Your host has been attending the Bay Area Renaissance Festival almost from day one.

   In the early years, I attended perhaps once, maybe twice, each year. In later years, I attended as many as six times a year. I learned that you would freeze on at least one festival day, drown on one, and roast on one. But mostly the weather was great.

   Early on, I bought a hat. You can't see it in the picture, but it sports a large, black plume. Then I bought a shirt. In 1990, I went the rest of the way. I made my boots, my tights and my cape. And I discovered just how much weight a cape can gain in the rain!

   And now the festival lives on in memory.

        The festival is dead!
        Long live the festival!