Lots of New Bowyers in the Making

Ready to make bows from boards.

Gabriella finishes her first bow.

Guy explains the process.

Now to get everything all drawn out.

Oops, splinter.  Always keep a pair of tweezers handy when working on wood.

Bow horse and splinter removal

Yesterday we had a great turn out at the archery range. Four young ladies showed up to make bows. So Bill helped them out by donating boards, and Guy helped them lay out the lines and get started. Gabriella was there and she finished the bow she started 2 months ago. It looked fantastic but turned out too light for her draw. It will make a great present to someone with a weaker set of shoulders. She'll have to make a new bow for herself. Or cut off the tips to make the bow stiffer.  Guy helped her put together a bow string.

Terry was working on his bow, but he got a little heavy handed and dug in too deep.  I don't think his bow can be saved. It's a learning curve.

John Scordo brought a bow he made that was the most beautiful laminated bow I have ever seen. Hopefully I got a good photo of it so I can show you. It's hard shooting photos in the shade.  A lot of them don't come out. Somewhere my camera is buried in yesterday's tote bags.

Guy tests out John's bow.

John explains how he made it.

Ken and Barbara weren't there because she's just about ready to bring a new life into the world. It's too dicey to be that far from home in case that little thing called labor starts.  We wish the Villars family the best with their new arrival.

Lizard sunning itself on a rock.

Me in my wet bandana and sunhat.

Stalking a squirrel

 Gabriella finishing her longbow.

See you all next month.

The Brave Youth Archery Event

With the recent influences of the movie Hunger Games and Brave, we found ourselves invited to participate in this upcoming archery event.  Don't forget to register in advance. This is not at our usual range, so be sure you drive to the right place. Also, if I know your kid in real life and you leave a comment below, I'll be one of your sponsors. I see I've posted this before the RovingRangers.com site has put up the info, so check back in a few days.

Source: img.photobucket.com via Theodora on Pinterest

Chamberlain Ranch Shoot in April 2012

I may get to go to the Chamberlain Ranch Shoot. Oh goody! I haven't been in years but this year we are getting a cat sitter I hope. It's a 3-D archery shoot over hill and dale on a private ranch. If you go, find us at the Greenman Archery booth. My boyfriend will be there either way, but hopefully I'll get to go too this time.

I wish I could buy my boyfriend a new kilt for it here: http://www.utilikilts.com/store/kiltsaresexy 

One year another archer in a kilt had a booth right across from us. He made leather quivers. Hope he is there too. Kilts and archery just go so well together.

Gene Foster Recap

It's good to be home. I was pretty tired after the Gene Foster Traditional Archery Rendezvous. Seems I'm allergic to sleeping in a tent in 27 degree weather. So I never actually did any archery. I was too tired to be running around with pointy objects.




I was inspired however, and first thing this morning I went to the leather shop and got some leather to make a new quiver. My canvas quiver is rather an embarrassment and is falling apart after several years of use.



This event had everything I love about events and everything I hate.



On the plus side:

1. I met fun new people

2. I got to know old friends better

3. I got to meet my friend's new baby Jack

4. I got some exercise hiking over hill and dale

5. The weather was perfect during the day times

6. We had great food cooked in our campsite

7. I saw some amazing archery

8. My friends won some raffle prizes

9. There was a great jam session with banjo, guitar, flutes, and drums on Sat. night

10. Our booth earnings paid for our trip



On the minus side:

1. The drunken idiots that kicked us out of the clubhouse at 10 PM so they could shoot arrows indoors.

2. The member's only indoor bathroom and showers (don't invite guests unless they can use the facilities.

That's four days without a hot shower if anyone is counting).

3. Sore losers who got mad when their friend didn't win the best arrow design contest.

4. Freezing temperatures at night and nowhere to escape from them.

5. Charlie horses...why do I always get those when I'm camping.

6. Musical chairs. I got up to get my dinner in the clubhouse, and someone else pushed all my stuff aside and sat in my chair. My friend got up to get seconds and someone stole his chair entirely, even though his wife was sitting right next to it.

7. Another vendor was selling beaded earrings just like I was. Only hers were $2.00 a pair. And I hear she goes every year so people just assume they can buy her stuff for next to nothing.

8. I was so exhausted with all the packing, booth setting up, booth tearing down, re-packing, and unpacking, I was too tired to do much of anything else.

