Newsletter for the Barony of Caer MearNewsletter for the Barony of Caer MearNewsletter for the Barony of Caer Mear

The Quid Novi (QD)The Quid Novi (QD)The Quid Novi (QD)

Volume 36, Issue 03 Volume 36, Issue 03 Volume 36, Issue 03 March 2014March 2014March 2014

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A&S at Coronation

Think Viking! Their Highnesses are looking forward to seeing art and beauty of the North. Here in Caer Mear we have our share of Viking types ( Go Boob Fish Guild!) so I hope we have a good turn out since coronation is being

held on baronial lands.

Also there will be a competition for use of the PURPLE

There will also be an open display, So I hope the artisans of Caer Mear will all show off their skills!

On the Cover

Photograph by Lord Tristrum de Kerjean of Trimaris.

Taken with Ultraviolet/Infrared filter on the camera. I am

very grateful for his generosity in sharing his art.

The History of Atlantia Ever wonder how the SCA and the Kingdom of Atlantia got started? We have a site for that! http://historian.atlantia.sca.org/ More information on the first SCA gatherings can be found at: http://history.westkingdom.org/

This just in from

Candlemas!!

Their Royal Highnesses William

and Kara, have declared that the

Kingdom of Atlantia

will ally the Midrealm

at Pennsic War !

Just a friendly reminder Before things get too busy with all the

great events, It’s a good idea to check

your “cards”. Blue membership card

renewed? Fighters, do you have your

authorization card? Need a re-

placement. Now is the time to

line up those ducks!

CHANGE IN THE CALENDAR Please note

The Golden Rose

Tournament is cancelled for this year. Hopefully, it will

return next year.

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Kingdom Arts and Science Festival 2014 So much exciting news! So much beautiful artistry and craftsmanship!

Greetings! I am bursting with pride for my Barony! Allow me to tell you about Kingdom A&S.

We had 3 entrants in 3 competitions, 7 Artisans display, 1 teach a class and 1 run a competition. Also 4 of our kin called into court.

Lady Kat Ferneley and Lord Alderet were called into

court to receive Silver Nautilus for there outstanding achievement in the Arts. Kat's spinning wheel and

Alderet's book. Lady Osa received a well deserved Opal and THL Henricus reported on the Royal Baker

competition he ran.

Lady Caelain Taught a very interesting and well received class about period food. She also had a splendid display about her lovely chickens. She has offered to teach about

period chickens at the Barony!

Lady Osa displayed some of her lovely scrolls includ-ing a backlog scroll made

for our own Lady Kat. Lady Olivia displayed

some of her beautiful work including the Pelican Book

made for Baron William that was bound by Lord

Alderet.

Lady Astrid, Competed for Royal Baker and came in second. This is her first time in com-petition and I have a source that told me she

came in second and that her cheesecake was the single most tasty item! (I got to taste it and it was fabulous!) This was a wonderful

showing for a first time entry!

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Lady Kat's spinning wheel was a thing of beauty and I must tell you that I was most

proud of her as Caer Mear's Baronial Artisan. She has brought great acclaim to her Barony

and herself.

Lord Al-deret won the Book Arts Competition! He not only did beautiful book binding but the fact that his bind-

ing contained a period book that was printed by modern process was hailed as a landmark in Art!

I displayed some baskets.

I must admit as Baronial Mistress of Arts and Scienc-es, I gloated. No one else had a team of artisans to compare to mine. Vivat Caer Mear! Dame Magda z

Stalburg, MOAS Barony of Caer Mear

Editors Note

Congratulations to the new Kingdom Baker,

Lady Margaret of Buckrode. A friend and contributor to the QD.

