The seventh weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as the Highland Fling and yes, there were a lot of kilts.
This is a story from my visits on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a cold and wet day, but I made the trip to TRF anyway because I figured there would still be people there.
I arrived first again and got my usual parking spot.

I don’t usually promote the clothing company that much, but if you were interested in checking out the merchandise in the Contraband store, visit the link at the bottom of this post and click on Contraband. Lots of cool stuff.

Most may not have noticed in these photos, but my right rear hub cap fell out sometime back. I went to the dealership and had no luck. I came home and found a set of 4 for $19 on Amazon. Many times, people have bad things to say about Jeff Bezos, but he gave the world one of the best shopping websites ever.

There are a few superstitions at the TexRenFest. One is that people never say the “R” word in reference to bad weather. The previous weekend, I was talking to a TRF photographer and said, “This season has been great and no r….” He said to me, “We don’t say that word.”
I said the no-no word and sure enough, the next weekend we had r…. Lesson learned.

My morning pic on the throne.

One of the beefeaters, Jim, striking a good pose on the throne.

Rudy, about to entertain the early arriving patrons.

The cannon was fired under an awning because of the r….
Ravenswood Leather has one of the coolest buildings at TRF. The upstairs balcony if for employees only, but I’d like to go up there at least once.

The staff at Ravenswood is great and MJ is a really nice person.

All of the ladies look great posing with the merchandise. Here’s Mary looking great in her hat and fur.

I had on my STORM Factory jacket and also my STORM Factory raincoat. When I button up everything, I look like I weigh 250 pounds or that I’m pregnant, lol.

Mary had her hair down for a change and I complimented her about how nice it looked. She said that she usually wears it up so it doesn’t get unruly with the humid weather in Texas.

Kevin is a very stylish pirate and the only one I know that uses green as his predominant color with his garb. Love the hat.

I’m going to have to find a solution to the puffiness of my jackets because I don’t like looking like I just ate a whole cow.

Elaine always takes a good photo. I learned her name this weekend and she’s a favorite to photograph.

I learned Dex’s name also. I thought it the polite thing to do since I take his pic often.

I stop by the Thirsty Pirate Pub a few times each weekend day.

The staff are always willing to pose for a pic and I appreciate that. Such nice people and hard workers.

Shelly and Katy are two more people that I met this season.

Kylie never takes a bad photo. Some people are lucky like that.

Her mom, Julie, is the same way. All of the pics I take of her always look great.

Such and attractive mother and daughter. And both are really nice. I’m glad that I met them this season.

The Polish Pub is another of my regular stops each morning of the festival.

Kasia has great people working with her. Kasia has become a great new friend and I appreciate her friendship.

I said last week that I’d learn this girl’s name by this week. Meet Jenna.

The Cajun Booth has one of the friendliest staffs at TRF and they have great food.

I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House and saw Allen at the front door, as usual.

Mickey made my kamikaze and it hit the spot on a cold and wet day.

I ran into Tim and Cameron again this weekend. They attend the festival several days of the season and always dress so well for the themed weekends.

Tim is very supportive of my efforts on social media and I appreciate that.

Sara and Abby from Catskill Mountain Moccasins.

I met Sara last year and we’ve stayed in touch via Facebook. She posts some funny stories.

Abby is Sara’s niece and I met her last season also. Abby Normal, lol.

Two tough dudes at the Asgardian Armory.

Erika has the best wardrobe and always looks fantastic every weekend.

Erika and Hyle.

I love Erika’s fur hat and I bet it’s very warm.

I’ll try and learn these young ladies’ names this upcoming weekend.

This is a fun-loving group. Very tight-knit.

The attendance was lower than usual because of the weather.

A little muddy in some areas.

Lots of rain gear and umbrellas.

Kelsey, Lourdes and Alex at the Steak on a Stick booth.

Lourdes let me try the boudin. She offered to cut it open for me but I ate it the traditional way and not with a fork. On this cold, wet day, it really warmed me up and tasted great.

The Steak on a Stick booth has a lot of great food items and the boudin is definitely one of their best.

Savannah works in the back area of the festival and I don’t always make it back there. It’s worth the walk to get her pic.

Catalina Longview always takes a good pic also.

I got a pic with Scott. Kurt Russell played Santa Claus in a movie and looks just like Scott. Scott plays Santa during the holidays.

I tried the chicken stir fry and it was good.

Good chicken, peppers and onions.

I stopped by Ravenswood Leather again and got Christina’s pic. A beautiful woman.

The patrons kept coming in, even though the weather stayed overcast all day.

I left about noon because there weren’t that many people in costume to photograph.

I snapped a pic of Willie on my way out. Such a character.

One of the funniest people at TRF.

The bad weather didn’t stop everybody from coming to the TexRenFest. Diehard fans.

This concludes the pics from Saturday.

On Sunday, the weather was still cold but not wet. First again.

If you arrive later in the day, it is a long walk from the parking area to the entrance plaza.

If you arrive early, it’s a short walk.

Such a great entrance plaza.

Much better weather than on Saturday.

A statue of the founder of TRF, George Coulam.

A great man and a visionary.

Morning throne pic.

An early morning pic with Willie. A good man.

The beefeaters of the Front Gate. They have a tough job overseeing all of the thousands that attend the TexRenFest.