9. Old men telling tall tales. Did you know big foot was dropped here by aliens?

10. Cuts and bruises from setting up and tearing down camp.



Ah well, that's the best of it and the worst of it.
Would I go back to this event again? Probably not unless I buy an RV some day. It's just too far, too cold, and I didn't really feel welcome there. If I'm just going to meet with friends and shoot arrows, there are much closer venues to do that.

Paleoplanet Members Meet for the April Gathering in Pasadena CA

The April get together last Sunday was fabulous. Perfect weather, a medium sized turn-out so we weren't overcrowded, and a kite chasing a red tail hawk. Someone who found us on the Internet showed up. Her name is Kate and she got her first chance ever to shoot a bow from Steve aka Badger.

Kate and Badger

I worked on my Japanese braiding with the kit I bought at the SCA collegium a week ago. It's working, but the bobbins quickly got into a tangled mess and I'm sure there must be a better way.

When I got two frustrated with the Japanese braiding, I switched to needlepunch and worked on my moon and stars design. I freehand draw all my designs in pencil on the back of the fabric.

I taught Paige some embroidery stitches a month ago and I'll be darned if she didn't find some info on the Internet for blackwork and she's already doing a fancy border for her first SCA garb. Paleoplanet isn't affiliated with the SCA but we have some crossover from people who belong to both groups.

Close up of Paige's Embroidery Project

Michael got David going on some chainmail.   And I worked on my needlepunch some too.

David working on chainmaile.

Michael working on a bow.

Aimee came a bit later and did some sketching and worked on some other projects. She brought some gourd canteens she'd made that were gorgeous.

Aimee's canteen gourds.

Aimee and Guy doing archery together.

There was a lot of bowmaking going on too. And some people got in some practice with slings. We are an eclectic bunch and there is always something new to do and learn.

Sal has helped many beginning bowyers.

Barbara was knitting a  blue baby sweater. She's new to knitting so when she got a little lost on how to do the sleeves, she crocheted them instead. That's exactly why I try to get knitters to learn crochet and vice versa. The more skills the better, right?

Barbara designed this baby sweater.

I took photos. I'll add some here. I'd point you to the thread on http://paleoplanet.net/, but sadly, any link I put will just dump you on the top of the forum and you'd have to do some digging under the primitive bows thread to find them.

Can you believe we have this much fun for free? All you have to do is show up. If you plan to make a bow though, contact Tom Mills or Ken and get a list of what to bring to make your bow out of. We have some loaner tools, or you can bring your own spokeshave, drawknife, and sanding and scraping tools. Ken usually brings a tillering tree.

See you next month.

March 17 Paleoplanet Gathering Photos

We had a good time last Sunday out at the Pasadena Arroyo. It was a chilly overcast day and the sun only poked out it's smiling face a few times, but we were just happy it didn't rain. We were busy making bows, atlatl darts, beadwork, gourd water bottles, quivers and all those things we love to work on. This weekend many of us are going to the Sierras to an event called Springville and in a few weeks the atlatl throwers are off to an event in NV called Valley of Fire. So much to do, so little time.

Bowyers Meet in Pasadena, CA

The rain never showed up on Sunday to ruin our archery meeting, of which I was very thankful. I worked on a kokopelli leather patch for my new snake gourd quiver. My friend just got married and she was making a wooden spoon with the help of her husband.

My bf worked on his hickory bow and actually got it up on the tillering tree to make some measurements.

Jon even got the day off from his REI job so he could come to the meeting. I think he's missed the last 3 gatherings.

New arrows were everywhere. Mario's wife received the valentine's arrows that were auctioned off in the Paleoplanet.net auction. She was out shooting them right away.
It got pretty chilly by 4:30 so we packed it in and headed to dinner at my bf's mom's house.

I just found out there is a Pasadena in TX so I guess now I'll have to tag things Pasadena, CA.

Raffle to Send an Archer to Bulgaria

Our archery group at http://www.paleoplanet.net is auctioning off cool things to raise money to send an archer to Bulgaria. My boyfriend donated 4 things so far. Once you get to Paleoplanet, scroll down to TRADE BLANKET and look for RAFFLE in the titles. His custom arrows went for $150. But he still has other items available. Other members are raffling off things too.