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Yesterday Liam made a wonderful post about the SCA. I responded with:
It is a lit match on the top of a hill, waiting for orders.
It is the ringing in your ears and the smell of powder on your clothes.
It is the 'calm' of the battle below as you wait to do it all over again.
I had an epiphany, I want to become a master gunner. The more I research the use of black power and its uses 'in period', the more excited I become. I feel like I stumbled upon an art form that is grabbing me and taking me on a wonderful ride. It is hard to explain, but I will try.
I came into the SCA with an extensive knowledge/experience of cooking and sewing. I have already been working in these arts for years. There is a little adaptation to periodness of costuming and cooking, but the fundamentals I have, make the adaptation easier and fluid.
But with black powder, I am new all over again. It's like being a prep cook, starting at the bottom, and work my way up to being trusted. You can read everything there is, but the hands on experience is where its at. There is a great group of gunners in the EK. They are willing to train anyone with a brain on their shoulders. I still feel like I'm all thumbs. Every year I forget something, that I am already 'expected to know'. The first year is how covered you need to be, last year, was what equipment I needed to bring to the line (mainly a knife). There isn't really a site where you can go to get "the complete gunners kit" specifications. Every gun line has different flow and kit regulations. Sigh.
Its like the first time I worked the main line in the kitchen. I can't quite dance with the rest of the group yet, and I don't want to let the captains down. Nothing is more disappointing than 'that look'. The one that says, I expect more out of you. I want to live up to that level expectation. I want to feel like I earned the right to wear the badge that says "I'm part of 'that group and yes, that was your 8am wake up call".
This is not a short term goal, its a long term ambition. I'll get there, but I really need more practice than one week a year at Pennsic. There are so many things I want to learn. Making charges, proper cleaning/storage, and all the like. Cannons are awesome, but I also want to learn about matchlocks and wheel locks and hand cannons. The boy says no cannons until we get a garage to store it in. Maybe we'll have to start with a matchlock.
It is a lit match on the top of a hill, waiting for orders.
It is the ringing in your ears and the smell of powder on your clothes.
It is the 'calm' of the battle below as you wait to do it all over again.
I had an epiphany, I want to become a master gunner. The more I research the use of black power and its uses 'in period', the more excited I become. I feel like I stumbled upon an art form that is grabbing me and taking me on a wonderful ride. It is hard to explain, but I will try.
I came into the SCA with an extensive knowledge/experience of cooking and sewing. I have already been working in these arts for years. There is a little adaptation to periodness of costuming and cooking, but the fundamentals I have, make the adaptation easier and fluid.
But with black powder, I am new all over again. It's like being a prep cook, starting at the bottom, and work my way up to being trusted. You can read everything there is, but the hands on experience is where its at. There is a great group of gunners in the EK. They are willing to train anyone with a brain on their shoulders. I still feel like I'm all thumbs. Every year I forget something, that I am already 'expected to know'. The first year is how covered you need to be, last year, was what equipment I needed to bring to the line (mainly a knife). There isn't really a site where you can go to get "the complete gunners kit" specifications. Every gun line has different flow and kit regulations. Sigh.
Its like the first time I worked the main line in the kitchen. I can't quite dance with the rest of the group yet, and I don't want to let the captains down. Nothing is more disappointing than 'that look'. The one that says, I expect more out of you. I want to live up to that level expectation. I want to feel like I earned the right to wear the badge that says "I'm part of 'that group and yes, that was your 8am wake up call".
This is not a short term goal, its a long term ambition. I'll get there, but I really need more practice than one week a year at Pennsic. There are so many things I want to learn. Making charges, proper cleaning/storage, and all the like. Cannons are awesome, but I also want to learn about matchlocks and wheel locks and hand cannons. The boy says no cannons until we get a garage to store it in. Maybe we'll have to start with a matchlock.
