Unexpected benefit of winds

     Wind is one of those things we curse and thank on the same ride.  The weather had gotten oppressively hot.  Here in the upper midwest anything approaching the 80's is more than we can bear.  Fortunately, this heat wave was accompanied by some robust winds which helped part of  a Saturday ride and kept me from feeling overheated on the other part.  I passed on the annual club century expedition to the lake shore and opted for a lone trip to a local destination.  A small renaissance fair was being held and they are always an interesting walk around.  It was about twenty miles away and down wind on the way.  It made for a lively trip taking the high ground outside the river valley to get there.  

      The fair is a small but interesting production, full of rustic settings and merchants selling stuff that looked like it had some historical basis.  There were jousts and jugglers,

                                                   

swordfights and singers and bands playing as well as lots of beer (ale is what they call it there).

Most people were dressed up in ornamental versions of sack cloth and leather

but it was nice to see a lady in furs rather than 

rough, raw leather most would choose.

There were a wild selection of fortune tellers, soothsayers

as well as one beguiling young snake charmer for entertainment.

   I was lucky.  I didn't find anything among the vendors I wanted to buy.  At least nothing I could carry safely home.  It was a good place for an unusual lunch of roasted turkey leg and ale before getting back into the wind.  For a change, I didn't resent the wind in my face on the way back.  I went home on the scenic route on a wooded trail in the river valley where the wind didn't slow me enough to make me swear too often.  It did serve to keep me from realizing how hot I had gotten and the fifty mile round trip didn't seem too exhausting until I had cooled off in the pool and laid around awhile, taking an unexpected nap in front a movie I had already seen.