My last day at Oklahoma Renaissance Fair….(sigh).
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OKRF was a blast. I hated to miss the special events planned for Memorial Day in honor of our veterans….however, family time is a good time and reason to miss any event. Post comments here about your Memorial Day 2012….
Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day!
The end of May 2012 is fast approaching. I don’t know about you, but I am still wondering what happened to the beginning of this year. It is just about half over. Fortunately, the weather is good and the sunshine is welcome! 
Sunshine and Roses for you…
Summer vacation is coming if yours hasn’t already started and people are looking for those water sports and swimming holes to open. After all, Memorial Day is the weekend it all begins!
Memorial Day is also a day of remembrance for many. This is the weekend we take flowers to decorate the resting places of those who have gone before us. Memories are a wonderful comfort. They are also a way to share those you love with those you love who never had the chance to know them.
I hope Memorial Day is a wonderful time for you filled with happy memories that you get to share with many friends and family members. Let me what fills your Memorial Day of May 2012. Leave a comment here to share.
visit OKRF, take a carriage ride.
What would you expect to see at a ren-faire? They call it Renaissance for a reason. I love the carriage rides. they are a great way to see all of “Castleton” in a short, uninterrupted span of time….did I say uninterrupted?
You might find the occasional band of thieves or pirates stop you….then again, your ride could be a stroll through the kingdom as peaceful as you imagined it to be.
Maestro of the Carillon
You can hear the “Carillon” (pronounced care-ill-on) which is a unique sound not heard many places….
Cast in Bronze is perfect for those who love unique music, the sound of bells and other such instrumental music.
The Maestro plays in such a unique wave of movement as to entertain you while you listen…stop in at the Castle of Muskogee and hear it for yourself.
OKRF original adult fairy tale theater like you have never seen it before
The Brothers Dimm is another (all together different and…) unique show. I have seen nothing else like them anywhere. Though I do enjoy a good laugh at every show!
an almost endangered species
Another unique “MUST SEE” show is the Birds of Prey show at OKRF. It’s held in the jousting arena twice a day and features a WIDE ARRAY of birds for your enjoyment. Unlike most other educational animal shows, this one features demonstrations that can involve audience participation. That’s part of what makes it great!!! Check out more at the Royal Gauntlet’s blogsite.
There are of course other sites to see throughout Castleton:
OKRF 2012, Marco
Marco…be he pirate or jester…Marco is awesome! you can even play Marco Polo without getting all wet! 
The Queen–have tea with Her Majesty even!
There are Fools (and Jesters), Knights, wenches, Ladies, Faeries, Jousters, and lots of other things you may not have ever imagined! Visit Castleton and check it out for yourself. But be sure to leave a comment or a photo here!
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What is Cinco de Mayo? When is it?
You have no idea how many times I hear these same questions over and over again! If you have ever taken a spanish class, you already know the answers! Cinco means five. Mayo means May. So when is cinco de mayo? The fifth of May.
Now “what is cinco de mayo?” is a better question. Some people say it’s just another reason to have a party. Okay, commercialism has intervened in America once again (not necessarily a bad thing…just a statement) and it is a very commercialized day for sales and parties. I have been told it is a bigger celebration here than in Mexico. I have always been told it is the celebration of Mexico’s independence day. well, if you look it up, here is what you might find:
“The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride,and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.
In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.
Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is actually celebrated on September 16.” (wikipedia—of course)
So if you NEED a reason to celebrate, then here you are….cinco de mayo! If you don’t…Party away–in your own way of course…
This year I have a few friends who are graduating ON cinco de mayo! So I have plenty to celebrate this year! Check back….hopefully I have some wonderful party pics to share with you!
However you spend Cinco de Mayo, share it here! (leave a comment!)
or send me an email of your favorite photo (one that you don’t mind being posted on my blog!)……
May is a wonderful month in Oklahoma.
The weather changes from day to day if not minute to minute. while this can be challenging to an outdoor photographer, it is awesome! I love a challenge! This week, I had a wonderful opportunity to shoot some nature shots…just sort of looking around.
What story does this remind you of?
I love nature. Flowers offer a wide variety of photographic opportunities. This particular shot reminds me of a favorite childhood faery tale. Can you tell me which one I might be thinking of??
Take a guess! (leave it in the comment section)…..
Nature offers many things that people sometimes get too busy to see. I like to remind myself of the small ever-present things I tend to take for granted.
Squirrel Vision
This was comical! This little red squirrel looked over at me as if to say “What? You have never seen a squirrel before?”