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped with CARITAS from setting up cots to preparing and serving the meal. A special thanks to Master Fritz who headed up preparing the meal that was provided. This is just a small way we are able to give back to Battery Park church for allowing us the use of the church throughout the year. I also received this very nice thank you note from Laura, who heads up Caritas program for the church. Dear SCA Friends Thank you so much for setting up the cots, preparing and serving the de-licious meal for our CARITAS guest. We really appreciate everything you do to contribute to this important ministry. It is such a help to have your expertise and enthusiasm for this project. Barbara and I always look for-ward to the opportunity to see you all and work together. Laura Wagner Chair Church in society Dept Thanks Again Master William Cameron

Greetings from your Webministers! Do you like our Baronial web site? Have you visited it lately? No? Shame on you! The address is http://caermear.atlantia.sca.org/. As the SCA keeps one foot firmly planted in the past, we must plant the other in the future. Electronic communication and social media are becoming the way we share information about meetings, events, requests for assistance and a plethora of other wonderful "stuff". Don't know who your officers are? Go to the Regnum page. Not sure what activities are coming up? Click on Activities. Missed the last Quid Novi? Shame on you, head on over to the Publications page. The Arts & Sciences page is chock full of infor-mation that we have gathered from around the kingdom as well as files from classes that some of our local artisans have taught. Did you catch someone in the act of ser-vice and want to recommend them for an award? We have whole page that describes all of the Caer Mear awards as well as a link to the Kingdom level award page. Now, I have a request of all who are reading these words. Go check out our website. It is the electronic face of our fair Barony. If you have suggestions, corrections or any ideas, Lord Hjörr and I are always willing to listen. Yours in Service, Lady Arnóra in Rauða and Lord Hjörr Guðmundson Webministers, Caer Mear

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Why I Hate Galahad Or

Life Lessons from the Various Heroes of the Grail Quest

By Lord Balin of Acre

Depending on which traditional Arthurian source you’re reading, there are generally four of the “main” knights who have at one time or another been the hero who accomplishes the Grail Quest: Gawain, Percival, Lancelot, and Galahad. And we can sit here and argue the merits of when and by whom each character was introduced into the Arthurian my-thos, but that’s not really the point. All that really matters for our purposes in today’s discussion is what each of these knights has to say about the metaphor that underlies the Grail Quest story: man’s search for perfection. Let’s start with Gawain; as he has his roots in the Welsh hero Gwalchmai, he’s likely the oldest character and maybe even the “original” Grail hero. So what lesson does Gawain have to teach us? It’s simple, really. “Don’t be a jerk. And if you happen to be a jerk, grow out of it.” When we first meet Gawain in the narrative, he’s pretty much a jerk. He has some redeeming qualities, to be sure, such as his loyalty, his prowess, etc. But he’s also arrogant, prideful, violent and selfish. He likes letting people know he’s the son of King Lot and cousin to King Arthur. In one adventure, Gawain encounters a woman and decides to set up house with her; it’s Winter, and he’s cold! But come spring, Gawain gets that wanderlust again for adventure and knightly deeds. He bids farewell to his housemate and never looks back; the original “love ‘em and leave ‘em” hero. But compare those early actions to what is arguably Gawain’s most famous adventure: Gawain and the Green Knight. Here an older Gawain shows us what he’s learned – he performs a brave deed and then keeps to his word even when it means something bad will happen to him, like, oh, getting his head chopped off. He holds off on the flirtatious (even if specious) advances of his host’s wife. This doesn’t sound at all like the guy we just described above. Who is this knight, and what has he done with Gawain? Simply put, he grew up. He became aware of his deficiencies and fixed them.

Percival provides a similar lesson, just from a different angle. Whereas young Gawain is a spoiled rich kid, already jaded before he’s grown, Percival is just dumb as a brick. Okay, okay, that’s not really fair. Percival isn’t dumb; he’s just a victim of the absolute worst home-schooling program ever.

See, Percival’s daddy was a knight, who was killed while off doing knightly things. Percival’s mom decided she didn’t want her kid knowing anything about knights, or swords, or rap music, so she packed up the family and moved to the woods. Way out in the woods. Like, so far out, bears don’t even go there.

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One day, while eating mud, Percy happens to see some knights riding by. At first, because they’re so shiny, he assumes they have to be angels. They’re just that shiny. His misunderstanding is quickly rectified by the knights, and just like that, all his momma’s hard work trying to keep him from knowing … anything, really, is done in.

And that, in a nutshell, is pretty much how the rest of Percival’s story goes. He’s the innocent who comes on the stage knowing nothing; The Fool who has to learn as he goes along. This is true of his grail quest too. When he first comes to the Grail Castle, and is presented with the cup, he fails to recognize the importance of what’s happening around him and fails to ask the right questions. That’s a big fat F for his first attempt at the grail.

