking about.
This photo below is right at the beginning of a little, thin street that is the beginning of the district.
This is that same street very early the next morning.
The last time I went was during New Year’s Eve, so the streets were littered with trash every night.
Early the next morning, clean up crews would drive through and clean it all up so it could get trashed the next night.
Every night during the Christmas / New Year’s Holiday in the Red Light District, so many people shoot off huge amounts of fireworks.
You can see piles of wet, red, paper wrappings from the fireworks everywhere.
Here’s the clean up crew I told you about. Â I would not want their jobs no matter how much you paid me.
It’s a dirty, thankless job that keeps repeating the cycle over and over again.
The Red Light District never stays clean during the Holiday’s. Â Too many people making too much trash.
Okay, let’s take a look at the windows in the Red Light District.
This very tight passage leads to a lot of windows with the red lights.
This is another way to walk past many windows with girls in them. Â There’s a big church right behind me as I take this picture.
You can hear the church bells ring during the day. Â It’s weird that all of this sex is going on so close to an old church and they can all hear the bells ringing while they are doing their business.
During the early morning hours, there’s hardly anyone around but there are still some girls in the windows working the early morning shift.
The photo below is what it’s like later in the day. Â Tons of regular tourists who want to see the district for themselves and then there are the guys looking at the girls to decide which one they want to be with.
Now these pictures are from over by another canal.
Along this canal, you can see all of the windows lit up at night with girls looking for business.
The girls charge 50 Euros for a regular spin in the hay, which lasts for about 15 minutes. Â 50 Euros is about $53 USD.
This district was assigned to prostitutes to ply their trade as far back as 1413.
I’ve read where the girls will sort of section themselves off by race.
In other words, the white girls work one section of the district and the black girls work another.
In the area I’m in, there are over 100 windows available for girls to work in.
Now we’re looking at pictures from the area where we started. Â Let’s take a look inside some of these rooms.
It’s just a basic set up. Curtains on the window for privacy, a bed with linens and sometimes you’ll see a sink.
Here, the girl has a stool to sit on while she waits for a customer.
The girls rent out these rooms on a day to day basis. Â It’s done this way so if a girl wants to get out of the business, she can just quit and not worry about still owing a months rent on a room.
In my research, I read that these rooms have a panic button that is connected to the nearby Police Station and the response time is less than a minute.
This room has the sink that I was talking about.
I read where the red lights are normal. Â Then I read that there are also blue lights.
When you see a blue light in a window, it means that the person behind the glass was not born a woman. Â I assume this is referring to transexuals.
In 2013, the legal age to be able to work as a prostitute was raised from 18 to 21.
I took a few pictures of the girls and I’ll show you because you can’t make out their faces and they’re wearing G-Strings.
The average window prostitute makes about 7,500 Euros a month. Â That’s $8,363 in USD.
Here’s the breakdown… Â She makes 7,500 Euros a month and has sex for 50 Euros at a time. Â Divide 7,500 by 50 and you get 150.
So she’s having sex 150 times a month !!! Â That’s 1800 times a year. Â If she does this for 2 years that’s 3600 times she’s having sex !!!
There are Tour Agencies that provide guided tours through the Red Light District and tell the tourists interesting stories about the area.
In the photo below, the blonde in the window waits on a customer.
It’s been estimated that between 5,000 and 8,000 people work as prostitutes in Amsterdam.
Every morning, after a wild night of everybody raising Hell, the district looks like a ghost town until later in the day.
I hope you enjoyed my article on the Red Light District.
I have 10 more articles about Amsterdam to load on my Blog. Â I think you’ll like what I have to show and tell you about Amsterdam.
You can check out my photos of Amsterdam’s Red Light District on my website.
I also shot some video of the district and that video is also loaded on my site.
