Conflicting Events on Sunday

I'm going to miss Sunday's Paleoplanet gathering at the Pasadena arroyo. I have an SCA event in Van Nuys, CA that day. At first I thought the SCA event was on Saturday so I was hoping to go to both.

I missed last month's as well because I was up visiting my daughter and meeting my new granddaughter. So much to do, so little time. That's how spring is for me. Today I have a to do list as long as my arm so I better get cracking.

I'm not really trying to poke her eye.

Maggie, my granddaughter and Kyle

My grandson Weston on the left, and Barbara's son Jack on the right.

Archery the Old Fashioned Way

Archers warming up.

Closing court. Handing out the awards.

My SCA friends had a big archery event on Sat. and I thought I'd share some of my photos. I wish I'd thought to have someone take my photos shooting my self bow that Richard Saffold made.

Wand shoot.  Yellow is five, blue is 3 and nothing else counts.

A blown self nock.  This is why we reinforce them with horn.

Crossbow and bolts.

Arrow Raffle Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered our arrow raffle for Njall's widow. More details here: http://greenmanarchery.blogspot.com/2012/02/arrow-raffle-results.html. The winner was a local SCA member named Cecelia Medici. She runs the thrown weapon events so she needs all the weapons she can get right?

Opening Court Robin Hood Tourney

Guy Taillear wins a service award for archery.

 

Raffle number drawing for a benefit.

Busy Week

Right now I'm painting a banner for the archery booth with the Green Man on it. Friday is Guy's birthday (Friday the 13th). Saturday there is an SCA archery event. Sunday is the Paleoplanet gathering in Pasadena and a birthday dinner.  Sheesh, when it rains it pours. That ought to keep me busy.

You can barely see the drawing on the banner. But you can at least see what size it is.

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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.

Chilly Day But We Worked on Bows Anyway

I really enjoyed our Paleoplanet gathering last Sunday. Baby Jack and Baby Quincy both brought their moms and dads. Quincy's mom brought red velvet cupcakes.

I got some help with my whittling from Tom Mahr. He said I could keep the book to finish my rooster that I'm carving out of a branch. He set me up with all the tools I need.  Very generous of him.
Tom Mills came by for a little while, though he was pretty tired from his trip to Florida. Lots of new people dropped by to work on bows and ask questions. Here are some of the photos I took.

I ran into some of my SCA friends as well. They had a practice on the other range. We have a tourney on Sunday but with a 60% chance of rain forecast it may get postponed or canceled. We have arrows to deliver at that event so I hope the weather clears up.

Queen's Champion Archery Recap SCA

We came back a day early from Queen's Champion Archery at Live Oak Park. Bad weather and low attendance are the kiss of death for vendors.

It wasn't a total waste though. I got to throw axes, knives and spears, and shoot some arrows. I got authorized by the SCA in thrown weapons, which I'm very excited about.  And for the performance portion of the test, I threw one axe, it stuck in the target and she passed me!   Ace!

Those people are very interested in atlatls, so I really need to hone my atlatl skills so I can do a demo for them soon. I need to take my atlatls to every paleoplanet gathering from now on or I'll never get better. I have no place to practice in my apt. complex. The neighbors would flip out.

It was a long drive home last night. Guy is still tuckered out and sleeping in. He did most of the tear down yesterday with the heavy stuff. My back was none too happy. In cold weather my hips and back ache and lifting is difficult. When I do less, Guy has to do more. Either that or we need to kidnap helpers.

I had a good time with Rino and Joshua, two new SCA friends. Both of them are fine archers. I was wiped out immediately in the double elimination but they went on shooting and Rino ended up in second place, losing out to an archer named James.

There was also an equestrian competition. The horses were in all their finery. But I decided events for me are about doing, not watching, and by the time I was done with the archery competition and lunch, all the lovely horses were done and on the way to their trailers. Darn it all, I wanted to take photos of them too.

So then I got to watch the thrown weapons competition. A big guy in a kilt was amazing with all three weapons. I believe his name is Angus. I'll post photos whenever I find my camera. We still need to unload the truck.

Steampunk and Archery

I have been tossing around an idea of making a Steampunk archery kit. Copper colored arrows with copper tips, a bow with metal tips and a copper grip.  A hip quiver with cogs and wheels and clockworks. I've never seen such a thing, and I don't know if I can pull it off, but I can try.

And while I'm here, I have some photos of last Sunday's Paleoplanet gathering in Pasadena, CA where Dr. Stickle talked about the clovis point that was found in Malibu a few years ago.

Chris and Carrie demonstrate how to use an atlatl. 

Roland shares his loom beadwork.

A guest tries out the atlatl for the first time.

I shot 99 arrows.

Carl in the plaid shirt is a well known SCA archer (Carollus). 

Next to him in the white jacket is Dr. Stickle.

The man with his arms crossed is Tom Mills co-founder of Paleoplanet.net.

Sorry I don't know the names of the rest of the guests.