Some Idle Dreaming

[Straelbora]

Straelbora, if you do get such a place built in Brown Co, will you be needing any entertainment there? Say, a fiddler, perhaps? I'm on Indy's south side; Brown county is a reckless drive down 135 for me.

Talk to me if there's an immigration amnesty. Basically, my wife's like Suze Orman when it comes to managing money. She said if I can crank out X dollars in Y years, I can retire from law and do whatever I want, as long as it doesn't lose money.

[wulfgar]

Greg, if you ever ar ein Arkansas let me know. The Blockhouse isn't always open, but there is something going on at least once a month.

[armchair]

Greg, I just you a PM with my email, and also a link to the Facebook page for my Ren Faire act, just for grins. I don't think this is going to be a short conversation; I can talk music for hours.

[Straelbora]

Greg, I just you a PM with my email, and also a link to the Facebook page for my Ren Faire act, just for grins. I don't think this is going to be a short conversation; I can talk music for hours.

If you're in Indy, hope you can make the next IndyMoot.

Also- I have a nice pig-roasting pit in my back yard. Maybe we can meet here once, too.

[Jon]

You nailed it Greg. Those are my feelings exactly.

Last week I was sitting in a quaint English tea room somewhere in Cumbria, sipping a ginger beer; sitting in a corner by a fireplace. The ceiling was too low for me to stand up and not whack my head on one of the massive writhed oak beams. The windows were paned in medieval fashion and it looked out onto a winding cobbled street lined by other cramped timber-frame traditional-like houses.
It was so easy to just picture the rain outside battering the windows and splashing the dark cobblestones splattered in mud, to hear the buzz and occasional outburst of half-drunken conversation, to feel the warmth of the fire gradually dry up my supposedly soaked garments - you get the picture. It really wouldn't have taken much to be swept off to Bree. In that moment I really, really longed to visit Middle Earth and the Prancing Pony.

Dunno why I felt like that but I could just picture it all, it was awesome. Let me know how you get along with this.

[Eärendur]

Wow guys, you really got my mental juices flowing.... I feel a ramble coming on.

Whew, where to begin?

The things you guys have described (all of you) have passed through my mind at one point or another, though I have admittedly thought more about the sort of thing Pete was describing. When I was taking a Timber Frame construction class a few weeks ago (I posted about it in one of the other forums), there were a couple guys who were taking the class for the sole purpose of learning how to build a 16th c. English tavern. One of them told me that there is just such an immersive medieval project in France - no modern anything allowed, as far as he told me - but you have to speak French and have some rudimentary skill in some medieval trade. Apparently they're building a castle.

Before I get too far, let me give my on-(original)topic contribution. The only place I can think of that (sort of) fits the bill for the overnight tavern sort of thing is the guest house at Tiller's, in Kalamazoo, MI. http://www.tillersinternational.org/til ... ml#Lodging (And I must say, the food is excellent).

Now, I have given a great deal of thought to this Tolkien-lived-out, or even history-lived-out. In simple terms, I think (in general) we have all been drawn to this for more or less the same reason - not because we never grew up or because we like playing dress-up (although those may still apply to a greater or lesser extent!) Rather, I think there is some basic human desire that remains unfulfilled in our 21st C., technology-driven, fast-paced lives. I think this sort of thing (i.e., Tolkien's writings) speaks to a part of us that is left empty, drawing us to something we might never have guessed we were missing otherwise.

Case in point: My attraction to Middle-Earth and LOTR was not the "magic" element (per se), nor was it the action and battles (not by a long shot). Rather, it was to Middle-Earth itself. Just being in ME is what drew me in - and that's why I like the FOTR movie the best; it "feels" most ME to me.

That's why I conclude that for the most part we are here for the same basic reason - we want to capture that feeling of being in Middle-Earth. And of course, once you get to a certain point, it is natural to want to take it further, to create the immersive experience - the source, I think, of many of our daydreams.

