Lovely SCA weekend
Jan. 20th, 2025 09:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ianukFriday was very slow at work in some ways but busy with others and I needed other folks brain power on finance stuff and they were toasty so today will be more of that. :P We got on the road at 4pm and after a frustrating stop at a Sonic in Deming, NM (seriously messed up our food and then finally got it right after a complete reorder) we arrived at the hotel in El Paso a bit after 8pm. Mel and Benton were zonked so Ari and I went to the lobby to hang with SCA folks. It was so nice and the hotel staff were very gracious. We of course are nice and always pick up things and are clean and not obnoxious so I think that helps. I brought my knitting and a beer and that got other folks to bring our projects. We had 3 knitters, one embroiderer and a crocheter working on things and chatting. Catching up with Nikki was wonderful, seeing folks I haven't chatted with in a decade was great, Duke Irel. She was nervous since her last reign was 20 years ago and she was worried she wouldn't know what to do. I giggled at her and said after the oaths...it just comes back. Which it did and they did awesome! But Ari and stayed downstairs until about midnight and then back to the room for bed. The boys were snoring and I slept okay. The wind was howling outside and the weather was clear but cold when we woke up.
The site was 7mins away so we had a nice breakfast with all the SCA folks down in the lobby and then up to finish getting ready. Got to site, unloaded and got our seats for court. The local group didn't realize the amount of folks coming from out of kingdom, we had I think 20+ of us from Atenveldt. but a lot of folks (ivan included) were hanging at the back. The hall was a bit community gym room of a church with concrete floors so I spent the morning very cold on my feet and legs. Im very glad I brought my new hood and my cloak. I should have worn leggings...stoopid missing veins. But it was fine. They had a coffee truck come in the morning and they were wonderful. I hope we all tipped well, they had really good coffee. Morning court was nice but they didn't do like Atenveldt where the transition happens and then we break for lunch. They transitioned and then there was a lot more court so lunch didn't happen until 2pm. I headed out to get burritos at a place Zachariah suggested and OMG. This place is amazing. I got carne asada burro, got the el pastor for Ivan and got the carne fries for Benton. Mel's comment was "I didn't know I needed that food experience in my life, I'm changed". Yes, it was that good. Benton was outside in the cold either drawing with Sophia (walrick and Cecilia's daughter) or playing boffer with all the kids. Which included 2 packs of feral children who were not watched well by their older than Benton brother. But he did good, ate his food without comment and played through all of the courts and time. One things the Outlands does is meet with the circles the day of and I did not attend though the Laurels would have been fine. Going to my first, as a Pelican, Pelican circle would have been weird out of Kingdom. Mel went to the 3 mins Knight Circle. When things ended about 430 we made the decision to not stay for feast. The Aten crew wanted quiet and steak and had a lovely time in small packs at the Cattle Baron. Good steak, tasty salad bar and nice beer. And attentive service. We got back to the Hotel and dropped Benton off (he was crashing after food) and went back downstairs with crafts and booze. Some folks had doordashed or gotten pizza and beer back to the lobby and it was a lively affair until about 1230 when we cleaned up and left it cleaner than we found it.
Mel crashed immediately, I got my make up off after Ari hit the bathroom and then my brain was on so I read for a while. I'm about 40% complete of Gospel of Loki which is delightful. I slept well until about 7am and then was up. I got the first shower and we all mosey'd through our morning. Benton was super hungry at breakfast (no surprise). We chatted with the last two SCA folks there who were going to the crazy fabric store in town before the drive to Farmington NM. We finished up packing and got on the road a bit before 11am and arrived home without incident at 330pm. So good travel weekend. Very much a cup filler for the heart and am now prepped for doing things this weekend while Mel is away up north.
Today is work, crafting, ignoring socials/news, getting that temp crown replaced with permanent and then a pedicure. I have a sock to finish and maybe some time on the shawl. The magnet board really only works well with one sheet of paper and that is disappointing.
The site was 7mins away so we had a nice breakfast with all the SCA folks down in the lobby and then up to finish getting ready. Got to site, unloaded and got our seats for court. The local group didn't realize the amount of folks coming from out of kingdom, we had I think 20+ of us from Atenveldt. but a lot of folks (ivan included) were hanging at the back. The hall was a bit community gym room of a church with concrete floors so I spent the morning very cold on my feet and legs. Im very glad I brought my new hood and my cloak. I should have worn leggings...stoopid missing veins. But it was fine. They had a coffee truck come in the morning and they were wonderful. I hope we all tipped well, they had really good coffee. Morning court was nice but they didn't do like Atenveldt where the transition happens and then we break for lunch. They transitioned and then there was a lot more court so lunch didn't happen until 2pm. I headed out to get burritos at a place Zachariah suggested and OMG. This place is amazing. I got carne asada burro, got the el pastor for Ivan and got the carne fries for Benton. Mel's comment was "I didn't know I needed that food experience in my life, I'm changed". Yes, it was that good. Benton was outside in the cold either drawing with Sophia (walrick and Cecilia's daughter) or playing boffer with all the kids. Which included 2 packs of feral children who were not watched well by their older than Benton brother. But he did good, ate his food without comment and played through all of the courts and time. One things the Outlands does is meet with the circles the day of and I did not attend though the Laurels would have been fine. Going to my first, as a Pelican, Pelican circle would have been weird out of Kingdom. Mel went to the 3 mins Knight Circle. When things ended about 430 we made the decision to not stay for feast. The Aten crew wanted quiet and steak and had a lovely time in small packs at the Cattle Baron. Good steak, tasty salad bar and nice beer. And attentive service. We got back to the Hotel and dropped Benton off (he was crashing after food) and went back downstairs with crafts and booze. Some folks had doordashed or gotten pizza and beer back to the lobby and it was a lively affair until about 1230 when we cleaned up and left it cleaner than we found it.
Mel crashed immediately, I got my make up off after Ari hit the bathroom and then my brain was on so I read for a while. I'm about 40% complete of Gospel of Loki which is delightful. I slept well until about 7am and then was up. I got the first shower and we all mosey'd through our morning. Benton was super hungry at breakfast (no surprise). We chatted with the last two SCA folks there who were going to the crazy fabric store in town before the drive to Farmington NM. We finished up packing and got on the road a bit before 11am and arrived home without incident at 330pm. So good travel weekend. Very much a cup filler for the heart and am now prepped for doing things this weekend while Mel is away up north.
Today is work, crafting, ignoring socials/news, getting that temp crown replaced with permanent and then a pedicure. I have a sock to finish and maybe some time on the shawl. The magnet board really only works well with one sheet of paper and that is disappointing.