Before thousands enter the festival.

The cannon was fired from its’ usual spot on this day.
Lady Iris paints the faces of TRF workers before the festival opens.

She has all of the many options for face-painting on a board so people can choose what they want.

There are many to choose from.

Lady Iris gave me a gift. It was a decorative spider and it is very cool.

Nuria as Queen Juana. Beautiful, as always.

The cast at TRF are so friendly and polite that it makes my job easier.

Rudy stays busy all day with playing his bagpipes for different occasions like weddings and the noon parade.

The morning dance with cast and patrons.

Ravenswood Leather shop has great merchandise to pose in front of.

MJ, Tori and Mary.

Mary is another photogenic person that I met at TRF this season.

I stopped by Elaine’s booth again on this day.

I learned Katherine’s name this weekend also. Very nice.

This pirate got her hat from Big Hat Pirates shop. It looks great.

Thirsty Pirate Pub.

Michelle, Michael, Shelly and Katy at the Pirate Pub.

I took some photos of the Polish Pub that I haven’t taken before.

It’s a great place to eat, drink and be entertained by their shows.

Hunters will appreciate this.

And this.

The Polish Pub is another place I discovered this season. TRF has many treasures to enjoy and this pub is one of them.

Ligia owns 15 booths at TRF, including the Polish Pub, the Thirsty Pirate Pub, the Red Lion Tavern and the whole Spanish section.

Her and Kasia are two new friends that I made this season. They are both great people and so hard-working. I respect them both and am proud to call them friends.

Ligia has a great group of people working with her.

People love Ligia and want to do a good job for her.

She is a Queen of the festival. This is her 46th year at TRF.

She started out making and selling empanadas. Her nickname is The Empanada lady.

TRF would not be as good without Ligia and her family’s hard work and efforts.

Jenna and Janie.

Kylie.

Kylie and Julie.

I enjoy stopping by to chat with Julie. It’s fun to hang out with her.

Rylie and Kylie. Two cuties.

Bri has a floof on her head. I learned that women wear floofs at the festival.

Kelsey and Alex.

Emily sells cool necklaces.

The staff of the Red Lion Tavern. Fun girls.

I saw a few Furries on this day.

My usual stop by the Wyrmwood. Notice Allen’s small hands.

The Wyrmwood also has an upstairs section.

I had Travis look up as I snapped this pic.

This girl’s name is Little Foot.

A pic with Travis.

These girls sing around the festival.

That’s a lot of faces to paint.

I’m always surprised to see guys going shirtless on really cold days. Not me. No way.

Abby and Sara.

Sara looks good in her fur.

Abby brightens my day when I see her.

TRF is a huge festival but I’ve managed to run into this couple on three different days. Nice people.

Erika, wearing a different fur hat on this day and looking great.

She is a favorite to photograph also.

Alex makes leather goods and is very talented.

He made what he’s wearing. Very nice.

Erika has been a favorite person of mine since last season when I first met her.

Alex and Erika.

Chelsea’s bird whistle stand.

She looks cute every day that I see her. One of my best friends at TRF.

Notice her floof.

A good group shot.

These ladies were having a lot of fun at the festival.

Better weather and a better crowd on this day.

No more mud to walk through.

More people in costume and no umbrellas.

I’m sure this guy liked the pic I took of him with the festival in the background.

A pirate and his main squeeze.

I started getting pics like this last season. It’s a great vantage point.

I ran into the King, who was playing golf.

This girl had on some cool pants. I asked her about them and she said that she made them.

The Spanish Court.

Getting a pic with Nuria is always on my list.

Lourdes let me try the fried shrimp and they were awesome.

Who doesn’t love good fried shrimp?

Tanya and Lourdes, two new friends.

This guy was balancing a beer on a stick on his head while playing the violin. Unbelievable.

Lots of great kilts during this weekend.

Elly was at the festival promoting different drinks. Nice girl and knows her stuff well.

They were giving out free samples in little plastic cups.

I talked with Elly for a while and she told me about their different drinks.

A good group shot.

One of my favorite pics from the weekend.

Love this pic.

I mentioned in last week’s blog post that I was going to try the fried alligator and this weekend, I did. Tastes like chicken, lol. Not really and it was delicious.

It should be on everyone’s list to try if they attend the festival.

The food stand areas always have a good crowd of people enjoying the great offerings.

With so many choices, there is something for everyone.

The Spanish section always has a lot of people getting some good food.

I also tried the chicken quesadilla on this day.

One of the best I’ve ever had. Ligia knows how to prepare great food.

Another favorite pic from the weekend.

Kilts and berets are always a good look.

This next weekend, I’m going to ask how much it costs to take a carriage ride around the festival.

Love this guy’s hair.

A much larger crowd than on Saturday.

More people equals more fun.

One of many photo ops at TRF.

Still coming in.

Lady Iris is always busy from before opening to close. And always smiling.

More Furries.

A smiling face to greet you as you leave for the day.

Such a long line to purchase a ticket.

I don’t know why these people wouldn’t buy their tickets online to avoid this long line.

Another successful day at the Texas Renaissance Festival.

This concludes this blog post. Look for another one next week for the last weekend of the festival.

To see the pics and videos from the festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
http://www.TheSTORMFactory.com



