Bristol Renaissance Faire & The Chicago Botanic Garden

The Bristol Renaissance Faire, located off I-94 at the Wisconsin border, is touted in the Faire's own publication as "Big, bold and unabashedly brazen;" a place that "takes us back to a time when knights were noble, maids were merry and turkey legs were titanic."

2008 marked the 21st year of operations for the Faire, which runs every weekend from July 5 through Labor Day. Cameras in hand, my fiancee Esther, son Emilio and I made a whole day of it at the Faire on Sunday, August 17 (my daughter Melissa and son-in-law Steve joined us round about mid-day). I made the images posted here with my Sony A-700 DSLR and the legendary (and upgraded in '07) Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro lens. I used my trusty Minolta Maxxum 7 film camera (Remember those? Alas, they've gone the way of the buffalo for no reason other than man's bent toward instant gratification!) on a good number of other images I made that day (Tegan, a.k.a. "Flower" [top] and Jenn, a.k.a. "The Autumn Fairy" [second from top]). I'll post those in the near future after I transfer the images to CD format.

Bristol Renaissance Faire must be counted among this photographer's dream venues. There, Shutterbugs are afforded the golden opportunity at making portraits of an incredibly colorful cast of characters, most of whom do not seek recompense (fairies, for example, are not allowed to interact with visitors) and, as for the rest of the Faire's stable of performers, well, I take care to carry a supply of $1 bills and pop two-here, two-there to those characters with "tip bags" - literally peanuts in exchange for the images captured!). The bottom line is that photogs may cash in (pardon the pun!) on amazing portraits of stunning characters dressed in late 1570s/1600s linen - all of whom are gracious to strike excellent poses for you (as my pictures attest) ...

... which is precisely why I had to go back for seconds! "Gay Day" (August 24) does absolutely nothing for me, and so Esther, her daughter Grace, Emilio and I opted to visit there the day before the gay extravaganza in order to add to the number of images I hope to post on my yet-to-be-established photography web site. (Hint: Steve, my son-in-law, is director of communications/creative arts for the Covenant Church group, which makes him eminently qualified to assist me with my web site!)

My photographers' paradise would raise eyebrows, of course, if The Chicago Botanic Garden (of which I'm a member) were not a vital part of it ("Garden." "Paradise." Obvious, isn't it?) . Those of you who have walked about the Garden hardly need for me to expound upon its grandeur (and I'm not sufficiently skilled with words to do it justice; you must simply see the Garden first-hand - 'nuff said!) The four images I posted here were made last week. Lord willing and Jesus tarries, you may expect to see more of these in the coming days - before the North winds usher in the autumn, with its own distinctive magic in its keeping!

I conclude with a prayer for my visitor(s); one that that great apostle (John) used as his greeting to his dear friend, Gaius - " ... that you may enjoy good health and that all will go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well."
(3 John 1:2)

Those sentiments cover your physical, material and spiritual well-being. The Holy Spirit. He never fails to cover all bases! Isn't God AWESOME?




"Listen to the warm!"

Orlando