In 2022, I attended all 17 days of the Texas Renaissance Festival over a 2 month period of October and November. The festival is known for the great talent in all of the shows, the fantastic costumes of the cast and patrons, and the many different taverns and drinks offered.
Another very important aspect of the TexRenFest is the food. There are so many options.
This season, I had planned on trying as many dishes as I could to get photos in order to show the great offerings. What follows is my experiences.
The first thing that I tried was a cheeseburger and fries. It was freshly made and tasted great.
I met Lourdes at the Steak on a Stick food stand. I told her of my goal to try more food and she immediately offered to help me out by letting me try the food from her stand.
The first thing that I tried was the crawfish mac and cheese. I love crawfish and also mac and cheese. I had never even heard of this dish before and it was superb. I loved it.
This is a dish that should be tried by everyone that visits the festival.
Elaine was serving apple turnovers with ice cream and I snapped this pic. I didn’t try them but I will next year because they looked fantastic.
On another weekend, Lourdes let me try the fried crawfish and potato wedges. Great again and served by such a cute lady.
If you love crawfish but hate peeling them, this is the way to go.
I tried the Pork on a Stick from Adrianna. It was a favorite of mine and I’ll have it again in 2023.
Hard to beat for a meat lover.
Shelley served me the bacon on a stick. A thick piece of bacon cooked just right and so flavorful and juicy.
I was offered the pierogies from the Polish Pub. I had never tried them and thought they were great.
They come with different fillings and all were very tasty.
The manager of the Polish Pub, Kasia, offered to let me try their combo plate. Here, her co-worker is serving it to me.
The plate has hunter stew (sauerkraut mixed with a few kinds of meat, sausage, piece of polish sausage), three kinds of Pierogi: meat, potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushrooms, cabbage roll (stuffed cabbage with rice and pork meat) topped with tomato sauce. It was all so delicious. I had never tried most of it and now love it all.
I didn’t try the funnel cake but this nice lady was kind enough to let me get a pic.
Every good festival has funnel cakes. I love them.
Later in the season, I tried the crawfish mac and cheese from Lourde’s Steak on a Stick stand again. Can you tell that it was a favorite?
So good that I ordered some cooked and peeled crawfish from HEB and made this dish at home.
One day, I bought lunch for the crew at Catskill Mountain Moccasins. The pizza is really good.
The cheese pizza is a favorite of many but I prefer the Meat Lovers.
I tried the crawfish and potato wedges again also. I love how Lourdes and her crew always dressed for the theme of the weekend.
A must try.
Kasia, the manager of the Polish Pub, began letting me try other dishes. On this day, I tried the Polish Sausage. It was delicious.
Kasia introduced me to Lady Ligia. She owns 15 food booths at TRF and is a living legend there.
Kasia began to give me food coupons each weekend day to let me try the different dishes at Ligia’s stands. Ligia runs an empire at the TexRenFest and I’m glad to have met her.
Ligia is known as The Empanada Lady because that’s how she got her start at the TexRenFest.
She offers breakfast empanadas that have bananas and then she offers empanadas filled with meat.
Ligia and I had some of both one day and had a nice chat.
Ligia was born in Bolivia and has lived The American Dream.
I am proud to call Lady Ligia a good friend and I look forward to seeing her again in 2023.
One of the places that Ligia owns is the new Thirsty Pirate Pub. It’s a great addition to the festival and offers drinks and also food.
Here, Katy is serving me the meatballs on a stick. Such a cute server with a great smile and good food.
I tried the coconut water and learned that it is good for a hangover.
Another stand of Ligia’s serves a cup with layers of pulled pork and mashed potatoes. I had never heard of this either and now love it.
I met Julie while on my walks around the festival. She works in the Fish and Chips stand. She also offered to help me with my goal of trying more food in 2022.
In this pic, she is serving me the fried shrimp. So big and delicious. And from such a beautiful woman.
Another must try while at the festival.
Kasia let me try the pulled pork sandwich. Holly served it to me in a great costume.
I’m getting hungry as I create this post, haha.
Lourdes gave me their main menu item, the steak on a stick. It’s one of their best sellers and I know why. It’s fantastic.
TRF is a meat lover’s heaven.
On a cold day, Kasia served me some hot mulled wine. I had never tried it and soon loved it.
Jazi Love served me some hot chocolate and it hit the spot on a chilly day at the festival.
I tried the beignets from Lourdes’ stand. Warm, fluffy and sweet. Great beignets.
I’ll definitely have these again in 2023.
Another of Ligia’s booths serves Nachos. It was so good. Loved it. So much meat.
One cold weekend, Lourdes let me try their boudin. It was hot and delicious. It warmed me up and filled me up.
So good.
I also tried the chicken stir-fry.
Lots of flavor and chicken. Great.
The fried shrimp form Lourdes’ stand were superb. I love shrimp and these were great. The potatoes add to the meal.
My arteries may hate me but my stomach loves me, lol.
I tried the fried alligator from Vendella’s Cajun Food stand.
If you’ve never tried fried alligator, you should. It’s very tasty.
I ordered the chicken quesadilla from one of Ligia’s stands. One of the best I’ve ever had.
Cooked well and filled with chicken and cheese.
Here, Julie is pictured holding their loaded baked potato.
I didn’t try this but it looked awesome. It’s on my list for 2023.
Catalina Longview showed me their bread bowl from the Bread Bowl stand.
This looked so good. Didn’t try it but will next time.
Julie offered me their fried pickles and the were so good.
I love fried pickles and these were terrific.
I had the fried crawfish again from Lourdes. You can’t keep a Cajun away from crawfish, lol.
Super meal.
Ligia’s Taco Salad is awesome.
I can’t wait for TRF 2023 to try this again.
Julie let me try their fish and chips.
The fish is catfish and so delicious. The chips were great as well.
I had the steak on a stick again because it is so tasty.
If you can’t find something delicious at TRF, you’re not even looking.
Ligia also offers a Cuban sandwich.
I love Cuban sandwiches and this one was fantastic. I’d have it again.
I had the fried shrimp from Lourdes again. This may seem repetitious but Lourdes wears such great outfits that I had to include these pics.
I’ll be having fried shrimp very soon after seeing these photos again.
One day, I stopped into the Greek section and stumbled upon a food stand that had the best looking salads.
If you’re not into meat all of the time, these salads are the bomb. The dressing was terrific.
Ligia also owns the Red Lion Tavern that serves the best BBQ at TRF.
Is that mouth watering, or what?
This was one of my most favorite things to eat all season.
I had the cabbage rolls again from Kasia at the Polish Pub. As a kid, I hated cabbage and never tried it. Now, I’m a big fan, thanks to Kasia.
Filled with meat and covered in sauce. Unbelievably good.
Julie let me try their crab cakes.
Really good. Loved them and will have them again in 2023.
I’d like to thank Kasia, Lady Ligia, Lourdes, Julie. Adrianna, Jazi Love, Holly, Catalina Longview, Vendella and all of the rest for serving me such great food with a smile.
I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the food at the TexRenFest. To see several more pics of the food offered at the festival, visit the link below.
The last weekend of the TexRenFest 2022 season is themed as Celtic Christmas weekend and is a lot of fun. This weekend includes the Friday also, which is nice to have a third day to enjoy the last weekend at TRF.
What follows is a story for each of the final 3 days with photos. I hope you enjoy the look back.
I camped out 2 weekends this season. For every other day that I arrived at the festival, I was the first one in the parking area. I get up at 4:30am, leave my place at 6:30am and arrive at TRF by 7:30am. That gives me 1 1/2 hours before the cannon goes off to get my throne pics and pics of the beefeaters. I also enjoy a cup of hot chocolate on the colder days.
When I arrive, the grounds crew has already walked the walkway and picked up every bit of trash. For the most part, the patrons at the TexRenFest don’t litter, which is nice.
I like being able to park close so that my walk back to my Tahoe is not a long one at the end of my day.
The estimate is that 500,000 people visit TRF each season.
That is not 500,000 individual people because several people attend on multiple days, but 500,000 is the cumulative number of visits.
I usually get a beefeater to snap my throne pics. Jim and Greg are always so nice about it.
Here’s Jim. Such a nice guy.
All season long, the front gate beefeaters were happy to pose for me and I appreciated that.
I like getting a pic of the entrance plaza inside the gates before the crowds enter. It’s so peaceful in the mornings. And later in the day, there are a lot of people in this area.
I stopped by the Queen’s Pantry for a hot chocolate on this day. It really warms a person up.
Queen Juana was happy to pose with me all season long and I’m grateful. She is so nice to me and I enjoy her company.
A few barbarians and vikings. Good group of people.
Alan, getting ready to fire the morning cannon.
A cool screen grab from the video of the firing.
Capturing the morning cannon on video was a favorite thing to do for me.
The King entertaining the guests.
The Queen was always happy to pose for me and she always looked great.
These two ladies were photographed several times by me and they were always very pleasant.
Jade is another favorite of mine to photograph. So beautiful and talented.
Kristina played the White Swan and was great at it. Very beautiful also.
The morning dance with cast and patrons.
Rudy plays Hamish McGregor, the bagpipe player. He stays busy all day long with his pipes and does a fantastic job entertaining the patrons and leading the daily parade.
TRF had some really nice Christmas trees.
Tea and Strumpets has the best bacon sandwich in the Kingdom and an awesome upstairs patio.
June works there and is a new friend. Very photogenic.
Elizabeth as well.
My eyes are down here.
Gracelynn and Karlee.
Ravenswood Leather.
Rebel, Mary, MJ and Tori. Some of the best salespersons in New Market Village.
Ravenswood Leather has so many great items.
I purchased two leather pouches this season and really like them a lot.
When at TRF, you should definitely stop by this shop.
So many cool items to choose from.
Their hats are great.
I may have some custom items made.
Dex cooked up a lot of chicken this season.
Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Katy, Michael, Margot and Shane. Great people and new friends.
The Pirate Pub was a favorite place to visit all season long.
Cheyenne looked festive with her glasses.
And her outfits were always very nice.
Meeting Kasia was a highpoint of my season. Such a nice person and so hard working. The Polish Pub is lucky to have her as the manager.
The staff of the Polish Pub dressed for every themed weekend. And always looked great.
Maybe next season, I’ll take an elephant ride.
And camel too.
Savannah was in the Christmas spirit and was so nice all season long.
Julie helped me out a lot by allowing me to photograph and taste several items from their menu.
I didn’t try the loaded baked potato but it looked delicious. I’ll definitely try it next season.
Julie is one of the most beautiful women at TRF. Many others have mentioned this also. I’m not alone in this.
Her and her daughter, Kylie, are very photogenic.
Kylie lets me get her photo also and I’m grateful.
I took Jessica’s pic a lot during the season and was happy to get a pic with her. So nice.
Jenna was a favorite to photograph and several people commented on her photos.
Catalina Longview works with Kylie at the Bread Bowl stand. Another RenFest beauty.
I didn’t try the bread bowl either, but it’s on my list for next season. Looks great.
A fun group pic.
Bri is another new friend that I made this season. She always had great photos too.
The Cajun Food staff is another favorite of mine. Angela, Blaise, Vendella and Reagan.
Blaise never takes a bad pic.
I was happy to take pics of the food stand staffs. They deserve attention for the long, hard hours they work.
Kelsey and Alex. Two more TRF beauties.
The staff at the Red Lion Tavern dressed for each weekend also and really looked great.
Ty and his staff were always ready for a pic and I liked that.
Allen was so very nice to me every time that I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House.
Two lovely ladies enjoying a drink at the Wyrmwood. Juju is on the right.
Mickey is my favorite bartender in all of the Kingdom. Last season, he introduced me to the Wyrmwood and I’m so happy he did.
He is such a cool guy and a great, new friend of mine.
Monsieur Bunny prefers to be called Daddy, so I do. When people hear me say that, they always laugh.
I took some pics of Ammon. He does the puppet show and the kids love it.
The whip show is always packed.
Kasia is so nice to me that she’s very easy to like. I consider her a dear friend.
Jessica and Stephanie were always ready for a pic and looked great each time.
I did try the fried pickles at Julie’s stand. The Fish and Chips stand has some great items on the menu and the fried pickles were delicious. Julie and I shared them.
These are a must to try if you visit the TexRenFest. And you get to meet Julie… an added bonus.
Kylie and Catalina.
Lourdes is another new, dear friend. She helped me out a lot during the season by letting me try items from their menu.
This is the fried crawfish. So good!
The RenFest has great patrons that are always willing to pose for a pic.
Hyle and Erika at the Asgardian Armory.
So beautiful.
Erika always make me look good. Beautiful women tend to do that for a clown like me, lol.
The Asgardian Armory has such a fun, nice staff that I stop by there every day that I’m at the festival.
Greg works at Catskill Mountain Moccasins. He is also very nice to me and lets me store my stuff at their booth.
Becca works there also. Very stylish.
I met Sara last season and she’s become a good friend. I like her a lot.
This staff does a great job for Catskill Mountain Moccasins. They sell a lot of moccasins during the season.
A close-knit group.
This lovely fairy is a great addition to the festival. So beautiful.
I tried the taco salad on this day.
All I can say is that it was great. I’ll have this again next season.
The Spanish Area has some of my favorite dishes.
The King and Queen of Spain.
Another fun group pic.
Ronnie is probably the most in shape dude at TRF.
Another of the fantastic Christmas trees in the Kingdom.
The French section has some great food also.
I ran into Pain Killer. He’s a fun guy.
His back looks awesome.
Santa Scott. A great look for the holidays.
Santa, I would like 2 ‘old school’ Victoria’s Secret models, gift-wrapped and under my tree by Xmas morning.
Amanda works at the Sea Devil Tavern in the Glory Hole bar. A good friend of mine.
Mickel makes a good Santa too.
The shiny, metal on her outfit is all beer can pull tabs. That’s a lot of beer to make this. Impressive.
