Book of the Black Dog

Ok, to get a couple inside jokes out of the way: ahem
THIRTEEN!!!
Up by the Ilium of dawn.

Really, don't ask.

Ok WW breakdown. This was my first SCA camping event, but I did day trip WW a couple years ago in search of my rapier authorization. I could say that the experience was biblical. First there was the great storm, then the plague of flies, and by the end we almost had to kill Mary's first born son. Just sayin.

I attended solo as my honey's idea of camping is a hotel with hot and cold running waiters. With that in mind, I am so glad I did not convince her to come with. She would have been miserable with the heat, the flies, the strangers, the storm etc etc and then looked at me and asked "Remind me again, why did you think this was a good idea?".

I camped with great folks, good food, good laughs good times. The tent weathered the storm with absolutely no troubles. I got some nice compliments on the pavilion and my mead. Cooking with dutch oven and coals turned out to be a learning experience, but none the less yummy.

Fighting: Friday, I was off my game. Period. I could make excuses, but really that's what they would be. Saturday on the other hand was a GREAT day. Started off with the Baroness' Whim, and got to schtick it up and play the fop, and make both baronesses laugh. I got to step in and help assist two relatively new fighters against two Dons in a reductive Mele and turned the tide so the final fight was between the two new folks. Got to rip off some memorable lines in the NOT the duel at dawn - Nuh-uh! and picked up some fights with out of town folks that I would never have a chance to spar with. Now I want to pen a song called "Nickle sized bruises" (Even if you win you lose, if all you take home is a nickle sized bruise.)

Saturday evening was ended with way too much drinking at Shadow company, and staggering mostly downhill to my tent. But next year, (yes dear readers, I'm hoping there is a next year) I want to have more clothes made, and final touches put on my tent.

That's all for now. More as I remember it.

So the painting on the tent is all done but some touch up (cleaning up some edges on the roof, and painting over some boo-boos). I also need to sew on some buttons on the inside of the tent for holding the doors open, but I can do that on site during down time.

Last night was good. I got to test out my new turnshoes. They fit great and they have enough grip that I'm not going to need to put on some dance sole for traction. The downside is that they really do look like house slippers. Meh. I still need to sew on some straps for tightening the whole shoe up a bit, and maybe dye them a darker color (they are buff colored now).

I had a good time fighting last night. My honey has pointed out that I get pissy when I don't go and fight on a regular basis, and I've missed fighting for two weeks in a row. So it was good to get back in there. There was visitors from out of town, and for the life of me I cannot remember her name, but sparring with new folks is always a treat. I got to spar with my teacher, and block with my face a bit, and I almost wound up missing out on the opportunity because I wanted to leave in time to go home and paint on my tent while I still had sunlight. But all was accomplished, and now the feverish packing begins for WW.

So as of last night, I have the roof and all of one side painted. I still need to trace out the pattern on the other side and paint that. But it's quickly coming all together!

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have it...but, I'm itchin to keep painting on my tent. I've got 3/4 of the sun design done on the roof. With the rain, all progress screeches to a halt, as I do my painting outside. Bah.

So I've sketched out the roof, and started sketching the wall panels. We'll see if I'm able to get some painting done.

So I am trying to decide how to paint my pavillion (see earlier post if you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about). I feel like I have two choices (three if you include "do nothing"): Something pretty, or the good ol' KISS method. What am I talking about? Well I've been perusing other peoples paint jobs on their tents and found two I kind of like. Here is the the first design:



Pretty simple right? But it's a lot of paint, and not really striking. Could be made striking, pretty basic.

Here is the second:


I really like the sunburst on the top, and would probably add some blue along the seams. "But is this more than I want to take on?" I ask.

So what do you all think?

So I started sewing this spoked pavillion off and on about a year ago. I shaved down my center poles over Memorial day and did a fitting to make sure my spokes fit. I still need to paint, and add a couple more buttons. I am thinking of making a detachable shade fly for one of the entrances.

But here are the basic stats:
8 sided spoked pavillion
12.5' footprint at the bottom (side to side, not corner to corner)
Ash center poles
7' high at the spokes, 12' high overall.
Hand forged stakes
hand carved wood toggle buttons for closure
Sunforger canvas.
I can set it up myself in under 15 minutes.

I had originally planned on making a larger tent (12 sided), but was advised to start by making an 8 sided and see how it goes. I see the wisdom in that now.

Here are some pics: Please note that the picture with the spokes is while I was trying to adjust the length of the spokes - I wasn't quite there yet.

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -Joseph Campbell

“You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.” - Eric Hoffer

“There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart’s controls. There is advantage in the wisdom won from pain.” - Aeschylus

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

Ok, so hub completed...check
Spokes cut so they fit into hub...Check
Buttons cut and sanded...check
buttons sealed with tung oil...not so much :(
Buttons and loops sewn on...Half the loops on. Waiting to buy backer buttons and seal the buttons.
Cut center pole and spokes to length...starting on that this weekend.
Insert spikes into center poles for positioning... need to cut to length first.
Get stakes...planning on making visit to Danr's to make him some and make me some.
Paint tent...least of my concerns at this point.

Well tonight I shaped 12 button for the tent. I need to do a little  more sanding on them and then seal them. I am thinking a little thread though the button holes, dip them in the varnish, then hang them to dry. Then I need to pop them on the tent.

I purchased poles for the spokes this weekend, and I glued the hub together. Next comes rasping out the center hole so that it's all nice and even. Then comes the hellish testing and adjusting to find out the right lengths for the poles and spokes.

It's comming together.

Let's see... I got a couple pockets sewn on...but I think I may have take them off and attach them lower (I'm going to actually put a short piece of rod into the pocket to see where they press up against the wall.) I went out to Danr's and blued my hilt and pommel...I still need to put a wax coat on it for protection. Welded a lip onto the metal sleeve for the center pole for the pavillion.

Taxes...still not done. Everyone seems to be putting it off this year. Usually I have them done by mid Feb, now it's almost mid March.

So to be done on the tent:
sew and attach stake loops
sew and attach loops for door closures
sew and attach rest of pockets for spokes
Paint (really this is the last step)
cut center pole to right lengths, cut to octagons.
cut spokes.
Get stakes

So Saturday I made quite a bit of progress on the tent. I was able to finish the flat felled seam on the rest of the valences, and double rolled the edges on the bottom to keep them from fraying. Then I turned to the wall I had finished sewing together.

I double rolled all the ground flaps and the edges of the doors all the way around to keep me from accidentally sewing them to roof. Now I need to finish sewing and finishing the other wall and I can begin attaching the walls to the roof.

Whew!

So, I have been working at sewing together my spoked pavillion. If you don't know what one is, it will look like this: http://www.greydragon.org/images/pavilion4.jpg

Anyway... I have done a fair amount of sewing on it so far. I've sewn the roof, and almost all the walls. Now however I am questioning if I need to take the roof completely apart and do it over. Bugger bugger bugger bugger.

I am going to try and fix it as it is, but it may turn out to be easier to just start over.

That does not fill me with glee.