We dressed up in our steampunk attire and headed off early Saturday morning on a four-hour trip South to Mount Dora for the Renniger's Steampunk Industrial Show. Renniger's Antique Center and Flee Market is a fun place to explore any day, but it was especially fun when there were costumed steampunk people from all over the state (and even some from Tennessee) selling things and shopping.
The evening ended with a concert by Clockwork Knotwork and The Cog is Dead, followed by the steampunk invasion of the local Chili's restaurant.
We overwhelmed the the Chili's staff, as about 25 hungry steampunks invaded their restaurant without warning. We broke up into groups of 6 to make seating easier, but many people still had to wait awhile for an available table. It is amazing how much a single person's thoughtfulness can do for moral in a situation like this. R.J. Foster, of
Step in Tyme Designs, took it upon himself to play host and made the time go by much more quickly. He passed chips and salsa around the waiting room and told jokes, until we were called to our tables.
We spent the night in Tavares and returned to Renniger's briefly in the morning, then began our Northward journey. This was, also, the first weekend of the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in Gainesville, so we were able to break up our drive by stopping there after two hours on the road.
This was the first act we saw when we entered the faire:
This next trick was preceded by joke:
"Happiness is like wetting your pants. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth."
Blaze's favorite part of the faire every year, is the living chessboard. What could be better than fish and chips while watching people beat each other up?
Two of my former students from Trilogy School were part of the living chessboard this year.
We also ran into some friends we hadn't seen in a long time.