Now like some of you, I am the type with a drive to create. And so I picked up blacksmithing - many of the things I wanted either could not be bought, or were way above my budget to be had the way I wanted them, so I decided to try to learn to make them myself. In doing so, I discovered (and I believe some of you will bear me out) that there is an intense satisfaction to making something under the power of your own hands. I can't really describe it; though it can often be frustrating, it is yet soothing, almost therapeutic, to use a well-made hand tool to create something else - out of iron, wood, or leather. Even using a properly-made and sharpened ax is somehow relaxing and satisfying.

There is an additional bonus - things made in such a way, and done well, have an attraction to them that is all their own. Compare a hand-forged drawer handle with one you get from the big-box store and you will know what I mean. You get the same sort of thing from a Timber-frame structure. Solidity, strength, durability; these things are made to last, and under normal conditions will last for hundreds of years. Also Honesty - these are real materials, not gilded plastic or compressed sawdust with a vinyl veneer. And Creativity - the personal touch is there, which can really bring things to life.

Now I am still young, and about as able to steer the course of my life as anyone is - and I intend to steer my life in a course that will not deprive me of what I believe are some of the basic needs of the human spirit. Recreating a Middle-Earth fantasy land? As already pointed out, that's not realistic (barring winning the lottery or a very eccentric investor.) Anyway, it's also kind of escapist if you intend to live there. However, we still don't have to run the typical "rat-race," (at least, not permanently.) There are other ways, which I think can give us what we're looking for. If you have not seen it before, I give you this very cool example: http://www.simondale.net/

Well, I've rambled for long enough already; I leave you with this: if you have never heard of permaculture, I suggest looking into it. Whatever I actually end up doing in the future, I think permaculture elements and methods will be part of it. (I highly recommend a google image search for "Permaculture house.")

Well, that's the end of my philisophical rant - for now. Maybe I'm just full of it; or maybe some of you can identify with me.

[Straelbora]

[quote="Eärendur"]Wow guys, you really got my mental juices flowing.... I feel a ramble coming on. [Ramble redacted to save precious electrons.]

Bravo. It's reassuring to see that other people have the same way of thinking.

[Jon]

What's this place in France you speak of? Would you have a link?

[Straelbora]

What's this place in France you speak of? Would you have a link?

http://www.guedelon.fr/en/

They were trying the same thing in Arkansas but financing fell through amid allegations of it being run by a con man. Apparently, the site, with stone foundations only six feet high or so, is available for about $400,000.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/us/bu ... .html?_r=0

[Mirimaran]

This is where I count myself lucky to have been stationed in Germany for three years. The gasthaus' are a great example of the tavern, and I even got to eat at a real medieval restaurant http://www.welser-kuche.de/ so I know the atmosphere that you are looking for. It would be alot of fun to have a place to ourselves for the weekend, complete with attached grounds. Here's hoping for the lottery!

Ken

[wulfgar]

What's this place in France you speak of? Would you have a link?

http://www.guedelon.fr/en/

They were trying the same thing in Arkansas but financing fell through amid allegations of it being run by a con man. Apparently, the site, with stone foundations only six feet high or so, is available for about $400,000.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/us/bu ... .html?_r=0

A buddy of mine got to go there before it closed. They allowed people to come and help and learn, for a small fee of course to cover insurance I guess. We were going to go, but we waited too long.

[Straelbora]

What's this place in France you speak of? Would you have a link?

http://www.guedelon.fr/en/

They were trying the same thing in Arkansas but financing fell through amid allegations of it being run by a con man. Apparently, the site, with stone foundations only six feet high or so, is available for about $400,000.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/us/bu ... .html?_r=0

A buddy of mine got to go there before it closed. They allowed people to come and help and learn, for a small fee of course to cover insurance I guess. We were going to go, but we waited too long.

Not sure if the Branson crowd was exactly the best target audience for 'living medieval history.' However, land prices nearer to large population areas would probably be prohibitive.

[Manveruon]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOKAY!

