Well, hello there. I bet you’re wondering why a Last Crusade blog post would appear in February, so far removed from the long-forgotten days of November. Well, that’s a very long and boring story, so why don’t we instead discuss the Last Crusade of 2021…
This was a quieter weekend due to the weather. That did not stop the Heirs of Asgard from showing up in force. There was a smaller agenda – mostly chill time with an all-day affair of folks playing the trivia game Um, Actually… This to be followed by a White Elephant gift exchange. And thus, costumes were donned, drinks were traded, and much merriment was had all Friday evening and into the morning. It was then that our Jarl Adam Treadway fixed us a fine breakfast of tacos! He is always a crowd pleaser.
As folks began heading into the faire to go about their own adventures, some folks stayed behind to play trivia. There was strong competition, eventually filling out a three-bracket competition as folks filed back in from faire. The drawings, in particular, were remarkable. I am lucky to have such talented and funny friends. But just as things were fixing to get finished the weather took a turn for the worst. The rain came in earlier and more aggressively than expected – and just when it was supposed to stop the wind turned and we were stuck in the storm throughout the night.
But Heirs don’t spook nor sit idly by! Emy Blakeny set a fire for us to keep us warm. There wasn’t much room and folks kept shifting to stay out of the smoke, but they made it work. To help with this a construction project got started on the other side of camp. Twin tents were being erected to cover the whole site and keep us dry. Half a dozen at least jumped at the chance to help. Because of the incredible spirit these Heirs showed, the tents were finished and set in place in less than 45 minutes – tables and chairs included! We turned that campsite around on a dime, y’all that was awesome.
Through all of this, there was one person of particular note: Chris Jones had once again jumped into the mix to help with a camp project. And in light of the excellence he once again showed amongst his fellow Heirs he was voted in as a member on the spot – a first in my time camping with this crew!
With the weather out of our face we set up for dinner. Hot, filling chili made by David Nowlin. It was perfect for a cold and rainy day. The games were to be rejoined after we’d all had time to get some food into our bellies and trade tales of the day’s exciting conquests.
After a beat to gather our second wind, we began our White Elephant – and folks you are never going to look at Twinkies the same way again. I have never – never ever and not in all of my years – seen a holiday party game get so widely out of hand. There were some amazing trades and gifts both adorable and absurd, but the undeniable fact of the evening is that Mat Keech bringing a $30 box full of twinkies was a masterstroke of comedy genius. Geordan Major, you will recover someday. Until then, enjoy your lifetime supply of Twinkies. It will continue to be paid in installments.
The White Elephant had ended, laughter was filling the campsite. The fire and the beer were together doing the lords’ work. And after a moment to breathe, we went back to the finale of Um, Actually…While there were many winners, there could only be one Champion – or so we thought! Laura Golden and Peter Pinard slugged it out through 3 rounds of overtime and could not break their tie – and eventually ran me out of questions to ask!
In the end, it was clear that the only suitable solution for such a display of mental fortitude was to crown them both champions, and they both won their very own Golden Dickasaurus Rex. And yea, much giggling did occur within both of their tents for the rest of the evening.
And that was the agenda. From there, We served cocoa with options to spike, and sang, and told stories, and went wildly into the night dodging rain drops and seeking yet more adventures. But those are tales for another time…
We woke the next morning and ate a cold breakfast – it was final weekend so the whole site had to be cleaned up. Many hands made light work – we were in and out in only a couple hours. And then toward home again. There were so many lovely people out there with us this weekend and I just want to thank all of you for coming by and being excellent. Come again any time!
If you have anything you want to add, get in the comments and share the love.
DEUS VULT, MY FRIENDS
Always keep the faith.