But he keeps trying. He continues to learn and most importantly, think. So what’s his great lesson? Percival’s lesson is "ignorance is no excuse. If you're igno-rant, resolve that situation asap."

The next time he’s sitting at the grail table, you can be sure Percival knows exactly which questions to ask. Percival figures out that his ignorance is not a

fatal flaw, as long as he does something about it. Then there’s Lancelot … Lancelot would probably be my least favorite of Arthur’s knights, except for the fact that Galahad exists. Funny that they’re fa-

ther and son, must be something genetic. To be fair, Lancelot is a victim of his own press. His whole character is a late addition to the mythos that’s basically French writers snubbing their noses at those pudding eaters across the Channel. He’s the best fighter, the handsomest dude, and you will not make a better sandwich than him. Oh, and he’s going to steal your queen/wife/sister/what have you. Yes, Lancelot is the walking propaganda piece for French superiority. But, he’s become such an intrinsic piece of the Arthurian Cycle than none of us can really imagine it without him. Is there still something to be gained from Lancelot’s time in the grail spotlight? Indeed. Key to understanding Lancelot’s lesson is to remember that in his story, the grail quest comes fairly early, as opposed to Gawain or Percival, for whom the Grail is pretty much the capstone of their careers. All that stuff that happens with Guinevere, and causing a civil war that rips Arthur’s kingdom apart and puts Mordred on the throne? Yeah, that all comes long after good Sir Lance has supposedly achieved “perfection.”

Lancelot’s lesson is "hey, you might be pretty damn good, but don't let it go to your head. Stay humble. If you don't stay humble, you're really gonna mess up and everything will be your fault." Finally … we come to Galahad. Like I said at the beginning of all this, I really hate Galahad. Why? Again, it comes down to when and why the character was intro-duced into the cycle. Somewhere in the middle of the 13

th Century, those writing the

latest versions of the story felt that none of the current Grail heroes really fit with a version of Arthur that was in line with the Church. Gawain had too many pagan con-nections; Percival, too mystical; and their previous favorite, Lancelot, was an adulterer and traitor.

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So instead they brewed up a new hero, one with connections to previous he-roes; Lancelot was his daddy, and he’s related to Percival on him momma’s side. It’s a family affair! (Ooo, maybe should avoid the “affair” word where Lancelot is concerned.) But how could they avoid the problem all the previous heroes had been laid low by, namely, eventually becoming unpalatable to the current readers for whatever reason? The answer they came up with was simple. Or perhaps just simplistic. They made their new hero perfect from birth. That’s right, he came out ready to grab for the Grail on day one! As you follow Galahad’s story, you see that much like Lancelot, he’s the perfect knight, but without any of Sir Lance’s moral failings. He’s never tempted by lust or women, never angry or hateful, always pious and perfect. Sickeningly perfect.

In short, I’m pretty much convinced Galahad was an android. And thus, why I hate him; though he succeeds in the Grail Quest, he fails in the

underlying rationale for the quest in the first place. Galahad’s story is not about man searching for perfection; he’s already perfect. It’s pretty easy to arrive at a destination when you start out there. There is nothing to be learned or gained from Galahad.

(Editors note – Many thanks to Lord Balin for his wonderful article) Photo by Baron Ursus of Anglesey

Lady Elizabeth’s Onion Soup To warm both body and soul

6 large white onions (or Vidalia when in season)

1/4 cup butter 1Tbs flour

1Qt beef broth or 8 packets beef bouillon sodium free 1Qt water

Peel then slice onions very thin and separate rings. Melt butter in very large pot, add onions carefully and stir until all onions are coated and

golden. Then add flour and mix thoroughly. Stir in water and broth. Bring to

boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

This makes a lot of soup, but it is delicious! Serve hot soup over a dark brown bread and top with cheese. My

hubby is partial to Gouda cheese on his.

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Baronial Meting Feb. 26th 2014

Begins-7:05pm

Her Excellency– Thanks to Kat for bringing the baronial chairs home from

Ymir. Recent tragedy at Ymir reminds us to respect others when using social me-

dia. Their Excellencies will be day tripping to TYD BB

Seneschal–Henricus will be on the calendar for next month to discuss strategic

planning for the barony.

