Clyde's Travels - Pennsic LI

Cooper's Lake Event Venue and Campground
205 Currie Rd, Slippery Rock, PA 16057
July 27 - August 11, 2024

Pennsic LI, Day 1 - We left the Cumbrian lands early this morning. The travel was grey in appearance but bright in mood. Our journey, uneventful, carried us to the gates of the great Pennsic War. We were greeted by rain upon our arrival. Troll in was expedient and a beautiful site token was presented for our passage through the gates. We found our spot, booth 49 at the corner of Woad and Broadway, mostly as we left it except for one new addition of a freezer to the building behind. Things will be a little tighter, but doable. We setup tents in rain. Marek and Sybilla came by to help. As luck would have it, we came up short on a part of a center pole. But, Sir Marek saved the day with lumber and saw and we were set right in short order. As we established a place to sleep and cover over our head we both felt weariness creeping upon us. We sat under cloudy sky for a bit of rest as a couple of gents came by to chat with the good Earl for a bit. I came close to nodding off a couple of times, but the conversation was lovely and company was good. Long day. Tired. But, we are here. A dry cot and cool evening calls me to sleep. Good night, friends.

Pennsic LI, Day 2 - the day was moist. Considerably so. I managed to get some java and a breakfast roll from the camp store before the fun began. The heavens opened up and the main tent just wasn’t having any of it. It tried really hard to just give up. So, in the heavy rain, the good Earl and I chased runaway tent stakes, slack ropes and sagging canvas. Bolstering the tent with insult, muttering and mallet to good effect. We prevailed. The tent was righted. We were soaked. Eventually the rain subsided and we dove in on setup of the tent to merchant, building fixtures, and unpacking boxes. Marek and Sybilla came to help. The extra hands had us in good order in no time. Later in the afternoon, The good Earl welcomed his new minion. Seems like he has a thing going with the avians here. We conversed late into the evening, before more rain started. So very moist today.

Pennsic LI, day 3: Today, we opened the Renaissance Arts & Design booth business at the corner of Woad and Broadway, near the Ice Cream shop. It was a hot day here, the sunshine was welcomed after the previous days soaking. Stayed behind on hydration all day long. This was evidenced by the extreme wicking of my linen tunic. I almost looked and felt as wet as I was yesterday from standing in the rain. No joke. We got everything in packed and ready for new homes. The shirts all looked eager to fly and many did. I bought rattan today, for folks back home and myself, from Master Erik at Munitions Grade Arms. As I walked the bundle back to camp, I was greeted with calls of ‘save some for the rest of us’ and ‘someone’s been shopping’. It was an impressive bundle. Not bragging or anything. Saw a bard today. Bingo. Adding that to my vampire and twin-tailed balding fox man from yesterday. The good Earl and I closed shop in the late afternoon and supped at the Beast and Boar. Good food and conversation. The evening drew to a somewhat quiet close, both of us a little weary from the heat I think. Good night.

Pennsic LI, Day 4 - today ended up being another hot one. Cooler temps expected tomorrow along with some rain possible. Hope it won’t be the deluge we had on Tuesday. Good company today. Many Benen friends came through today with stories and conversation. We chatted about all manner of things in our idle time. Business was a bit slower. Lesson learned today from a merchant perspective, knowing the Pennsic Mayor and staying in good graces with them is important. They are all powerful and can be benevolent or an enemy of awesome might. Do not be ‘that guy’ in their presence. Did some fabric scouting today. Will go back after the front passes for purchases. Pretty much anything a person could want for SCA kit can be found here. This is the original ‘Mall of the Society’. Reasonable deals are to be had on quality merch. We got groceries and cooked today. Was a nice close to the day. Muggy tonight. The air is heavy. The camp is quiet. Good night, sweethearts, good night.

