News, Photos, etc. (Page 2)

For Page 1, which has the most recent news, click here.

December, 2003: My goodness, I'll soon be a Westie! I am moving near Lake Tahoe...

October, 2003: Yes, yes, I've been a smidge tardy with the updates. It's been a bit busy (vast understatement) on the mundane side of things. Here's a brief summary of what's happened since April...

I went to Pennsic for the second time, and I hope to make this an annual ritual. I had a fantastic trip, even with the usual Pennsic sweating (excuse me, perspiring....excuse me again, glowing). I purchased a bunch of Indian garb from my favorite Pennsic merchant (wish I could remember her name...thank goodness she's always in the same place) and was a lot cooler in that than in my usual Norman gowns. Maybe I'll come up with an alternate persona...or maybe Tatiana's been traveling. [grin]

I'd been hoping to get up to October Crown in the West, but it was not to be. I was thrilled to hear that Hanza won. Yay, he'll be King Josh! (LOL).

The following week, I managed to escape my demanding but wonderful mundane business for about 36 hours and I spent them enjoying all things medieval at Great West. I especially enjoyed the West's Casino Royale and the Middle Eastern hafla put on by Faizeh and company. Perhaps by Estrella, I'll have gotten back to my dancing...

Lady Patricia de Lyon, my dearest friend in both the mundane and Known worlds, has moved today to her new home in the Midrealm. Already, I miss her terribly...although I'm sure we'll be burning up the farspeaker and staying in touch. I hope the Midrealm realizes its glorious good fortune to be blessed with such a lady, and I hope it treats her well. Bon voyage, my dear!

Fortunately, I already know when we'll see each other next—at King Josh's coronation [grin]. Several Caidans (I'm sorry Patricia, my dearest, old habits die hard) will converge on the West's 12th Night. If I can get some skiing in beforehand, all the better. I'm even considering the possibility of moving closer to Lake Tahoe, one of my favorite places in the entire world. Which I suppose would...gasp...make me a Westie! Well, if that happens, Caid will always have an special place in my heart. It is my SCA birthplace, and for that I will always honor and cherish it. Long live Caid!

Meanwhile, I bought a serger, which has been sitting unused, mocking me...I'll simply have to ignore it for a few more months. Perhaps by spring life will be simpler. In any case, I can't complain—I love my life!

April, 2003: Goodness, where do I begin? I'm quite behind on updates. So let's see...

In the last few months, several of the LLoL and our illustrious baron have been fortunate to spend time up in the West. We will probably continue to travel up there once a month or so to visit with friends. While Westies have a reputation for cultural arrogance (sometimes not terribly undeserved), we've also found them to be delightful, friendly, and incredibly gracious. (As long as we're willing to ignore the wisecracks about the light calibration of Caidan fighters.)

We visited the West for March Crown to see Gemini's knighting—and we shall travel up for Beltane Coronation to see his lady get her well-deserved Laurel and the new monarchs crowned. We also plan a stealth visit in April. (I understand there's a tourney in the San Jose area that weekend, and since Patricia and I need to be up there for mundane reasons, we will go and enjoy ourselves.)

Estrella was fun as always, though Lyondemere was quite flooded out. Fortunately, that happened early in the war and the sun was able to dry most of it out. I didn't get in as much waterbearing as I'd like, but there are always more wars, huzzah!

I installed the ChangeDetection.com tracker since, regrettably, I'm not as speedy with updates as I used to be. [sigh]

The LLoL had a lovely time at Caid's Spring Crown this past weekend. Here's a photo of a few of us:

L to R: me, Deja, Amica MacRae, and Patricia de Lyon. (Photo by Ysabel d'Outremer.)

My last update was several months ago. Oops! And much has happened since then.

First, I was honored with an invitation to be on Their Majesties' court.

Their Majesties are Lyondemarines, and quite by chance, Coronation and Queen's Champion were held in Lyondemere. So was the Gyldenholt/Lyondemere Yule. The next event I'll attend (Winter Weekend) is also sponsored by Lyondemere. (Our barony has been remarkably busy, no?)

Gyldenholt Unbelted and Estrella are coming up, and I'm very much looking forward to them both. (Did I mention that I love war? [grin]).

I was unable to attend Caid's Twelfth Night celebration, though for the latter I have an excellent excuse: Lady Patricia gifted me with a trip to Twelfth Night in the Kingdom of the West. What a wonderful weekend we had!

Grateful thanks to Lyonnete, Magnus, and Hanza for hosting us and providing transport to and from the event. It was a delight to see our friends, make new ones, give and receive smiles, and view the splendor of the West.

