i find i never remember the name of vendors i have gone to from year to year, from ren faire to ren faire. i end up stumbling about, dustily gazing at the map trying to ascertain which of 15 soap vendors i love the best.
as a result, this post is as much for me as it is for y'all...
i went to the colorado ren faire in june with the little boy (the big boy was home in CA working). aside from watching the boy playing games of chance with attractive wenches, there was shopping to be had. a low-down on what i particularly liked:
- last year, the boy got a great shield and sword. but you can't have a proper battle with just one. so i bought a battle-axe and shield from the same vendor, the ones who stick their wares in the haystacks (look for the green shield with the yellow horse/unicorn, and the two vertical straps, great for getting a good grip while getting pummelled).
- i love putting my hair up -- i hate snagging it on "snagless" elastics. i therfore worship the ground that morgan reed walks on. i now own three hair sticks, up from the one i bought last year. yay!
- SOAP! my mistake last year was buying only 2 bars of this amazing lavender-clove soap. i pined for it all year, and since i paid cash, i had no record of the vendor. well, this year, my pretties, i discover it was cotney peak that made this amazing soap called "alluring," made with my favorite lavender and clove. fabulous. i bought 10 bars.
- the boy wears rope sandals that win him the envy of everyone. he was outgrowing one pair, so Grandma Denver bought him a new pair. the vendor: the sandal shoppe, in littleton, CO, if you're interested. get yer own!
- you know those weird furry puppet things that SCA people often have? i bought the boy one (my thinking is, they look like henson creatures, he likes the muppets, it's a match made in heaven). it's a little red cat; the man thought it was creep, but i think it's cute/creepy.
last year, after the faire, the boy asked if he could work there when he grew up, and i blissfully said yes (i'm a faire geek). this year, he didn't ask (i blame the robots he's been obsessed with building lately). but we still spent too much money, er, had fun.
