Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Magnus's Pennsic 2016 top ten!


1: Fighting and fencing in all the major battles. I set a goal to not only fight heavy but also to fence in all the major battles during Pennsic. A bit better planning might have saved me some back and forth trips to camp but in the end I was able to achieve that goal.

2: Hael Camp: I was really looking forward to camping this year. It was not only my first year camping with the Hael but it was also my first year as the Baron of the Hael. Camp was well run, casual, and a ton of fun. We had more than one setback that might have broken the morale of lesser camps, but the Hael stepped up and made it happen. I look forward to camping there again next year.

3: Vanessa made it! My girlfriend Vanessa is new to the SCA and this Pennsic was meant to be her first. Sadly her new job limited her time off and she almost didn't make it. Happily we managed to get her there for a weekend and we enjoyed some archery, some shopping, and some sights.

4: Baronial Pot-Luck: Okay most people who know me know how I feel about pot lucks…that being said the Hael Pot Luck dinner Thursday of war week was one my war favorites. Food was great, company was great, and we even had a wonderful musician perform during dinner.

5: New Guy Troy! In the months
leading up to Pennsic Troy and I excitedly planned to fight side by side wearing Hael colors. Troy had a hell of a Pennsic. His tent leaked, everything he owned got soaked, he threw his shoulder out, and I think his leg armor broke. I mean it was a dog pile of bad news. However it did not keep him down. He helped in camp, helped us in Kingdom court, carried our gear to the Seven Pearls dinner, and still managed to sneak in a last day of fighting.


6:  Fencing with the “Hael Cats”: So this year Her Excellency had the idea of forming a Hael fencing unit and Pennsic was the first time the unit took the field. This was certainly her brain child and was organized under the watchful eye of the unit’s Commander Wolfgang Starke. For my part it was great to see the unit line up and hit the field the first time. I had a blast running around with them, though I suspect I was the undisciplined wild child of the group. One Highlight of the fencing that week was fighting alongside Sean Lapham. It was his first time out in a melee and we had a blast chilling people. Quote of the fencing: “Magnus: Pick a fight that looks good and then we are going to walk in there like we own the joint”…and in we go!


7: That hot steamy weather!...no just kidding f*ck you weather.

8: Seeing so many friends: In my short time in the SCA I have made friends from all over the world and Pennsic is the one time I am guaranteed to see most of them. I know I didn’t get to everyone, which makes me sad. Oddly enough some of people who live closest to home I missed and a couple I didn’t even know made it Pennsic. Such a big and small world simultaneously.  Oh well next year!

9: Seven Pearls dinner: This was my second year attending the Seven Pearls Dinner and this year did not disappoint. This year the dinner was hosted by the Barony of Blackstone Mountain and they pulled off a heck of a shindig. Not sure I had a need to eat for two days. When I finally step down I will miss the Pearls diner and in a way I am sad the Hael will not host it while I reign.

10: That first shower when I got home: Hey why lie? There is nothing better than that first shower with no need for shower shoes and no worry about cold water.

Great Pennsic everyone! See you all next year.

Magnus

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