Being time for lunch, I now wandered down to the Food Court for a bite to eat. Something with protein on a stick -- whether steak, sausage or chicken -- would be sure to lift my spirits and brighten my mood about then! Even better: there was a shaded, open-air dining area with tables at the end of the Food Court, just before the lane took a turn around the lake to the Dragon Watch Forge. That would be the perfect place to wait in ambush...er, I mean, take portraits of costumed playtrons as they strolled by (Photo, Left: Chris and Mary as visiting Elves at LRF. Interestingly enough, I only knew them as playtrons -- but not yet as friends -- at the time this portrait was taken. Our introductions and acquaintance was still to come!). Not only is it a strategic location for "patron watching," but it also happens that the dining area is a very popular place for all the LRF cast and crew to hang out, either between gigs or entertaining the patrons as street performers (Photo, Below Right: Geoffery Piper AKA Jeff Bennyhoff "plays" with himself *ahem!* on a pair of tinwhistles. Photo, Below Center: While hawking his show in the street, Zoltan the Adequate introduced his pet rat to a senior patron, who was more than happy to offer a bite of her sandwich to Zoltan's rat). There, I caught up with Regina and Kiko, so we all enjoyed lunch together -- with occasional interruptions as I dashed off in pursuit of some garbed patron or another for the usual photo op or portrait. Afterwards, we all moved on to the "Dripping Dog Inn," where I left Regina and Kiko together while I went on to enjoy the "Birds of Prey" show at the Tournament Field.

As expected, the "Birds of Prey" performance was simply awesome! During the show, for example, the various hawks and falcons caught thrown bait on the wing and accurately pounced on lures being swung by their handlers at the ends of long tethers. They might not always hit their target on the first pass -- out in the wild, we were told, only one in twenty strikes results in a kill -- but they always got the lure/bait on the second pass! On my way back to the Food Court after the show, I just had to stop off at the "Birds of Prey" tent to admire those amazing winged predators and take at least one portrait (Photo, Right: peeking out of her nest box, this barn owl watched the passersby with a mixture of caution as well as curiosity). Surprisingly, the birds were fairly calm: considering that the "Birds of Prey" tent was right next door to the Adult Pub, it was a real wonder that all the noise, movement and strange people didn't make them skittish! After that, I returned to the Food Court dining area, passing by the Dripping Dog Inn (Photo, Below) again, but without seeing either Regina or Kiko there.

Standard Disclaimer: This webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival held near Hammond, LA in the Parish of Tangipahoa. The author of these pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with the Louisiana Renaissance Festival (OFFICE ADDRESS: PO Box 220, Robert, LA 70455-0220) and/or any of the sponsors associated with this event. All opinions expressed are strictly this author's own. LRF logo courtesy of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are copyright ©2000-2003 by George Laking.