[Ansteorra] Fw: [Ravensfort] AAA event stories?

D. Vandever hlannes at ev1.net
Tue Jul 13 11:09:03 PDT 2004


Sir Kief did a wonderful chronicle of what Argent was like for him on
Ravensfort list and I thought the rest of you might like to see what he
wrote.
Annes
Dear God,  Help me to be the person
my dog thinks I am.  Amen
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kief av Kiersted" <sirkief at yahoo.com>
To: "The Barony of Ravensfort" <ravensfort at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 2:39 AM
Subject: RE: [Ravensfort] AAA event stories?


> Heilsa all...
>
> AAA was a fairly unique experience for me... I spent the vast
> majority of my time attached to a radio and golf cart... I did
> not get to fight, shop, dance, see the A&S display, barely see
> the History display, do any Bardcraft...but...I did sponsor an
> archer, Morganna Blackmer, in the Nobles Archery Shoot...that was
> a fun experience.
>
> I did get to see the Ansteorran culture in a different light...as
> a close, but fleeting, observer...
>
> Arriving on-site Wednesday afternoon fairly late in the day...we
> started to set up our camp... I staked out the boundaries of the
> Security / Raven's Fort / Kiersted encampment, Sir Badon's
> encampment, and eventually the Marshal's encampment and the
> Raven's Fort pavilion site by the Field of Heroes... Sometime
> later we were issued our radios and carts and got to work.
> Thursday morning we attended a Staff meeting in the Great Hall
> and got a final overview of what was to be our life for the next
> four days... Many folks arrived early to set up their assigned
> areas for the various activities...and then the populace of our
> Kingdom started arriving Thursday midday...and boy howdy did they
> arrive... Hundreds were camped by Thursday evening... Big
> camps...small camps...large tents and tiny... Very early period
> to quite late period tents... "Barbarians" to "Nobility"... Every
> kind of tent to be imagined...beautiful period
> constructs...Viking and "Celtic" to the High Middle ages...to
> late period Renaissance...with all the accouterments... A lot of
> modern tents some with modifications to assist them to "look
> period" and some just tarp "lean to's" to toss a sleeping bag
> under...plenty of RV's and some vehicles and trailers that were
> quite nicely "disguised" with covers and even tents... There were
> single folks camping where they could...and large Households with
> barrier walls and decked out common areas... And Flags, Banners,
> hangings and pennants...lots of color and display... Shields and
> armor stands...weapons and chests...tables, chairs, benches, fire
> containers...torches...lamps and lanterns... And A/C units and
> fans...*LoL*...it was quite warm at times... Merchants
> galore...with beautiful wares...and the Storm Cellar Tavern that
> continued on even through the adversity of losing a trailer wheel
> during the trip south from Namron...many folks from the north
> stopped and carried pieces and parts of the gear in their
> personal vehicle...good food and drink for the people of
> Ansteorra... Families with kids scattered all over the site...and
> man wee some of those kiddos a real pain for Security and the
> Stewards...*LoL*... Horse trailers...U-Hauls...enclosed and
> flatbed trailers...single axle and dual and triple axle
> trailers... Little bitty cars and crew cab "duallys"... By
> Saturday midday there were over **1,500** Ansteorrans and
> traveling guests signed in through the gate...and that, good
> neighbors, is a lot of people for a July event in Texas and
> Oklahoma...
>
> Period pavilions by the Tournament Fields...torchlight
> tournaments lasting well into the wee hours of morning...dancing
> of many kinds... Revels and wakes... Several Courts...the giving
> of Awards well earned and, oft times, received with tears of joy
> and disbelief... Master Modius being named the newest Lion of
> Ansteorra...with tears streaming down his cheeks... The reading
> of the Rolls of the Honored Dead...including Fredrick, one of
> Duke Kein's squires recently killed in the line of duty in
> Iraq... I, like many others, cried tears of pride, grief, and
> frustration over our many losses of friends and family over the
> years...
>
> The Chefs and Kitchen Crewe laboring away among burners, smokers,
> and motors...under a canopy under the hot sun...all day long...
> The Chirugeons answering every call anytime of the day and night
> to give help and aid where needed... The waterbearers making sure
> that everyone at every outdoor activity had water, pickles,
> oranges, and other liquids to drink... Horses and riders...the
> smells and sounds of the paddock... Society history being made
> with the first ever Joust...here..at *our* 25th Anniversary
> Celebration... Armored combatants...Rapier combatants... Archers
> and Crossbow shooters, Thrown weapons competitions, Bardcraft,
> and eversomuch more...
>
> Fireworks...!...a beautiful display, custom designed for us, that
> lasted more than 20 minutes...wonderful colors...thunderous
> reports of the aerial bombs...the Kingdom achievement in colored
> burning lights...and then the final "cannonade" of bombs and
> bursts that set every car alarm within miles to sounding...dogs
> to barking...horses to whinnying...*LoL*...neighbors to
> complaining... And causing many to state that they had never seen
> such a glorious display of fireworks *anywhere*...
>
> The Hafla and the Revels...the Renaissance Dance...the Balls...
> The late night "campfire" talks and bardic circles... The
> Swimming Pools and floating "jello shots"... The tales told,
> memories shared, and lies swapped....... Tales of love and
> hate...pain and joy shared...things bittersweet and sad and
> joyous... Stories of the past and plans for the future... Life
> shared...food and libation shared... Pride of being Ansteorran
> shared...
>
> The Food...the feast for **500**...fabulous. The Mead...the
> Ale...the Beer...the many many many bottles of "good things" that
> were passed around... Steaks grilled...stews made...breads...
> Breakfast, Lunch, Supper...and Midnight raids on the food...
> Trips to Wal-Mart...and the Dairy Palace... Sno-cones being made
> with Peach Brandy.... The Cordials...the coolers and ice chests
> full of the brewers art...and soon emptied I might add...
>
> Emergency runs in the night...leading EMS into the campgrounds on
> the golf cart...carrying injured folks back to camp...assisting
> those too drunk to stand to recover their senses... Chasing down
> intruders...Trailriders from the outside galloping through the
> campgrounds...kids on go-carts...Policemen assisting in
> "corralling" the interlopers... Gate crashers...firecrackers
> thrown into camps and the tavern... Dealing with frayed tempers
> and frayed nerves... Lost parents...lost children...dogs and
> cats...horses, parrots, and hawks...and more...eversomuch more...
>
> The sights, sounds, smells, the heat of the sun...the sound of
> distant thunder... The cool breezes at night...sometimes the buzz
> of mosquitoes... The feel of sand between the toes...grit in the
> air...dust... Humidity...the rustle of the leaves as the winds
> blew... Blue skies and white clouds... The shimmer of light on
> steel...banners snapping in the winds... Crickets and cicadas
> chirping and a-hum in the night... The touch of hand clasp in
> hand...comrades in arms... The taste of your Lady's or Lord's
> lips at day's end...smiles shared in the night... The cry of
> babies...the shouts of children at play... The clash of arms and
> the exclamations of victory and dismay at defeat... The pounding
> of horses hooves...the twang of bowstrings... Seeing old friends
> for the first time in years...and the making of new acquaintance
> and new friendships...
>
> Music from period instruments echoing in the Hall...and drifting
> through the encampments... Bards and Skalds and Troubadours...
> The clink of coin and mail...the clank of armor...the distant
> shimmer of light on coronets and crowns...
>
> What it means to be **Ansteorran**...was in the air...like the
> smell of good food wafting on the breeze...the tinkle of
> laughter...the sight of armored men and women vying for Honor on
> the field of combat... The sight of Pelicans, with beaks and
> webbed feet, and the "great egg" hatching a new Pelican...
>
> These things and more did I see and witness... I cannot find the
> words to tell all here and now... Find me at a fire some where
> and ply me with drink...*LoL*...and surely I will tell you tales
> and stories of those things I remember about our Kingdom's 25
> Year Celebration...
>
> I am proud to be a part of Raven's Fort, proud to have served at
> Ansteorra's 25th Year Celebration, and very proud to be
> Ansteorran...
>
>
> Your good neighbor...
>
>
>
>
> =====
> Wæs Þu Hæl in FriÞ through TroÞ
> Kief
> "Better the Hammer than the nail..."
> _______________________________________________
> Ravensfort mailing list
> Ravensfort at ansteorra.org
> http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/ravensfort
>




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