Hope you have a lovely day, and a fabulous time on Thursday with the big balloons and the man in the red suit. :-)

In case you haven't already seen it, there is a fabulous PBS show on Spanish food and cooking, hosted by José Andres, called Made in Spain. It's one of those shows that makes you hungry when you watch it. The Euro-pop soundtrack is a little distracting, but Andres is an infectiously enthusiastic host. Note that episode 2 includes segments in Santiago de Compostela. :-) Full episodes are on Hulu, click here to watch!

After watching that, all I really want is a big plate of pulpo gallego. Mmmm.

Hope you have a delightful day. :-)

Even for those of you who are (blissfully, I'm sure :-) unaware of the madness and strife rampant in the West Kingdom these days, I think these words can be of value to all of us who play the game:  A Call to Valor.

...it's coming up in just two weeks!!  Here are some of the things the autocrat team has been working on:

- SATURDAY MORNING: As a special thank-you to the teachers who make this event possible, the Chancellors are hosting a breakfast before the first period.  If you are teaching a class at Collegium, either Saturday or Sunday, please join us for complimentary coffee, bagels, and other goodies.  (Teachers' significant others are welcome, too!  Breakfast will be served in one of the guest suites; the room number will be provided to teachers when they sign in on Saturday morning, or ask one of the Chancellors on Friday night.)

- SATURDAY NIGHT: DINNER in the Presidential Suite, open to all event attendees, both Collegium and IKINS.  If you are interested in contributing food, please let me know in advance so we can plan accordingly.  There's no fee for the dinner, but we will gratefully accept donations to help defray the cost of the meal.  Please note, dinner will be casual, served buffet-style; paper plates will be available, but if you would like to be "green" and bring your own feast gear rather than using disposables, you are welcome to do so.  (Please note that there are no dishwashing facilities in the suite, so remember to bring a bag for taking your used dishes home.)  Following dinner we invite guests to stick around for a PARTY, which may include games, music, movie screenings, and other fun stuff.  Even if you choose to have dinner on your own, do feel free to join us again later in the evening.

- CLASSES: We have an awesome lineup of courses for this event; see the website for details!  If you want to teach but haven't signed up yet, never fear!  We have just a couple of spots left open, so if you have an idea for a class, let us know -- we'd love to have you join us!  Likewise, our block of hotel rooms is nearly sold out, so if you haven't yet claimed your spot, you may still have a chance.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions; we're looking forward to seeing you all there!


Vittoria Aureli
Co-Chancellor, Collegium Occidentalis

Southern Californians, take note: Los Angeles Opera is having a costume sale this weekend. Details here!

Bay Area readers, most of you have already heard about the San Francisco Opera costume sale in three weeks: details.

If only I could get to both... :-)

Whoever you are:  THANK YOU!!  What an incredible gift.  I hardly know what I did to deserve such generosity, and I am completely overwhelmed.  But I do know my Amazon wishlist is about to get a little shorter. ;-)  Thank you so very, very much.  Really, this is amazing.  And I hope that someday I'll be able to "pay it forward" to another deserving party...  Thank you with all my heart.

Greetings, West Kingdom artists and artisans!

I would like to take a moment to remind the populace of the Royal Arts and Sciences competition that is currently scheduled to take place at October Crown.  I am very much looking forward to seeing what sorts of exciting contributions to the arts and sciences will be offered by the entrants.

Please remember that the competition is open to EVERYBODY; the competition categories are quite open, and beginning-level entrants are very welcome!  And entering a competition isn't just about competing -- it's a fantastic way to get feedback on your work and chat with other artisans who are interested in the same topics you might be working on.

There are 5 competition categories, and you may enter as many or as few as you wish.  One last reminder: the deadline for entering the RESEARCH PAPER category is September 4 at 5:00PM, so that the A&S Team can have sufficient time to read and review the papers before Crown.  The research paper can cover any subject or topic that you are interested in (within SCA period, of course).  It must be no longer than 10 pages, double-spaced (bibliography and illustrations may be included as an appendix; they do not count toward the page limit).  You may email your entries as Word or PDF files to aands [AT] westkingdom [DOT] org.  Descriptions of the remaining categories and FAQ about the competition are below!

If you have any questions about this or any other issues related to the competition, please feel free to contact me directly (phoenissa [AT] gmail [DOT] com).  There is also a yahoogroup forum for those interested in participating: west_rasc@yahoogroups.com.


