How Did That Happen?
Jun. 7th, 2022 11:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stitchwhichYears ago I decided that the big ger (yurt) in our camp at Pennsic deserved to have its walls restored. Somehow in the course of a Pennsic Packout the original canvas walls were thrown away (!) and just the roof kept. It is a huge Ger and we didn't set it up often - it takes up a lot of room and is often used now as an additional University classroom for the Hordesmen (Great Dark & Moritu) who are offering classes in camp. But the wooden walls are latticework skeletal so rainy days mean no classes can safely be taught. I was going to make new walls... and purchased the first bit of canvas to make a pattern with once it was up, made some stencils, and acquired paint and brushes once I got on site, then waited for the ger to be built. And was promptly attacked by a small group of well-meaning but meddlesome folks who didn't like my plan, didn't want walls, thought they had a better plan and I had no business getting involved - and didn't follow through. As happens. Once something gets in "a committee with no leader" it often shrivels and dies.
One of the people who remembered my attempt is now a co-campmaster for us and in a private chat she asked me about "the wall project". I had, at the end before giving up, suggested we purchase fabric shower curtains to use as walls since that answered the repeated complaints about canvas being too heavy and bulky to pack and not letting any air circulation through once it was up on the walls. She remembered that and wanted to know if I was still working on it. I told her my sad tale and how I ended up getting too disillusioned to fight the jeering crowd but still liked the idea of the curtains. Back and forth the conversation went and I ended up saying that I'd be willing to bring it up to the household again. Yeah, about that. People threw money and I'll be buying and delivering 12 wall curtains this year. And a vacuum bag to seal them in for seasonal storage.
Also I was in charge of creating a sheet wall to hide away a deep sink we had at the top area of the camp. It was one of those big white deep sinks and is heavily used but rather unsightly. So I planned on making walls once I got up there (it was a light year for service jobs for me) and brought the "sheep walls" the household uses locally as camp walls*. It turned out that folks in camp liked those better than going with a more dignified camouflage and we never made any new ones even though it takes two panels to make the walls high enough, we just traded out panels whenever the camp kids determined we needed new scenes and I sent home some blanks for people to decorate for the next Pennsic. So yesterday I had to remind folks about those, too, as there hadn't been another Pennsic yet. They want the same ones again. And a few folks remembered their blanks and have promised to decorate them before the event. And a few more would like me to send them blanks that they can work on now, before this Pennsic. We're making our own "Sunday Comics" for the top of the Hill. Most of the sheet walls are panels of cartoon sheep doing this or that. Few are actually "serious" or artistic designs. I kept meaning to get around to painting something a bit more serious but barely managed a couple.
And it is confirmed that I am going to be the Head Troll for Pennsic 50. Anyone want to play around in the troll booth? We open fairly late (8am), close fairly early (10pm except on the middle weekend) and shifts are only four hours long.
I bought more fabric for making some early period clothing to wear at Pennsic. Haven't decided exactly which style I will be sporting but I think likely it will be Greek or Roman. Maybe. I don't wear much jewelry so whatever culture I choose to dress in won't be real obvious unless I wear draped garb. Trinkets make such a difference.
-----------
*Just weeks before a big event in Atlantia called War of the Wings, the staff announced that all camps were expected to have sheet walls up to mark their boundaries. Except there was a typo in the announcement and "sheet" was turned into "sheep" so of course I painted sheep on the walls for our camp, as I was campmaster and didn't have time to farm the job out. And got some others to do that too. The children at the event loved the walls and asked their parents to take them for walks around the camp that first year so after that we just had to keep the goofy things and add to them as we could. Now we don't really have a camp there anymore, not after my spouse and I stopped going. Finding a campmaster is a chore. But the panels will live on at Pennsic.
One of the people who remembered my attempt is now a co-campmaster for us and in a private chat she asked me about "the wall project". I had, at the end before giving up, suggested we purchase fabric shower curtains to use as walls since that answered the repeated complaints about canvas being too heavy and bulky to pack and not letting any air circulation through once it was up on the walls. She remembered that and wanted to know if I was still working on it. I told her my sad tale and how I ended up getting too disillusioned to fight the jeering crowd but still liked the idea of the curtains. Back and forth the conversation went and I ended up saying that I'd be willing to bring it up to the household again. Yeah, about that. People threw money and I'll be buying and delivering 12 wall curtains this year. And a vacuum bag to seal them in for seasonal storage.
Also I was in charge of creating a sheet wall to hide away a deep sink we had at the top area of the camp. It was one of those big white deep sinks and is heavily used but rather unsightly. So I planned on making walls once I got up there (it was a light year for service jobs for me) and brought the "sheep walls" the household uses locally as camp walls*. It turned out that folks in camp liked those better than going with a more dignified camouflage and we never made any new ones even though it takes two panels to make the walls high enough, we just traded out panels whenever the camp kids determined we needed new scenes and I sent home some blanks for people to decorate for the next Pennsic. So yesterday I had to remind folks about those, too, as there hadn't been another Pennsic yet. They want the same ones again. And a few folks remembered their blanks and have promised to decorate them before the event. And a few more would like me to send them blanks that they can work on now, before this Pennsic. We're making our own "Sunday Comics" for the top of the Hill. Most of the sheet walls are panels of cartoon sheep doing this or that. Few are actually "serious" or artistic designs. I kept meaning to get around to painting something a bit more serious but barely managed a couple.
And it is confirmed that I am going to be the Head Troll for Pennsic 50. Anyone want to play around in the troll booth? We open fairly late (8am), close fairly early (10pm except on the middle weekend) and shifts are only four hours long.
I bought more fabric for making some early period clothing to wear at Pennsic. Haven't decided exactly which style I will be sporting but I think likely it will be Greek or Roman. Maybe. I don't wear much jewelry so whatever culture I choose to dress in won't be real obvious unless I wear draped garb. Trinkets make such a difference.
-----------
*Just weeks before a big event in Atlantia called War of the Wings, the staff announced that all camps were expected to have sheet walls up to mark their boundaries. Except there was a typo in the announcement and "sheet" was turned into "sheep" so of course I painted sheep on the walls for our camp, as I was campmaster and didn't have time to farm the job out. And got some others to do that too. The children at the event loved the walls and asked their parents to take them for walks around the camp that first year so after that we just had to keep the goofy things and add to them as we could. Now we don't really have a camp there anymore, not after my spouse and I stopped going. Finding a campmaster is a chore. But the panels will live on at Pennsic.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-06-08 01:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-06-09 12:34 am (UTC)Yeah. "We don't like your idea so you need to come up with (and implement) something else" -- never "we have another proposal and are ready to make it happen". Not even in a society that's supposed to be aiming higher on values. :-(
(no subject)
Date: 2022-06-09 04:06 pm (UTC)I've been to War of the Wings twice, because from my northern Atlantian home, Pennsic is closer.