Amanda Makes a Bow

On Sunday Guy met Amanda at an SCA event and between customers, helped her to tiller and finish her bow.  Then everyone hung around after the event ended so Guy could make her a Flemish bowstring. Amanda made the bow for her local SCA archers to use as loaner gear. The other woman shooting the bow is her friend Andy. Santiago helps Andy put on a bracer.  Shooting your first longbow can make you feel like you are all thumbs, but Andy was able to shoot it.

Greenman Archery: Great Western War XIV Review

Greenman Archery: Great Western War XIV Review

Gary and Diane's Wedding

Two of our Paleoplanet friends just got married and I posted the photos here: Gary and Diane. Aimee and Sal were nice enough to carpool us up there to Ventura.

Alex also recently got married.  Congrats all around.

Paleo Gathering Wrap Up

Yesterday was our monthly Paleoplanet gathering. In spite of it being a beautiful day, we had a slow turn-out. But one guy wanted to come so bad he rode his bike an hour and a half to get there.  Then he wanted my help making a basket for a Boy Scout Badge. Then he worked on some leather work kerchief holders.

I worked on my 2nd beaded feather earring.  But mostly I played with Jack, who is almost a year old. His mom was happy to share him with me.  It is one week until his birthday.

Aimee was there with her sketchbook. Chris was busy figuring out how to dip arrows. Tom Mahr, John Scordo, David, and Guy were also there. Sal was away in Mexico visiting with family. Derrick and Ron both dropped by but didn't stay long. And Alex came on his motorcycle. The other Alex got married two weeks ago but he was there with his son doing archery.

Jack just learned how to walk. You should see him go.

Jack had on the cutest little moccasins. I want to make some. But I never seem to get around to it.
Sorry some of you couldn't make it. Hope to see you next month.

Special Archery Meeting

Our archery group met Saturday so we could all visit with Tim Baker, one of the author's of the Bowyer's Bible Vol. 1-4. He used to be a group regular but left to pursue photography and other interests.  But he's also my frisbee buddy and before anyone got him involved in making a new longbow, he was waving his bright pink disk around wanting me to come do some throws.  How could I refuse?
But it was a hot day and I was quickly overheated, and the archers were clamoring to get his help with the tillering tree. George took my place for a bit, then we all went back to our projects. 

Anyway, I don't want to talk too much about it; mostly I want to share the photos. 

Erick scrapes his first bow.

Badger makes a bowstring with a string board.

Barbara took this photo of me weaving on my popsicle stick loom.

Tim Baker

Sal and Guy work on projects.

Barbara and Ken's son needs a nap after all the excitement.

Spear chucking Women

Some people opted out of the group photo, so this is only about 3/4 of the people that came on Sunday.

On Sat. I got to teach my friends Rick and Lynn how to use an atlatl.  Rick made up a little ditty on the spot about how he loved spear chucking women.

Then on Sunday we had our usual monthly Paleoplanet gathering in Pasadena and I got to show my friend Marianne how to use an atlatl.  And I'm getting better too.  Two days of practice in a row really helped. My fletching is coming all undone so I had to re-tie it and re-glue it with Superglue, and it still came off again.  I'm hard on feathers, that's for sure. The fletching tape failed completely.

I also shot my bow and arrows and did pretty good until my arms started to get tired. Then I couldn't aim anymore and gave it up for the day.  We had a great turn-out even though it was Father's Day. I got to see Derrick and his new baby, and Ken and Barbara were there with baby Jack. Lots of people were there that I didn't know.  Mike was there with a woman spinner. My friend Tessa just got back from England so her and her mom came to work on bows.

Guy finished his bow and got to shoot it for the first time. Now comes the fun part of decorating it, adding a handle and putting on a finish.

We had people spinning, knitting, bowmaking, woodworking, log splitting, and spear chucking all day.
Happy times.

Derrick with a longbow

Ayana and son.

Mario's tiny arrows

What a great way to celebrate Father's Day

One of Mario's sons shows off his shell necklace.

Mike works on spinning

Our two archery babies

Guy shoots his new bow for the first time

Two spinners

Marianne tries the atlatl

Spear Chick

Lynn gives the atlatl a try

You never know when you might have to protect yourself from a wooly mammoth

Archery Meeting Got Moved

Ashton took this photo of my paleo juggling of rocks.

Making a leather quiver.

John working on a challenging bow.

Mario's boys found lots to keep them busy.

Sal and John figure out what to do next.

Sal working on a bow.

George trying to make a bow from a broom handle.

Archer

Time to go home

Barbara's son just waking up.

Guy working on his bow.

Saturday we went to the Paleoplanet gathering in Pasadena. It wasn't our usual day. We got bumped last Sunday because of the Pasadena marathon.  Being on a different day we had different issues to contend with, like no parking. And there was an archery class going on on the target we usually use.  But it didn't slow us down much.  Even with a slow turn-out we still made bows.  Mario brought his two boys, and they were a lot of fun.  Mario showed off the leather bow sock that Iliana had made him. And he had an awesome netted bag that he'd made from cordage. He had put together a beautiful longbow with bone nocks.

Several people were scraping bows from osage and hickory and other woods.
I made 3 crocheted washcloths for Mario's family.  I did some rock juggling.  I visited with Aimee even though she was under the weather and sitting a safe distance from everyone. Baby Jack brought his parents. They got there late after swinging by the leather store to pick up leather for some bowyers.

Jim from the roving archers asked us all to write letters to the city and make sure that when the archery contract comes up for renewal they know we don't want to lose our range. Neighbors overlooking the range have bitterly complained for years that we are mucking up their backyard Arroyo Seco. I already wrote the rough draft of my letter.  Just waiting for him to let us know where to send letters to before I type it up.

Next weekend is the open house art walk at Chris' place called PaleoArts down by San Diego. I'm looking forward to going to that.