Even though Lynne and I weren’t feeling all that great last weekend, we felt good enough on Sunday to head back to the renaissance faire for one final time this season, and it may have been the best day of the season too. The temperature was very pleasant and though it was a little crowded, it was bearable. Our plans were to make it from opening at 10 o’clock to closing at 7. We took it very easy all day and spent quite a bit of time just sitting around people watching. As always, there were lots of very interesting people to watch. We didn’t make it till seven, we came close, but headed home a little after five.

We took in a couple of the shows on Sunday, including the hilarious Doktor Kaboom. Doktor Kaboom puts on a very funny act of interactive science comedy. He uses kids from the audience to be his lab helpers in his experiments and his interactions with them are priceless. He travels all over the country, so if you get a chance to see him, go for it. You won’t be disappointed. Check out the videos on his web site for an idea of what he’s about.

We were also able to catch two sets from our favorite maritime singing group, Bounding Main. They were great, just like they always are.

I ended up taking quite a few pictures, 187 to be exact. I was trying to catch the spirit of the faire by shooting a lot of the activities going on. I also had a couple characters I wanted photos of who had eluded me previously. Of course I had to find a Fantastikal or two to photograph also.

Here’s the link to a slide show of the photos from Sunday: Bristol Renaissance Faire, Final Weekend

When Lynne and I first walked through the gates of Bristol on opening weekend in July, I never dreamed that this place would touch my soul so deeply. There’s a magic there that can’t be described. Maybe it’s the child in me that grew up loving fantasy books, movies, and games, or maybe it’s something deeper. I don’t know. I do know that the four days I spent in Bristol were not only highlights of my summer, but maybe of my life too.

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Hey guys, the reason there haven’t been any post in the last few day is that both Lynne and I have been sick. We’ve each had horrible sinus issues that have knocked us on our butts. Thankfully the worse of it seems to be gone.

It hit each of us on Friday evening. We had planned to go to the renaissance faire on Saturday, but woke up Saturday morning feeling crappy and decided not to go. We did manage to make it to the renaissance faire on Sunday and had a great day, but then we paid for it on Monday and Tuesday. We’re each feeling much better today though, so maybe it’s over with.

I’ll try to get a post up later with pics from the faire.

September’s Photo of the Month: Sunrise Fishermen on Lake Michigan, Kenosha WI

This month’s photo was taken on September 18, 2009 along the shores of Lake Michigan in Kenosha. Every year in September,where the Pike River flows into Lake Michigan, fishermen line the shore trying to catch the Chinook Salmon that have come into the area to head up river to spawn. These salmon can be weigh up to 40 pounds and put up quite a fight for the fishermen. I decided to head out for sunrise one morning last year to to do some fishing of my own. Not for salmon, but for photos of the fishermen.

I knew going in what kind of pictures I wanted. I wanted the fishermen silhouetted against the rising sun. There were plenty of them there on this morning to choose from. I hadn’t expected a boat out in the lake though. It was actually getting in my way most of the time, but in this image the boat helped more than hurt.

This image reminds me of the many sunrises I’ve spent with my dad fishing Sierra Nevada lakes. I’ve seen this scene so many times in my life that it’s burnt into my soul. There’s nothing like a quiet, peaceful sunrise on a lake, waiting for a fish to take your bait.

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Here are some photos of the tall ships from this morning. If you missed it, go back and read this morning’s post to understand.
No slide show today because these aren’t on my main gallery yet. I’ve put these in the order they were shot. The lighting conditions were a little challenging as it was raining and overcast, but the fog made things pretty cool for a bit.