OK, as promised (I think) here are some photos from our Viking encampment at the Norsk Høstfest in Minot, ND, this past Wednesday through Saturday. You’ll note that they closely resemble my pictures from previous years, except for the addition of some younger, better looking people.
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This is the fight staging and picture-taking area. It’s next to the “sandbox” where we fight, and it’s also where we keep costumes for people who want their pictures taken as Vikings. Such people, we find, are not necessarily Scandinavian, or even Caucasian.
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Here’s the newlywed couple I mentioned before, Phil and Kelsey. Kelsey is a bona fide expert on Viking costume, and if you want one you can order it from her online business, Spindle, Shuttle, & Needle.
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Here’s Denny, helping out the kids in our school-related educational program. The Mighty Thor looms in the background.
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Our weapons rack. I always find such pictures fascinating.
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Phil and his brother Normann, engaging in a little healthy sibling rivalry.
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Here’s Phil against Andy, our tallest Viking.
In order to truly get the feel of the thing, you have to imagine the Oak Ridge Boys singing “Elvira” in the background.
Some Vikings have been omitted from these photos. All photos were chosen on the basis of composition, not inclusiveness.
The last day of the festival was the busiest. Crowds were a little light on the weekdays, but Saturday, as usual, was a madhouse. We sold out most of our club books (my books not so much), and people stood in long lines to get their photos taken.
My chief memory is of selling a book to the most stunningly beautiful woman I’ve ever conversed with in my life.
I noticed her (couldn’t help it) when she brought her family (which seemed to include two offspring) for Viking pictures. She had blonde hair. She had blue or hazel eyes (I wasn’t sure). She had a little nose so perky you had to suspect it wasn’t the one she was born with. From a distance she looked like one of those women in magazine ads, who owe as much to the airbrush artist as to nature and the photographer.
But when she came over to me to buy a copy of Blood and Judgment, she looked exactly the same. I didn’t think flawless beauties actually existed before. It was almost scary. No, let’s be honest. For me, it was terrifying.
When I asked her to whom she wanted the book inscribed, she looked at me oddly. My immediate assumption was that she must be somebody famous, and was surprised I didn’t recognize her. But later consultation with the younger people in the camp didn’t turn up anyone who knew who she was. So I’m guessing she was just surprised to hear someone use “whom” in a sentence. Which would explain her next question, “Do you live in Norway?” Anybody who says “whom” must be a non-native speaker.
Anyway, I’ll cherish the memory. There was no thought of taking it further. Aside from being not only out of my league, but out of my universe, she was almost certainly married (probably an Air Force wife).
Just a memory to tuck away.