Festivals

Yeehaw!  Rodeos and Festivals seem to be one of a Texan's favorite past-time...after BBQ, beer, and dancing anyway; but they are at least in the top 10.  I spent a cumulative total of 22 years in the Texas-Louisiana gulf coast.  I considered myself a Texan for most of my adult life.  However, having been in Utah for a total 9 years, I not sure I can continue to claim Texas, but I don't really want to claim Utah.  Hmmm...Texan...Utard...hmmm.

It was a general past time of mine, later in my Texan timeline, to seek out festivals around the state.  Because of the "wild west", Texas has a town of some sort just about every 20 miles in some direction.  I hear the reason was that 20 miles is about all one could travel in a day on horseback.  This being said, it gives way for a lot of small towns to have festivals to draw in $$$ (if speeding tickets aren't a great enough revenue source).  During my festival phase, I would on occasion get talked into a few bull-doggin' events as can be seen below.  It only took a couple of times for me to wonder if beer and dancing wasn't a better, if not safer, hobby.

Although there are hundreds...maybe even a thousand different festivals around the State of Texas in a given year, one of the most popular and fun is the Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, Texas, about 30 miles northwest of Houston.  Astri and I visited our son and g'son in Houston last autumn and attended it.  This is not your typical festival since it seems to draw ALL types.  Many of the visitors enjoy dressing up and participating, but I have more fun people-watching than watched.  Here are a few photos of the "RenFest."

Now...lets leap 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Norway...more specifically the island of Smøla.  This is a fairly large island (øy) along the western coast, southwest of Kristansund.  Astri has family on the island...another post...yikes.  Actually it is more like a big flat rock probably dropped by some Norsk god who missed the mainland.  I don't recall one item of vegetation that was taller then me.  They do how ever have a very large and interesting wind farm on the island.

Anyway, Astri's mom happened to mention there was a festival in the town of Veiholmen.  It's population in 2003 was 325, but since 2004 it is no longer considered an urban settlement by Statistics Norway, and its data is therefore not recorded separately (Wikipedia).  This wasn't just any festival...it was a rowboat festival!  Those Nordmenn sure know how to party!  The town was actually quite quaint, although when we go there it was 3:00 pm and the streets were being rolled up.

We finally made it to the festival...here is a photo of the rowboats...ALL the rowboats.

Maybe the celebration was a bit early and we missed out?  At least I got a good chuckle on the road sign that means "speed bump."  As an American, it is hard to not to laugh when one reads "Fart" on a public sign...hehe.