Great Northeastern War, 2009

July 13, 2009

Since I live in New England now, I decided to drive on over to Maine and have a go at my second Great Northeastern War. I flew last time, so I was able to pack up the car for a weekend and test out some new camping equipment. And by “test” I mean “damage.”

Getting to the Event

First of all, keep in mind that I was driving through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It’s beautiful country. Everything looked like a postcard.

Unfortunately, the trip took longer than expected. Painfully obvious speed traps and several spots of roadwork drove my drive right up to the five-hour mark.

Still, it could have been worse. At least I got out of work early on Friday.

First Morning in Maine

If you’ve seen my Flickr profile, then you know I like sunrises. There’s something special about them, and it’s usually tough to capture their true beauty in a photograph. This time was no different. As you look at the next three photos, keep in mind that the pictures don’t do them justice.

Coffee in the Morning

I set up a little café in front of my tent, just in case anyone wanted to share some coffee with me. Morgan Rhys was the only taker at first, but I was able to bring a little to one of the neighbors as well.

Camping Coffee Setup on a small table — Santiago’s Cafe

Since I hate trip hazards, I didn’t tie the last four lines from the tent to the ground. I figured that it could keep the rain out, and that was good enough. Bad move on my part, but I’ll explain in a moment.

Saturday started well enough. We ate breakfast, we laughed, we told stories. It was exactly the kind of behavior you would expect from friends who don’t see each other all the time.

I walked around the event on Saturday, just to get a look around. I checked out the merchant area, then I marched off to the fighting field to see some friends of mine fight in the heavy-list battle. After a while up there, I wandered around until I found the fencers. (I have some photos on the next couple of pages.)

Upon returning to camp, I found that the wind had picked up a good bit, and was aimed at the flat side of my new tent. (Remember those last few lines I didn’t secure because I didn’t want a tripping hazard?) The rest of my tent stakes were in the car, but when I started walking in that direction the wind picked up even more. I tried to take the tent down so I could head out for the car, but one of my shock rods snapped, ripping a small hole through the tent cover in the process.

After much fiddling around, I finally took that little shock rod from over the door and used it as a duct-tape splint. Then I temporarily sealed the hole in the rain cover with more duct tape. Finally, I borrowed some heavy stakes from a campmate and secured my humble home from all four corners.

The timing couldn’t have been better. After I finished, the wind continued to increase. I was really worried for a while, but it held. And of course, I spent the rest of the event tripping over the lines.

Heavy List Fighters

I have a few friends in camp who like to armor up and go smack people with sticks, so I thought I would get a few photos. If you fought at GNE, maybe you’ll find yourself in here.

Claire and Dave, in their armor and ready to fight

Fencing

After I left the battlefield, I just wandered around a bit. It was a small event, so I figured I could get a good look at everything without too much trouble. I was very pleased when I stumbled upon the fencers. I did my best to photograph the action. I even took a few videos. Look for them at the bottom of this page.

Note: Lady Camille (that woman in the purple) sent a few names to me, so I’m putting them in. If I get your name wrong, then don’t get mad at me. Take it all out on Camille. She’s local to you anyway.

Camille and Godric. Cloaks are used to distract one’s opponent. (They’re also good on cold days.)

Videos!

I recently got a YouTube account, so I’m using it. I had thought about simply posting my videos on my own webspace, but why not use a resource when it’s offered for free? Anyway, enjoy the clips.

Our Party

There was a bit of rain on Saturday night, but not enough to kill our party. Below are the usual party pics.

We had coffee and pancakes, and there was plenty of banter over breakfast. It loses something on the last day, however. We all knew that we would have to pack up after breakast.

Final Thoughts

I had a wonderful time. I missed my old friends and a few of the new ones by the time I had driven off of the site. Now that I live in this part of the country, I will definitely be coming back to GNEW.

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