One last thing: Keradwc took a lovely photo of Patricia, Ysabel, and me at Great West, and he has kindly allowed me to post it here. Please visit his website for many more images of SCA life.

October: It's been a week since Great Western War ended, and I think I'm still recovering. Last Sunday I drove home, took one load up to my apartment, then collapsed on the carpet to snooze for ten minutes. I didn't even make it as far as the bed for that much-needed nap. War is wonderful, but can be quite exhausting, too.

I thank everyone who put in time and effort to make my war experience and my birthday such a pleasure. My friends gifted me with two beautiful gowns that I want to wear during the Yule season, as well as delicious food, drink, and other prezzies, jewelry to match the gowns, and some very thoughtful wishes. Best of all was their company.

On Merchant's Row I bought a book on kumihimo (a Japanese braiding technique), and hope to make sidelaces for those gowns. One of these days. [grin]

Waterbearing is always fun for me, and I'm slowly learning more about fighting by watching. I try darned hard to make sure the fighters drink, even when they don't think they need to. I've developed a loud and determined announcement for this purpose—"water, Gatorade, spritz!". The fighters around me may choose not to drink, but they can't say they didn't hear me. Who knew that voice could come from such a small person? Not me. Well, all for a good cause.

A tip for other waterbearers: I've noticed that my "Mister Fan" spritz bottle is a big favorite after the first hour or two of fighting. When asked, spray it on the fighters and watch the blissful smiles! It can give sweet relief to someone in hot armor.

November brings the Baron's Barbecue Bash and Bardic. I grew up in the South, so I never turn down good barbecue—and Baron Jamal is cooking, so I know it will be good, heh heh. After that comes Coronation and Queen's Champion, both in Lyondemere, and both celebrating Lyondemere's own soon-to-be monarchs, TRHs Gerhardt and Una. It's a wild year for Lyondemere, but one I'm glad to be sharing.

September: Goodness, what a great month it's been. First came the Anniversary of the Barony of the Angels. Only a few Lyondemarines were able to go, but those that did had a grand time. Instead of putting up the baronial pavilion, we used a natural one—a canopy of tall, broad, and leafy trees.

The day was warm but not blistering, and I was fortunate to spend most of it with some of my favorite people: Faizeh, Baird, Edric, and Reyn. The fighting was exciting to watch, the people kind and charming as always, and the revel in the evening was great fun thanks to my friend Gareth Marcellus, who chivalrously offered to partner me in dances when he noticed my feet were tapping.

Yesterday, September 21st, was Crown Tourney for Caid. The pavilion went up this time, and I must say that in my humble opinion, the Lyondemere pavilion is the most beautiful of them all. Our many colorful banners fluttered proudly in the wind—but never more so than when Lyondemere's own Sir Ritter Gerhardt von Cynnabar won the day, and along with that the right to crown his lovely consort, Lady Una ingen Chathail.

Lyondemere is tremendously proud of the new Crown Prince and Princess. We know Their Royal Highnesses will have a magnificent reign, since they are two of the kindest and most honorable gentles we know. I've never known either to go five minutes without a smile for someone, or a kind word. Their presence has graced Lyondemere, and we are honored and delighted to share them with all of Caid. Their Coronation will take place in November—by chance and yet fittingly, in Lyondemere!

In October I will likely attend Altavia's Marco Polo Tourney and will arrive at Great Western War on Wednesday the 9th with a tightly-packed car full of gear and garb. I'll be helping out with War Mart, which Lyondemere is sponsoring this year, and I'll be waterbearing as usual for many of the battles. I am not sure what other events the Baron and Baroness of Lyondemere will attend in October, but where they go, so do I.

September 3: I'm in love with Wolgemut. I can't take their CDs out of my player. I'm addicted. If you haven't picked up the latest, Danza, I recommend that you do so at your earliest opportunity!

August 26: What a wonderful trip to Purgatorio Coronation in the West! Many thanks for the hospitality of Duke Fabian and the delightful Eliska, the wicked yet chivalrous Sir Hanza, the (newly knighted!) Sir Magnus the toetweaker, the fabulous Lyonnete, and the kindness of Their Highnesses Stephen and Elina. Much fun was had by all—so much fun, in fact, that we plan more forays to the West, and hope more Westies will journey to Lyondemere.

August 21: The Caidan Invasion is heading to Purgatorio!

Seven Caidans will be traveling together into the West to renew friendships and make new ones. Baron Jamal of Lyondemere will lead the Caidan voyagers. Prepare for merriment!

Pennsic XXXI was simply fantastic. The battles were glorious, the encampments beautiful, and the people joyous and fun. I made many new friends and look forward to seeing them at future wars and events. It was a delightful experience and I hope to repeat it every year.

