Pop-up Sewing Sat May 29 1-5pm

This Saturday it’s a pop-up sewing day. This will be held outside weather permitting, or in the garage / indoor if the weather is not permitting. Bring your pop-up and other equipment, such as a sewing machine, that you need for sewing. We have yard, extension cords/power strips. If you want snacks or something to drink, bring it. If you need a chair and table for sewing please bring them. I will be indoors if it rains. If you would rather braid, knit, or weave, please feel free to bring that instead. Masks are required by SCA regulation. Time Saturday, May 29th, from 1pm – 5pm. Location 1105 Shady Ave, Pittsburgh 15232. I will also run zoom room if anyone is interested in joining remotely. Questions email sewing (at) debatablelands (dot) org.

AAR – Arts and Sciences Practice

It was a small but mighty A&S practice this past Sunday at the Washington Boulevard practice site. The day was sunny and beautiful, and there was only a faint occasional whiff of sulfur from the sewer vent.

Ishiyama brought a wooden bench he’d made, then sat on it while practicing braiding. Forveleth showed off some wire and bead jewelry, and some tablet weaving, and worked on an embroidery project. Li stopped by on the way to Archery practice, and showed off a Chinese helm and a small but mighty crossbow.

It was a wonderful day to spend in the park, and so amazing to see real people again in person now that it is safe. We wore our masks and kept our distance anyway, but amazing to be together with our neighbors enjoying the day. Salve Accolens!

AAR – Woodworking Field Trip

This is just a brief After Activity Report about the Woodworking Guild Field Trip this past Friday. Only a few of us managed to make it, but it was totally worth the trip. The main reason we went there was that Morikawa Rei mentioned that even though the price of construction lumber has gone up five-fold over the past year, woodworking lumber places like Woodcraft have not re-priced their stock. So, what looked like expensive specialty materials a year ago now looks like reasonably priced wood.

In addition to that, when Rei, Turlough Feolain, and I arrived on Friday; Woodcraft had just received a shipment of off-cuts that they were selling at a serious discount. They had a stock of rough cut cherry, maple, cypress, and oak boards, in 4/4 and 8/4 thickness for $5 and $10 each! Not very wide and most only ~3 feet long, but still.

Turlough was looking to make some tool handles, so the thick lumber was just perfect. Rei is planning to make some furniture, so being able to get more than enough furniture-grade lumber at a discount price was perfect. I bought some lumber, too, but I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with it. I’ve been thinking of doing some turning.

Oak (top) and Cherry (bottom) 2 Inches Thick!

Anyway, they probably still have a lot of that stuff left, so if you need nice lumber at a nice price, it’s worth the drive down to Canonsburg. Thanks for suggesting the field trip, Rei! I also spoke briefly to an employee, and they have a classroom there where we might be able to have meetings or workshops.

Arts and Sciences in the Park – Sunday

We have been given the go-ahead to have our first Arts and Sciences “practice” this Sunday (May 23rd) from 10am to 1:30pm at the Washington Boulevard site. The parking lot now bisects the site. The Archers will have their practice on the “Large Field” side as usual, and A&S will be over on the “Small Field” side closer to the river. We will finish up promptly by 1:30pm to make room for afternoon practices.

The theme of this gathering is “catching up”. Please bring a project you are working on now, and one or more projects you worked on during the shutdown for show-n-tell. We’ll chat and enjoy being out in the (I hope) sunshine with our artsy/crafty friends.

Attendance is limited to 25 people, and masks are required. We will give everybody the distance they need to be comfortable, so please bring your own seating, water, food, and shade if you desire it. Please note that the parking lot is smaller than it was, and be considerate of others.

Salve Accolens and see you Sunday!

Fight Practice May 23

Good Gentles, Weather permitting, we will have fight practice, at the Washington Blvd site, starting at 2 PM on Sunday May 23. The SCA has mandated that CDC compliant masks will be worn (on the face, and covering nose and mouth) at all times except when food or water is being consumed, which should be done with social distancing. Please bring your own water, food, and hand sanitizer. It is recommended to bring more water than you think you will need. There will not be any loaner armor at this time. And equipment should not be shared with anyone outside of your family group. It would probably be a good idea to check your authorization card to see if it has expired. If you do not feel well, please stay home, and we will be happy to see you when you are feeling better. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me and I will try to resolve them. I hope to see you there. Robert

Romeo and Juliet – Tonight!