Nature has an expression! Several I am sure…probably more than I can experience and share. But I will give it a shot!
Flowers by the pond
In poetry books, I use to see illustrations of picnics by a pond or some such similar scene.
This shot reminds me of those poetry books, picnics in summer, and calming moments that are rarely seen any more due to the hustle and bustle of our busy life in today’s technology driven world.
What does it remind you of?
Do you have a special place? A spot that makes time stand still? this lovely little vision could be one such place to someone….
Flowing Waters
Waterfalls represent so many things…
the flow of time, the streams of life and it’s journey, the calming sound of rushing water that let the spirit revive itself and breathe…
Waterfalls are a favorite of mine. Don’t forget to share yours! send me a photo or leave a comment.
Nature is a wonderful teacher…life is an amazing journey! Please, share them through photos.
If you would like a portrait done in your favorite nature setting…shoot me an email or give me a call!
918-381-7972
Photography is a wonderful way to share life with those who aren’t as close as you would like them.
Hmm…so after my post about Mother’s day and Queen Victoria and Eleanor of Aquitaine, I have decided it would be awesome to do a photo shoot tribute.
Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Queen consort to two Kings and Mother of two more Kings is described at the age of 30 (before she was mother of 2 Kings) as: a dark-eyed beauty, disconcertingly articulate, strong-minded and even jocular and not at all the modestly veiled damsel in the tower.’ (http://www.historynet.com/eleanor-of-aquitaine.htm)
this is my favorite work depicting Eleanor:
Extraordinary woman of history….
If you have any ideas or would like to participate…get in touch!
As I said…this is an idea I am thinking of….ren-faire and mother’s day inspired…. hmmm….
So SHARE your thoughts…and any photos you have along those lines!
I have posted about holidays quite a bit it seems lately. With this in mind, it only seems fair to remind you about Mother’s Day. Where would we be without Mom? Or without her Mom?
Being ren-faire season here in Oklahoma, I have to look back into the middle ages even for mother’s day.
I love reading about stories of the past…particularly those like Robin Hood, King Arthur, and while these are fiction, Eleanor of Aquitaine was real.
“Eleanor succeeded her father as Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers at the age of fifteen, becoming the most eligible bride in Europe. Three months after her accession, she married Louis VII, son of her guardian, King Louis The Fat. As Queen of France, she participated in the unsuccessfulSecond Crusade. Soon after the Crusade, Eleanor sought an annulment of her marriage[2] but was rejected by Pope Eugene III.[3] However, after the birth ofAlix, another daughter, Louis agreed to an annulment.[4] The marriage was annulled on 11 March 1152, on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. Their daughters were declared legitimate and custody was awarded to Louis, while Eleanor’s lands were restored to her.
As soon as the annulment was granted, Eleanor became engaged to Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy, her cousin within the third degree, who was nine years younger than her. The couple married on 18 May 1152, eight weeks after the annulment of Eleanor’s first marriage. Over the next thirteen years, she bore Henry eight children: five sons, three of whom would become king, and three daughters. However, Henry and Eleanor eventually became estranged. She was imprisoned between 1173 and 1189 for supporting her son Henry‘s revolt against her husband.
Mother of King Richard the Lionheart
Eleanor was widowed on 6 July 1189. Her husband was succeeded by their son, Richard I, who immediately released his mother. Now queen dowager, Eleanor acted as a regent while Richard went on the Third Crusade. Eleanor survived Richard and lived well into the reign of her youngest son John. By the time of her death, she had outlived all her children except for King John and Eleanor, Queen of Castile.” (wikipedia)
And since this blog is titled “the Hand that Rocks the Cradle rules the World”, I have to put in a note of Queen Victoria. She was also known as “the Grandmother of Europe“. One of her granddaughters was Princess Alix who married the Tsar of Russia and became Tsarina Alexandra. The royal familys genealogy is very interesting. Sometimes I wish history had centered more on the people and families than a date and timeline to be memorized.
the Grandmother of Europe
“She married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children and 26 of their 34 grandchildren who survived childhood married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the nickname “the grandmother of Europe”. After Albert’s death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign, her popularity recovered. HerGolden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration.
Alix of Hess, Alexandra Tsarina of Russia
Granddaughter of Queen Victoria
Her reign of 63 years and 7 months, which is longer than that of any other British monarch and the longest of any female monarch in history, is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover; her son and successor Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.” (wikipedia)
Mother’s Day is a day to honor the hand that rocked your cradle…or the woman who taught you right from wrong…showed you what you wanted to be when you grew up…
Tell me about your Mom! Leave a comment.