My big news: in a wonderful surprise ceremony, I was given an Award of Arms at Pennsic! I now have the title of Lady.  :-)  I'm not ashamed to admit I cried at the ceremony—how wonderful to be recognized by people for whom I have so much respect. I thank Their Majesties and everyone in Caid Royal for their kindness and company throughout the War. You made my Pennsic experience a joy.

Here's a photograph, kindly provided by Her Excellency, Countess Leonora:

As for events at home: I was sad to miss Lyondemere Anniversary, but delighted to hear it went so well—and that two of the Lovely Ladies of Lyondemere, Patricia de Lyon and Christina O' Cleary, were given their Awards of Arms. Congratulations, Lady Patricia and Lady Christina!

I also had the honor of becoming a Lady-in-Waiting to Baroness Eowyn Amberdrake of Lyondemere. It is an honor and a privilege to help Her Excellency, and I hope to serve her well.

Here is an image of Patricia de Lyon, Amica MacRae of York, and Ysabel d'Outremer at Anniversary.

© Lee Varis, 2002

The supremely talented Leonidas, m.k.a. Lee Varis, took this lovely photograph and many others. Please visit his website.

Huzzah, I'm going to PENNSIC!

I'll arrive sometime between Wed. August 7 and Sunday, August 11 and stay until the Friday of War Week, August 16th.

I'd thought I'd be the only one of my nearest and dearest to make it there this year, but a couple of the L.L.o.L. (Kura and Deja) are coming too, fate willing. I'm taking my tent and will be in the Caid Royal encampment. I'm flying in and won't have any chairs or rugs and few of the other comforts of home with me, but really, who cares?

'Cause I'm going to PENNSIC!   :D

I am still annoyed I will miss both Lyondemere Anniversary and Darkwell War, which both fall on the weekend I'll be at a writing conference in Denver. I can't believe I'm going to miss my own barony's Anniversary! Arrgh! Fortunately, my good friend Patricia—co-autocrat of the event—agreed not to kill me for not being there to help. (Thank you my dear!)

I hate missing good events.  >:(  Well, there's always Highland War or Fall Potrero (which, annoyingly, compete for Labor Day weekend), and of course I'll attend Great Western War.

On June 23 I entered my first equestrian tourney. I had a wonderful time despite the heat. (Note to self: must make light-colored garb to wear in heat-plagued areas of Caid.)

My horse Truman and I got along reasonably well, except for the sly head-tossing trick that enabled him to get both reins on one side of his head.  >:-/  But since he often didn't realize he'd succeeded, he kept tossing—and I simply let the reins fall back on either side. Horse: sneaky. Tatiana: devious.  

At any rate I fared much better than my horse-share partner, Duke Sir Edric Aaron Hartwood. His fall (a result of a snapped cinch strap) ended up on the local 10 p.m. news.

Sometimes it's good to be petite.

And this is me sticking my first pig!

(No need to call the ASPCA. It's a styrofoam mannequin head in red cloth.)

More long-distance photos of me bashing Saracen heads can be viewed here and here.

June 13: Coronation and Queen's Champion were a whirlwind of fun. (Okay, the whirlwind at Coronation occasionally moved at 5 m.p.h., but nevertheless, much mirth was had.) I sang with LyonSong for the first time at Coronation, and I neither hyperventilated nor screwed up all that audibly. [Grin]

May 28: I love War! Potrero was fantastic. Wish I could be at War all the time. (Though at home it's nice not to have to stand in line for the shower.)

My new tent did me proud. On my way home I even purchased a portable clothes rack. Now I just need to make enough garb to hang on the rack! [grin]

Heartfelt thanks go to Countess Alysandra for her War Gear donations—the rug was a wonderful touch, and the War Kitchen was very well equipped.

I spent five hours waterbearing on Saturday and Sunday and was delighted to help the fighters. It was a dusty war, but a well-fought one, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves tremendously. (I do love the thunder of swords meeting shields!)

In the evenings our War Kitchen staff outdid themselves. (And Patricia de Lyon: you lived through it, floored us all with your cooking talent, and came out smiling! But perhaps ixnae on the full six-course meal at Great Western War, hmm?  ;-)  ).

Last, but by no means least, many, many thanks to the Sons of the Lorelei for assisting Lyondemere over the weekend. We are most grateful!