Kids love the pony rides.
Shelley and Katy at the Pirate Pub.
Tawni and Elizabeth, upstairs at the pub.
Written in the concrete at the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
A great photo op.
Chelsea’s bird whistle stand.
She is a great salesperson and so very nice.
Three more RenFest beauties. That’s Juju in the middle.
Another great tree at the festival.
I told this couple that their costumes would look better is they went to the gym more. They didn’t laugh, lol.
I never took a carriage ride this season. Maybe next year.
I didn’t ask this Santa for my VS models because I have faith in Santa Scott to deliver.
So colorful and festive. Great costuming.
The tree in the entrance plaza. A great photo op.
Lady Iris stays busy painting faces all day long. Such a sweet soul.
After I take my morning Tahoe pics, I back in so it’s easier to leave.
This concludes the pics from Friday at the festival.
First again on the Saturday.
A little wet on this day from all of the rain overnight.
The day turned out well and it was another good day to be in New Market Village.
Morning throne pic.
Willie and Jim are great.
The entry plaza tree.
June was a pleasure to meet and I enjoyed getting pics of her.
Zoe served me my morning hot chocolate from the Queen’s Pantry.
Such a good look.
Lady Iris’ supplies to do her face painting.
Several members of the cast come by before the festival opens to get their faces painted.
And Lady Iris always does a great job for them.
Sherry was fun to meet.
I went back to the Queen’s Pantry to buy a hot chocolate for Lady Iris.
Sherry looked great in front of the tree.
Another screen grab from the video of the morning cannon firing.
On this morning, Brandi ignited the cannon. She was one of the only ones to do it correctly by covering an ear and opening her mouth to lessen the percussion to the brain.
Queen Juana, looking as good as ever.
I ran into Kevin. He’s one of my favorite pirates at the festival.
Every good pirate wears many rings.
And so do I.
I’ve been lucky in life. From left to right… Sturgis Motorcycle Rally ring, Lifeguard Championship ring, IndyCar Championship ring, Nascar Championship ring (Jeff Gordon), Turquoise for luck, Brickyard 400 Championship ring ( Jeff Gordon), NHRA Ring, College ring. I have another ring that will be delivered soon to replace the turquoise ring.
Over the course of the season, I had many comments made on the way I dressed. On this day, a lady at the Queen’s Pantry told me that she liked my sense of style.
Two damn good-looking pirates, lol.
The morning dance.
I photographed this group often and the pics always came out great.
Elizabeth looked good in her holiday corset.
I like the effort TRF puts in to create the holiday spirit.
Mary, Tori, MJ and Rebel.
I met MJ last season and added her shop to my morning route. So nice.
Mary has one of the best hats at the festival and looks great in it.
Tori was always happy to pose with me and I’m glad about that.
I met Rebel at a comicon. She’s a really good cosplayer.
Thirsty Pirate Pub.
I never saw their decorations after dark, but I bet they looked fantastic.
Shelley and Katy.
The Polish Pub staff. So cute in their outfits.
Jacob is a lucky man.
The Polish Pub is a favorite stop of mine.
Kasia is also lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people.
Jacob and Kasia.
Kasia is another lovely lady that makes me look good.
Cheyenne can be added to that list as well.
Jenna was a pleasure to photograph.
Jessica and Stephanie.
Julie, looking as beautiful as ever.
Catalina Longview.
Adriana was really nice to me all season long.
Blaise.
Vendella.
Reagan.
Kelsey and Alex.
Red Lion Tavern staff.
Haley, looking so cute and so festive.
I decided to start asking Haley to take a pic with me and I’m glad she agreed.
Lilly, the high seas Barbie. Such a good look for her.
Always happy to get a pic with her.
Queen Juana.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood on this day and Allen greeted me with pleasure.
Mickey and Taylor.
Two cool dudes, indeed. Ha.
An overhead view of the Wyrmwood.
Probably the coolest bar in the Kingdom.
Daddy and I.
Taylor and Daddy.
Funny pic.
Travis is another good friend.
Bri looks good in her ears.
So cute.
Becca looks great each day.
I look forward to seeing Greg on the comicon circuit this next year. He’s also a great cosplayer.
Hyle and Erika.
I’ll miss taking Erika’s picture every weekend. Already looking forward to the next season in 2023.
A favorite pic of mine.
Alex always had great poses.
I’ll meet Alex at another festival this next Spring.
Waiting for the couple that was about to be married.
Santa Scott and his main squeeze.
Another pic of this beautiful fairy.
This lovely lady always does a great job with her costumes and face.
I went by the Fish and Chips booth and Julie let me try the fish and chips. The fish is catfish and it was very good. I’ll try that again next season.
I’m amazed that I didn’t gain any weight with all of the food I had this season. Walking around the festival helped burn it off.
Cheyenne and Kasia. Two great, new friends of mine.
The Polish Pub has two great acts to enjoy while you’re there. 2 Merry Men and Chaste Treasure are very entertaining.
Another packed audience for the whip act.
I asked this group if they wanted a pic so they posed for me. Then, I said that the pic was only $20. They didn’t laugh, but I did.
Philip is the best dressed pirate at TRF and always looks spectacular.
I met these two RenFest cuties on this last weekend.
I’ve ran into these two clowns a lot over the past 2 years. Great to photograph.
I tried the steak on a stick this season and it is one of my favorites at the TexRenFest. It’s a best-seller for Lourdes and her staff.
So delicious.
I tried the Cuban sandwich on this day and I really enjoyed it.
Ligia, the Empanada Lady, has so many great dishes at her 15 food stands. I loved all of the ones I tried.
Chelsea’s stand.
I wonder how many whistles she sells in a season. I bet it’s a lot.
I photographed this lady last season and was happy to run into her again this year.
A fun group pic.
The view from the Tea and Strumpets’ patio.
This last Saturday had a good crowd.
And the weather was good.
Santa making a child happy.
Lots of kids got to sit on Santa’s lap.
Still coming in as I was leaving for the day.
This concludes the pics from the last Saturday of the festival.
First again on the last day of the festival.
No sign of rain on this day.
George is a genius and a visionary.
All hail, King George.
Morning throne pic.
Hundreds of thousands passed through these gates this season.
Willie and Greg.
Robert and a few beefeaters.
The final beefeaters pic of the season.
On this morning, I bought Lady Iris’ hot chocolate when I purchased mine.
I’ll miss taking June’s pic each day.
Lady Iris at work before the festival opens.
And she paints tatas also.
All painted and ready for the last day of TRF 2022.
A beautiful tree.
I love Gabby’s hat. She looks good in it.
I caught Rudy as he was going out to entertain the early morning patrons. Such a nice guy and a good friend.
Alan, preparing to fire the cannon.
Boom goes the dynamite, lol. That’s an older reference to something funny. IYKYK.
The video of the last cannon firing of the 2022 season.
Jade, looking as cute as ever.
Robert and his sidekick piggy.
Erin makes a great Glenda, the good witch.
The morning dance.
Ravenswood Leather decorated for the holidays. I would have loved to see it after dark.
MJ makes a good Vanna.
The staff at Ravenswood never refused me a pic and that was cool of them.
MJ is the only person to tell me to turn my credential around for the pic. I appreciated that.
I took Elaine’s pic quite often and they are among my favorites.
Katheryn allowed me to take her pic several times also. Very cute.
Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Love the hats on Shelley and Katy.
I’ll miss seeing Savannah. Another RenFest cutie.
The staff of the Polish Pub.
Great people.
All so very fun-loving and hard-working. They are an asset to the festival.
Jacob and Kasia.
I’ll miss seeing Kasia every weekend also.
I look forward to returning to the Polish Pub next season.
Three fun patrons.
And I’ll definitely miss seeing Julie. Easy on the eyes and a good friend.
Kenley, Vendella and Reagan.
Lourdes let me try the fried shrimp and I loved them. Lourdes was so kind to me all season long and I can’t thank her enough.
So good.
Red Lion Tavern staff.
Haley looks good as a red head and also as a blonde.
I was in the Greek section and decided to try a salad.
I really liked it a lot. I’ll definitely have this again next year. Superb.
Three RenFest beauties.
Lourdes, Kelsey, Tanya and Alex were the best-dressed staff for the last weekend.
I loved getting pics of Pam all season long. Such a fun person and she loves her job at the Sea Devil Tavern in the Bilge Pump bar area.
Jim MacKenzie always had a large crowd for his act.
Kylie.
Adrianna and Kylie at the Bread Bowl stand.
Cheyenne and Kasia.
Chaste Treasures. Three beautiful and talented women.
On this last day, I had the cabbage rolls again from the Polish Pub. I never liked cabbage before and had never tried a cabbage roll. Now, I’m a big fan. Love it.
So delicious.
The bird act draws a huge crowd also.
Fun couple.
Kids love climbing. Fact.
Julie let me try the crab cakes and they were great. We shared them.
One of my favorite dishes at TRF.
Sara is someone that I love getting a pic with.
Melissa in front of the Asgardian Armory.
Love Erika’s headwear. So beautiful.
And yes, she gets a close-up.
I’ll miss getting pics with Erika.
I look forward to seeing Alex this next Spring.
He always looks good.
I enjoy my pics with him also. Such a cool guy.
Two colorful, fun ladies.
Love the carriage rides. If I had a date at the festival, we’d definitely take a ride in one.
This gentleman is the owner of the Wyrmwood Public House. My hat is off to him for creating such a cool bar.
I enjoyed all 17 days of the festival.
It seemed like the year flew by since the 2021 season. I hope this off-season goes by as quick because I’ll miss my time in the Kingdom.
At least I’ll have over 4,500 pics and videos from TRF 2022 to pass the time.
I met Johnny Danger (far right) this season. What a great guy. A true friend.
I love that TRF creates so many great memories for so many people.
A great trio.
Patrons love taking pics in front of the main Christmas tree.
I ran into this lovely lady again on the last day and was happy that I did.
The last day had a good crowd.
I met Mindy this season also. So nice and such a great part of the festival.
The beefeaters are the first and last to greet you at TRF and do a great job.
Still coming in on the last day.
The only way to come in from the parking area.
TRF entertained hundreds of thousands this season. And I was among them.
Until next season.
This concludes this post about the last weekend at TRF for 2022. I hope you enjoyed the look back.
I’ll have a blog post about the food coming up.
To see all of the pics and videos from TRF 2022, visit the site below and click on Photos.
Every weekend day of the Texas Renaissance Festival season, a cannon is fired to start the day. Over the years, thousands upon thousands have heard it and it filled them with a sense of excitement to know that the day at TRF has begun.
And even though so many have heard it go off, not many have actually seen it happen. This includes the cast and crew of the TexRenFest also because when it fires, they are all around the festival in their shops and booths getting ready for the day.
Last season, I was asked several times to meet crews before the festival opened to get their photos. When I started getting into the festival early to meet these crews, I knew that I wanted to see the cannon go off.
What follows are 12 videos for 12 days of the cannon being fired. Next season, I hope to capture all 17 firings.
I didn’t capture video of the first 3 days of the festival, but started shooting video on the fourth day. This firing is for the Sunday of the 1001 Dreams weekend.
A still shot achieved by using the video and advancing it to just the right spot and taking a screenshot. With a high quality iPhone that shoots 4K video, this is possible to do.
Alan is in charge of the cannon and also works on the fireworks show at the end of the day. Alan and I found out that we both worked for the same guy many years ago doing pyrotechnic work. Small world.
This firing is for Saturday of the Halloween weekend.
I shared the gallery of these videos and pics with someone and they were amazed at what I had done to get these pics. After so many years, you pick up some tricks.
Here is what I found on cannons… “A cannon is a type of artillery, usually large and tubular in shape, that uses gunpowder to propel a projectile over a distance. Cannons vary in size, range, mobility, rate of fire, and fire power.”
This firing is for the Sunday of Halloween weekend.
Alan really liked seeing these pics.
“Cannons were first used in China. The first European cannon was in Iberia, in the Islamic wars against Spain in the 12th century.”
This firing is for the Saturday of the Cosplay weekend. A film crew was there to record it. The cameraman still jumps even though I told them all what to expect.
A great shot of the video crew getting some footage of the firing.
On this next day, the Festival Queen lit the cannon. Alan always tells the person lighting the cannon to cover the ear closest to the cannon and also to open their mouths to lessen the percussion to the head. Many times, the person forgets to open their mouth.
This firing is for the Sunday of the Cosplay weekend.
I really like the still shots.
This next guy’s reaction to the noise is pretty funny.
This firing is for the Saturday of the Barbarian Invasion weekend.
I bet this guy would love to have this photo. It’s in the photo galleries on the website, if you know him.
“An English cannon was first used during the Hundred Years War, when small, primitive cannons were used in the Battle of Crecy in 1346. The end of the Middle Ages saw the introduction of a more standardized and effective cannon.”
This firing is for the Sunday of the Barbarian Invasion weekend.
Alan always has the best pose when firing.
On this next day, it was a little wet, so Alan fired the cannon from under an awning. “Keep your powder dry” is a very old saying that refers to soldiers using older guns that utilized gunpowder.
This firing is for the Saturday of the Highland Fling weekend.
This might be my favorite pic.
“Some of the largest cannons ever constructed were of Asian origin. Some European cannons were large also, but were abandoned in favor of larger numbers of lighter more maneuverable pieces. The Medieval Great Turkish Bombard required 200 men to operate, while the 18th century English cannon only required a dozen men to fire. By the Napoleonic Wars, only 5 men operated the British cannon.”
This firing is for the Sunday of the Highland Fling weekend.
If I were Alan, I’d want some of these pics framed for the wall.
“The word cannon has been used to refer to a gun since 1326, in Italy, and 1418, in England. From 1430 onward, the word cannon was only used to refer to the largest weapons.”
This firing is for the Friday of the Celtic Christmas weekend.
Another favorite.