In service,


Vittoria Aureli
Royal A&S Champion
( Frequently Asked Questions )

I've posted these two entries to leftcoastfood , but it occurs to me that some of the foodies on my f-list aren't part of that group (geography intervenes!) but may still be interested. :-) (And if you can read this entry anyway without being a part of the group, please do let me know so I don't foolishly keep posting twice. ;-)

So, here begins (again) A Tale of Two Cultures, one made using a recipe from a modern cookbook, the other made using directions from a historic cookery text.

( Day 1 )

( Day 2 )

I have a few items that I'm culling from my SCA wardrobe, and I am offering them up for sale.

1. Venetian front-lacing gown (late 16th c).  Gold and white brocade (synthetic).  This gown is almost entirely handsewn.  It is in pretty good condition; needs a new lacing cord and a couple stitches in the waistband, but otherwise fine.  In terms of size, this front-lacing style is very forgiving; I've been able to wear it as a size 6 and a size 10.  The dress can be seen here and here.  $100 or best offer.

2. Corset (late 16th c).  White linen with steel boning, entirely handsewn.  A photo can be seen here; it's also worn under the Venetian gown in the photos linked above, so you can see the silhouette it produces.  Can fit up to 41" bust.  Complete with brand-new lacing cord and aglet --  in excellent condition!  $100 or best offer.

3. Dark blue gown (sort of early-to-mid 16th c).  The fabric is a heavy velveteen (synthetic).  Almost entirely handsewn, including cartridge-pleated skirt.  The gown fits about a size 8-10 and laces in the back.  It's the gown I'm wearing in this photo (front row, far right-hand side):   $100 or best offer.  The under-sleeves (gold and ivory cotton brocade) are actually separate from the dress but I would be happy to include them if the buyer wishes ($20 or best offer).

If you are interested, please contact me via email or private message.  Thanks!

So, I'm gonna spare you all the long long narrative of the fabulous weekend, 'cause... I'm still tired. ;-p  But it was utterly fantastic, and I totally want to do it again next year!  Here are the highlights:

- Though the drive is super long, the scenery is stunningly gorgeous.  And the site -- soooooo beautiful.

- Fantastic roasted oysters, plucked from the water only hours earlier...tasted just like the ocean.

- Bestest camp hosts ever.

- Cooking without a deadline.  Cooking with serious cooks who know their stuff.  Geeking about obscure period cookbooks.

- Sauce Robert.  Also known as Bob.  Oh, Bob, how I love you... your buttery, mustardy goodness... my life was nothing before you, Bob.  Drizzled over salmon or halibut...sopped up with freshly baked bread...licked salaciously off fingers... Bob, my beloved, you are a taste of heaven.

- Not freezing.  Cashmere ski cap = made of win.

- Hanging out with some of my favorite people and meeting some truly awesome new people (*waves at new An Tirian foodie friends*).

- Cheese made on site.  Bread, pies and pasta made on site.

- Did I mention how beautiful the site was?

- People waiting in line for samples of our Saturday night dinner.

- MOO! MOOOOOO!  (er, you had to be there.)

Oops! They didn't all fit in one post!
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These are from Marguerite, who cleverly planted two cameras in the audience. :-) I think dave_orphal took some of these? Only a sampling, since there are about 40 on the CD she gave me... I think a copy will at some point be going to goldenstag for the West Kingdom History site.
( Read more... )

I had to wash a bunch of wine-stained white tablecloths, and even though I had liberally applied stain remover, the stains had already sat for over 24 hours so I figured bleaching would be the most effective way of getting them clean.  Into the mix I threw an old tablecloth of mine which is stained beyond hope (multiple washings, & the wine spots won't go away) -- it's beige, but I figured bleaching would turn it white.

Well, I just started folding the clean linens, and most of them are sparkling clean, but the beige tablecloth is now a pale shade of salmon.

1. What just happened??

2. Should I try another round of bleach, or is it better to just over-dye it?  (The fabric is 100% cotton.)  I have absolutely no use for the current color. 

3. Is it even worth trying to salvage?  For the cost of dye and the time in experimenting (because I have never dyed fabric before), I could probably just buy or make a new tablecloth (this one was only like $10 new) and consign the old one to rags.