Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Chapter 11: A Wound Down Day in the Life (Swimming, Skill Training, Game Trails, Fire Games, and Guests)


Realizing I jumped over a the end of the Summer season, I am going to backtrack the timeline a bit. 


Shaded by a cluster of Sycamore trees, the Britannia Faire Swimming Hole is open for business during the summer months and not once has there been a chance to talk about the changes that have been made in the 2013 season. 


The entrance to the swimming hole is tucked away on the far end of the Battle Field. It makes for a great place to cool off or bathe after the scheduled fighting events or after a long hard days work. The steps into the stream have been reshaped many times do to its location at the bend of the stream. When high waters and heavy currents are present, the entrance is subjected to erosion and the rocks will shift. This allows for a redesign with the new rocks that the river replenishes every time high waters are present.   


Elon really earned his title the Water Dwelling Viking and the Head of Britannia Faire's Royal Navy this season as he took a major interest in water flow patterns and rock harvesting.


Many a day you could find him down near the river attempting to alter its flow and collecting big rocks for projects he had tucked up in his mind. One being the creation of a stone patio near the Tavern side yard, something that has since been started upon in the 2015 season. For images of his work please visit the Britannia Faire Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/431234733589684/) to sift through his posts. 


As fate would have it, the Beached Whale from the flooding event would land near to the stairs right off the battle field. This put a bit of a damper in the utilization of the fighter's beach and the Beached Whale seemed to get a bit lonely. One day in late Summer, Elon decided to make a town run and purchase some water fun for the Faire's Navy. Included in this purchase was a floating Killer Whale. They quickly became good friends.


When day events are canceled by unexpected rain showers, Britannia Faire differs from other camp-outs with this same problem. Not only is there a huge central gathering hub out of the elements up at the Tavern, but the resulting increased water flow from the rain turns Britannia Faire into a water park, complete with mattress rafting and lazy river floating. These events would go on to inspire the creation of the Britannia Faire Royal Navy as Captained by Elon.   


The August event would be a warm one. One that would inspire Elon to host a Britannia Faire Beach Party, complete with a floating bar/mead service as transported by Lady Nightshade as far as my memory serves me. 



The addition of the flotation devices went over incredibly well and made the party a bit more entertaining as individuals couldn't resist reenacting the scene from Free Willy a few times that afternoon.  


 

While the evenings spent alone are great for listening to the crepuscular activity of the animals around the Faire and are a perfect time to reflect around the fire, if energy was there to make one, the evenings when events are held make for a wonderful change in nightscape. Fire lights up Bandit Camp as Tiki's and solar lights outline paths in the dark.  

Photo credit to Aurora's Dagorhir Photography. A listing of her work can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/aurorasdagphotos?pnref=story

 Also for some summer fun, Elon would donate his money for firework displays and Wizard Duels. The Duels were most commonly one on one battle with Roman Candles. Participants would run and dodge each others shots for a total of ten rounds. 


Photo credit to Aurora's Dagorhir Photography.

More often that not, the first shot would miss, seeing as one is aiming in the dark and a shadowed object, but as the trails light up where the opposition is located, people would hone there shots and actually connect with their intended target as in the following photo. (Plus to magic and wizard combat skills) 

A wonderful capture credited to Aurora's Dagorhir Photography.

Elon would spoil Roake and myself during one event and purchase two 190 shot Roman Candles. Given the extreme of the situation, eye protection in the form of paintball masks were a must and our hair was required to be pulled back. One hundred and ninety shots later, my brown sweater was peppered in scorch marks and I was a bit out of breath after being gunned down by Roake; as the last 20 rounds of my candle did not go off. However this was not found out until the following day when burning the remains of the cardboard tubing when shots kept igniting in the burn pit providing a surprise dodge check.  

Photo credit to Aurora's Dagorhir Photography.
Needless to say, the Summer ended with a splash and a bang out at Britannia Faire. 