On this day, Brandi Baldwin ignited the cannon. She was one of the only ones that did it right by covering her ear and opening her mouth.
This firing is for the Saturday of the Celtic Christmas weekend.
Alan looks good in his cloak.
“The earliest depiction of a gun is a sculpture from a cave in Sichuan dating to the 1100’s of a figure carrying a vase-shaped bombard with flames and a cannonball coming out of it.”
This firing is for the Sunday of the Celtic Christmas weekend. The last day of the festival. The Italian gentleman that ignited the cannon also did it in 2019, when the pandemic started. Alan had hopes that his igniting the cannon again would end the pandemic.
The last day of the 2022 season.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post about the TexRenFest cannon and a little history lesson. If you have enjoyed this post, leave a comment and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
To see all of the pics and videos from the Texas Renaissance Festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
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.
The sixth weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as the Barbarian Invasion. That is always a big weekend and this one was really big.
I ended up with 504 pics and 14 videos for the two days. My totals for the season are 3,418 pics and 42 videos. I will easily exceed my goal of 4,000 and will come close to 4,500.
What follows is a story about Saturday and Sunday with photos and videos. I hope you enjoy the read. I had a lot of fun gathering the media for this post.
I arrived first to the parking area again. I get up at 4:30am and leave my place at 6:30am. After an hour’s drive, I arrive about 7:30am. The opening cannon fires at 9:00am. I have an hour and a half to get photos of the entrance plaza, the front gate beefeaters and a few throne pics before the cannon goes off to start the day.
You might not think it, but these decals ended up costing me a good deal of cashola. Easily $200+.
I’m an early bird and it pays off when I’m ready to leave and tired from a long day of walking. Having a short walk to my Tahoe is nice. I’ve had people tell me that they knew I was there because they passed my ride.
Each morning, a worker brings out a long hose and waters all of the plants and flowers. Usually I wait until he is done before I take this photo. On this Saturday, I was ahead of him and got this pic before he drug out the hose.
On this day, tens of thousands will enter the Kingdom of New Market Village.
The beefeaters are always nice to me and happily pose for a morning photo.
I’m wearing my STORM Factory jacket due to the cold weather. More about this jacket later.
The beefeaters always look so organized. Willie has a great crew.
The entrance area of the village before thousands come into the festival.
Lady Iris gives Elizabeth some face-painting each morning before work. She does this for several people. She has worked at TRF for 29 years.
Queen Juana was dressed for the cold and looked fantastic.
Myself and 5 other exLifeguard friends received a STORM Factory jacket. We all worked at WaterWorld together in the 80’s and 90’s. They are all a part of the Factory.
Our lifeguard competition team won 15 consecutive lifeguard competitions. Our team was called S.T.O.R.M., which stood for Strong Team of Rescue Men. Hence, the STORM Factory. And now you know.
Alan lets different people light the cannon. One day, the Queen lit it and today this guy got to do it.
His reaction to the loud noise is pretty funny. You should watch the video.
The morning dance with the cast and patrons.
Dancing to live music is always a lot of fun to do and watch.
A very regal trio. They have told me that they love their photos.
Rebel and Mary at Ravenswood Leather. They look great dressed for cold weather.
So far, I’ve learned 55+ new people’s names at TRF this season. Rebel and Mary are two of them.
I stopped by the Polish Pub to take pics of the staff. Kasia is great at her job as the manager.
Kasia, Cheyenne and Jacob. I’ll know the other lady’s name by next weekend.
Three lovely ladies, no doubt.
The staff at the Polish Pub is a tight knit group. They work well together and have fun at their job. You can tell they love what they do and it shows.
I enjoy hearing them speak Polish to each other. It’s a nice language.
Jacob and Kasia, great people.
Blaise always has a great smile on her face. Such a beauty.
I haven’t tried the fired alligator from this booth, but I will before the season is over.
Vendella has a great smile also and looks fantastic in her beret.
I have photographed this guy and he seems to like this pose.
A fun pose by some cast members.
Allen at his post as doorman for the Wyrmwood Public House.
Mickey is my favorite bartender in the Kingdom.
The whole staff at the Wyrmwood is fun-loving and I enjoy my time there each weekend.
Travis is a really nice guy and I like him a lot.
The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins. Greg, Abby and Becca.
All of our jackets have the STORM Factory logo and the Contraband logo.
Each sleeve has patches for our accomplishments as lifeguards. Each person’s patches are different based on what we did.
The bird whistle stand where Chelsea works. There are several located around the Kingdom. The kids love these whistles.
Chelsea is a great salesperson. She is pleasant and polite to each patron even at the end of a long day.
You may not notice this, but look at the tiny hand on her tata. Funny.
The Queen’s Pantry is just inside the gates of the Kingdom and a lot of people eat there.
I could tell that this was going to be a big day because the crowds were growing fast.
At this time of day, there is not usually this many people in this photo.
I think Barbarian weekend did better than Pirate weekend.
Tea and Strumpets had long lines also.
I’m always surprised that people come into the festival and stop to get something to eat at the first food stands, no matter the long lines. If they walked into the festival, they’d encounter great food and no lines until later in the day.
Brie and a friend. Brie works at the Asgardian Armory and is really nice.
I’ve never seen an Evel Knievel barbarian before. Very cool.
On barbarian weekend, the Asgardian Armory is packed both days, all day long.
I ran into Leos. He always looks good.
I appreciate the effort he puts into his face.
Have yet to take a carriage ride.
I think they called this 2nd breakfast. One person in this group used this photo for his Facebook banner pic. Very cool.
Just something else you might come across as you travel through New Market Village.
The staff of the Red Lion Tavern. A fun group.
Haley dresses for each themed weekend and always nails it.
Another RenFest beauty.
Kelsey and Lourdes are two of the new friends that I made this season. Such nice girls.
Lourdes lets me try different food from their food stand. This day, I tried the ‘Steak on a Stick’. It was delicious. It is one of their best selling items and I know why. It’s great.
As a meat lover, this is hard to beat. One of the best things to eat in all of TRF.
Vendella and Blaise always take a good pic.
I met Kylie this season and she’s a cutie. Really nice also.
I also met her mother, Julie, this season. Julie is as nice as she is beautiful.
I stopped back by the Polish Pub for some hot mulled wine. I had never tried it before, or even heard of it. It was great on a cold day. I recommend it.
A nice group shot of some of the barbarians.
I also tried the pulled pork and mashed potatoes sundae. The pork and potatoes are layered so you get some of each in every bite. I had never heard of this either and loved it. Look for it in the Spanish section.
I told this guy he was one horny fellow.
Pam told me to count to three and snap the pic, then she did this. Funny.
I stopped by the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Shane is another new friend that I made this season. Cool guy.
The number 113 on my right sleeve is the radio number I had at the waterpark. Others have numbers like 108, 808, and 812. Now you know why I sign off as Spider 113 on my Facebook and IG posts.
Wearing the jacket and leather pants kept me warm on a cold day. More about these pants later.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub had a huge crowd all day long.
The horses get to eat in between trips around the Kingdom.
Two cute barbarians.
One thing that I’ve noticed at TRF… no one litters. Everyone uses the trash bags and the staff are always walking around to check on things. TRF is a very clean RenFaire.
And you can sit down next to a complete stranger and have a good conversation over a nice meal.
Tartanic always draws a large crowd.
This lovely lady had on the best glasses. They made her outfit.
Mickey served me my usual kamikaze at the Wyrmwood. It’s actually two kamikaze shots because of the size of the glass he serves it in. I like that.
Emma looks great on her swing above the bar. The lighting doesn’t help in getting good pics in there.
I met Sara last year and she is such a sweetie. So nice.
Erika always looks so good for each weekend day.
She looked so good that I used her pic for the Feature Image of the Saturday gallery on my site.
The Asgardian Armory is lucky to have Erika there. She brings in a lot of people.
I shot video of these dancers this weekend. The videos came out good and deserve a look.
I ran into Karen again. She’s very nice and another RenFest beauty.
A fun group shot.
The Sea Devil Tavern will always have a good crowd. It’s an Old School hangout.
The Pride of Bedlam plays there each day for severals shows. Good band.
I snapped this couple’s photo and told the man that if he lays that jacket down, I was stealing it. He laughed and she said that it would probably fit me better, lol.
Two more cute barbarians.
Hundreds in this photo.
When I remember, I like to get a pic from this vantage point.
That is a big man.
The area just inside the gates is always packed with new arriving patrons.
Coming in by the thousands as I was leaving.
I heard a number for Saturday’s attendance. It was around 40,000 people. Wow.
That is it for Saturday’s pics.
On Sunday, I was first again.
Each morning, a water truck comes down the walkway and waters it down so it’s not as dusty for the entering patrons.
The valet parking is right near the entrance plaza.
The guy with the hose that waters the plants and flowers beat me today. They also had a guy with a blower cleaning off the concrete.
Willie entertained the first kid at the festival for a good while. The kid loved it and Willie is a natural with children. So funny.
About those leather pants… I wore them again on Sunday because it was still cold. The thing is, I liked the pants so much that I bought 3 pair just alike so I would always have a clean pair out of the drycleaners. So, same pants, but not the same pants.
The morning beefeater pic.
Willie had that first little kid conduct the morning inspection of the beefeaters.
The morning cannon.
Lady Iris doing her thing.
Nuria is a great new friend that I met last season.
I’ve known Rudy since last season as well. He’s always really nice to me and I appreciate his kindness.
He always has time for me. Nice guy.
Sholo the Nubian passed away but he is remembered and loved by many at TRF and other RenFests.
Glenda the Good Witch never tells me no when I ask for her photo. Very nice also.
This girl is very photogenic.
And yes, she deserves a close-up.
Ravenswood Leather is on my morning schedule
Rebel and Mary.
Mary has the best of hats. I love it and she looks great in it.
Before the season is over, I’ll get more pics of the Ravenswood merchandise.
The staff is always willing to pose for me and with me and the photos always come out great.
This young lady is on my morning schedule also because she always looks fantastic.
The food all looks and smells delicious.
My morning stop by the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Margot, Bree and Shelly. I got distracted for a while on Saturday and forgot to come by for their daily pic. Bree said to me, “Where were you yesterday? We looked great.”
I was pissed that I missed that but happy to know that they look forward to my visits to get their pics.
The Sunday crowd is never as big as the Saturday crowd, but it is still a very fun day at TRF.
The TOTS ladies have entertained a huge amount of people this season from this stage.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub was built at the cost of a lot of money. It is already one of the best places to hang out in all of the Kingdom. Ligia (The Empanada Lady) and her family did a great thing for New Market Village and that should be recognized.
I heard that Kasia helped with the decorating. The pub looks awesome.
Their efforts show in the results.
This area has been photographed and posted by a lot of people this season. It’s a good scene and even has a baby and a dog skeleton.
I saw Fallyn and thought, “This would make a good photo.” Tell me I’m wrong, lol.
In the colder weather, there aren’t as many corsets to see.
I stopped by the Polish Pub and got some hot chocolate from Jazi Love. She’s another new friend that I made this season.
Holly and Jazi Love. Two RenFest cuties.
Cheyenne told me her RenFest name was Anya. I said, “As in Jump Anya”? She laughed.
Two of the three lovely ladies from Chaste Treasures, one of the two acts on the Polish Pub stage. Beautiful women, and very talented.
Cheyenne, Jacob and Kasia. Three good friends that enjoy working together to make the Polish Pub a special place at TRF.
Jacob and Kasia are two new friends that I made this season also. Both are so nice to me and I thank them for that.
Kasia is a very smart lady. I like intelligent women and she’s definitely one of them.
On my ‘To Do’ list this next weekend is to learn more names. I’ll have this young lady’s name by the next blog post. She’s another Faire cutie that never refuses me a photo of her.
Kylie and Julie work together some days. TRF is a family affair for many people and I like that.
Catalina Longview’s pics always get responses when I post them on Facebook.
Catalina and Adriana. I’m happy to have met them this season. They always take good pics.
Kelsey and Alex. I knew Alex from last season and learned Kelsey’s name this year.
I had this guy try a different pose for a change.
Haley makes a cute barbarian.
These two nice gals work at the Wyrmwood. I’ll learn their names this upcoming weekend also.
Mickey with my kamikaze. He doesn’t charge me for my shots anymore. I guess because I take a lot of pics of their bar and staff. I gave him $20 to put in their Tip Jar.
Such a fun staff.
Sara is very photogenic. I enjoy taking her photo.
And getting pics with her as well.
I met Becca last season and we’ve become better friends this year.
I kept calling Abby by the name Ally. I finally remembered a way to recall her name. Dr. Frankenstein had his assistant go out and get a brain for the monster. He got the brain of Abby Normal… abnormal. So Frankenstein’s creation had an abnormal brain. That explains a lot.
Greg is a great salesperson for Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Vebecka and Melissa are two friends that I met last season. They work at the Asgardain Armory also and are very nice to me.
These guys always have a good pose. That background is great for sword pics.
Erika’s face looked better on Sunday than it did on Saturday. She added some white and it made her face really stand out. Great job.
And yes, a close-up.
Erika can make even a clown like me look good.
Alex had a great pose for this pic. Erika took a great photo of us.
This staff works in the Greek area and has some really good food. As well as two very good acts on their stage.
Daddy wanted a few pics with this young lady.
Then he suggested this pose.
Her face makes it. Funny pic.
My hat is off to Daddy for going shirtless even in colder weather. He’s a tougher man than I.
I ran into Johnny Danger in the Greek section. Another nice guy and new friend. I like Johnny and he’s very supportive on my social media posts.
Aphrodite is a part of the trio that make up Cirque Olympus. She is unbelievably talented. I plan to shoot video of their act this next weekend. A funny thing… when I walked up to her to tell her about the video, she looked me up and down and said, “You look amazing!” I was flattered to have such an attractive woman comment on my appearance. Now when my jacket and black leather pants start getting me dates, then I’ll have something to write about.
