Archery Academy was a lovely, intimate event. I tend to go to the big ones – Crown, 12th Night, An Tir/ West War – so it was a fun change to have just 150 of my closest friends relaxing in a lush, green setting. I was a lot less busy at this event, too – usually I am teaching classes or working hard on Merchant Row. This weekend I manned my booth, but mostly sewed while enjoying quality time with pals who dropped by to visit and chat.
It was a very kid-oriented event for us. We brought our girl Morgan, and Drusa brought her daughter Macy. The pair of 13 year old red-heads had a blast running around the site. There were a passel of younger children, mostly boys, who played with boffer weapons in the central field most of Saturday.
Caius attended the adult archery 101 class himself, then took the girls to one for kids. They also attended classes in leather carving and pouch-making. Drusa cooked an incredible concoction of chicken and mushrooms for us on her grill. As a professional woodworker, she couldn’t resist taking time out to chat with the other wood artisans who were teaching bow and arrow construction. Making new friends in the Society is the best!
The intense heat finally got to us… we fled to a nearby swimming hole for some “period air conditioning” for a few hours.
That night, as the adults gathered at the tavern, we collected all the mini-SCAdians around our fire. We made s’mores and told ghost stories and bad jokes until the yawning took over. It was a terrific evening under the stars.
Sunday morning, we packed up our tents and gear, listening to the girls excitedly making plans for next year. Success! We’ve started the next generation off right…
Yours in service,
Tullia Saturnina
Arts & Sciences Minister, Barony of Three Mountains
