2011 Texas Renaissance Festival 10/8

**Jack Daw** · 7th October 11, 08:18 AM

I have the plumber visiting SAT, so I've had to postpone until the first SUN. Other MacLotofus have promised to be there to keep me company. So, I'll catch you there another weekend, Z.

**Mikewood** · 9th October 11, 05:21 PM

Wow, I went Sunday and man did it rain all day. We really needed the rain but it just didn't let up. I got a nice Jacobite blouse to match my kilt and now only lack a pair of boots or brogues that look reasonable. The wife and I had a great time but it's always fun at the fest.

**Jack Daw** · 9th October 11, 06:07 PM

It started raining early enough for me to postpone a visit to the TRF.

**Mikewood** · 10th October 11, 04:56 AM

If you guys go and take "weapons" don't forget your peace ties...
I was getting cash out of an ATM in the drizzling rain when I was approached by a polite TRF employee who noticed that my sgian dubh was not secured with a peace tie. I tried to explain that the knife was for cutting food and there was really no way to secure the knife to either it's sheath or anything else. We both laughed and he said he was just doing his job and I could get one at any of the weapon vendors. I wrapped one around the sheath, cut the tag end short with the sgian an then sheathed the knife. :-/

**Jack Daw** · 10th October 11, 05:01 AM

That's overzealouness IMHO. Sgian dhu blades are of legal length in TX and therefore should not be required to be peace-tied. I've never peace-tied mine; but frankly, it's been a few years since I outwardly wore a sgian dhu in my hose at TRF in a further attempt to be more period accurate. In "the day", the sgian dhu was worn inside the clothes near the arm-pit (not in the hose).

**Zardoz** · 10th October 11, 07:26 AM

Originally Posted by Mikewood

If you guys go and take "weapons" don't forget your peace ties...
I was getting cash out of an ATM in the drizzling rain when I was approached by a polite TRF employee who noticed that my sgian dubh was not secured with a peace tie. I tried to explain that the knife was for cutting food and there was really no way to secure the knife to either it's sheath or anything else. We both laughed and he said he was just doing his job and I could get one at any of the weapon vendors. I wrapped one around the sheath, cut the tag end short with the sgian an then sheathed the knife. :-/

First time for everything! I don't recall ever hearing that one before!
TRF certainly asks that blades be tied, but they are talking about swords and axes etc... the folks who's job it is to worry about that stuff pretty much know that you can't really tie down a sgian dubh.
But there are a lot of 'new' employees at TRF this year. I'd chalk it up to the really small crowd Sunday, somebody didn't have enough to do.

Truth be told, In spite of the rain I wish I'd have gone Sunday instead of Saturday, there were about 20,000 less people!

The Girltouage and I on Saturday morning

**Mikewood** · 10th October 11, 08:44 AM

I was thinking the same thing about Saturday.
There were streams running thru the Fest. 4-6" deep and running fast. People were sopping wet or wearing a rain slicker. The wife and I had a giant golf umbrella that helped but after a few hours we gave up and slogged it out. There were quite a few folks in kilts but there always are. We might be going back on the 15th.

**Zardoz** · 10th October 11, 09:02 AM

I'm looking at being out on the 15th as well.

**KiltedGunn** · 10th October 11, 11:48 AM

Yeah, that whole peace-tie thing was established right after some idiots decided to have a knife fight in the parking lot after TRF a few years ago.

Drunks and Swords!

But tying a sgian is askin a bit much!