Here are some of the dancers from Global Dance Theatre. As you can see, they are all beautiful and their show is very entertaining. To see the videos, visit the link at the bottom of this post and look in the Barbarian Sunday gallery. The videos are at the beginning of the gallery and worth a look.
On Sunday, it was still cold and Lourdes let me try some hot beignets.
Everybody loves beignets and these were superb. Lourdes is so kind to me and I thank her every day.
This group had asked some other guy to take their photo. I stepped in and snapped one of my own. Their other pic didn’t have the sign in it. I think my photo is better and I bet they loved it.
At TRF, you never know who you’ll meet. Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage is one of those people. Great outfit.
Sunday wasn’t as crowded as Saturday, but the Thirsty Pirate Pub had a lot of people enjoying their time there.
Ligia’s son designed the pub and deserves a lot of credit for that. Great job.
A fun group of barbarians.
When I saw this lady’s face, I wanted a closer pic and she was happy to pose for me.
Sara makes a mold of the customer’s feet so their new moccasins fit perfectly.
I went by the Spanish section and tried the Super Nachos. They come with chicken, beef or pulled pork. I had the beef and loved the meal. Who doesn’t love good nachos?
I bet most people don’t know where nachos came from. In my efforts to educate as well as entertain, here is the story of nachos…
Nachos were created by Ignacio Anaya in 1943. Anaya was a chef at the Old Victory Club who one evening took pity on a group of U.S. military wives whose husbands were stationed at nearby base Fort Duncan. The story is told that the wives spent a day shopping in Eagle Pass and decided to stop by for dinner on their way home only to find all nearby restaurants had closed for the evening.
Being a kind man, Anaya offered to cook something for the wives from what was left over in the kitchen. He sliced and fried fresh tortilla chips, covered them in shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos, threw the mixture in the oven for a few minutes and named the dish after his nickname and thus created “Nachos Especials”!
So nachos were named after the creator, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, in 1943. And now you know the rest of the story.
In this next pic, the woman in the middle is very tall.
I asked her how tall she was. She said, 6’1″. That is a tall drink of water.
My daily pic of Chelsea. I try to say hello in the morning or goodbye in the afternoon.
Even though Sunday wasn’t as packed as Saturday, it was still a very successful day for TRF.
I stopped by the Tea and Strumpets patio before I left for the day.
Lady Iris is always busy from opening to close.
I enjoy arriving early too much to come this late in the day.
Still coming in.
As I was driving out, the line of cars to enter was a long one. It reached all the way down 1774 and even down 249.
That concludes this blog post. I hope you enjoyed the look back.
To see the pics and videos from the Texas Renaissance Festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The fifth weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as Heroes and Villains. It is their cosplay weekend.
For the festival, I shot 591 pics and 4 videos. I also shot 377 pics of the Tease of the Seas show for a total of 968 pics for the 2 days. For the TOTS show, the total number of pics that I took was 560 and I cut it down to the 377. I was snapping a pic every few seconds of their act and shot them from almost every position.
I enjoyed shooting their show but the editing took a few hours. I think the end results were worth the time.
On Saturday morning. I arrived early and once again I was the first one to the parking area.
Yes, I believe in Auto Advertising.
I usually get up about 4:30am to be at the festival this early. I leave my place at 6:30am and have an hour’s drive to TRF.
One thing on my morning rotation is to get a pic on the throne. I wore my cop shirt for Halloween weekend and was the bad cop that had pink fuzzy handcuffs. That line worked a lot.
On Heroes and Villains weekend, I wore the shirt again and was the villainous cop that didn’t arrest people but gave spankings. That line worked well also.
I have to get the pic of the front gate beefeaters early because they have morning inspections now.
It was overcast this day, but didn’t rain.
The beefeaters undergo inspections by the patrons each morning.
There was a film crew at TRF this weekend. Here they are preparing to shoot video of the morning cannon. I told them everything that I had learned and it helped them out.
The camera man jerks as the cannon fires even though he knew it was coming.
Queen Juana ready to spank anyone that gets out of line.
A very good Penguin.
Tinker Bell is fun to shoot. She always poses well.
Case in point.
The King and Queen are always very nice to pose for me.
A good pic of them.
I photograph these ladies every weekend and their pics always come out good.
At his usual perch.
TRF entertains thousands every weekend. People dressed like this are a big part of it.
Rudy plays Hamish MacGregor. He entertains the patrons before the festival opens. Then he leads weddings with his bagpipes and also the daily parade. A very nice guy.
I stop by Ravenswood Leather each morning. It’s a favorite shop of mine.
The staff is one of the nicest at the TexRenFest.
I started getting pics with MJ last year and now do it every weekend.
Ravenswood Leather has a lot of great merchandise.
They have just about anything you could want for your RenFest outfit.
Mary wears the best hat and looks great in it.
I met Rebel at Comicpalooza during the Summer, but didn’t recognize her until she told me what character she had been playing at the con. She’s a great cosplayer.
This cute girl works at Tea and Strumpets. I try to get her pic when she’s not busy with customers.
The morning dance.
Elizabeth stops by Lady Iris’ booth for face and body painting each morning.
Chelsea is such a sweetheart. And fun to chat with.
The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Becca and Sara. I gave them each a STORM Factory beanie for the cold days of Winter.
Greg is another great cosplayer that I see on the comicon circuit.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House for my daily kamikaze.
Mickey has been giving me free drinks and I appreciate that. I take a lot of pics of the Wyrmwood staff so maybe that’s the trade off. I like that arrangement.
Johnny Bravo. Love the hair.
On this day, a friend, Kasia, introduced me to a TRF Legend.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ligia aka the Empanada Lady. She has worked at the TexRenFest for 46 years. I was 11 years old when she started.
Ligia treated me to some of her famous empanadas. We had ones with bananas and others with beef.
I loved them both and will have them again. I preferred the beef because I loved the well seasoned meat. The banana-filled empanadas are great for breakfast. They were hot, fresh and delicious. Yum.
Ligia and I enjoyed the empanadas and she told me about her history. She has lead an exciting life that started in Bolivia.
Ligia owns 15 booths at TRF, including the Red Lion Tavern, the Polish Pub and the new Thirsty Pirate Pub. Without her and her family, TRF wouldn’t look as good and be as much fun. We should all thank her.
I’m very happy to have met her and I thank Kasia for making that possible. I intend to try more of the food from Ligia’s many booths so I can photograph and taste it for future blog posts.
Kelsey and Alex always look very cute.
TRF has mostly women servers at the food and drink stands. And I for one prefer it that way. A man with a hairy chest wearing a corset just doesn’t do it for me, lol.
The Cajun Booth has a great staff and really good food. On a colder day, I’ll have some hot Étouffée. They have shrimp and also crawfish.
Catalina Longview never disappoints.
These ladies are fun to photograph.
As a kid, I would have loved this experience.
My morning rotation always includes the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
I tried the meatballs on a stick and it was very good. You’ll see that pic later.
Shane always has time for me and I appreciate that.
Margot has a great accent. I think she’s from France.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub has a fun, friendly staff that works hard for long hours, but they always have a smile on their faces.
Elizabeth was a cop on this day also. But if she stepped out of line, I would have had to spank her, haha.
She makes a cute cop. Maybe I should have let her arrest me.
Love this pic. Such a fun girl.
I think this is a new sign. I don’t remember it from previous weekends.
Ligia’s son designed the Thirsty Pirate Pub and oversaw its’ development. Such an awesome job.
Michael always has time for me also and I thank him for that.
I met Bones Bojangles. His band shares stage time with the Tease of the Seas show. Good band.
If you haven’t seen the TOTS gallery of pics, you should check it out. Lots of great photos of these lovely, talented ladies.
There is also video of their entire act in one weekend gallery. I’ll load all of my TRF videos onto my YouTube channel after the 2022 season. I expect the TOTS videos to get a lot of views.
Captain Abigail Cadabra.
Valentina J’adore.
She’s never far from her bottle.
Men love hard drinking women and I am one of them.
Cara Cherie.
I have heard many men say that she is their favorite.
I have no clue why that is.
But if I had to guess…
I was in the front row and she looked right at me for this pose. Great pic.
The bendiest buccaneer that I know.
Captain Cadabra has a great wardrobe.
She leads the show with the voice of a sea siren and a body of a warship.
If you haven’t seen their show, you are missing out.
It is a must-see if you attend the TexRenFest.
They always play to a packed house.
At one point in the show, they bring up two audience members. This guy sure wasn’t shy about it.
I think that I covered their show well. And better than other photographers.
Sexy pose.
Who doesn’t love a woman with a drink and a whip?
Crack that whip girl!
Another great pose.
The ladies of TOTS also invite people up to dance.
Here’s to you, ladies of TOTS.
I was keeping my eye on them in case I had to deliver any spankings. Maybe next year, if I’m lucky, lol.
A colorful couple.
Good cosplay.
There is always a crowd at the Sea Devil Tavern area.
Julie looked great as Maleficent.
A rare photo with her. One of my favorites from the whole festival.
Going to get married.
I stopped by the Polish Pub.
Another very friendly staff.
The Polish Pub is a favorite stop of mine.
Ewa is always ready to serve it up with a smile.
Kasia has been such a huge help to me in doing my job at TRF. I can’t thank her enough.
I see this couple several times a year.
This guy always looks great.
A very cool steampunk pirate.
I think Haley was cosplaying Poison Ivy. She looked fantastic. As always.
A nice group shot of this staff.
Back to the Wyrmwood.
Sara makes a mold of the customers feet so that their new moccasins fit perfectly.
Cookin’ it up.
Kevin always looks great. He’s the only pirate that I know that wears green. He stands out.
Two good-looking pirates.
Good pic.
You may know the drill by now.
I always try to get a pic of a pirate’s rings.
Kevin’s also.
A good collection.
A fun group.
The Sea Devil has a great place for a photo op.
I saw these girls walking by and asked for a pic.
Someone’s cups overfloweth.
This lady said her chest was cold. It think her friend took care of that later.
Here is the meatballs on a stick.
Hot and tasty.
The Pub Crawl about to head out.
Still a lot of people coming in as I was leaving.
Saturday had a good crowd.
Lady Iris always has a line at her booth for face-painting.
A smiling face to greet you as you leave.
If you arrive later in the day, you may have quite a walk from the parking area.
This concludes the pics from Saturday.
I hope you enjoyed the look at this day.
On Sunday morning, I arrived first again.
Thousands will enter these gates on this day.
The beefeaters were wearing flowers in remembrance of the military.
Willie got one also.
The beefeaters call the gates holes. I heard Willie say to one beefeater, “Which hole do you want to be in today?”
Morning throne pic.
Morning inspection.
That film crew shot video of the beefeaters’ morning rituals.
The Queen lit the cannon on this day.
This lovely lass oversees the photography crew.
This young lady always looks great in her hat. I have photographed her several times.
Elizabeth getting her morning paint from Lady Iris. Lady Iris has worked at TRF for 29 years.
Rudy looking stylish with his pipe.
The cast of characters all froze in one place as the film crew went around filming them. It was cool to see them frozen in place.
Two tough looking characters who are as nice as could be.
I shot a pic of the people who take photos of patrons as they enter. After I snapped their pic, I jokingly said, “That’ll be $10.”
The lady in the middle said, “You could get $20.” We all laughed.
I told them that their pic would be on my website. As I was walking off, I heard one girl say, “We’re going to be famous.”
Glenda the Good Witch.
An even better shot of the Penguin.
The King and Queen ready to start the day.
Love the ‘stache.
Cruella DeVille and her brother.
Jade always looks great in her many costumes.
The band playing music for the morning dance.
The dance happens every morning and the patrons love it.
It was a little overcast this day also, but it never rained.
Ravenswood Leather staff.
MJ and moi.
You can see Mary’s great hat better in this pic.
I asked MJ to pose with the merchandise.
She made a joke that she was doing her best Vanna White, lol. She looks great.
I ran into Rebel as she was heading to work. Nice pose.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub all clean and ready for a busy day.
Smiling, happy faces.
The flower wreath employees are always happy to pose for a pic.
Three bills for a dill.
Catalina Longview is always on my morning rotation. Can you guess why?
Julie and Kylie always take a great photo.
Julie is another favorite of mine to photograph.
Kylie, her daughter, is very photogenic also.
Kelsey and Alex.
I stopped by the Polish Pub for some staff pics. A fun-loving, friendly group of people.
Kasia is the manager of the Polish Pub and does a fantastic job. I consider her a new, good friend.
I mentioned last week that I was going to try the coconut water. On this day, I did. The vendor gave it to me for free because I take his photo often. They keep the coconuts in a cooler so the water is chilled.
It was good. The vendor told me that an aspirin and some coconut water is a good hangover remedy. And now you know.
The staff at the Red Lion Tavern.
Haley looking as cute as ever.
Such a pretty girl.
Some of the Spanish Court. Queen Juana and company always look grand.
I was told about the parfait on this day. It is mashed potatoes and pulled pork that is layered in a cup. I will try that this upcoming weekend. Looking forward to that.
Nuria and her husband Chris. A great couple.
I’ve known Nuria for a while now. I first met her at a comicon. She also looks great as Wonder Woman.
Allen is always such a pleasant gentleman. He works the door at the Wyrmwood Public House.
Know when to say when.
I stop by the Asgardian Armory each day to get a pic of Erika. She wears such great outfits.
She always lets me get a pic with her also. So nice.
I’ve never photographed the little stand where Chelsea sells the bird whistles.
Another good friend that I made last year at TRF.
The final look of Lady Iris’ artwork on Elizabeth. A variation of Spiderman.
You don’t have to walk far to find beauty at TRF.
Exactly.
Her line should be, “My eyes are down here.”
Two more lovely ladies.
The food at the TexRenFest comes in many variations and it’s all very good.
The crowd grew as the day wore on.
On one of my favorite patios at TRF. Tea and Strumpets.
