Gulf Wars 2019

After fencing for just over a year I was lucky enough to go to Gulf Wars. It is an annual event held in March just outside of Lumberton, Mississippi. For a week you camp, fight, and enjoy the medieval immersive environment. It is described as “a war with no enemies” and it is one of the biggest SCA gatherings. Ryan and I had both applied for a first time attendee scholarship and had been two out of five winning recipients. I was so excited to go.

Unfortunately, I had to put down my cat the week before leaving. Sorrow prevented me from packing as effectively as I would have like to. Everything I needed to do got crammed into the two days prior and I’d barely slept. By the time Tim came to pick me up at 6am I’d just managed to gather my bags by the door and I was a fragile mess. 

“Do you have everything you need?”

“I’m not really sure” I admitted as I scanned the pile one last time.

“Are you going to be ok?”

“I hope so” 

We exchanged a hug before we got in the car to pick up Ryan. And with that, we were off to War. 

Tim and Ryan loading the car for the nine hour drive. 

Experiencing a fabulous hair day at a windy gas station.

One of the local treats; maple sugar flavored corn puffs.

Our first night on site.

Morning with the Dark-an-Flung camp.

James (Seth) and Hywel (Ian) in front of the Gold Star camp.

James (Seth) giving me a tour of the site.

The marketplace.

Cooling down on a hot day with Bruce (Alexis) and Chlothar (Tim).

Daggers on display.

Chlothar (Tim)

The charming Green Dragon Tavern.

The Rapier Field.

Photo by Ryan Cimino

Wearing the lovely coat that was given to me by Eua (Adrianne).

The Verona Street Battle. It was the most theatrical of the fights, full of dramatic deaths.

Chlothar (Tim) practicing with Bruce (Alexis).

Her Royal Highness Catherine Furnier (Catherine).

Giovanni (Ryan) and Matthias (Todd) observing the practice.

Fencers resting between matches.

Trying to catch my breath after my first fencing melee. Up until this fight I had only fought other fencers one-on-one. Being in a battlefield scenario was overwhelming and exhilarating.

Me and Miklos (Marc).

Miklos (Marc) and Chlothar (Tim).

Giovanni (Ryan)

Fencers gathering before the Rose Tourney. The Rose Tourney is one of the biggest fencing events of the year. It is a formal event where fencers are fighting for the honor of a particular rose (noble). 

The nobility addressing the crowd before opponents were selected.

I had the honor of fighting for Her Royal Highness Catherine Furnier (Catherine) who is an accomplished fencer in her own right.

Giovanni (Ryan) and Catherine Furnier (Catherine). Giovanni (Ryan) and I both made it to the second round.

Matthias (Todd) made it to one of the final rounds.

Photo by unknown

Giovanni (Ryan), Miklos (Marc), Chlothar (Tim), Sibilla, Davius, Matthias (Todd), Elena, Yoan (Rickey), Hélèna (myself), and Allison (Vicky).

Yoan (Rickey) catching his breath after The Field Battle. He had literally been the last man standing on our team. He was on the field with several members of the other side closing in on him. He managed to evade them for quite some time, striking down many of them before he was finally overtaken. 

Augustine (Justin) and Jen, both fellow scholarship recepients, with Zhao Fong (Keith), who had led us into battle.

Giovanni (Ryan) and Thalassia working hard to make dinner for the hungry campers.

Giovanni (Ryan) and Sibilla.

Wolgemut, a lively historical band from Germany, playing for an enthuiastic crowd.

One of the fencers with her Russian wolfhound.

The tank.

James (Seth) armoured up for his heavy battle.

Solomon (Spider) marshaling for the heavy battle.

Sebastian and Zahra (Nancy).

I met this rugged warrior between fights. He refused water and instead only asked for a cigarette.

Me and James (Seth).

James (Seth) explaining how he made his armour.

The battlefield.

James (Seth) recounting his battlefield stories. 

During Gulf Wars James (Seth) became a squire to his knight Teric (Theo). He took a red belt as a symbol of his fealty.

One of the traditions is the “puppy pile”. After James (Seth) took his belt, friends and fellow fighters literally pile on their support.

James (Seth) and Hywel (Ian) underneath the puppy pile.

James (Seth) and Teric (Theo).

Zhao Fong (Keith) and Jen.

Chlothar (Tim), Yoan (Rickey), Elena, and Giovanni (Ryan).

Chlothar (Tim)

Bruce (Alexis) and Chlothar (Tim).

Giovanni (Ryan) saluting the crown before his Champions Battle.

Johan (John) during his match.

James (Seth), Giovanni (Ryan), Hélèna (myself), and Zahra (Nancy).

