We were saved from the perils of living atop Mt. Eislinn only by the good grace of Baron Tofi and the fast feet of Baron Langdon. With much gratitude, we moved our happy band of fifteen to the Serengeti and set up a mostly period camp in our traditional spot on the corner of Brewers and Fletchers. The moat guards were happy to be back too.
Land grab week was filled with work, followed by more work and a bit of service when we weren't actually working. The heat made us all a bit silly. Instead of fighting this urge, we gave in wholeheartedly. The possible menu for an Iron Chef - SPAM Battle brought us many hours of diversion. The number of dishes we actually came up with was astonishing. The ones we concluded most likely to be used in an actual taping of the show were - salt crust SPAM, mu goo gai SPAM, hot and spicy Szechwan SPAM, and SPAM gelatin sorbet. Another heat induced game was the "beer flower". The camp next to us had a large plastic pinwheel type flower that had one odd colored petal. When the mismatched petal stopped at the top, we all screamed, "Beer" and added one to the number of beers the camp "owed" us. While much of the fun came in looking up and catching the petal in a favorable position, the other half was in knowing the camp next door was clueless about why we all would periodically look at their camp and yell "Beer". In our heat forced boredom, we also realized that our cooking spit formed a frame around the back of the encampment and any activity that occurred within the frame was dubbed Serengeti TV. We were treated to episodes of "My Favorite Urchin" and a 12 hour marathon of "Survivor: Serengeti."
Evenings during land grab week were a time to do all of the things there never seems to be enough time to do at events. One thing we all look forward to Pennsic for is cooking delicious meals over an open fire followed by quiet conversation with friends till the embers die. Our camp was dubbed "Aengus MacBain's home for wayward retainers and kingdom officers" as so many of those gentles joined us for dinner and sanctuary. Much appreciated was the visit from Eugene of Ansteorra, Darryl of Caid, and Fritz of Trimaris.In exchange for their dinner they provided entertainment. Their talented voices raised in song, the announcement of the dinner hour and menu on "Radio Free AEthelmearc" and the lively conversation was a highlight of Pennsic. Many thanks to our dinner guests the night of the wind storm. With strength and might the noble lords held fast the canopy above our heads while the gentle ladies carried on normal conversation which eased the fears of the young children in camp.
As the numbers of attendees at Pennsic grew, so did the responsibilities of House Singing Stone. The archery range saw more of our house members than we did in camp. Scribes from all over the known world came to visit and learn. Mornings were often spent standing guard at the AEthelmearc gate. While most of the lords of the House were armed with live steel, Eibhlin found a glass pen a far more intimidating weapon. It must have worked, for it was Aengus & Eibhlin who foiled Sir Gregory of Lochac in his attempt to spirit away His Majesty's personal banner.
Monday night of War week found the encampment filled with smiling faces to witness as Sir Kadan took his first Squire, Lord Georg. Over the years, Georg had turned down several offers to become squired. It is a testament to the power of friendship over position that he waited for Kadan to become knighted so he could stand by his side as his squire. This was a long awaited and quite moving ceremony.
House Singing Stone stood proud in the field and on the ranges at Pennsic, in service to our kingdom as participants of allied tournaments. Sir Kadan was chosen to compete in the Allied Champions Battle (heavy weapons), His Lordship Jacopo shot well on the Allied Champions Archery Team, and Lady Anna represented us on the thrown weapons range. The House rallied as the fighters took to the woods and field for heavy weapons battles as participants and marshals. As can be expected in any hobby that involves hitting folks with sticks, there were some injuries. By the end of War, Kadan was able to remove the band aid on his nose to reveal a nicely healing cut and a tan line of impressive contrast. Aengus received an injury to his ribs during the second field battle, but we were pleased to find that they were only bruised and not broken. Many thanks to those who showed concern and asked after our fighters. House Singing Stone would especially like to "thank" the gentle/s who acknowledged the injuries by marking the wounds of the fighters with band aids placed on our House banner. Would the person/s responsible for changing the lion rampant of House Singing Stone into Boo Boo Kitty, please step forward to receive appropriate recognition?
Learning at Pennsic is almost as important as fighting and doing service. Many in camp took every opportunity to take or teach a class. Most of us picked up hard to come by materials and books at the merchants. Some things we learned that were not in the class list: Yellow fire that moves is a good heat source, but not good for cooking - Dust has been declared a new food group - Hot and cold running water in camp is a GOOD thing.
To the relief of most, Pennsic XXX closed quietly. The House pulled together and packed up in record time. Amid hugs, we promised to do it all again next year. With fond memories and Pennsic loot in tow, we all left for home.