Three very colorful ladies.
Skidmark in his office. A kid came up to him and said, “You have a dollar on your head.” He replied, “That’s my overhead.”
The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood for a drink.
Allen and Travis. Two great guys.
A nice staff photo.
Julie let me try the fried shrimp on a stick.
It comes with onions also and was delicious. I love fried shrimp and these were very good. A must try if you attend the festival.
With Amanda at the Glory Hole bar.
It looked like it would rain, but thankfully it never did. It turned out to be another good day to be in New Market Village.
Bones Bojangles and his band.
Elizabeth looked fantastic as an Aztec Warrior.
Great pic.
Funny.
Margot looking good in her hat.
Too old for this, but the kids love it.
This too.
Johnny Danger asked the pretzel vendor to get in the pic and it turned out good.
This lady’s pic got a lot of responses on Facebook. I wonder why.
I stopped by the Polish Pub for some pics. They have an attractive, friendly staff also.
Kasia had her staff serve me the pulled pork sandwich. Such a beautiful server.
The sandwich was awesome. Hot and delicious… a good combination.
The pickle stands have great color to them. I love the green and yellow together.
Savannah always yells out, “Spider!” when she sees me coming to get her pic.
Coconut water. Tried it. Like it.
Lots of people enjoying the great food.
Plenty of seating to enjoy your meal.
A fun couple.
A great dress.
Emma was on her swing in the Wyrmwood. I shot video of it.
The Wyrmwood bartenders are very cool dudes.
Having a drink under a beauty on a swing is a very cool experience and should be tried.
The Wyrmwood serves real liquor and has great ambiance. A visit here is a must on your next trip to TRF.
Here is the video of Emma on her swing.
A fun staff.
Alex will be wearing something similar for this upcoming weekend. It would be too cold for me to do that. I’m a wuss when it comes to the cold weather.
For that same reason, I’m done with camping out at TRF for the season. I’m not about freezing my ass off in the back of my Tahoe.
Alex has told me about other RenFests and I may attend them next year.
A great photo op for patrons.
The long line for face-painting by Lady Iris.
Sunday had a good crowd.
These people were in line to purchase tickets. I would purchase a ticket online to avoid the lines.
Still coming in as I was leaving.
Well, that’s it for this week’s blog post. I hope you enjoyed the look back.
To see all of the pics and videos from the Texas Renaissance Festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The 4th weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival was the All Hallow’s Eve weekend celebrating Halloween. I camped out that weekend and have some stories from that, so read on.
I arrived early at the campgrounds so I could drive around and check things out before I entered the festival.
They have a very nice sign for the campgrounds.
After I drove around and found the Call of Booty campsite, I parked near the entrance plaza and got the 2nd spot. Having a close spot makes it so much easier at the end of a long day of walking and talking.
I was able to get a pic on the throne this morning. During the day, there is always a long line to do this.
The front gate Beefeaters were happy to pose for a quick pic.
A look at the entrance area before thousands enter.
The cannon gets fired every weekend morning to start the day.
Tea and Strumpets has a great patio.
First, order the best bacon sandwich in the Kingdom here at the counter.
An added bonus is being waited on by this lovely lass. She always dresses for the theme.
And funny also.
Right beside the counter is a little passageway that leads to the upstairs patio.
Here’s what it looks like. One of the best places to enjoy your meal.
Later in the day, they host a Tea Party with food. It’s an upscale affair and is a very nice RenFest experience. Tickets for this are on the TRF site.
The view from this patio is great. I take pics from here every weekend.
This is another favorite view of mine.
During this weekend, I heard more compliments about my work than any other weekend. Several people mentioned to me that they appreciate what I’m doing to capture memories for them. It never gets old to hear nice things about one’s work and efforts.
The lady in this photo is in charge of the costuming at TRF. She told me that she loves what I’m doing out there. She also said that she looks at my pics so she can see her characters during the day around the festival. This helps her stay on top of things. I’m glad she enjoys my work and uses my site for her job.
She definitely looks great for Halloween weekend.
The cake looks good. Would you take a piece from a green witch?
The Spanish Queen Juana always looks stunning in her outfit and crown.
The King and Queen looking regal for the weekend.
I enjoy getting these ladies’ pic every weekend.
So many cute faces in great dresses and costumes.
This guy has his perch every morning.
More great fashion for a RenFest.
Rudy never leaves home without his bagpipes and pipe.
I love this lady’s pose. So fun.
The White Swan looking beautiful.
Ravenswood Leather.
The staff at Ravenswood Leather are always up for a great pic.
MJ has some great clothing.
I photograph this guy every weekend and this weekend I had him try out some different poses. I’m sure you’ll see him again.
Some of the best chicken in the Village.
The staff of the Thirsty Pirate Pub work hard all day serving up great food and drink.
But they always make time for me to get some pics.
If you haven’t guessed yet, the Thirsty Pirate Pub is a favorite spot for me to hang out and get some pics.
Pam at the Bilge Pump bar in the Sea Devil area.
I stop by the Glory Hole bar and talk with Amanda each morning. I used to have a morning beer, but now I enjoy a kamikaze from the Wyrmwood Public House.
I think I shot a good pic of this couple. I’m sure that they loved it.
For Halloween, I was an NYPD Commissioner of Halloween. When people would ask me about my outfit, I would tell them that I’m the bad cop with the pink fuzzy handcuffs.
That line worked more than you would guess. The women loved it. I said that line to a group of three sexy women and one lady turned to her friends and said, “Oh, yum!”
A nice group shot. I enjoy group shots because it is an opportunity to please several people with one photo.
This food stand staff is really nice and never refuses me a photo of them.
I found a few more food stands to get pics of the employees. Beauty is everywhere in New Market Village.
I have 4 weekends left and my goal is to taste and photograph more of the great food offered at TRF.
I’ve tried some, but the festival is so big that I’ll never get to it all in one season.
Adrianna and Kylie always look great.
So does Tanya and Lourdes.
Lourdes let me try the Crawfish and Cheesy Fries.
It was delicious and should be tried on your next visit. Look in the French section and you’ll be sure to find the stand.
Haley is very photogenic and I appreciate that she lets me take her pic.
Travis works at the Wyrmwood Public House and is very cool to me. I thank him for that.
Daddy is always good for a great pic.
When people hear me call him Daddy, I’m sure they’re wondering what the hell is up with that, lol. He prefers to be called Daddy and I play along.
Mickey made my daily kamikaze and it hit the spot. That is supposed to be a shot but he makes it in a rocks glass and super big for a shot. I love it.
The Wyrmwood bartenders are some cool dudes.
This was a fun couple.
I got a pic with Queen Juana.
As Nuria and I were posing, another RenFest photog snapped this pic.
A lovely lady that works at the Polish Pub, a new favorite place of mine.
Kasia and some of her friendly staff at the Polish Pub.
Another packed audience for a show.
Two cute cops. Too young for my pink fuzzy handcuffs, lol.
I’m determined to try the coconut water this upcoming weekend.
Three bills for a dill.
Julie receives many positive responses for her pics on Facebook when I post them. No wonder. She’s another RenFest beauty that I came across in my travels of the Kingdom.
Blaise is another one and she always dresses so well. Love the hat.
Cooking up some steak on a stick. I’ll try that this upcoming weekend.
Apollo promoting his show. He’s a very talented individual.
Who doesn’t need a few dragon teeth?
Haley’s eyes are great for a Halloween weekend.
The kids at TRF were able to go to each booth and Trick or Treat for candy. Getting to Trick or Treat at the RenFest is a very cool aspect.
A great pic of a lovely witch and her broom.
I was happy to get this lady’s pic.
A great face.
I ran into Reagan and her two Furry friends and was glad to photograph them.
More Reagan than the Furries, haha.
And yes, she deserves a close-up of her costume.
Erika always wears the best outfits and I love getting her pics.
She’s on my morning rotation of regulars and she’s always nice enough to pose for me and with me.
I complimented this guy on his workout program. His arms look great. And… it doesn’t necessarily make you gay to notice a handsome, well-built man. Just sayin’.
These girls were a fun group.
I forgot to get a pic with Reagan and was pissed at myself. Luckily, I ran into her again. This is a favorite of mine.
And yes, she gets another close-up.
A packed house for Tartanic.
Lots of smiling, happy faces. Love it.
The Spanish Court put up an altar honoring those that have passed. I love the Day of the Dead celebration.
A well-dressed pirate and his family.
When I see a lot of rings, I get this pic.
Nice rings.
The horses at TRF are some beautiful animals and well taken care of also.
I never wanted a piece of candy more in my life, lol.
Kasia had her staff serve me a Combo plate from the Polish Pub.
You get 8 items and 3 different sauces to go with it. The items are: Hunter Stew – sauerkraut mixed with a few kinds of meat, sausage, a piece of Polish sausage, 3 kinds of Pierogi – meat, potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushrooms, and stuffed cabbage with rice and pork meat topped with tomato sauce and a pickle and dinner roll.
It all was very delicious and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
This was another fun couple.
It was a little chilly on this day. I couldn’t go shirtless like this guy.
I’m sure they loved this pic.
The food is an important part of TRF and shouldn’t be overlooked as a big part of your stay in the Village.
Darrell wasn’t cold. That’s for sure.
Blaise having fun with bubbles.
Her and Vendella are always in a good mood.
I ran into Kevin on this day and got a pic with him. He’s one of my favorite pirates at TRF.
This couple wanted a pic with me. I was happy to join them.
When is too much? I think they found that out.
Having a good time at the Pirate Pub.
It was an overcast day at the festival, but thousands still came out.
The Tease of the Seas show always brings them into the Pirate Pub area.
It has quickly become a favorite spot for many festival goers.
A lot of places in the Kingdom that serve drinks don’t serve food and vice versa. At the Thirsty Pirate Pub, you can get something to eat as well as drink. I like that.
I really like this vantage point.
As I was shooting pics around the Thirsty Pirate Pub, Gerald, the manager, walked up and asked me what I was drinking. He then gave me a free beer for all of my work with the pics and videos of the pub. That was very cool of him and I appreciated it.
Shane works in the upstairs section of the pub and is always very nice to me. Cool dude. He said that seeing my pics on Monday was a favorite part of his day.
The ladies of the Tease of the Seas show always play to a packed house and the audience always leaves feeling entertained by their act.
I had never seen a horse skeleton before I saw this a few years back. Lots of people pose with them.
Giving people a carriage ride would be a cool job.
Smiling, happy faces again. Are you seeing a trend at TRF?
People getting ready to go on the Pub Crawl.
Something tells me that I wouldn’t want to get into a fight with this guy.
Chelsea looking as cute as ever. She sells a lot of bird whistles.
Two scary looking ladies on Halloween weekend.
Mindy always gives me a great pic. I enjoy getting Red’s pic.
Even though it was overcast, the patrons kept coming in.
Three lovely mermaids.
You’ll see lots of photographers and film crews at the TexRenFest. It is quite a happening.
I enjoy getting the pics of the flower wreath girls and guys.
I’ve known Tony since last season. He’s a follower on Facebook and enjoys the posts. I appreciate his support.
Another cute flower wreath girl.
That concludes my pics for the Saturday of Halloween weekend at TRF. This next section deals with the campgrounds.
Here is a pic of the Call of Booty campsite. Lots goes on here and some can’t be photographed.
They use a pirate logo that came from the pirate, Jack Rackham. It’s my favorite historical flag also.
John Rackham, commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the calico clothing that he wore, while Jack is a nickname for “John”. Rackham was active towards the end of the “Golden Age of Piracy”.
They even have a store in their camp.
The ladies working there were very friendly.
I purchased a Call of Booty sticker. You’ll see that again later.
Notice his bone.
This group was having a great time.
A great costume for the nighttime.
And hers also.
These tatas looked so real, I had to ask about them.
The Master of Ceremonies at the Call of Booty camp was quite a character.
As the night came on, the crowd grew for the Naked Jenga game.
Naked Jenga is played with 2×4’s. As a person is called out of the audience, they must successfully pull a block from the stack. If the stack doesn’t fall, they have to do what is written on their block. The first girl had to do 2 topless cartwheels. There is a lot of nudity, which is why they prohibit pics or video.
I walked off for a bit and when I returned, a guy dressed as a Monk had to strip naked.
When I came back by later in the game, a woman had knocked over the stack and was completely naked putting it back together again.
This came by and looked cool.
The campground bonfire is across the street from the Call of Booty campsite.
There is a little city in the campground.
Lots of food stands to serve late into the evening. One little, temporary convenience store stayed open until 3am.
Henna tattoos also.
I had a piece of pizza and it was hot, fresh and good.
I ran into another favorite pirate of mine. Philip is one of the best dressed that I’ve seen.
I always like to get a pic with him.
The next morning, there were still people at the bonfire area.
The Call of Booty campsite was cleaned up and looking like nothing had occurred there the night before.
I will close out my story about the campgrounds with another little bit.
I shot video of Solar Rain, who performed at the Call of Booty campsite. As I’m shooting video, a couple comes barging up through the crowd to end up near me on the rope. Then, they started bumping my elbow while I’m trying to film the act.
After I had finished filming a performer, I stopped the camera and turned to this couple and said, “I wish you wouldn’t bump my arm because I’m trying to shoot video of the performance.”
Did this couple heed my polite request? No.
They didn’t bump me anymore, but they did start talking shit while I was shooting the next performer. You can hear them on the video saying shit like, “Oh we wouldn’t want to fuck up the video.”
I’ve thought about this all week and decided that I won’t call them every name in the book here on my blog, but I wish I had told them, “If being an asshole was worth money, you two would be rich.”
I ended up turning the other cheek and walking off before I could film the finale of the act. Taking the high road keeps you out of jail but it still burns in your gut like acid when you can’t get satisfaction from telling someone off. Trust me, they deserved it and I’m quite sure the Karma train will run them over soon enough and probably back up.
The next morning, I was up early and got the first spot in the parking area.
I had a spot available on my rear window.
So I placed my Call of Booty sticker there. It goes well with everything else on there.
Some may not know that when I worked in auto racing, I was sent to NASCAR race car driving schools all over the U.S. I became quite good at driving a race car at high speeds around some of the most famous tracks in America, like the Daytona International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500.
In the real world, this skill comes in handy when you’re running from the cops, lol.
The front gate Beefeaters have to pass a morning inspection by a patron.
Rudy getting ready to entertain the first arrivals to the festival.
All quiet before the rush of patrons.
The morning cannon.
These are the two gentlemen that fire the cannon.
The cast getting ready for the morning dance.
Queen Juana looking fantastic for Halloween weekend.
Love this pic.
Chris makes leather goods. He made the chest plate that he’s wearing.
I’m getting him to make me a new utility belt for next year.
Chris and Nuria are a nice couple that I’m happy to have met at TRF last season.
The morning dance with patrons.
The band.
A fun way to start the day.
Elizabeth had “Nice Pumpkins” painted on her chest by Lady Iris. She didn’t know what Lady Iris was writing but loved the results. So did I.
And yes, a close-up of that artwork.
I ran into Savannah and got a quick pic before she went on to work at her stand.
The staff of Ravenswood Leather.
I enjoy my pics with MJ.
I love her many head pieces.
New day, different pose.
Yet to try this, but will.
I gain weight just by looking at the pics of all the delicious food.
These look tasty.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub.
The pub has a cute staff also.
Before it gets crowded with festival goers enjoying the new pub and stage area.
I stopped by Big Hat Pirates booth again.
I was looking for Chris to discuss my utility belt, but he wasn’t there.
Lots of great merchandise.
A selfie in front of their mirror.
Kids love riding ponies. Fact.
Pam takes a good photo.
I plan to get the fried alligator again this year also.
Blaise always has a great smile.
Kelsey and Adrianna getting ready for a busy day.
Julie and Kylie, her daughter, are quite an eyeful. Both so beautiful.
Julie always deserves her own pic.
Love the face painting.
Lourdes makes a cute little devil with red horns.
Harley and Samantha. Great smiles.
I’d see a doctor about that discoloration.
Haley looks great even when she’s chilling.
The Red Lion Tavern staff is also very friendly. And they have great BBQ.
The Spanish Court.
Violet fire dances for Saxon Moon and also Solar Rain. I did get some of her performance in the campground before I walked off from that loser couple.
This guy has some good poses.
Erika always looks grand.
A craftsman at work in the Asgardian Armory.
Alex wears garb like this all through the season. I couldn’t take the cold.
Another favorite.
Greg has become a good friend over the last year and a half.
Becca also.
A great make-up job.
The altar on Sunday.
Jacob and Ewa at the Polish Pub.
Kasia with one of her workers.
I told Kasia that we look good in black. She agreed.
On this Sunday, I tried the Polish sausage from the Polish Pub and Kasia served me up a good one. It was hot and delicious.
Getting a program is a must in order to see as many shows as possible during your visit.
Savannah is a sweetheart of a girl.
This guy holds this pose for a lot of the day.
I ran into Jay. He told me last year that people were calling him Pothead because of the pot on his head. That’s all I call him now.
Some of the staff of the Wyrmwood Public House.
Jay had her face made up well. She said it took her an hour to do this.
Mickey went inside after this pic and made my kamikaze. When I received it, I handed him my card and said to add a $5 tip. He told me that this one was on him. Free kamikazes is an added bonus.
I ran into Charlie the night before in the campground. He was one of the guys with an extra bone in his skeleton costume, lol.
The Wyrmwood is a very cool place to hang out.
Lovely singers in the Kingdom.
This woman had a fantastic hat and a great smile.
This group was happy to get their photo taken.
Smiling, happy faces.
Singing to the ladies.
Scott and his main squeeze.
Chelsea has a great smile also.
The Sanderson sisters. I love the blondes’ eyebrows.
I was told that this warrior had a squeaky eye in on Saturday and when you poked it, it squeaked. Funny.
Bree and her friend.
Red looks good as a pirate.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub always has a good crowd.
These girls were having a lot of fun at the festival.
Shane and Elizabeth.
They wanted a pic with the logo. It came out good. It’s all in the cropping.
If you attend TRF, you should make some time to spend at the new Pirate Pub.
This little booth always has a big crowd.
These two girls took a great pic while they were sitting down.
More coming in as I was leaving for the day.
She likes when I get her pic as I’m leaving.
The entrance plaza always has a crowd during the day.
I ran into Reagan as I was leaving the campground, so I stopped my Tahoe and got some pics.
Love her costume… and you do too. Don’t lie.
I plan on meeting up with her again on the Celtic Weekend for some new pics. I’m excited about that and wondering what she’ll wear.
That concludes this blog post. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my Halloween weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival.
I’ll have another post after next weekend, so check back then.
To see the pics and videos from the previous weekends, visit the site 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 second weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed 1001 Dreams. I didn’t attend this weekend last year and I’m sorry that I didn’t. I had a lot of fun, as you’ll see in the following photos and commentary.
Second weekend, first again.
They parked me on row 5 again. Loving life.
If you arrive later in the day, it’s quite a walk to the front gate plaza.
From row 5, it’s right there.
The gateway to fun and frivolity.
Five gates for so many people. They all fit.
The front gate Beefeaters will greet a lot of guests this day.
My morning Throne pic.
In this photo there are three generations of TexRenFest workers. Very cool pic.
I had kolaches for breakfast from the Queen’s Pantry.
The cast awaiting the patrons for a fun day in New Market Village.
The calm before the storm.
One of my favorite views of the Kingdom.
I really like getting a pic with Jade. She’s one of my favorite cast members.
A jolly crew this is.
The cast dancing with patrons to start the day.
Hamish MacGregor is another favorite of mine. Rudy is a great guy.
A pic with him is a must.
I try to get a pic of MJ every day that I’m in the Kingdom.
She works at Ravenswood Leather. More about that later.
Another of MJ’s cute co-workers at Ravenswood.
I passed by as this young lady was serving some apple pies with ice cream and had to get a pic.
Cooking it up.
Always a treat to walk by this booth.
Pam and Kevin at the Bilge Pump Bar at the Sea Devil area.
Damn, that’s two good looking pirates in that pic, lol.
Every good pirate wears many rings. They’re considered legal brass knuckles.
Kevin has quite a collection.
Mine are from my career in lifeguarding and motorsports. From left to right, 13 time lifeguard champion, turquoise for luck, Jeff Gordon NASCAR championship ring, Jeff Gordon Brickyard 400 championship ring, IndyCar Championship ring for Sam Hornish, Jr., and a ring from the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
In case you were wondering, I earned all of those racing rings when I worked in auto racing.
These next photos are of a new bar in the Kingdom called Thirsty Pirate Pub.
It’s huge and beautiful.
Notice the ground and the palms. Great finishing touches.
The staff are friendly and cheerful. And eager to serve you whatever is your pleasure.
The decorations are great.
I like these wooden sculptures a lot.
A very talented craftsman.
A quick look at the menu. I see some Jell-O shots in my future.
The upstairs area of the pub overlooks a new stage area that has a show called Tease of the Seas and features some beautiful women. Who wouldn’t like that?
Another view of the stage area.
From this view, you can see how nice the landscaping is in this area. Nice job.
A long bench for you and your crew.
A very nice upstairs area for drinking, eating or taking a break. And sometimes all three.
I like the decor. An effort was made to make this place look nice and I appreciate that effort.
Pirates and mermaids go together like PB&J.
I made a few trips to this area and I enjoyed my time here.
There are misters to fight the heat. They are a nice addition, but for someone like me that uses an expensive iPhone, I have to be careful around them.
A nice group shot of some people enjoying the new pub.
I had a strawberry mimosa to wash back the trail dust.
I was with a friend in the upstairs area of the pub when this nice couple joined us. They told us all about the camping situation since they camp out most every weekend of TRF.
As we are sitting there chatting, a pirate sits down next to me and bends over as he’s getting situated. A neatly rolled joint falls out of his hat onto the table. I smiled and picked it up. I held it out on the table so only he could see it.
Once he was seated, he looked over and saw what I was holding. His grin was ear to ear. He invited me to join him in smoking his joint in a private area but I declined. With my job, I can’t afford to get into trouble in the Kingdom. Any other time and I would have, gladly.
I don’t usually offer my opinion about certain things, but in this case I will.
I posted my pub pics on several Facebook pages. There were numerous comments made about the pub, mostly positive. It was the negative ones that I found out of line.
I won’t go into detail about these comments. I’ll just say that some people’s opinion is wrong. When I read these negative comments, I thought to myself, would these people prefer that the area still be the Royal Mint with some older ladies weaving cotton?
They apparently don’t realize that this pub is a MAJOR improvement to the Kingdom. It’s a great watering hole that has fabulous food as well. There’s an upstairs section that overlooks a new stage area that showcases the Tease of the Seas show and gives you some great views of the festival.
I’d prefer that these people with something negative to say stay far away from the new pub and allow people who appreciate the effort made to enjoy this great addition to New Market Village.
And if the pub was themed any other way, they’d be bitching about why it wasn’t a pirate theme. Get a grip… or slip.
My lovely Amanda at her post in The Glory Hole bar.
The guy to my right is 6’7″. I felt 5’4″ standing next to him.
One of my favorite food stand crews. Fried alligator and several other cajun dishes. Some of my most favorite in the Kingdom.
Ms. Blaze always looks great and her smile lights up her face.
I found out that these girls are the ones that serve the grilled pork on a stick. I’ll be having that next weekend.
Julie is always so nice when I ask for a photo of her. And she’s lovely.
I’m eager to see what the food stand workers will wear for Pirate’s Adventure weekend.
A beautiful face with great accessories.
You’ll see a theme with the coconut vendors.
Three bills for a dill.
I love the Asgardian Armory.
Erika at her usual spot, telling the patrons to visit Bloodbath and Beyond. I love that line. Probably the best in the land.
Bree looks great in front of their merch.
The shop deserves a look in person as the photos don’t do it justice.
Alex is always good for a great pic.
I’ll buy something from this shop, for sure.
The labor and skill to make these is incredible.
Such a great pose. When he struck this pose, his boss said, “I knew you were a crossed swords kind of guy.” Now that’s funny.
The shows always draw a big crowd and the talented acts are worth seeing.
Lots of great color. Love it.
Some might say fixated, haha.
The King was nice enough to stop for a pic.
Another fun pose. She was enjoying her day at the festival.
The Wyrmwood Public House is one of my favorite places to go in the Kingdom. In these next pics, you may see why.
Alan greets you at the door with a smile.
A girl on a swing above the bar is always nice. The lighting in the bar messes with photography, but you get the point.
If there is a heterosexual man that doesn’t like a beautiful woman on a swing above the bar, I don’t want to meet them.
Mickey making my usual Kamikaze. Much larger than a regular shot. And I like that.
More great decor.
Travis is another really cool employee at the Wyrmwood.
And if you didn’t think that I would get a pic with Emmy, then you don’t know me very well.
A great shot.
The view from the Wyrmwood is one of the best in New Market Village.
The Spanish King and his fair lady.
Haley makes a beautiful fairy. Wouldn’t you agree?
The Red Lion Tavern gets packed for their show. They also serve great BBQ.
I took 2 pics of this next couple. When I saw them again the next day, they said they loved the pics and wanted to buy framed copies from my photo site. I told them how. Good reviews are always nice to hear.
This next pic is really good. Love it.
The French section is always packed.
The menu board for the area.
The Sea Devil area. Lots of pirates in this area most weekends.
Great live band.
Another favorite shot that I like.
A pirate and a 21st Century, New Age, Renaissance Pirate. Can you tell which is which?
A beautiful pirate is hard to pass without getting her photo.
I spend about 4 to 5 hours at the festival and every day that I leave, people are still coming in by large numbers.
This concludes the pics from Saturday.
On Sunday morning, they parked me on row 6, but I wasn’t complaining.
It was still just a short walk to the front gate plaza.
Hundreds of thousands of people will pass this way over 8 weekends.
The plaza looking good and ready for all of the patrons that will visit this day.
My morning Throne pic.
The front gate Beefeaters are always nice enough to pause for a pose.
Hamish MacGregor getting ready to entertain the patrons.
The cast getting ready for the cannon to fire and the first guests.
More about this pic next.
The previous photo was taken from this upstairs patio of Tea and Strumpets.
Look for this sign to find the patio.
The King and his Queen.
The cast dancing with patrons to start the day.
Playing music to dance by.
This woman is a talented artist.
Ravenswood Leather.
Look for this sign.
Some of the best leather goods in the Kingdom.
All kinds of pouches and hats to choose from.
I enjoy going into this shop.
And a selection of furs.
Lots of gloves to look over.
MJ and her co-workers. Nice pic.
Getting a pic with MJ is now on my ‘To do” list.
He knows how to cook well.
It all looks and smells amazing.
Such great smiles.
Julie is a favorite of mine to photograph. Can you blame me?
I ran into Savannah and got a pic with her. She’s darling.
Blaze looking her best.
Smiling, happy faces to greet the patrons and serve them something delicious to eat.
Rev’s Armour Werx. White letters would be easier to see and read.
A cheerful owner and her sidekick.
Their merch is really very nice.
Everyone needs a good flask in case of snakebite. And to be sure, always carry a small snake.
Great display of items for sale.
Another good display of some awesome leather goods.
The crew of the Red Lion Tavern.
Haley said the glitter comes off easily enough… in case you were wondering.
Haley and Daddy for a quick pic.
Greg and I in his booth.
The Catskill Mountain Moccasins staff is great.
I treated them to pizza for lunch. It was very good.
Alex and his axe.
Chelsea and I chat every day of the festival and she’s pleasant to talk with. Sweet girl.