MOAS– CM had great success at KASF. University is upcoming. Magda is retir-

ing and THL Brianna is taking her place.

Chatelaine– new visitor Tuesday who we hope to see again. Discussion on the

pros/cons of Demos. Need help w/Ruby newcomer tours. Looking for someone

to take the position of Chatelaine.

Webministers-site continues to be updated as needed, Ruby page is now up. All

officer info changes needs to be in writing. Yard sale raised $113.- and will con-

tinue monthly til things get too busy.

Quartermaster– We have stuff and know where it is!

Exchequer-Major computer issue resolved after much extra work and doomsday

report submitted. Deposit made for Yard sale and check from WoW from volun-

teer points thanks to Lady Astrid. Balance-5,725.95

Chronicler– April issue will be an April Fools issue, hope all officers will sub-

mit stuff! New quarterly reports have spot for letters from the officers.

Yarnvid– The winter cycle causing low attendance. If pattern continue, meeting

will not be monthly.

New Business– Master Thomas advises the decision from the BOD and the So-

ciety Chirurgeonate is basically a done deal. The insurance providers require the

SCA reduce risks. The Chirurgeonate may adopt an informal guild structure.

Her Excellency requests award recommendations and notification if you are

sending a kingdom award recommendation so the may support it

Old Business– Baron Williams thanks all those who give their time and efforts

to make Caritas happen. Letter of thanks fro the church. Also, need to change

meeting day to the 2nd Wed of the month d/t schedule conflict w/ the church

Events– Ruby Joust Countess Ysabella advises ACCEPS is up, fighting for-

mats lined up, prizes are being planned, Volunteers are requested to contact her.

Bacon Wars II– We will be holding one, same site is booked for it.

Fiber and Foliage– A&S focused event 2nd weekend in Nov.@ the

Church. This may become a pattern for future events (combined baronies event)

Meeting ends 8:05pm

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Since the weather has been so very seasonal recently, I thought it would most appropriate to share this marvelous song by Lady Kilmeny.

May it bring you a warm smile.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE OF CHANGE

The Monthly Baronial meeting will now take

place the 2nd Wed. of every month starting

MARCH 12th

Volunteers make things Happen! Going to Pennsic this year? Consider

volunteering some time to help the other volunteers that make Pennsic

happen every year. There is a new department on the website to help you find out where, when and with whom to

check in with. http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn43/

ACTIVITIES/volunteers.html

In my “Better Late than Never” Column...

Congratulations to Lord Aidan of Kingswood and our cousins of the Baro-

ny of Tir-y-don for winning a Blackfox website award. Lord Aiden won for Best

Organization (for the most easily navigated website in

balance and style)

Society Chirurgeonate Request for Comments –

UPDATED FAQ Now Available

On January 18, 2014, the SCA Board of Directors began seeking commentary on a proposal to

eliminate the official Office of the Chirurgeonate, and the associated changes to Corpora nec-

essary to accomplish this action. This announcement can be found in its entirety at http://

socsen.sca.org/category/bodann.

To better provide information regarding this proposed change given the comments and sug-

gestions received to-date, an updated set of FAQs has been developed to assist in answering

questions. This updated FAQ can be found on the sca.org website at:http://www.sca.org/BOD/

announcements/ChirurgeonateFAQupdate.pdf.

As a reminder, the Board of Directors will be continuing to seek comments on the matter

through 03/18/2014. Comments are strongly encouraged and can be sent to:

SCA Inc.

Box 360789

Milpitas, CA 95036

You may also email comments@lists.sca.org.

This announcement is an official informational release by the Society for Creative Anachro-

nism , Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce this announcement in its entirety in newsletters,

websites and electronic mailing lists.

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Not Going to Gulf Wars?? Our cousins in the fair Barony of Tir-Y-Don are celebrating their baronial

birthday and invites us to join them!

When- March 15, 2014

Where-Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 179 East Mercury Boulevard,

Hampton, VA 23669-2461. Site opens at 10am, closes 8pm

http://acorn.atlantia.sca.org/event_flyer.php?event_id=63909199

(Editors Note)- For our Archers, there is some important information regarding

the event on the flyer, please make sure you read it if you plan to go.

