Ksenia made us do it (and who knew!)

The bridge with the bleating goat boy (not pictured)

Ksenia found out about the Des Moines Renaissance Festival through someone at her school, and although spending a weekend day with people dressed as goats and pirates and wenches and gypsies and Scots and old English scholars and jesters and knights and queens saying things like "good morrow" and "huzzah" goes against my better judgment, I decided we should go and check it out.
(Although I do enjoy being called a lady!)
I have to say though-going in at 10am, before I have had a warm-up beer, and having a boy dressed as a goat bleat right in my face...well, that was a bit overwhelming.
The greatest thing about the day (other than the weather and the company) was seeing Ksenia truly enjoy the festival.
I we had NO idea that the Renaissance Festival in Des Moines was so prominent, with permanent structures.  There is a little medieval village right in our own backyard-who knew!?

And who knew that I would actually enjoy it as I did. Ksenia is really opening me up to new things in Des Moines.

K's first corn dog. Another Iowa tradition

I also did not know they had cat people in the Middle Ages. I learned a lot that day.