The patrons of TRF are always entertained by the many talented acts to see.
Another great pose… but he’s still crossing the swords.
I like getting pics with Alex. He’s a great guy.
And also pics with Erika.
The three witches from Hocus Pocus. The Sanderson sisters, Winifred, Sarah and Mary.
When you see Alan, you know I’m headed up to the Wyrmwood Public House.
Great customer but doesn’t tip well.
Bartenders at the Wyrmwood.
The patio of the Wyrmwood.
Another great view of the festival.
A lot to see from up here.
As I was looking over the balcony, I saw this beautiful woman wearing a crown. I yelled down for someone with her to stop her until I could make it down to get her pic.
I almost busted my ass coming down the back stairs, but the effort was worth it.
One of the most beautiful people that I’ve ever photographed.
A pic of Daddy and I. He prefers to be called Daddy and I play along. It makes me laugh.
The Wyrmwood has the best of staffs.
I asked this woman for a pic and she struck this pose. Awesome.
Apollo advertising his show. I’ll shoot video of it later in the season.
Queen Juana catching fairies.
Pizzeria il Forno has the best pie that I’ve had in New Market Village.
And served with a smile.
The horses always get more attention than the carriage driver.
The prettiest fairy that I photographed.
This never gets old to me. Love it.
This guy always draws a large crowd for his act.
Very striking, indeed.
I stopped by the Thirsty Pirate Pub for a drink.
Another great staff.
Coulrophobia brings on feelings of fear when you see clowns or clown images.
A great group shot.
Another menu board.
A fun group.
The view from Tea and Strumpets’ patio.
There are many days that I wish there was a Spring TexRenFest also. Two months a year is too short in my opinion.
There’s always Scarborough Fest and Sherwood Faire, but they are long drives away.
People still coming in as I was leaving for the day. I leave around 1pm each day because it is an hour’s drive home for me and then about 6 hours of editing and loading pics and videos from the day.
And I pride myself on having my media up the night of taking the pics. I think people like seeing their pics as soon as possible.
Lots of cars parked around me on this day. Being close is the tits.
When I asked this guy to take my Throne pics, he said strike a pose. So I posed as if I owned the place, lol.
That’s it for this blog post about 1001 Dreams weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I hope you enjoyed reading it and seeing the pics.
Check back for more blog posts about upcoming weekends.
To see the pics and videos from the TexRenFest, visit the site below and click on Photos.
October and November are fast becoming my favorite months of the year because of the Texas Renaissance Festival. I attended 6 out of 8 weekends last year and I’m going to try and attend all 8 weekends this year.
This blog post is about the first weekend of the festival. Each weekend has a theme and this weekend it was Oktoberfest. These first pics are from Saturday.
In this first photo, let’s just say that I like to arrive early.
The walkway from the parking area to the festival entrance looked clean and spotless. The people at TRF take pride in their work and event. The Kingdom is always kept in great condition.
I took a picture with Willie. He is quite the character and an asset to TRF.
Rudy plays the character of Hamish MacGregor. In the mornings, he plays his pipes and tells jokes and funny stories to the patrons as they wait for the gates to open. He also plays as the lead of the parade every weekend day at noon. And he also plays at the front of wedding processionals.
I said it last year, but he deserves a raise.
Tens of thousands of people will cross through these gates to enter New Market Village.
The Spanish Queen Juana. Such a beautiful Queen.
Hamish MacGregor striking a grand pose.
Phil Brayton has been around the TexRenFest for many years. I try to get a pic with him every time I see him. Such a mountain of a man with a great soul.
Every weekend morning, the festival characters put on a show to start the day. It’s the first thing the patrons see as they enter the gates to the Kingdom. Quite entertaining.
Each day, I go to the upstairs patio of ‘Tea and Strumpets’ to get these area pics. ‘Tea and Strumpets’ has the best bacon sandwich at TRF. And a great patio to enjoy the view and your meal. You can also sign up for the tea party, which is an upscale affair.
The team at Catskill Mountain Moccasins are always so nice to me. Becca, Sara and Greg allow me to store my backpack and extra business cards at their booth. If you need great moccasins from a friendly staff, stop by booth 212.
I met Greg a while back at a comicon and we’ve been friends ever since.
Sara always impresses me with her outfits and hair styles. Such a cutie.
Erika was named after Erik the Viking and works at the Asgardian Armory. They sell leather goods and weaponry. Their slogan is, “Come stop by Bloodbath and Beyond.”
Alex told me all about Rennies last year. I’m not a Rennie yet, but I hope to be one day, lol.
I’ve gotten to know several of the workers at the various food stands around TRF. And they are always happy to pose for me.
I make it a habit to go around and get their pics. I think they appreciate my efforts to showcase them.
Amanda works at the Sea Devil area in a bar called The Glory Hole. She’s one of the nicest people that I’ve met at the TexRenFest. She and I visit during the day and have some fun conversations.
The Wishing Well Wenches are two fo the funniest characters in the Kingdom. I’ll get them to show me their map of New Market Village soon. You’ll laugh.
I enjoy taking staff photos of the many shoppes. It’s a lot of fun getting to meet old friends and new people.
One weekend, I’m going to try the coconut water. They drink it on Survivor and seem to like it so I’ll give it a try.
Blaze is one of the more photogenic people that I photograph. I enjoy getting her pics and talking with her. Their food stand serves fried alligator, shrimp and crawfish dishes. I love it all.
This young lady was kind enough to hold up one of their dishes for the pic. I’ll try this also.
I had a hamburger and fries at this next booth and the service was great.
A great cheeseburger and fries.
Kevin attends the TexRenfest several days of the season and I enjoy getting his pic. I met him last year and we’ve stayed in touch through Facebook.
Pam works at the Sea Devil area also. She’s funny and a delight to chat with. I also ran into her earlier this year in Galveston at Mardi Gras. Such a nice person.
Stephanie wears an outfit with a lot of color and calls herself Spectra, as in the Autism Spectrum. She does this to raise awareness. Great gal.
One of the favorite things about TRF is the food. There is such a variety and so many choices. And it’s all very good.
Many people enjoy the turkey legs. I’d prefer something else, even though they are delicious.
Trying the chicken is definitely on my list. The smells of food in the Kingdom make your mouth water.
A chef and his creations.
MJ works at Ravenswood Leather. A very cool shop with great merchandise.
These young ladies work there also and are very friendly.
I’ve yet to take a carriage ride around the village. Maybe if I had a date.
Skidmark never disappoints. He’s always funny and quick with a remark. He’s one of my favorite characters.
I enjoy taking group shots because it is a chance to please several people, with one photo.
I took this guy’s photo then I asked him to remove his helmet. He really liked this pic.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House and Mickey started making my usual Kamikaze before I even asked. When he served me, he said that my first drink of the season was on him. And it was a large one.
This is a pic of Monsieur Bunny and Shelbelle. They also work at the Wyrmwood Public House. Monsieur Bunny prefers to be called Daddy.
The Wyrmwood has a great upstairs patio that overlooks the festival. It’s a great area to have a drink and hang out.
I call him Daddy and I laugh every time.
Here is one view from the Wyrmwood patio.
Great wings and awesome colors. Very beautiful.
I met Haley last year and I try to get her pic every day that I’m at the festival. Can you blame me?
This shot was at the Sea Devil. A Queen and her Court.
A funny story about this next pic. I went up to this group of cute girls and asked to get their photo. The brunette in the middle turned to me and said, “Only if we can get a pic with you.” Then she turned to her friends and said, “Am I embarrassing you yet?”
She did get a pic with me and when I was telling them how to get their pic from my site, she said to me, “You’ll never know where that pic we took will end up.” Then she started laughing.
She was quite the little pistol.
This girl was fun to meet and photograph. She was having such a good time.
She had on a great outfit and looked fantastic.
I photographed this couple at TRF in 2021 and also at Dickens on the Strand. They’re fun to shoot and always look so good.
I love steampunk and this guy is good.
After I had the encounter with the brunette, I realized that I didn’t get a pic with her. I caught up to them and got this pic. Such a fun girl. If I were 25 years younger, haha.
Chelsea sells the little bird whistles. You can hear them all over the Kingdom as kids enjoy the hell out of them. Chelsea is a sweet girl and fun to talk to.
I enjoyed getting this guy’s pic. I’m always impressed with good face work.
As I was leaving on Saturday, people were still coming in by the hundreds.
On Sunday morning, I arrived first again and the parking attendants directed me to this spot on row 5. Usually when I’m first, they start the parking on row 11 or 12. I loved getting a spot on row 5. More about this at the end.
Each morning, the TRF Grounds Crew walk the walkway and parking areas to pick up any trash left by the thousands of patrons from the day before. People should take note of the effort it takes to keep this place so clean and good looking.
The gateway to fun and frivolity.
If you choose, there is a valet parking area. This is right near the front gate area.
Beautiful colors and great work.
I stand on the King’s throne to get these area shots. TRF put down some new concrete since last year and it looks nice.
If you didn’t purchase your ticket ahead of time, these ticket booths will sell you some.
Here are the Media, Wedding, Security and Will Call offices.
TRF has plenty of restrooms located around the Kingdom. This one is in the front gate plaza. And the restroom staff keep them all very clean.
I didn’t notice this statue last season. It’s a nice photo op.
Thanx, George.
My morning pic with Willie.
I usually don’t have a hard time finding someone to take my photo on the throne. Sometimes the pic gets messed up.
Before the morning entertainment gets started.
Mornings in New Market Village are great.
A pic with Queen Juana.
Jade always plays some awesome characters. She’s wonderful.
I love her energy for the job.
This couple was nice enough to put down their food to take a pic.
I loved this lady’s costume.
Another great face.
You’ll see characters everywhere while at TRF.
A funny story about this next pic.
I was walking to the Pirate Pub and passed this guy. He yells out, “Look at you, looking all Sid Vicious.”
I laughed and went over to get his pic. As I was leaving, he said, “You’re looking very metal today.”
Here is the crew at the Pirate Pub. It’s new this year and a great addition to the Kingdom.
This lady wanted to pose by the leather goods that she makes. Nice stuff.
Big Hat Pirates has some great merchandise. If I were to ever get a pirate’s hat, I’d get it here.
Lots of items to choose from.
Plenty of Jolly Rogers.
The shops in New Market Village have many different types of items to purchase. In this shop, you can find some great musical instruments.
I always try to get pics of the pickle vendors. And they are always nice enough to hold up a pickle. Last year, they would say, “Three bills for a dill.”
Another thing that I like about the TexRenFest is that the food stand staffs all dress for their jobs. They wear some great outfits and head pieces.
I’m starting to know a few of them by name. And they are always happy to see me and get some pics.
Notice how well her head piece matches her shirt. I appreciate the effort they all put in to look nice.
Kids will love riding these animals. What kid wouldn’t?
These guys were stirring the coals under their chicken. It smelled good.
I love these hats and will probably end up getting one before the season is over.
Any type of kilt you could ask for.
These custom made leather vests are beautiful. One of these might be on my shopping list also.
When I approached these next ladies for a pic, they were speaking Polish. I enjoyed listening to them.
Savannah works in the area where there is elephant and camel rides. She remembered me from last season. Nice girl.
I went inside the Museum of Cruelty. It costs $5, I think. They let me in for free with my Media Pass.
They asked me not to photograph everything. I thought this one pic showed what it was like inside. It’s worth a look.
Here’s the elephants.
And the camels.
Kids also love a good carousel. And this one is nice.
The green and yellow colors look superb.
There is always a crowd for the trained birds show.
At TRF, you can find many different dinking vessels.
I’ve seen a lot of people drinking out of these.
These ladies work at the Red Lion Tavern.
Haley never disappoints.
I met Shiny last season also. I may buy my coconut water from him.
When you are in New Market Village, make sure you tip your servers. They work hard for your pleasure.
And if you can, try several different foods during your stay in the Kingdom. Variety is the spice of life.
Visit Blaze and her co-workers for some fried alligator or another creole dish.
Erika and Melissa from the Asgardian Armory.
Another view from the ‘Tea and Strumpets’ patio.
This pic makes me want to take a carriage ride through the village.
When it is really crowded, you’ll see thousands of people from this view.
As I was leaving on Sunday, there were people continuing to come in.
When I returned to my Tahoe, I realized that they had parked me on row 5 and no one else all day. Sometimes it pays to arrive early.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the Texas Renaissance Festival. There will be several more blog posts about this event.
Thanx for reading and I hope you come back to read the other posts.
Very metal, indeed.
To see all of the pics from TRF, visit the site below and click on Photos.
I first met Phil Brayton a few years back, at a comicon in Houston. He was dressed as his Barbarian character. I knew that when I saw him, I immediately wanted to get his photo. This first photo is from the first time I ever met Phil.
When I decided to work several weekends at the Texas Renaissance Festival, I didn’t expect to see Phil there. When I walked inside the gates of TRF, he was one of the first people that I saw. This next pic is from that first encounter at the TexRenFest.
Phil has been working at TRF for 13 years. In the mornings, he poses as his Barbarian character, then after the noon parade, he comes out as Tan Man.
He is 6’6″ and 325 pounds… a mountain of a man.
Phil is called a Badged Entertainer and there are only 5 at TRF.
His Barbarian character is the 3rd highest photographed person at the TexRenFest and his Tan Man character is in the Top Ten in photos taken of him.
I tried to get a pic with Phil each time that I saw him.
Out of the many people that I met at TRF, Phil is one of the nicest. He was always so complimentary of me and the way I dressed.
At one point, he said I was the Best Dressed Photographer at the TexRenFest.
Phil started out his career working in the Medical Field. Then, in his late 30’s, he switched to Mortuary Science and has been working in that calling for over 25 years.
As you can tell, Phil is a real life character.
He also plays Donald Trump. Phil is a Social Media Influencer that works in New Orleans, Houston and Galveston.