May 15: The Barony of Calafia's Potrero War is only a week away. I am trying to get a new T-tunic done in time. I've managed to sew in the gores on each side (and those aren't easy, so huzzah!), but I'm still stumped about what shape I want the neck to be. Ha ha, I can roll a hem really well but still don't know how to sew a facing. I suspect a Laurel is several decades away. [chuckle]

April 17: I'm quite excited about attending my first Crown Tourney. I know I'll enjoy the pageantry—plus, by now I know many of the contenders, so that will add spice to the experience.

**How right I was—I had even more fun at Crown than I've had at all previous events, except at Estrella. There's just something about seeing men in shiny armor whacking each other with big sticks...

And what an exciting final round! So closely fought it's a wonder the spectators remembered to breathe. Many congratulations to Their Royal Highnesses Guillaume and Felinah.

March 17: Darn—I shall have to miss Black Oak Lodge this year. But I will be at the Calafia/Gyldenholt Friendship Tourney instead, as will most of the Barony of Lyondemere!

March 16: And a grand time was had by all at the Nordwache-Lyondemere Friendship Tourney (in Wintermist!). Thanks to everyone who made the day enjoyable. One of my favorite parts was seeing the *snow* as we went over the Tejon Pass. I miss skiing...

March 13: I've been attending events every weekend and enjoying myself *thoroughly*. I've realized that I adore camping events and I'm looking forward to Black Oak Lodge, a three-day event. I hope it will hold me over until May Potrero War! Several very kind and thorough heralds have helped me get my name, device, and badge in order, and I will soon submit them for registration. I'm taking up belly dance (and flamenco, though it's not period). I'm also looking forward to April's Crown Tourney—my first!

February 23: Lyondemere's Arts & Archery was great! I wanted to get authorized for archery, but it's a point of pride that my first authorization will be equestrian. I think there's an equestrian tourney in June. Meanwhile, here's an image from A&A:

Amica McRae of York, Ysabel d'Outremer, me

Note to self: Must get Ysabel's help to make some Middle Eastern garb...

February 22: Regarding Estrella War, all I can say is: WOW! For more about my Estrella experience, click here.

February 13: I finished my first garb! I learned to sew three days ago, and today I finished a full-circle wool cloak with brushed denim lining—just in time for Estrella!

February 4: Ack, the SCA is taking over my life! I've bought a sewing machine, my house is now filled with fabric and trim for garb, I bookmarked every SCA page on the Web and joined Lyondemere's LyonSong, I'll be attending the next baronial council meeting, AND I'm already packing for Estrella. Very addictive, the Current Middle Ages....

Festival of the Rose was highly enjoyable. One of the highlights was Sir Guillaume's play "The Lost Isle of Gilligan"; seeing Baron Jamal in a blonde "Brunhilde" wig nearly undid me. And I learned a great deal about the depth of talent in the SCA. Kudos to everyone who presented their work to the populace, whether in display or live performance. King Edric's grateful, loving tears at seeing the day's many tributes to his Queen nearly brought me to tears myself.

Truly, I have stumbled upon a wonderful group.

January 30: There's a possibility I may be able to go to Estrella War—I hope that comes to pass! In the meantime, I shall attend Festival of the Rose.

My goodness, there are so many SCA interests I wish to explore! I will attend an upcoming practice of LyonSong, and hope to learn fingerloop braiding and embroidery. I know how to thread a needle, but not much more—yet I find myself contemplating sewing new garb. (My mother would be quite shocked at that domestic turn of events.  :)  ) I also look forward to learning period dance and taking part in equestrian events.

January 29: Ysabel and I had a wonderful time at Unbelted. Special thanks to Arianna Nunneschild for introducing us to more delightful people, to Baron Jamal and Baroness Eowyn of Lyondemere for their hospitality, and to Patricia de Lyon and Christina O' Cleary for their company and conversation over the course of the day. Caid's unbelted fighters battled well and honorably, and the final round with Lord Marcellus and Captain James was most exciting. Congratulations to Captain James for his win, and to Lord Marcellus for recognition by the Crown of his chivalrous nature.

January 20: The Angels Melee was great fun! Special thanks to Claire, Arianna Kateryn Nunneschild, and the Sons of the Lorelei for making my day so delightful. I am grateful to have been introduced to so many kind and honorable gentles.

Ysabel and I shall attend the Unbelted Tourney at Gyldenholt next weekend.

Ysabel and I dressed in our finest for Lyondemere's Yule gathering. As it turns out, the event had been rescheduled for the previous weekend, so we missed it! [sigh]

Special thanks go to Barbara of Gilded Lily Graphics—the very talented designer of this "Let There Be Dragons" graphics environment—who went above and beyond the call of duty to help with a frustrating Yahoo glitch. Thank you, Barbara! May others enjoy your graphics as much as I do.

 

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