Pearl Street Farmer's Market

Although we normally frequent the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market for our weekly produce needs, we made a trip over to the Pearl Street Farmer's Market to check out the flea market at the same time.  There seemed to be a few more food trucks, but overall the market was smaller than our usual hangout.  That being said, there were some different food choices, including an exotic Canadian Poutine shop.

Apparently he will write a poem about anything you want.  I was tempted to ask for a poem about Darth Vader and a Tyrannosaurus.

 

 

 

Wrong in so many ways.  But still tasty.

Exotic foreign cuisine

We felt it was our patriotic duty to consume the only dish that Canada is really known for

Creepy.

Also creepy.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

On the weekend following Independence Day, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival opens up for a three day street fair.  The missus and I managed to hit the fair on Friday afternoon when it was less busy and before the rain storms came into town.  The festival itself spans a few square blocks and has over 200 artists exhibiting their wares, a whole street dedicated to food booths, another street for kids' activities, and even live music and entertainment.

Interesting shape and color

Irreverent, but probably the funniest piece in the show

The entire piece is made from toys

Creepy

Less creepy (slightly)

Very lifelike

This is actually a 3D picture.  Works with the traditional 3D glasses

It's my signature smirk.  On a panda.

Ye Olde Renaissance Festival

Every year Denverites gather for the Colorado Renaissance Festival in nearby Larkspur, CO to eat, drink, and make merry.  This being our first festival, it was hard to take everything in at once, so we arrived early before the opening at 10am and spent over five hours wandering around.  This weekend also happened to be the Celtic Festival, and so there were Scottish and Irish themes throughout.

Based on advice from my coworkers, we arrived about 30 minutes before the opening time in order to ensure a parking spot.  Even so, we were still in a pretty long line of cars when we arrived, and there were already lines of people buying tickets and waiting to get in, but we were through the gates promptly at opening.

The Royal Welcome to the Festival

 For those of you from Calgary, the Renaissance Fair reminded me a lot of the Calgary Stampede mashed together with Heritage Park.  This is not a temporary fair that is taken down every summer, but rather a permanent village complete with shops, restaurants, vendors, and entertainers.  The most charming part of the entire visit was that each and every person remains fully in character, which adds to the experience.  Don't think that the costumes and merriment are just limited to just the staff either, since the majority of visitors are also in thematic dress.

No fair is complete without a few snacks, and so in ye olde fashion, I of course had a traditional turkey drumstick, while ScaryMsMary has a Sausage on a Stick.  We also had a Root Beer Float, an Orange Italian Ice (on half a frozen orange), a Raspberry Slushie, and Crab Cakes.

Turkey Leg (Original Condition)

Turkey Leg (A few seconds later)

All in all, the festival was a very enjoyable way to spend the day, other than the heat (around 100° F or 38° C).  ScaryMsMary of course could not end the day without purchasing something from the local artisans, and throwing a few axes.

He looks scared, doesn't he ?

For the grand finale, we arrived at the jousting grounds to watch four knights partake in a contest of honor, strength of arms, and bloodshed.  Considering that our section was instructed to chant "Cheat to Win!" I assume that most of the fighting was scripted, but still enjoyable.  I, for one, am looking forward to next year's event.  Hopefully it won't be quite so hot outside next time.

Bike Trip

Just wanted to share a few pictures from today's bike trip.  A few weeks ago we bought a Schwinn Meridian Adult Tricycle from Walmart so that my wife could go grocery shopping and run some quick errands without the car.  Today we decided it would be a good idea to venture out into the scorching wasteland and ride over to our local library without really knowing how to get there via bike paths.  Fortunately, we only got lost in a neighborhood of multimillion dollar homes and made the round trip in about an hour with frequent stops.

Oddly enough, my office is pretty much right on the way from our apartment and the library, so we stopped there for a quick break.  There are some statues in the courtyard by my building as well, so I snapped a few pictures of the majestic trike in its natural habitat.

 

ScaryMsMary's grocery getting chariot of doom

Tongzilla's office of doom

The local library of uh... doom.

A Chimera.  I have no idea why.

Still majestic.