Bert Adams Boy Scout Camp
Shire of Depedale
5-7 April 2024
On the 5th of May, 2024, I travelled to Meridies Spring Coronation at Camp Bert Adams in Covington, GA. The event host was the Shire of Depedale. There, I witnessed the conclusion to the reign of Timothy III and Ysmay III as well as the crowning of their heirs, Sebastianos II and Morgan II.
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| Photo courtesy of me. |
The journey late in the evening that Friday was a uneventful as it can be when travelling through the busy Barony of South Downs to reach my destination.
There are times when I feel my age. This weekend was one of those times. While my exuberance was still there for the fight, I felt the creep of weariness upon me. I confess this as I am not sure that I was my jovial self and it may have impacted some of my interactions during the event. While I have made efforts to be more social at events, breaking away from my more insular tendencies, I think I fell into moments where I just didn’t want to ‘people’ or where I was just numb to polite conversation. So, my mood may not have reflected the best version of me.
Once onsite, I setup my truck to be my sleeping place for the weekend. During the week prior, Ellen and I reviewed options that did not include ‘setup a full camp late on a Friday evening after driving’ for just me. I don’t typically do cabins due to allergies. Setting up a tent or going to a hotel have been my go to for the past bit for these quick trips. We came up with the idea of putting a twin mattress in the back of my truck and I found a ‘tent’ that mounted to the truck over the open camper and tailgate. The end result is a reasonable solution for ‘quick camping’ with a comfortable and dry place to sleep. The setup takes me 10 minutes or so and I’m ready to sleep. Coronation was my first time using this concept and I think it’ll be my go to for quick, overnight event camping going forward.
Once I had the truck camper setup, I threw on a tunic and went to hangout at Owen Seis’ vigil to socialize a little before bed. My alter ego ‘Don Eoin’ (making it’s way from the Excelsior Camp at Gulf Wars) was a topic of discussion around the fire making for some good fun and improving my mood after the drive. In good spirits, fatigue of the day caught up with me eventually. I made it maybe an hour before I was totally drained and made my way back to the truck for sleep.
A note concerning vigil’s... I don’t normally go to ‘speak’ with the candidate during a peerage vigil. I’ve never felt it is my place. I am not a peer. I am just a guy who has played the game a while. In my mind, the vigil is a place for wise counsel from the peerages and a time of reflection. Me coming in and saying ‘congrats’ seems like a waste of that moment of import. Just my two cents.
The morning of the 6th was focused on the final court of the current reign and the first court of the new. While I failed to sign up for any official royal entourage roles this event, I came into the hall and found that nothing had been setup for the first court. To that end, I jumped in and started setup. Initially by myself, eventually other gentles arrived (including HRM Timothy) to get the stage set for the last court. The work kept me busy and gave me purpose, which is one of my habitual go to’s at events. Finding something that needs to be done and just doing it. No one asked, I just saw a need and had a good idea what needed to be done. It’s not for everyone, it’s really just something for me that fills a need I have. I mention this just as a reminder that you don’t have to have an assigned job to help at an event. Sometimes things just get missed and need to be done. Doing these things may or may not result in recognition. That’s not the point. The play must go on. It takes all of us pitching in to make it happen.
I stood with their Excellencies’ Glaedenfeld during the last court of Timothy III and Ysmay III as entourage. They probably didn’t need me, but it was the best seat in the house. I witnessed three elevations and heard the schtick related to the end of reign ‘offing’ of the current royalty as is custom in Meridies. This iteration of Timothy and Ysmay turned out to be suspected Nosferatu. A crowd people (think pitchforks and torches) ushered them away from the throne to make way for the incoming heirs. There were many awards given out in between the elevations and scenes related the planned schtick with rabble rousers’ claiming that ‘something just wasn’t right’ with the King and Queen…. They don’t like silver… The sun bothers them… they have a taste for blood… etc. It was good fun. The court was long, as they sometimes can be. The last court of the reign is an integral part of the process and a main theme of the coronation event.
The first court of Sebastianos II and Morgan II was short. The crowns were set upon their heads and the days planned activities soon commenced. Their second court would be held during the Hellenistic festval feast later in the afternoon. After the early courts, I made ready for martial activities.
The Order of the Sable Sword and Order of the Legio Ursi were both hosting tournaments. To that end, I got geared up and went to the fighting field to take my place with my orders in support of the effort. There were just three of us representing both orders. There were 12 to 15 in armor participating. Almost half of those there were newer fighters. Almost half of the fighters were left handed. I enjoyed having all the new fighters out there. Got to fight a lot. I was having to scale up and down for the varying levels of experience. I worked with the top caliber of fighter in Duke Boru and the knights, Sir Pietro and Sir Richard, down to fighters with less that a year in armor. We had a couple of 17yr olds in kit. It was a broad range, rarely seen at an event. The fighting was fun. I was able to teach some melee lessons. I got to work a little with some individuals. I think there was something for everyone. It was a pleasant afternoon on the field.
The late afternoon I attended the Hellenistic festival and got myself some feast from ‘below the salt’. The 'feeling old thing' hit me right after this started. The hall (which is a beautiful place) was loud. Too loud for me. For the past several years, I think I have developed a bit of misophonia that rears its head from time to time. Lucky for me the main hall has two big rooms and I was able to retreat to the ‘quiet’ room. It was still noisy, but not as noisy as the main hall. Bram was in charge of the ‘below the salt’ feast. He administered a smoked meat/Asian fusion meal that was very tasty and appetizing. I was able to sit and eat with Brenton and Culom. We had some good discussion over our meal. As the evening drove on, several others came to the ‘quiet’ hall and I was able to get some quality social time on the books. As the evening drew late, I retired to my camper for sleep. The night sky with covered with smoky clouds and twinkle of stars as I closed my eyes.
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| Photo courtesy of me. |
I awoke at the break of dawn and was on the road quickly after due to the ease of my camping solution. I bid farewell to Camp Bert Adams and headed for the northern passes to home.
My time at coronation was enjoyable. I reflected on how things have changed over the years. I can remember the event being nothing but courts, meetings and revels. Now, the event tries to be what it was and also more like a typical event doing all the things. I almost think the older event style, minus all the meetings, is a better format. Sometimes, I think the populace needs an opportunity to just hang out. Coronation used to kind of be like that, at least for fighters. I think I miss that a little.
Well met friends. Safe journey to thee!
Baron Eoin Mac Cana called 'Clyde'
Squire to Earl Benen MacTire
Warden of the Northern PlateauShire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies
