ANST - A gentle reminder

[Michael F. Gunter]

Hi everyone,

It's those pesky Royals again, imposing pesky ideas on their
beloved populace.

When looking at the Coronation pictures the other day we were
struck by something that we have all become lax in. There
is a wonderful picture of the Court, all the knights are there,
the gentles are gathered, the candles are lit and the banners lovely
and then right in the center of the photo is a Coke bottle. This
glaring mundanity struck home what we have all been forgetting.
We are trying to make things as Medieval as possible and yet
many of us have forgotten the basics in maintaining the illusion.
Remember when we would duck under the tablecloth and pour our soda
into our mug then put the empty back in the cooler? Remember when
we would bring cloths to cover the ice chests and bags lying along
the wall? We have gotten so used to "hiding our eyes" from such
things that we are forgetting the simple attempts to keep these
things hidden.

We understand that it's difficult to maintain the illusion of being
in a Medieval keep when you are actually in a Bingo Hall with
flourescent lighting but that shouldn't keep us from trying. Let's
bring the cloths for the coolers again. And let's keep the soda
cans off the table if possible. Think of all the people who are not
SCA who may look at that site and see the Coke bottle. We know that
we have left the mundane stuff lying around but we promise to try
to do better. Will you? Things in Ansteorra are going wonderfully
towards making a more period atmosphere. Period pavillions are now
springing up everywhere, the armor is progressing beyond kidney belts,
tennis shoes, and "football helmets", diners eat more period foods 
at feasts, our music is played live on period instruments. Let's
all try to strive that someday, at some event, we can look out and
see a real Medieval encampment with nothing to jar the mind from
the illusion. 

It's easy to overlook the small stuff but the small stuff builds up.

Thank You,

Gunthar & Sara

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