It’s Shakespeare Movie Night! Tonight, May 21st we’ll be showing Romeo and Juliet starting at 8:15pm, followed by a chat after the movie. We’re moving the times later as we’ll be offering gathering outdoors..

Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? This performance features players from Stratford, Canada. We hope to see you there! Watch from the comfort of your living room via the AEther or join us at the home of Ts’vee’a and Becca in Stanton Heights. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.

Please contact Alaric at alaric (at) pobox (dot) com for the Zoom room information. He can also be reached via DM on Discord (Alaric #9264). Get your information before the movie starts, if possible, as Alaric is also watching and might not see your request to join right away. If you attended a prior Shakespeare Movie Night, the Zoom room information is the same.

We’re planning to be outdoors since the weather looks promising. Bring your own chair to watch the movie! Let me know in advance if you plan to attend so we can set up the screen and projector so there is enough room for everyone to see! You must be vaccinated (and 2 weeks past your final shot).

In person requests must be made no later than 5pm TODAY Friday, May 21st.

Hope to see some of you there!

Alaric & Elsbeth (and Ts’vee’a and Becca, our gracious hosts).

Archery returns to Washington Blvd!

Hello Debatable Lands!

Yes, the rumors are true! This weekend, May 23rd from 10:30am – 1:30pm, archery practice will resume at the Washington Blvd martial practice site! (Google Maps Link)

We will still be using our pandemic protocols, so masks must be worn at all times, the shooting line will be spaced in 6ft. increments, there will be no sharing equipment, and loaner gear must be requested ahead of time. Please provide your own water.

Additionally, practice will end at exactly 1:30 in order to make room for the fighters now that the parking lot is smaller.

If you have any questions or if you would like to reserve a set of loaner gear you can email me at archerymarshal (at) debatablelands (dot) org.

Yours in service,
Rónán Ó Conaill
BMDL Captain of Archers

Woodworking Guild Field Trip – Friday!

Some members of the Debatable Lands Woodworking Guild have decided to meet up at the “Pittsburgh” location of Woodcraft down in Canonsburg tomorrow (Friday, May 21) at 5:30pm. The rumor is that they have not repriced their lumber during the recent “shortage”, so there may be some real bargains there right now.

This is a retail store, so please follow all health guidelines requested by the establishment. Please also follow all SCA guidelines for gatherings, including masks, regardless of what the store allows. The “official” meetup time is 5:30pm, but feel free to show up earlier if you are bored.

The store closes at 7pm, so you could still make it back home by 8:15 if you want to watch Romeo and Juliet online!

Romeo and Juliet – Friday!

Greetings All!

It’s Shakespeare Movie Night! On Friday, May 21st we’ll be showing Romeo and Juliet starting at 8:15pm, followed by a chat after the movie. We’re moving the times later as we’ll be offering gathering outdoors..

Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? This performance features players from Stratford, Canada. We hope to see you there! Watch from the comfort of your living room via the AEther or join us at the home of Ts’vee’a and Becca in Stanton Heights. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.

Here is the link to the schedule for the movie nights scheduled through May:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EhlgwgRZ923RhRJrCPIXsHEhWI1eJJigCv2YRLEavrE/edit?usp=sharing

Please contact Alaric at alaric (at) pobox (dot) com for the Zoom room information. He can also be reached via DM on Discord (Alaric #9264). Get your information before the movie starts, if possible, as Alaric is also watching and might not see your request to join right away. If you attended a prior Shakespeare Movie Night, the Zoom room information is the same.

We’re planning to be outdoors since the weather looks promising. Bring your own chair to watch the movie! Let me know in advance if you plan to attend so we can set up the screen and projector so there is enough room for everyone to see! You must be vaccinated (and 2 weeks past your final shot).

In person requests must be made no later than 5pm on Friday, May 21st.

Hope to see some of you there!

Alaric & Elsbeth (and Ts’vee’a and Becca, our gracious hosts).

Archery practice is on for tomorrow!

Archers! Practice will take place once again at the same location tomorrow, May 16th from 11am – 2pm.

I know there has been good news lately about resuming fighter practices at the Washington Blvd site, but for at least this week we will still be hosting archery practice at the home of Kieran and Odriana while we work out the logistics of returning to the park.

Until then details about the address for practice, reserving loaner gear, and pandemic rules can now be found on our website! Go to http://debatablelands.org/martial/archery.php for more details.

And as always, if you have any questions you can email me at archerymarshal (at) debatablelands (dot) org.

Yours in service,
Rónán Ó Conaill
BMDL Captain of Archers