Bonnie, Guest Editor
So, you rockhounds can beware, this is an update on other things we did while we were here for the rock shows. We did visit our daughter here and fit in a few different activities. We have been to town before and been to most of the traditional tourist destinations, so these were some new things for us.
The Doubletree Inn had a Carnival of Illusions, a magic show in an intimate setting. Less than 30 people in the audience, we were highly entertained and engaged with the illusionists.
One of the permanent structures at the Arizona Renaissance Festival.
Yesterday we went to the opening of the Renaissance Festival in Apache Junction (up by Phoenix). This is a large and permanent location that they have a festival several weekends a year. Our daughter had been wanting to get an appropriate costume, so early on in our visit there she and a friend visited a dress shop (Unicorn Clothing), and after some
This place was worth the long drive.
help in how to get dressed, they emerged looking very lovely in an historic way. There are a lot of performers juggling, balancing, jousting, dancing, and singing in costume. Most are paid by the “throw a buck in the hat” method, just like back in the day. The strangest thing
The king watches as the joust is about to begin.
A joust to the death!
Anything for a dollar in the hat.
Standing on a ladder, exploding, and having balloons thrown at him. This guy was entertaining.
we saw was a guy that juggled a chainsaw, a knife, and an apple at the same time. He also stood on top of a ladder (not a step ladder, a single ladder), and holding two flaming torches while he exploded fireworks that were duct taped to his chest while three hundred water balloons were thrown at him to douse the fireworks. In a later show Bonnie watched him walk a flaming tight rope. I gave this guy a good donation!
Julie (left) and Holly (our daughter on right) were very fancy!
We also enjoyed an evening out at a local western town and restaurant where they cut off your tie if you’re brave enough to wear one! Don made a special trip to the Salvation Army to get a tie to wear with his sweatshirt, so he could proudly have it trimmed off!
It cost these girls a pitcher of sangria to get bailed out.
Evidence at the restaurant that "NO TIES ALLOWED" is the rule.
Our other family project has been to help Holly plant her bare backyard, Planting season is just a dream in northern Michigan, but the 65-70 degrees here is very inviting. So we transformed some bare brown walls with bushes, flowers and added a couple citrus trees and furniture. The soil here does not making digging easy, but we tried to make good homes for the trees.
At lunch on Friday I noticed a group of barbershoppers come into the coffee shop where we were ordering. Pretty soon it came out that they were looking for Bonnie, and had a rose, a Valentine card and two Valentine songs for me! My brother Rob in Tallahassee takes a day off each year to sing to sweethearts in his town. The card said, “If I were there, I would be singing tenor”. Thanks to the Arizona Barbershop Experience for this surprise! 
Valentine’s Day has been a good reason to have a picnic. That’s outside for all our friends back in Michigan. We made another quick look at a couple of the last shows to be open, searching for a last bargain. (You just can’t keep Don down when there’s a chance of a new rock.) Not much going on there, but we did find a couple shiny bright gems.
From Don: I noticed all the big tents being torn down today and most all the shows are closed. I went to a couple still open and bought some rubies and emeralds along with a few two-tone gold and silver chain to re-sell. So this is it for the buying for this year. Today is sunny and a miserable 75. I’m really going to hate going back to 20’s and snow.
Many photo credits go to Matt Bourdeau