He plays Capt. Jazz, the Ghost of Christmas Present, the Barbarian, the Mountain Man and also Houston’s Tan Man.
Phil went to a White Linen party in the Heights of Houston years ago and a friend started calling him Tan Man and the name stuck.
Phil is known far and wide by many thousands of people and also has thousands of Followers on his social media accounts.
Here’s a pic of Phil with some friends at the White Linen Party.
They made the paper with the caption, ‘Life of the Party’. No truer words have ever been printed.
Phil has been in the media spotlight for several years now and been a part of many Promos for a lot of events.
Here he is for the Super Bowl that was hosted in Houston.
Every major social media influencer has been a part of a meme.
Here he is as the Ghost of Christmas Present during Dickens on the Strand in Galveston, TX.
He also has hundreds of thousands of views for his videos.
The Marlboro Man at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
The Undertaker with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Here he is at the Lone Star Motorcycle Rally in Galveston.
At Saint Arnold’s Brewery with the owners.
Mountain Man at the Houston Rodeo BBQ Cook Off.
Mister Astro with some babes.
Here is a pic of Phil while working in his calling.
As I stated earlier, I’ve met many people in my line of work and Phil is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He’s fun-loving, carefree and always so kind.
I asked Phil what it is that he could say about working at the Texas Renaissance Festival and he said this… “I love working at TRF because it is a Judgement-Free Zone. You could be a 500 pound man wearing a Tutu and you will be the most popular guy there.”
My hat goes off to people like Phil who live life to the fullest and get the most out of our time here on this planet. I look forward to seeing and photographing Phil many more times in the future.
Cheers to Phil Brayton for just being himself.
Spider 113
Phil Brayton Fan
Thanx for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.
And remember…
“Always be yourself… unless you can be a Pirate, then always be a Pirate.”
This is a post about the last weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival. I attended 6 out of 8 weekends and enjoyed myself, thoroughly. I met some great people, ate a lot of good food, saw some great shows and got a lot of pics and videos.
For the last weekend of the festival, Celtic Christmas, I ended up with 734 pics. For the entire 6 weekends that I attended, I added a total of 3,105 photos from the event.
I arrived first at the festival again on this Friday after Thanksgiving. These first pics are from that Friday.
I enjoy seeing the Front Gate Plaza early in the morning. There is something peaceful about knowing that as quiet as it is it will get so much more exciting as the day goes on.
I have a special project that I’ll be working on soon that is about the TexRenFest. This may be the cover photo.
I’ll let you know when the project is ready to view. Should be late Spring or Early Summer of 2022. I think many people will enjoy reading my book about my adventures at TRF for 2021. The book will have hundreds of pics from the event with lots of great costumes, outfits and garb, as well as some fun-loving, great characters and patrons.
Hamish McGregor always has the early morning guests entertained with his pipe playing and entertaining stories and jokes.
Rudy does a great job as Hamish and is a well-loved character at the festival.
Hard to believe that about 500,000 people will pass through these gates in 8 weekends.
Always buy a program. These girls and guys are usually the first people you meet in the Plaza and once inside the Front Gate. And they’re always happy to see you.
Queen Isabella looked very good in front of the Christmas tree at the front. Nuria is one of my favorite people to see at TRF.
I love the creativity that goes into some of the costumes and outfits worn by the cast and crew. They help create the fantasy world of the TexRenFest.
Erin as Glinda the Good and the Spanish King.
Katrina as a Bride of Frankenstein.
Micah as Crayon. The kids love her and many come back by at the end of the day to say goodbye to her. We wish Micah luck with her career in the Navy and look forward to her return to the festival one day.
Micah always gave me some great pics.
She was one of the people that I gave the close-up treatment to because I enjoyed her pic so much.
Jade is another person that always gets the close-up treatment. Jade is one of my favorite characters at TRF. I love the effort she puts in to create her face and overall look.
Two very pretty ladies.
I stopped by to see these ladies at a food stand and snapped their pic. I love that all of the workers at the festival like having their photo taken.
I bought the crab cakes from them for breakfast. They were hot and good.
I enjoyed photographing the Pickle Vendors. And I ate a few pickles as well. Always delicious.
I learned of a pizza place in the village and found it this last weekend. The pizza is great and one of my new favorite places to eat.
Lilly always looked so pretty. I loved watching her dance to the music of Tartanic.
I ran into Tony again. And this time, he was Elfis. What a funny outfit and great name. Very creative.
The ears look great and a green mustache with those glasses tops this look off.
Elvis would be proud.
It looks like Tony would be saying, “Hey, Baby. What’s shakin’?””
I took Alan’s pic a few times. He works the door at the Wyrmwood Public House. The best bar in the village.
Mickey made my daily kamikaze.
I look forward to TRF 2022 and seeing all of my new friends again.
I love purple and this singing duo rock it. The Minstrel Rav’n always looked great.
This family was having a fun time.
And she deserved a close-up treatment.
Monsieur Bunny, or Daddy as he prefers. I have lived a long life and never had to call anyone Daddy… until now, lol.
Next TRF, I plan to try the coconuts.
Cute workers always with a smile to greet you.
Who doesn’t like a nice kilt?
Kevin was always fun to photograph.
This is a good pose and a nice pic of him.
What’s better than a pic of a Pirate? A pic of two Pirates.
Hercules brought out his fur for the last weekend because it was a little chilly.
Always get the wings in the frame.
Krampus made an appearance.
If a dad dressed like this for Christmas morning to surprise his kids… he’d scar them for life, haha.
Skidmark was looking festive.
A working man in his office.
A great group shot.
Erika always looked so beautiful.
Greg and Sara were so nice to me during the TexRenFest and I look forward to spending time with them again the next festival.
Haley looked great in her Christmas outfit. The word on the top of her head is ‘Naughty’.
I bet Santa would still give her some gifts though.
I like this guy’s blue, leather vest. Very nice. And he was always nice enough to pose for me.
A Pirate Santa. Good Look.
I met Pam while I was working the festival. She was a lot of fun to hang out with.
The crew of the Sea Devil bar.
Blaze looked happy to be at work on this Friday.
While working at TRF, you make some great friends and lasting relationships.
Big Pirate hats always look god.
Hamish McGregor and a friend singing a tune while in the village.
More good friends.
My favorite Krampus and St. Nicholas. Nice guys and fun to shoot.
And deserving of a close-up.
Great Promo Gal and she loves her job.
One stylish gentleman. I’d definitely wear these clothes. Very sharp.
Another St. Nicholas and his lady.
Jesus and Santa. I photographed Jesus and Satan a few weeks earlier than this.
One of my favorite pics out of all of the TRF photos. He’ll enjoy this pic for years of him and his little boy.
Greg and I in the Catskill Mountain Moccasins booth, number 212.
And with the ever beautiful, Sara.
Now, we’re on to the pics from Saturday of the Celtic Christmas weekend. I was there first again.
The entrance to a great fantasy world where you’re free to be whatever and whomever.
As you can tell, I love this view.
The gates to fun and frivolity.
A lot of people will come down this walkway on this day.
Another cold day in the village.
Ready for action.
Playing his pipes.
Micah as Crayon. So cute.
Micah is full of energy and so fun-loving.
Erin, looking splendid, as usual.
One of Hercules’ best poses for me. He has a good double bicep pose.
Pennywise was a favorite of mine to photograph.
This was the first weekend that she didn’t wear a mask and she looked awesome.
Her face make-up is so great. And close-up material.
Jade, looking her best.
She never disappoints.
In the early morning, right after I enter the Kingdom, I usually get a lot of photos of the characters. This beautiful girl was fun to shoot also.
Phil Brayton was always a pleasure to run into. Through some stats, I learned that Phil’s Barbarian character is the 3rd most photographed person at TRF. And his Tan Man character is in the Top Ten.
I had kolaches and milk from the Queen’s Pantry on this Saturday morning. Always a good start to my day.
MJ and a co-worker. I bought a nice hip pouch from them that I use quite often now. Great quality.
Some very fun ladies.
Kazoo Orchestra.
Skidmark is one character I really enjoy watching work. He’s extremely entertaining.
One time, a guy told me to focus my pics on the beautiful girls. I told him I had that covered. Case in point, this photo.
These 2 characters always enjoyed posing for me and I thank them for that.
Daddy in his element.
Leos is more of man than I am. I even wore Long Johns on this day and he went shirtless.
Lilly, looking fabulous.
Haley with a different Christmas outfit and always looking cute.
This girl’s mother told me where she worked so I could go get her photo. It came out great.
I had several bowls of etouffee from Blaze’s booth.
The crew of the Sea Devil bar. Another good pic fo their gang.
Family pics are fun.
A really good Grinch.
She gave me some advice and it was really bad.
Pirates are always fun to photograph.
Sara and Abby.
Booth 212 – Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Another good crew photo.
Paolo entertaining the crowd.
The Spanish Court.
Another pic of this beautiful redhead. Her hat is awesome.
A fun group to shoot.
I had to get a pic of these two.
Apollo promoting their show.
Blaze and a friend.
I ran into Tony again on Saturday and this time I got some better pics.
His shoes were very cool.
I only had a few people refuse to pose for me during my time working the festival. I’m glad this girl decided to pose for me.
How much does it cost a Pirate to pierce his ears?
A buck an ear.
A festive group that was enjoying their day at TRF.
She has a great hat and looks good in it.
Eye contacts can always improve a look.
Another great Grinch.
Abby in a good-looking outfit.
The only Christmas tree that I photographed.
I love these guys.
Gruesome.
The stuff of nightmares.
Two more cute food stand workers.
A smiling group shot.
You gotta love seeing people having a good time.
Another festive group.
Cute Pirates are always a pleasure to run into and photograph.
And deserving of a close-up.
One of my favorite poses. Love the hat.
Talent in the village abounds.
I love the hat on the far right.
Now for my pics from Saturday. Big Phil and I.
I’ve got a tough job, lol.
Sara and I.
Abby was fun to pose with.
Greg always had on great garb.
I would leave everyday about 2 or 3pm and I always saw more people coming in.
My view when I leave.
These next pics are from Sunday, the last day of TRF for 2021. I like that the plaza always looks so clean.
I’m already looking forward to going back this next year.
My last pic with Willy for the year.
Another chilly day in the village.
I was asked to shoot the group shot for the Front Gate staff and it came out great.
Leo was nice enough to let me into the Kingdom early a few days and I appreciated that.
Nuria always took a good photo.
You’ll notice a lot of smiling faces in my pics.
I intend to interview Jade next season to learn more about her character and other things like how long it takes her to get ready.
I’d be curious to know how long it takes to do her face make-up.
Micah was a natural with the kids and an asset for the Texas Renaissance Festival.
I’ll miss getting her pics while she’s in the Navy, but I respect her service to our country.
She’ll do the USA proud.
A regal gentleman. It’s good to be the King.
I ran into Phil in another area and snapped his pic one last time for 2021.
This girl always had a great pose.
Case in point.
The staff at my favorite pizza place.
These girls looks festive in their Santa’s Helpers outfits.
Alex was fun to shoot and I look forward to seeing her next season.
Next season at TRF, I’ll focus more on the food.
Lots of characters working the food booths also.
It’s hard not to be hungry as you walk around because the food all looks and smells so good.
I tried some of the chicken.
Delicious.
Another great outfit.
Love the headdress.
How do pickles enjoy the day out?
They relish it.
One fabulous costume.
The ears, the hair, the horns, the make-up… all fantastic.
Why would you expect the coconuts vendors to pose funny?
You tell me, lol.
This look takes some time. Great job.
I look forward to going back to the Glory Hole for my morning beer.
Great horns and a great pic.
The Sea Devil is a great place to get some good pics.
Case in point.
Blaze was a redhead this last day of the festival and looked great.
Her co-worker looked great as well.
This crew asked me to take their staff photo and I was happy to do it.
Alex always looked cute.
Easy to see why I always passed by their booth for photos.
A really good face make-up job.
Another time-consuming job, but well worth it when you see the final look.
How do Pirates prefer to communicate?
Aye to aye.
Another lady that works with Tartanic along with Lilly.
A great Santa.
With a funny close-up.
Paolo playing some tunes.
Alan looking quite sharp.
Erika looked great the first day I photographed her and to this last day.
Melissa and Vebecka while at work in the Asgardian Armory, booth number 211.
The staff that works for Shiva. Great clothes.
I look forward to seeing Violet next season also. She’s a great Fire Dancer.
And gets a close-up.
Next season, I’m going to try and shoot over 4,000 pics. I’ll be attending all 8 weekends with no bad luck and I think I can do it, plus, I’ll have assistants.
I bet they were warm on this cold day.
I plan on shooting lots more videos also.
I’m looking forward to spending more time with Pam. She’s a lot of fun to hang out with.
How did the Pirate call his mate?
On an Aye Phone.
This King has some great looking rings.
I saw more furries on this last weekend.
Hercules saved his best pose for the last day of the festival.
These two girls worked at a food stand but were enjoying the last day as patrons.
This is the last person that I photographed at TRF for 2021 and I snapped it as I was walking to my Tahoe. 3,105th pic.
Now for my pics from the last day. Rudy was one of the nicer people that I met at TRF.
I imagine Jade gets photographed quite a lot. Gotta be in the top 5 of all the characters.
I’ll have a special post about Phil coming up soon. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Blaze is wearing one of my STORM Factory beanies, just backwards while she was working.
My last pic with Erika.
Many thanks to Greg for his hospitality towards me during the 2021 TRF season.
A pic with Shelbelle Shamrock on the Wyrmwood patio.
My last pic with a character at TRF for 2021.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Texas Renaissance Festival and I’m looking forward to going back this next season. Many thanks to everyone that posed for and with me. It was a lot of work, a lot of driving and long hours of walking and also working on the computer, but I loved every minute of it.
Hope to see some familiar faces at the next TexRenFest and if you see us, come say hi and get a pic.
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.”
