I put the comb in my hair with the little yellow bird. Feather earrings, faerie elf ear wraps. Bracelets. Faerie toes. The toes were the first casualty when the strap broke. <sigh>
Brian (to the left, in the photo) and I both searched the Internet regarding the weather. It was supposed to be intermittent rain, dry between 1 and 2:45PM, and dry after 3:15PM. We looked at rain casts, weather stations, and… well, they were all wrong. The rain let up a little, turning to mist now and then, but it never, ever, actually stopped.
Often, it looked more like a gathering of Druids than a faerie festival, what with the long, hooded, cloaks.
Ah, well, we have needed this rain for a long time. Summer was a hot drought and the West went up in flames over the past three weeks. The return of the rains will be brief, and rains do not stop the fey from gathering.
In all honesty, I ran out to Goodwill yesterday and picked up a long-sleeved shirt for my costume in a last-minute altering of the outfit. I pulled on silk underwear before I left the house this morning, just to protect my legs from the chill. Chrystal & Brian made cellophane wings for her costume last night, but opted against them this morning in favor of a hooded jacket. Chrystal tossed her costume shoes for a pair of boots at the last moment. We tossed in umbrellas. We were not taken utterly by surprise, and we waded (literally) into the mud prepared.
The Mongolian Tea & Coffee house was the hot spot all day. Pun intended.
These ladies were not prepared for the rain, I think. Not.At.All.
He was. He had a cloak on that he gallantly removed so I could snap his picture. The girl on the right was an accident. Whatever. Really.
Surprisingly, we saw a lot of barefoot folk. Makes me cold just to think about it.
I went barefoot at the Canterbury Ren Faire – except when I had to go use those little blue houses pictured there in the background. Those require shoes. Those make me shudder.
Costumes were damp, feet were muddy, umbrellas were everywhere (who says Oregonians don’t use umbrellas?) – but spirits weren’t entirely squelched. Subdued, maybe, but everyone seemed to be having a good time despite the mist/drizzle/mist/drizzle.
The Faerie Smasher was definitely have a grand time, hunting winged folks. His bass voice cut through the mist, “Where’s the faeries?”
Yeah, she totally sees him coming. Time to hide behind a sign and hope he doesn’t smell her out!
Actually, he stopped to talk to us. “Tent, motel, or RV?” he asked. “Um, our own beds…We’re local.”
“YOU SHALL SUFFER! YOU MUST SUFFER LIKE THOSE OF US WHO CAMPED! SUFFER, I TELL YOU!”
Yeah, we quaked in our boots.
This goblin was one of the few costumes we saw. She’s kind of cute…
I wasn’t sure what was up with this guy. Is he some Outlander Scotsman who stumbled into the wrong festival?
He certainly had the attention of the Druid-clad fey.
(That’s a drum he was carrying. He proceeded to play it for everyone.)
Flower people in the rain.
The main stage right before we left. Lovely Oregon rain.
We had mud up to our thighs. My birds were falling apart. We were getting cold. The mud was getting more slippery. The rain was not letting up.
Disheveled, one horn sagging behind my ear, my birds were dripping… I was ready to call it a day early.
So were my boots.
There’s always next year.
The best part of the day was sitting in the back seat on the ride back home, watching Chrystal and Brian hold hands and make small talk. There’s still some magic in the air. ;-D ♥
Jaci Dawn 
OMG so many awesome pictures of the festival. I feel like I’m back there already even though it’s still a month away!. I LOVE the vibe of these smaller transformational festivals. Faerieworlds is one of the most tolerable and straight-up friendliest of festivals. You’ll be completely hooked once you’ve experienced the feeling that everyone is your friend before you’ve even met and thus introductions are paired with hugs instead of handshakes or suspicious looks. The only festival in the whole USA I’ve found that keeps that feeling after getting large is Lightning in a Bottle. Surprisingly somehow the mega festival Sziget in Hungary keeps it too. So look for me at Faerieworlds this year. I’ll be shooting a promo video for my new boho style harem pants store. If you want to model some great pants in it, I’ll whip mine off right there & give them to you!! (here’s 25% off code “FEST” if you want a clean pair haha – link in name)
Sorry I never replied to this, Tim. I broke my foot and it is next to impossible to manage my blog on my kindle (computer is upstairs). Thank you for your compliment. I actually know which vendor you are – have been in your booth before.
Sadly, I will not be there this year. Horning’s Hollow is too steep and my foot will still be on the mend. But the real reason I won’t be there is this: I will have company over that weekend, and she is not interested in Faerieworlds. Yes, I know – there are people who aren’t as excited about the fey as you and I! So maybe next year!!