A Day in the Life

With the major events of the season over, and the Faire in a manageable position, there would once again be time to breath, relax, and focus on everyday living out at the Faire. Given that there was no way to launder the clothing at the Faire, one had to go into town to use the laundromat. Only once did I try to air dry laundry out at the Faire, as it was not worth the time to go into town on a Sunny day and bring the wet clothes back to string up between the posts.

Therefore, I started to schedule laundry days during rainy days when lawn care work would be hindered by the weather. 



While my laundry was being washed and dried, I would bring my laptop and set up station next to a power outlet to transfer the photos I had been taking of the latest projects or insects I had found interesting at the Faire from my phone to my laptop to free up storage space and begin to organize and create this massive photo project/story. If it was still raining by the time my clothes were complete, I would often head to the local McDonalds or the library depending on the time of day for Wi-fi and attempt to do some internet updating. The following photo is of a time I scanned the area for Wi-fi and a not so common network came up. Real or prank, its not something you see every day.  




















While at the Faire I had the chance to hone, train, and increase my skill levels in many areas. One being simple Auto Mechanics. Upon arriving at the Faire, I noticed the truck needed new breaks and because it had been driven so long without breaks, the rotors had become striated from the metal rubbing on the surface. Completing another break and rotor swap out in addition to changing the oil and filter, is just a simple way to remain acquainted to the mechanical beasts that serve us in our daily lives.  

In the past with my own vehicle, I have completed numerous amounts of repairs by myself, pulling most of the parts from a local junk yard you-pull, and watching auto repair videos instilling in me the repair knowledge necessary to complete this labor of love. I find preforming the repairs, or as much of the repairs as possible on your own, provides, for me at least, a closer relationship to any vehicle I have used, making them more of a companion that an inanimate object. During my travels and works with them, I even find myself talking to/about their entity as if they were real beings. When they are sick beyond my healing/repair ability, in my head cannon, they are not going to the auto mechanic, they are going to the vet. 

A capture of the heavily used and damaged rotor...

... next to the wonderful shine sported by the new set.

I’ve always equated the love for my vehicles to the Love Captain Mel Reynolds feels for his ship, Serenity. “Love. You can learn all the math in the 'Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.”  

Old rusted breaks in the front compared to the new black pads in the rear.

While at the Faire, I also acquired introductory levels in Smithing. Anvil would introduce me to the skill by making tent stakes and securing rods out of re-bar. A simple task, but it sparked my interest for further advancement at my friend's Blacksmith shop in New York by making armor for my SCA Heavy Kit. The armor process will eventually be shared in the Skill Share Tab under Armor Craft in the future after this current photo project is complete.   


Knowing that I would be alone most of my time at the Faire, I additionally brought my compound bow for target practice in addition to a possible nuisance deterrent. While I never did use it for the latter, my accuracy did improve as I made time to shoot in the evenings before supper. A skill that I have since let slip.  


While at the Faire, I would also make it a point to train my characters strength and endurance; something my fighter really appreciated. Strength would be trained on this rope course. 


 

One would first climb the rope to the top. While at the top one would do a full pull up, or on days that my arms were already spent, just make it a point to get one's chin above the cross bar. After the pull up, one would pull their legs up to the rope that hung from the outside of the Tavern to the Loft and, hand over hand, pull themselves along to the opposing side. Once at the Loft side, one would then have to do the sit up of a lifetime and pull themselves up over the ledge. Only one person to my knowledge has completed the course like this and that credit goes to Lockheart. Even though I was training, I never acquired the abdominal strength to pull myself up like that and thus added the second cheater rope to aid in the pulling yourself over the ledge. I loved the convenience of that course and my arms miss it too.  


 
  
When the nights were getting longer and the sun was setting sooner in the evening, I found myself really taking advantage of the punching bag I brought down from New York. I would train my fighter's strength, endurance, and hip snap in the darks of the evening, and when the days got colder, it would be a simple way to raise body temperature to fend off the cool night's chill.  

