Phoenix/Mesa: Day 16

Doesn't "Day 16" just have a great ring to it? It is so nice to stay put for a good chunk of time where the weather is so nice.

Today we got up, had some coffee, and chilled for a bit. Scott took a picture of me working on the blog. A meta moment.

Then we went to mass. It was packed to the gills.

When we came back, it was time for the Ren Faire! It was our last chance to go, so we had to try. We put our costumes on and headed out. The venue is only about 8 miles away from the KOA. It took us about 12 minutes to drive there.

And then it took us almost as long to get in the entrance because the parking lot is huge, and it was packed! This picture is the main walkway, but there are massive lots on either side and behind these.

Inside, it is super cute. Basically it is a little city of medieval-looking facades. There are shops and booths with artisan crafts, games, food, and stages spread throughout the "village." There was some entertainment going on all the time at each one. That was all free (and worth it), and you could just sit when you wanted and get up when you wanted. 

Right away I bought a flower garland.

Near the entrance, there is a statue man, and and Ent. Both are real people in costumes. ​

​We walked around the entire village. There were lots and lots of people, but it didn't seem too crowded. Scott estimates that about 60% of people were in costume. Some were vaguely reminiscent of medieval times, some were more fantasy-inspired like elves and fairies, and some were very historical looking. There was some sort of working village where I guess employees or historical reenactors were demonstrating various daily activities and crafts. Those people had lovely costumes, very historically accurate looking. We took a photo of one who was walking by. It was lovely!​

We also saw someone dressed as Wort from Over the Garden Wall!

There were a lot of nice crafts to look at and buy, some very well made, but everything was pretty expensive. Some rightly so. So we didn't buy anything. 

We sat for a few performers. One was a guitar and flute duo Scott called "Jethro Tull." One was a harpist playing under a tree. One was a storyteller telling the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. 

There is a big area toward the back with bleacher seating for a lot of people where they hold several jousting shows throughout the day. We had just missed one, and we didn't stay long enough for the next one.  

We stayed for about 3 hours including the walk in the parking lot from and back to the truck. We won't go back, but it was a fun day, and we're glad we went. They do a very nice job, and it was fun to walk around in the atmosphere and people watch. 

When we came back from the Ren Faire, we had dinner. Then we finished the puzzle! Unfortunately, we really are missing a piece from the other day when the wind scattered the pieces.

After that, Scott headed to the pool to read. In a little bit, I got a text saying the hot tub was free. So I headed down and we had a hot tub and then a shower.