What a fun faire to start the season with. The weather was perfect and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. I arrived Friday with just enough daylight left to set up my tent. My first major purchase for the season, a generic aerobed, made a world of difference. Not only did I wake up not feeling like I just slept on a damp and rocky surface, but I stayed about 20 degrees warmer. Unfortunately, the twin-sized aerobed takes up the entirety of my teeny-tiny tent and has pushed up the need for a larger living space ten-fold.

The major event for Saturday was Connor's fight for the rank of Provost. Poor guy had to fight for five hours straight and teach as part of the qualification. Many guild members and patrons enjoyed challenging him, and it was rather inspiring to watch him do so well against the masses. It's also slightly intimidating. As a swordfighter in the same school, I know that I'll never get to that level. It's not that I don't have the talent, but more that my passions lie in my art and photography. There are only so many hours in a day, and not even the sacred caffeine works well after too much abuse. I've fortunately made peace with the idea, but every so often I wish that I could dedicate as much time to the study of the rapier as I can to art.

After Connor won his prize, we were able to find armor small enough to fit me. I've never done armored fighting before - and I'll be the first to admit that I am very bad at it. I like seeing my target and the visor is too small to give me a good enough look at the battlefield. Not feeling any pain when live steel came crashing down on me was nice, and I'll hopefully get a little more experience in the future.

Most of Sunday morning was spent working on homework. Darn you daylight savings!!! Apparently I have gotten a reputation in the guild as she-who-knows the location of every Starbucks and internet hotspot. Uploaded everything with time to spare, and spent the rest of the day playing Bocce Ball. I feel very grateful to be in such a well diversified guild. Our new members fit right in, and we seem to be growing in the right direction.

Time to get ready for the next faire. Got a few costume repairs...like my poor boots.

Photos from Calaveras are finally uploaded!