When things slowed down a bit at the Faire, I also made it a point to go trail running regularly. This allowed me to train multiple things at once. Endurance for the long runs, Strength for the uphill climbs, Dexterity on the shifting or rough terrain, Jump while leaping over downed logs or streams, Agility while stone stepping with quick feet over streams I could not hop over, all while exposing myself to the beautiful not so often seen landscape the Faire lands had to offer. The following photos need little description and are just but a few shots from my many trail runs.








While running one day, high in the hills nearer to the entrance, I came across this feather. I felt as though I was given a gift for taking the time to appreciate the natural world around me. I would go on to wear this feather in my hair the remainder of the season's events. 


Nature's Guests

In between scheduled events at the Faire, the majority may have thought I was alone, in the middle of the valley, cut off from all societal contact, but the truth was, I had many visiting guests. There are living beings all around at all times of the day. They just might not be the social contact one normally thinks of when they think of having guests.  


I became well acquainted with this butterfly throughout the season and began to call it Fire and Ice, because of the pattern it had on its wings.


















Toads were also a common spot along with many insects.  








At the Faire, life moves a lot slower, and what better way to picture this concept than a picture of a snail crawling across a piece of wood near the wood pile. 


Crayfish are also a thing out at the Faire. While I never had the chance to do so, while Drauger was staying at the Faire during Spring 2014, he sent me pictures of his crayfish harvest and boiled them for dinner one evening. Elon's dog Hank, also went on to take advantage of the Crayfish population and Elon began calling him Bayou Dog for a bit. 


 
 
 

















 


There are many creepy crawly things out at the Faire. Each insect, butterfly, spider, snake, frog, and any other fauna unmentioned are an essential link to the survival of the Faire's ecology; each beautiful in its own way. 

 



However, this isn't to say that the presence of some were less welcomed than others. Two that stick out predominantly in my mind were the Racoon and the Beaver. 
 

The Racoon loved to rummage through any food that was left out or unattended overnight and one night I had to chase it out of the pantry after hearing a clatter. Favorite meals being apples, bread, oatmeal, and coco mix. 


The Beaver on the other hand was a nuisance in a different way. While he was not directly raiding our unlocked pantry for food, he was however doing more than his fair share of damage to the surrounding trees in the area. Through his busy ways, the Beaver would go on to build three dams in the 2013 season that both Timmourne and Elon should have stories regarding this matter should one ever ask them about it. Even Sir Dead himself should have one or two about a Mexican stand off with the Beaver just before the July event.



During the end of July and most of the month of August, Timmourne would begin to spend his weekends out at the Faire. Being the Land Marshall, he would donate his personal funds and time to keeping to riding mower and all other lawn maintenance tools equip with gas and helped me to beat back the lawn in the never-ending lawn battle. Re-visit Vol. 7: Maintaining a Live Action Stage for a recap.  


The above is a shot of Ranger Camp during the beginning of the season. During mid summer, Timmourne would go on to construction the Rangers of Ithilien fortification at Britannia Faire and began to refer to the spot as The Black Keep.



He began by constructing three lengths of walls made out of salvaged wood from the Back 40. 


By the end of season, he would also mortar a stone foundation into the land in attempt to level out his camping area. This wall remains unpictured even though it certainly still stands.
Check out Timmourne's Photo Album: The Black Keep ( https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.568551409858015& ) for more pictures of his work.  

 
"The Battling Benches" as placed by Elon. I remembering him running up to me saying, " Hey, do you like my sculpture??" with a huge grin on his face.

I had a lot of fun exchanging stories and mindsets with Timmourne that Summer. We spent evening around the fire playing games like Mini Fire Janga or constructing huge burning structures out of boxes on CardBoard Burning Night. CardBoard Burning Night happens when we recycled more cardboard than we need to start fires efficiently and the Tavern trash area becomes overflown with paper products. Leaving a small contingency for the next few fires, you then burn all the things!  