Jean (Bear) during his match.

Hywel’s (Ian’s) match.

Valentin (Richard) and Ekaterina (Deb).

Faelynn, the daughter of Johan (John) and Vivienne (Erika), insisted on me taking a picture of her in her lovely dress.

Wolgemut performing at the Green Dragon Tavern.

Another fascinating element of the SCA is the arts and sciences. People work tirelessly to recreate all kinds of amazing things the same way they would have been done hundreds of years ago.

Eyrny and Zhao Fong (Keith).

Spear practice.

Zahra (Nancy)

Bruce (Alexis) helping me practice my foot work. 

Miklos (Marc), Aubelet (Aaron), Bruce (Alexis), Matthias (Todd), and Seonaid (Claire).

Giovanni (Ryan) wearing the necklace made for him by Ken. 

The last morning at Gulf Wars.

Ryan stomping out the ants on his tent.

Beth had come into our camp trying to see if anyone had found her broches. No one had seen them but a few moments later her husband came by to surprise her with a new set of broches. Absolutely adorable!

Farewell Jet

On March 4th, 2019 I had to say goodbye to my cat Jet. I got him three months after I moved to Orlando. The adoption paper said he was eight weeks old but a vet later comfirmed he was only four weeks old. I hand raised him and I had him for fifteen years.

Those years were also some of the most turbulent years of my life. I struggled with work and school, never having enough money, and horrible roommates. Relationships fell apart, jobs closed without warning. By the time I was 35 I had moved nine times and I had juggled two jobs since I had graduated college. In my world of general chaos he was often the only consistency I had to hold on to.

Enjoying the peace in the first apartment that we had all to ourselves.

When he became the big brother for Kobi.

He loved to cuddle with me; especially on cold mornings.

The 10 year anniversay of his adoption.

Sometimes I would take warm towels from the dryer and lay them on his bed. He would purr up a storm.

I loved the look on his face when I upgraded his bed.

But he always loved to curl up in my arms.

When my parents bought me a couch he thought it was his new cat bed and claimed it for himself.

After I rescued the stray he became a big brother again. All three of them always got along so well.

I took this photo the day I moved into my condo. Jax and Kobi were anxious but Jet was an old pro.

I finally had a place were he could lay out in the sun.

A short while after we moved in his health began declining.

But he would wait by the window for me to come home everyday.

I loved his silly little faces.

My best friend Rochelle had graciously offered to go to the vet with me. She didn’t want me to go alone. But it had been me and him for so long that it was something that I had to do without anyone else. 

Curled up in my arms on last time.

I was holding him when he slipped away.

Amidst the endless upheaval we were the only constants in each others lives. He had been with me through some of the darkest years of my life and it was devastating to loose him right at the point where I felt I was gaining some stability. I had so many friends reach out to comfort me. They all loved him too. 

I am forever gratful for our time together and all the love that he represents.

My Sweet Boy 

October 2nd, 2004 - March 4th, 2019

The Green Dress

In the SCA, one needs time period appropriate garb to attend events. For the longest time all I had was the blue tunic from Tim and the black dress I had borrowed for the renaissance faire that Melissa had given to me. I loved them both but I had yet to have something truely of my own. I sat down one day and came up with four sketches for dresses I wanted to make. Seth, one of the heavy fighters, agreed to help me make a dress. He learned how to sew from his mother and carried that love from making halloween customes into making his own garb for the SCA. He was going to help me make the simplest dress; the green dress. 

When it came down to getting the fabric we found a bed sheet from Goodwill that we would use for the under dress. Serendipitously, Vicky - another fencer, had fabric she wanted to give me. I met her at her house and she gave me the lovely stack of wool. She expressed concern that I wouldn’t like the color. I laughed and told her that the dress I was making was green. 

With all the pieces in place Seth went to work. 

The serenity in this photo belies the fact that he was blasting death metal.

Photo by Seth Fleury

He even modeled it on himself.

When I finally got to try on the dress I was thrilled.

It looked just like my sketch. It reminded me of the sketchbooks I used to have in high school, all filled with characters in lovely dresses. Even when I was little I used to love to play dress up. I would come to the dinner table wearing the prettiest dresses I could find. Throughout the majority of my childhood I wanted to be a princess for Halloween. As I grew into an adult dress up became something that was less and less practical. All my dresses and designs became pages in sketchbooks; concepts for outfits I would never touch. 

But to have this dress felt deeply fullfiling. I was a kid indulging in dress up all over again. I felt like a princess. One of my sketches literally come to life. Able to connect with a childhood dream. Vicky and Seth had helped make it happen. My first SCA outfit; the green dress.