Pennsic LI, Day 5 - Stormy last night. That, combined with loud neighbors, had my sleep messed up. Oh well. Morning started out with some rain that evolved into a cloudy start for the day. By the afternoon, partly cloudy sky’s and cooler temperatures were established. Spent the day in the shop. Busier today with many new arrivals coming through. The booth was right and tight. Played with some panoramic photos on my phone during a brief lull in the action. Bingo points scored today for elves, a Tolkien dwarf and pirates on a ship. We had to have a judges ruling on a possible wizard yesterday. Ruling was that a wizard needs at least 3 points of authenticity. A pointy hat and grey beard are not enough. The Pennsic mafia, lest they be forgotten, have started making thier rounds. Collections have started. I was also able to catch the cries of youths peddling the Pennsic newsletter. Things are in full tilt here now and Pennsic has a head of steam for next week. Due to the convenience of the camp store and its good selection of fresh produce, we have been able to get salads for dinner a couple of nights this week. There’s a good selection of fresh options there. It’s nice to have some healthy choices. After supper, we went to the Stahlgeist camp to hang out for a bit. Lots of old Pennsic stories were shared over drinks. The good Earl and I returned to our own camp for a night cap of herbal tea and conversation. We had a nice relaxed day. Here’s to hoping the rain holds off in the AM. Good night.

Pennsic LI, Day 6 - it was another supremely moist day. Water fell from the sky most of the day and into the afternoon. We had a little scrambling to do, trying to keep merch and our gear dry. But, success was achieved. Her Excellency Tanis, matriarch of the good Earl’s chivalric lineage, paid us a visit and sat a spell while the heavens rumbled. Pleasant conversation was had and spirits lifted. Duchess Maisie visited and surprised me with a pendant in honor of my writ to Pelican. Nothing like an unexpected gift from an unexpected source to liven your mood and make a grey day brighter. The front passed and sun shown in the later afternoon. We stayed open a little longer today due to the ‘rain delay’ posed by today’s showers. People were out shaking off their stir craziness and we had a nice blitz of traffic for a bit. We added to our bingo card today with a pair of porn-stashed squires straight out of the 1970’s SCA and a Japanese Reta cosplay (I had to have Benen explain that one to me). I gifted the good Earl ‘The Clapper’ today. He installed it and has been clapping his lights on and off all evening to much amusement for us both. Had some tasty Lamb from The Beast and Boar. Mmmmm. We strolled the north merchant area after dinner. I found that Carolina Calicoes was open and launched a FaceTime with Ellen to shop their fabric. Was a good experience with even the merchant staff helping to answer her questions. There was a beautiful sunset this evening. The air is cool tonight. Should make for good sleeping. Goodnight all.

Pennsic LI, Day 7 - Nice day today. Warmish, but manageable. Steady flow of business through the booth. The Trimaris Royals came through with retinue. Finally got to see our esteemed cousin, Sir Severin today. He was part of the retinue contingent. Always good to see him. Made a quick run to Ash and Griffin Pottery to pickup a tankard for Ellen. Quality product, we do recommend. The good Earl and I picked up sundries and ate in camp again. Was easy and filling. Heard an out of context announcement of ‘Hey, you dropped an ear’ as we were about. We both started laughing. Silly elves. I came to the realization that large fighting households are a product of large war events. That’s probably why Meridies doesn’t really have any big fighting households anymore. We don’t have any big in kingdom wars to build from. It’s also probably why we mostly fight as kingdom army when we attend Gulf Wars. I feel the Trimaris people are adopting me as one of their own. I am sure it is mostly from being in the good Earls aura and wake. It is cool to be seen and known by people outside of my normal circle. We had a large group crash our quiet space this evening. Lots of friends, new and old. Stories of travels and feats of daring and intrigue were regaled over drink in the torchlight. A very nice close to the evening.

Pennsic LI,Day 8 - Good weather today. Sales were brisk. The highlight of today was the elevation of our friend, Sir Marek, to the Order of the Pelican in the evening. The good Earl was acting as a worthy for the Chivalry. I was just along for the show. He wrote down and practiced his lines a good part of the afternoon. We discussed the concept of ‘worthies’ later in the evening. Unsure when the practice started, and opinions vary, for a person to stand before the court during an elevation ceremony and provide a testimony of worthiness. The current common practice is for all the peerages including royals and sometimes populace representatives to stand and provide commentary toward the vigilant’s worthiness. There were beautiful cloud formations at sunset that I got some snaps of while waiting for the ceremony to start. I sat, for the first time ever, in a vigil counsel with Marek after Benen urged me to follow and attend. I’ve never felt I had anything to say to a person on vigil. Guess it’s something I need to learn now. So, I sat with Marek and Benen and listened to the advice Benen gave to Marek. When I asked, I offered something simple and what I thought was sound guidance. Wasn’t too hard and was a bit easier with the familiarity shared between us. Marek’s situation is similar to mine. He was an ‘at large’ candidate like me. Of course he is a knight and this is his second peerage, but I saw several things done for his vigil and ceremony that are in line with stuff I have been thinking of doing. I took mental notes. He had some nice souvenir tokens of his heraldry made by a potter. I also think there should be something to mark the occasion for me and those that visit me. His vigil was informal and in an open space. I liked that. The Aethelmarc ceremony was similar to what I have seen in Meridies. Many peers spoke. Regalia bestowed. Oath given. Scroll. Hugs. The Earl and I chatted about it afterward. Many good ideas and things to consider. I’ll sleep on it. Good night all.

 

Pennsic LI, Day 9 - Today was a wash. Started raining and wouldn’t stop. Did run into a couple of former Easaraigh people today, Mary and Otto. I saw Mary last year but haven’t seen Otto in ages. Hit another bingo today with a goat girl, horns and all. We also had a bunch of elves today. Must have been the rain. The rain has cooled us off quite a bit, which is nice. But other than that. Just a soggy day with not much to write about.

Pennsic LI, Day 10 - Today culminated in midnight madness. A night where all the merchants stay open late and the entire camp comes out to shop and socialize. Bingo today added a wizard and fairies to the mix. We got a small resupply of shirts and by the end of the night, the shelves were empty. Outside of the shopping and selling, the socializing is the best. Duchess Rebecca helped us tonight along with Sir Tristam. Got to visit with many good people passing through the booth. After it was over, retiring behind the tent to have the ritualized cool down and relaxation with Marek and the good Earl having philosophical discussions about all kinds of stuff or talking movies and such. Good times. Was a crazy day around here with all the rain yesterday. People were out in full force all day. It was a good day.

Pennsic LI, Day 11 - Vanilla day. Today was cake. The shelves were mostly bare of Pennsic swag. Traffic was light. While humid, the temp was good. We consolidated some merch and took down some empty fixtures. Last night, a new game was created called ‘Punch Basket’. It is along the lines of Punch Buggy, but the focus is on people wearing the handy wicker baskets on there backs and the color of tunic the have on (i.e. Punch Basket Green!). This plays out with an arm punch. I introduced this to Sir Tristan. Shortly there after ‘the champion of rules’ Ser Marek introduced the ‘no unanswered blow’ knight rule. This makes the game a little tricky to play with a knight, but still fun. Also yesterday, I realized that Sir Severin and I have a common theme in titles of no import. That is to say, a title that has no bearing in rank or progress but is important to the holder. It becomes an identity of sorts. I am ‘The Warden of the Northern Plateau’. He is ‘The Champion of the Rose’ and a few other things. It’s a weird commonality we share that is interesting and fun. I took Ellen on a video tour of part of the merchant area today. It’s a neat thing we can do but have to be careful as it can overheat a phone and drain battery. But, was fun and allowed her to share a little more of Pennsic with me. We had a decent Caesar salad from The Royal Court eatery. Had a really good Cuban sandwich from there yesterday. They are a good choice in the over priced food services here. The quality was good and the quantity matched. Tomorrow is the final countdown to teardown and the journey back to the Plateau. We have one Pennsic hoodie left to sell in order to have a grand slam. Selling it tomorrow would put a cherry on top of this sundae. Good night all.

Pennsic LI, Day 12 - The day started with some light rain. But, the rain broke leaving a nice late summer day. Ser Marek, Sybilla and Chris came to help and see us off. The silver steed was hitched to the wagon and loaded. The echos of what once was a thriving booth on the corner of Broadway and Woad Way is gone. Its shelves empty and war cries diminished, Pennsic is over. We ride into the sunset with the knowledge that the masses have been clothed, friendships have been rekindled, and peace reigns again. This was a good trip. I did nothing more that don my alter ego of the humble shop keepers assistant. But it was a good time, as it always is traveling with the good Earl. Safe journey friends. See you when I see you.

Pennsic LI, The end - the good Earl safe in his keep, wagon unloaded. I, at my hearth, in my comfy chair, hounds at my feet, find rest and respite from the northern lands. The journey concluded. The cool air and bright skies of the Cumbrian Plateau once again embraces and welcomes us with tranquil, rolling hills. Home.

Well met friends. Safe journey to thee!

Baron Eoin Mac Cana called 'Clyde'

Squire to Earl Benen MacTire

Warden of the Northern Plateau
Shire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies