Camp Cooking

Next Pennsic, I want to experiment with camp cooking, over a fire if possible. Dad's hobby is blacksmithing and welding, so I could order up tripods, spits and whatever.

I will collect recipes and learn firecooking recipes during the next year.

There never seems to be enough coffee in camp. I saw this in the mega Walmart where we vacation, and think I need to upgrade the percolator for this:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/coleman-camp-coffee-maker/33283
Sweet.

However,I am amused becasue this is SO wrong:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/coleman-frywell-portable-fryer/37656

An Elizabethan Legal Scroll

On January 31, 2009 THL Arrienne Ashford was called to be placed on Vigil to become a Laurel for her skills and teaching of Lacemaking. I was honored to be asked by her to complete her Laurel Scroll. We have been friends for many years, and I really wanted it to be special. Her persona is firmly Elizabethan, English of course, so I wanted the scroll to match her persona well.

CONSIDERATIONS

In planning the award scroll, I had a few things to consider:

1. The art of Illumination, sadly, was waning in the late 16th century. The advent of printing--the mass production of books with movable type text and block printed or engraved pictures, was causing the art of illumination and calligraphy disappear. Finding suitable period sources to use as inspiration might not be easy.

2. An SCA Award scroll is essentially a "legal" document, issued under the authority of the Crown of the Kingdom.

3. Its all about bling. Use the best materials and really make the piece special.

PERIOD SOURCES

For the past few years, I have become really geeked out about medieval manuscript ROLLS and SCROLLS. I had the book Treasures of the National Archives: Elizabeth--Golden Reign of Gloriana, by David Loades for a quite a while and was fascinated by these small pictures of what looked like bookmarks. There was not much description as to what they were in the book, so for a a long time I assumed they were small tags that hung from the rolled up legal scrolls, (I had no idea what the rolls looked like either).

(Coram Rege Roll, (Kings Bench), Hilary Term, 1581.)


Online searched brought up nothing until about 18 months ago I got a hit. Like a bolt of lightning I almost fell off my desk chair becasue I finally found pictures of the legal rolls themselves:

TA DA!!!!! ALL THE ENGLISH LAW DOCUMENTS DATING BACK TO THE 12TH CENTURY THAT WERE FIT TO BE SCANNED

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/IndexPri.html

SO, WHAT IS IT?

That tiny slip of painted paper is actually the cover sheet to the stack of court transcripts, the "Court of the Kings Bench" from a particular quarter term of the legal year. Actual size seems to be about 10 inches wide by about 30 inches long. While the documants from Elizabeths later years have not been digitized yet, they seem to keep scanning more each time I visit the website.)

Here is what a bundle of legal scrolls looks like from the side: http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT2/M/KB27no1168/aKB27no1168fronts/IMG_0001.htm The "roll" can no longer be rolled up because if its bulky size.

THE ART OF THE PLEA ROLL COVER SHEET

Placita coram Domini Rege stood for "before the king in person". Of course the monarch was not actually present at each court case in the entire realm, so by painting their portrait on the cover sheet it was a symbolic representation of their knowledge of the cases thus written inside.

ITS LATE AND I HAVE RUN OUT OF STEAM, I WILL REVIST TOPIC LATER

Capricon Demo 2-21-09

I set out some period supplies to discuss. Wax tablet, different kinds of oak galls, walnut husks, handmade ink, cut quills, paints in shells, shell gold, gum ammoniac, gum arabic crystals, vellum scraps, malachite and lapis lazuli samples, agate and hematite nugget burnishers, and the Hours leaves I did for A&S last year.

Calligraphy and Illumination January 2009

January 31, 2009, a Purple fret for Khadagan Jochilun. I did both the Calligraphy and Illumination. The calligraphy is an eastern or Bari type Beneventan Minuscule. The border is based on a border motif from the 11th century Bari Exultet Roll.



January 31, 2009, a Bronze Ring for Miguel de Santiago. I did both the Calligraphy and Illumination.This was based on the Berlaymont Hours, c. 1470-1475, a Book of Hours comissioned for a gentleman. The Berlaymont hours use an unusual color scheme of ochre, brown, teal, and a deep dusty rose/salmon.



January 11, 2009. Award of the Baton (a youth award) for Kinji. I did the calligraphy in an Uncial, Ruth Ellyson did the illuminated blank.



January 11, 2009, Order of the Evergreen for Elaine Ladd. I did the calligraphy in a Humanist Roundhand; Anna Rakel did the Illumination in an Italian Whitevine stlye.



January 31, 2009, AOA for Thomas Ayleward. I did the calligraphy in an Uncial; illuminated blank was by Mikhail Lubelska and Sorcha O'Brannigan.

This is a 7x9' banner, or "fresco" I made as a decoration for Tree Girt Sea's 12th night. We had a Roman theme, and decorated the hall with paper columns.

I used "sign canvas", a vinyl backed cloth, and interior flat house paint, becasue it was going to be much cheaper than buying enough artists acrylics. I got it for a steal too--the paint brand had an $8 rebate special per can at Menards, and the cheapest flat grade of that brand was $8.99 a can. Thats right baby! .99 a gallon!! , but drat, limit 4. I bought 5 gallon pails of the main colors, and mixed artist acrylics to get the other shades.

When I get the chance, I will post what period building this actually came from.

Goals for 2009

Hi all. Just checking in. I will be back to working on my web pages in a few weeks.

I have been very busy this winter working on art projects for 12th night, and my duties as Lincoln Signet.

Among my goals for 2009 are:

Finish the Exultet roll.
Do a fabulous job on a comissioned Elizabethan laurel scroll.
Get back to basics in the technical aspects of C&I
Explore more styles by creating more blanks.

Sew new garb for Mark in more period fabrics.
Get that Elizabethan ensenble going!
More garb for me in more period fabrics.
Finish the Astronomia Gown.

Travel more, but will be harder with less vacation this year.
Finish all the undone house projects.
Do more gardening.
Grow hops.
Throw more parties.
Stick to an exercise and diet plan.
Read more fiction.

Laugh, Love, and Live Life More!