[NR] Life is good in the North! (longish)

[Chris Backus]

Ya know,

Several good people have been posting postive things to try to
overcome some of the negativity which has appeared to overwhelm the
North (despite the fact that things just really aren't that negative).
I'm not going to post something postive because of that.  I'm going to
post something positive because I just got done unloading my truck
from this weekend and I just had to smile.

Why?  Well, I'm not that material a person... but everybody likes good
stuff.  I was realizing how much good stuff I've been given (and I'm
only mentioning some small part of what I've been given, because I
can't keep up with it all).  Given because some groups in the North
are just too damned nice to me.  They hold a tournament so I can have
fun and then give me stuff because I had fun the longest that day.
I've been champion for a few of the groups up here.  Each one of them
has been really special.  Wastelands was the first tournament I ever
won.  Now this Shire has been my home for as long as I've lived
anywhere in my adult life.  Wastelands gave me some really nice feast
gear.  Then, my Don's lady made me a great box to carry it in.  My Don
made me a bed to sleep in at events (that wasn't even for winning
anything, just out of the kindness of his heart - I love that man!).
Aldric made me a buckler with my Hawk on it, which is so cool some of
you will never see it because I'm afraid to fight with it 'cause I
don't want it to get dinged.  Wastelands also gave me a flexi-dagger
at a Games.  It wandered off at a Wastelands Demo, which is at least
circular, like life should be.  I won Namron next.  It's special for a
lot of reasons.  I first learned to fight in Namron.  It was my home
when I was in College.  It was the town where my wife and I rented our
first house and lived together for our first few years after getting
married.  Some very special people live in Namron (that's kind of the
theme of this thing, if you didn't notice : )  Namron gave me some
great feast gear too.  I'm very proud of it and you can tell when I'm
bragging, because I'll be drinking out of a yellow mug.  Tarl gave me
a knife, pretty much out of the kindness of his heart.  I won the
Mooneschadowe insegnante tournament when I came back to the SCA after
a break.  They were my other College home.  They taught me a bunch.
If you've lived in Mooneschadowe, you kinda know what I mean - it's
like one big family there.  They gave me lots of stuff.  I unloaded my
armor bag (but then loaded it again, I'm going to do some fencing in
Mooneschadowe this weekend) and it has my eclipsed sun gloves in it.
They gave me some neat goblets too, but more importantly they gave me
their friendship.  Northkeep is going through a lot right now.  I
didn't notice it diminish their hospitality any.  Tim and Therese made
a ring dagger with my Ermine spots cut into the hilts.  It's so
spiffy, I can't hardly believe it.  I think Sigen mighta put em up to
it : )  Eldern gave me a metal goblet, with the date of the tourney
etched into it.  When I won their Schlager tourney, they gave me a
table.  The table kinda started me grinning when I unloaded it, so
blame Eldern for your garbaged up inbox!

This isn't all the stuff I've been given, not by a longshot, but I
can't keep track of half of it no matter how much I love it.

I wanted to win Wiesenfeur, but Modius outdid me that day and Tim
would have if Modius hadn't.  I still love the people.  I haven't
gotten close to winning Brad Leah, but Octavia and Dafydd are close
enough to my heart that I'm surprised I haven't bust something trying.
Rundel has the distinction of being the first (and so far only) place
I've tried on heavy armor.  They didn't hurt me, so of course I love
them.  I'm moving to Falcon's Ridge next (or that part of Eldern which
once was and may someday be Falcon's Ridge) so I'll tell you what I
think of them next time : )

Anyway, what I'm trying to get out is this is the damn best place to
live in the world.  Maybe I can see that clearly because I've got
orders out, so I know I'll only be here until Spring, I've got to
appreciate it while I can.

Thank you all for teaching me what the SCA is about.  I started
learning from you before I was (quite) legal to fight.  I hope I've
been able to pass on some small amount of the magic I've found in this
game and in this region.  I love you all.

Hawkins

forgive the theft of the title