This image right here is how I will always remember Timmourne. Taken in the dark of night, blinded by the flash, left hand poised in it's most common photo position. I say this because I have two images of Papa Tmo, as he became called, both with the bird flyin'.   




Having guests at the Faire typically meant having special meals. Meals that actually included meat such as this beautiful dish as donated and prepared by Lady Nightshade and Damian Altaireotter. My Heart and Stomach to their generosity. 


One evening before an event, we had a few more individuals helping out than we normally did. This made for a night of fun comradeship in which the staff invented a new Fire Game: Solar Light Catch. On top of a burning fire, you would balance a log. On that log you would place an empty beer bottle. On that beer bottle you would balance an empty mead bottle and in that bigger bottle's mouth you would place the bottom of a solar light. The rules changed a few times that evening as the game was being invented but by the end the winner would be declared as the person to catch/ pick up/ hold the solar light in their hand after the structure fell.
 

After setting the winning rule and forgetting about it in conversation ten minutes later, the structure fell and while the others, myself included, would scatter at the falling debris, Drakus would hold to the objective and lift the light in the air victorious. Its the simple things that entertain out here.  

Having covered the missing pieces in the Summer months, I can now speed back up the time line to where Volume 10: CenterStage Set Design left off. 


Upon completion of the first floor remodel and after the event: The Royal Wedding took place, September would close with less of a rushed timeline. For things Tavern side were well along the path of completion and the next event was to be held over a month away in the middle of October. The days noticeably shorter, provided less light and colder temperatures to work in. Therefore, more time was utilized in this phase, prepping a wood load for the colder temps yet to come.  



 



 
Shorter days, also means less light. Therefore, one evening I would spend my time heating up old wax and pouring the melt into empty candle jars. Wicks were made out of hemp rope to provide more light and a tad bit of heat during the evenings where natural light lacked.  





During the beginning of October, the Faire played host to two additional guests: Averis and Detaru, who had the interest in setting up a semi-permanent camp spot for their group for the October event to come. They contacted us ahead of time and scheduled a week long visit for preparation out at the Faire.  


During the day of their arrival I was completing the last mowing job of the season and helped them to clear out their selected spot across from the fight pit at the end of Bandit Camp.  


Both men proved to be incredibly creative and enjoyed making things out of what materials were provided to them by the environment around them. My time with them was both humbling and inspirational. 


In all of an hour I watched the two of them construct this table and bench out of on site materials...  


...and by the end of the day they also had this nifty bar set up between the trees. 


Their backstory goes something along the lines of them having a piece of land, much like Britannia Faire where they had set up an intricate  semi-permanent campsite in the trees throughout the years. However, I believe the campsite owners had the site logged of its wood thus destroying the place in which they put so much of their time into. 


Still grieving, but looking to rebuild, the members of Teutoburg heard of BF and decided to give it a shot.   


I am very sad to have missed the actual event held in October as I had already made plans prior to attend War in Middlemarch at that time. I heard Teutoburg hosted a wonderful evening in their newly constructed campsite that was enjoyed by all who attended. 


During the Fall season, the Faire saw many mundane visitors as well. Most being Big Oil Company Contractors checking out the land and preparing to dig a second pipeline that was set to take place the following year. 


One pair of visitors were conducting a biotic and abiotic index of the flora and fauna present along the projected pipeline area. Given that they were basically glorified ecologist it turned out we had loads to talk about and more than a few things in common. The contractors decided that they would come back after their shift was complete for a cook out and an exchanging of tales. One of them turned out to be a musician, who writes and sings his own songs on open mic nights in his local town. I wish I had his contact information still, as I would love to get this to him. The following song was only a snippet of one of the many nights random fun I had at the Faire during the 2013 season. May you enjoy it with me. 





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