Congratulations!

To Sir Bryce de Byram for his vic-

tory in the tournament at Ymir on

February 22,2014. Sir Bryce

bested a list of over 55 fighters and

in the presence of his own knight

Duke Anton Tremayne. Caer Mear

is proud of this fine warrior.

A&S Schedule

March 4th– How to make a Script (period messenger bag) w/THL Brianna

March 11th– How to embellish your Viking look w/Baroness Inga

March 18th-Poetry and Bardic w/Lady Kilmeny

March 25th– Illumination

April 1st-TBA

April 8th-Viking Braids w/ Mistress Aelfwyn

April 15th-Viking Beads w/Lady Bronwyn (Boob Fish Guild Meeting!)

Photo by Baron Ursus

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Ruby Joust III

May 23 - May 26, 2014

Tom Scott Park 8740 Otterburn Road Amelia, VA 23002.

Site opens Friday 4pm, closes Monday 1pm

Come one and all to our lovely, centrally located, Barony of Caer Mear, where we are known for our hospitality! Please come enjoy our annual Gem Joust extravaganza! We will again be

welcoming the equestrian community as well as all your other favorite activities. You will find your fill of armored & rapier

fighting, archery, classes, competitions, shopping and good old fashion camaraderie! Isn't the fellowship why most of us love

the S.C.A.? For exciting up dates go to our Baronial web.

http://caermear.atlantia.sca.org/Ruby Autocrat-Countess Ysabella Cacemoine

Cost:

Adult, Member: $20.00 Day-Trip $0.00 Feast $0.00 Camping

Adult, Non-Member: $25.00 Day-Trip $0.00 Feast $0.00 Camping

Youth (7-15): $8.00 Day-Trip $0.00 Feast $0.00 Camping

Child (0-6): $0.00 Day-Trip $0.00 Feast $0.00 Camping

Cost Notes: There is just one fee whether you day-trip or stay all weekend. ***Adults pre-reg and save $5! It's only $15 for adults who pre-reg through ACCEPS or by mail! For non-members the

pre-reg rate is $20.00 Deadline for ACCEPS is pre-reg is Sunday, May 11th and by mail reservations must be postmarked by May

11th.***

Site Restrictions: No pets allowed. Service animals are permit-ted with proper documentation presented at Troll. Fire pits and bowls are permitted. Fire pits must be completely turfed before

you leave. Fire bowl ashes must be thoroughly saturated and dumped along the forest line. Ashes should NOT be left in the

middle of camp sites.

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The Atlantian Calender of Events

March 2014

1 Winter University-Sacred Stone, Claremont, NC

8 St. Paddy's Day Blood Bath-Ponte Alto, Vienna, VA

9-16 Gulf Wars XXIII - Gleann Abhann

15 Bright Hills Scribal Schola II -Bright Hills. Towson, MD

15 Seven Hills Skrimishes-Black Diamond, Boonesboro, VA

15 Tir-y-don Baronial Birthday-Tir-y-Don. Hampton, VA

21-23 Night On The Town-Lochmere. Annapolis, MD

22 A Day in the Life of Shakespeare Demo-Hawkwood. Banner Elk, NC

28-30 The Grand Tournament of Friends VI- Attilium, Bunnlevel, NC

29 Defending the Gate XIII (R)-Sudentorre, Spotsylvania, VA

April 2014

5 Coronation of TRH William and Kara - (R,H)-Lanexa Virginia

11-13 Southern Atlantian Archery Day-Crois Brigte, Boonville, NC

11-13 Hidden Mountain Baronial Birthday -Hidden Mountain, Bennetsville, SC

12 Day in the Uttermost West-Dun Carraig, Nanjemoy, MD

12-13 Gemütlichplatz- Isenfir, Charlottesville, VA

19 Bright Hills Baronial Investiture

24 Blackstone Raid XXIII (K) -Aethelmearc

25-27 Hawkwood's 10th Baronial Birthday (Q), -Hawkwood, Arden, NC

26 Atlantia’s Royal Archery Championship-Sudentorre, Midland, VA

May 2014

2-4 Spring Crown Tournament -Atlantia ,Boonville, NC

10-12 On Target-Lochmere, Annapolis, MD

10 Feast of the Saints: St. Barbara-Falconcree. Honea Path, SC

16-18 Tiara Tourney Raven's Cove-Richlands, NC

16-18 Below the Salt VI - A New Hope, Baelfire Dunn, Booneville, NC

17 Sergeants & Scholars Roxbury Mill Clarksburg, MD

23-26 Ruby Joust lll - Caer Mear-Amelia,VA

30-1 Garb Wars Spiaggia Levantina Denton, MD

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Regnum

Baronage

Baron Wolfgang Moennich von Luppin Baroness Iseulte of the Red Cliffs

Moe & Kitty Moyer

baron AT caermear.atlantia.sca.com baroness AT caer-

mear.atlantia.sca.com

Seneschal Lady Naomi

cmsenescal AT gmail.com

Exchequer

Kadlin Fjorliefardottir

Debbie deTreville exchequer AT caer

mear.atlantia.sca.org

Chatelaine Baroness Inga

Carolyn Quenstedt quenstedt AT aol.com

Chronicler

Gytha of WithornSea Penny Haller

pennyhaller@yahoo.com

Webminister Arnóra in Rauda

Beth deTreville

lady.arnora.in.rauda AT gmail.com

Herald

Lord Ragnarr Leifsson

Minister of Arts & Science

THL Brianna O’Dinneen THLBrianna@gmail.com

Knight Marshal

Count Amos le Pious

Chancellor Minor &

VA Vice-Chancellor of Youth

Minister of the List

(acting)

Bojzena Z Osturna

(

Seneschal

Master Thomas Longshanks YarnvidSeneschal AT yahoo.com

Exchequer

Lady Anna of Calais

Minister of Arts & Science Kateryne Ferneley

brockenspectre AT yahoo.com

Knight Marshal

Lady Osa

Seneschal

Broccan mac Ronain ui Lochlainn

Exchequer

Herald

Ragnar Leifson Ed Claytor

heraldcaerg AT gmail.com

Seneschal

Nathaniel of Ravenswood

Exchequer

Elizabeth Tender Herte

Minister of Arts & Science

Isabel Henry

Canton of Rivers Point

Canton of Caer Gelynniog

College of Yarnvid

Barony of Caer Mear

* If there has been a change in officers or if information is listed incorrectly you must email

the chronicler. All additions or changes must be in writing, giving permission to print whatever personal info you wish posted. Minimum contact info is your SCA name, your legal name and

your e-mail address. Any additional contact info is optional.

16

Scheduled Meetings

This is The Caer Mear QD, a publication of the Barony of Caer Mear of the Society for Crea-tive Anachronism, Inc. The Caer Mear QD is available from Penny Haller, pennyhal-

ler@yahoo.com. Subscriptions are Free and available Electronically. This newsletter is not a corporate publication of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.

and does not define SCA policies. For information on reprinting letters and artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original crea-

tor of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors. Please send submissions to:

pennyhaller@yahoo.com www.caermear.atlantia.sca.org

Disclaimer: Clip art in this issue of the QD taken from the Microsoft Office/Publisher 2007 clip art selections, Dover Publications

all rights reserved

Barony of Caer Mear

Business Meetings Monthly; 2nd Wednesday at 7:00pm

Fighter Practice / A&S Gathers Weekly; every Tuesday at 7:00pm

Both are held at Battery Park Christian Church, 4201 Brook Road, Richmond VA

College of Yarnvid

Business Meetings Held as needed.

Arts & Science Gathers Weekly; every Thursday at 7:30pm Both are held at Epiphany Church 11000 Smoketree Drive, Richmond VA Archery Practice Weekly; every Sunday at 1:00pm Held at Rockwood Park 3401 Courthouse Rd, Chesterfield VA

Caer Gelynniog

Business Meetings- Usually the second Saturday of the month at 7:00. They are being held at the Ihop at Zions Cross-roads. Canton of Rivers Point

Business Meetings Fighter Practice / A&S Gathers NO REGULAR MEETINGS AT THIS TIME Both are held at the Colonial Heights Pub-lic Library 1000 Yacht Basin Dr, Colonial Heights, VA

We look forward to seeing you!

All submissions are due by the 23th of each month for the next month’s issue.