Bottle Collections and Throwing Axes

Last weekend we attended the Old English Fair, a summer tradition in my family. The last few years it has been a bit of a let down. They used to do it in this huge open state park, there were tons of merchants, actors, musicians, anything you could imagine and then some. One of my favorite memories of going, I went with some friends from the camp I worked at. One friend had made her own dragon horns and wings, and another had made her own medieval dress. I felt left out so I bought a fantastic gypsy chain to go around my hips. While we were walking around we were followed by a priest selling indulgences, he kept offering us 3 for 1 deals. As a high schooler who just barely knew what he was talking about and was in on the joke, I was just tickled pink by the act.

After I went off to college, I came back every summer to attend. Unfortunately, they moved the fair to another location just down the road from the original one. The first year it was there, they hadn't properly cleared the field and I tripped over a buried stump, badly injuring my ankle. It was so hot and there was absolutely no shade and all of the food carts were running out of water. It was miserable. After that, they moved it to a more shady area, but I think they lost quite a few of the returning acts and merchants, so it was a much more bearable area, but there just wasn't anything to see or do. But finally, this year, it started to pick up and become more like I remembered it. There were people yelling for us to come see a "Real Steel" show with unchoreographed sword fighting, fairy story tellers, a pirate stunt show, and my favorite, homemade root beer and cream soda. I'm always taken in by the homemade root beer, but it is usually flat and tastes terrible. We have amassed quite the collection of interesting bottles through our purchases though.

Our new bottles

Our collection of bottles

Now usually at fairs and other events like this, I prefer to be more of a spectator. However, fairs don't typically have a booth that lets you try out throwing weapons. Luckily for me, this one did. I could have thrown knives, throwing stars, or axes. I chose axes for three reasons. 

1. The girls out at camp just got to try throwing axes and I was jealous that I didn't get to. 

2. I love the idea of being a "pioneer woman" who could survive out in the wild away from civilization and this activity would just further my confidence that I could do that. 

3. They looked like the most fun because they made a great "thwack" noise when they hit. 

I got to throw 5 axes for $3 and I got a quick throwing lesson along with that. I missed with the first four, but with the last one I hit the target and made  near bull's eye. There is video evidence. I'll have to find out who has it and post it later. I look pretty bad ass.

After my father-in-law and I were done testing our hand with the axes, we started talking about how easy it would be to put together a target of our own and how each of us has the space in our yards to do something like that. I go online and started to look up how to build a target. I wasn't thrilled with most of the results I got, but there was one site that said just to get thick circles of wood cut, not to use ply board or lumber like all the other how-to's suggested. I've been searching Craigslist for cut down trees, but no luck so far. In the meantime, I'm saving my pennies to get a few axes. They are pricier than I would have expected. Hopefully, as soon as I find someone who can sell me a log, I will have the axes and need and then I'll be in the axe throwing business.