I've been holding off on replying to this post for a few reasons. The main one being that I wanted to spend the time to thoroughly read the post, and to compose a really in-depth response, because this idea frankly deserves nothing less. That being said, I have not had the time to sit down and really read through the discussion here at all. What's more, is that I find this whole concept just SO GOSH DARNED EXCITING that it was really hard to just sit down and force myself to READ everything above without just jumping right into the discussion with my own two cents (or hundred bucks, as the case tends to be with me) as soon as a given thought about it popped into my head.

Anyway, I have finally forced myself to patiently comb through this whole thread without exploding from creative excitement, and here are my thoughts:

First off, this is brilliant. It's EXACTLY the sort of thing I've been wanting to do nearly my whole life, and I think it seems clear, from the posts above, that most of the other fine folks on this forum agree. So my feeling is: let's make this happen. I think it's totally doable, and we should go for it. I LOVE some of the sites listed previously in this thread. The blockhouse in particular really caught my eye, and I think it could be a great setting for this type of event. Also, the Camlann Medieval Village seems great as well. Does anyone know if they offer lodgings at all? Or is it strictly a sort of day-park? If they offered lodgings, I would put in my vote for it, hands-down. (Otherwise, if someone wanted to go crazy and get really creative, in theory they could just do this to their whole house, haha: http://www.flickr.com/photos/medievalga ... 349331780/). I think, overall, I'm most drawn to the blockhouse because of its authenticity, and the fact that it appears to be in a setting without a lot of modern trappings surrounding it. This would be ideal for total immersion. Also, it seems like it might be in a good place to start some kind of ranger trek directly afterwards.

Ringulf was was perhaps overly generous in his assertion that my experience putting on our local pirate convention would aid much in this (honestly, the administrative side of things mostly just stressed me out, and I don't have much wish to do something of that nature again anytime soon), but I will say that it made me realize something like this CAN be done. I haven't a clue who would (or even could) actually organize and facilitate such an event, but let's leave that aside for now. Right now, in the spirit of Greg's original post, I want to talk IDEAS.

So here's one: why restrict this to rangers only? In order to make it as authentic as possible, why not open it to all comers, in order to create a truly cosmopolitan Middle-Earth tavern environment? And if this were to be the case, what would you say to maybe approaching an organization like theonering.net or another large Tolkien fan community to help organize and promote it? It could theoretically be set up in a similar fashion to a murder-mystery party. Let me bullet-point some ideas on one way this could play out. For instance...

- A limited number of tickets are sold to the event, to ensure there is no over-crowding. Perhaps there could be two separate types of tickets - one for the feast only, and one for an overnight stay at the inn.
- Otherwise, the gathering is open to ALL Tolkien enthusiasts, until the tickets are sold out.
- All participants must be dressed in full costume, portraying a “Tolkien Appropriate” character. Non-Middle-Earth-related genres and/or cannons are not allowed.
- Upon registration, each guest must submit a BRIEF (emphasis on this word) character description, and must portray this character to the best of his/her ability for the duration of his/her stay.
- If a person so chooses, he/she may instead select from a short list of pre-created characters rather than creating their own. If so, he/she must commit to portraying this character for the duration of his/her stay.
- A “character template” may be provided for each individual, in order to help him/her create a fully realized, Middle-Earth-appropriate character.
- A list of costume guidelines must be put in place, to ensure every guest is attired completely and believably (within reason).

In this scenario, the guests could arrive at any point during the day, but the actual entertainment and “roleplay” begins in the evening, when the feast is being served. Still, before this time all guests would be encouraged to remain in-character as much as possible. After the feast and entertainment is over, the guests would be welcome to disperse as they see fit, hang out in the common room, go up to their rooms, etc. The following morning the guests who opted for an overnight-stay pay for their lodgings, and then the event is over – unless the rangers choose to begin a day-trek at this point (and let’s face it, why the heck shouldn't they?). Otherwise, the ranger trek could take place BEFORE the stay at the inn, which would be a nice way to end the adventure - with a warm hearth and a hot meal. Making it coincide with a day-or-two ranger trek might be biting off more than most folks can chew, but I think it would be totally worth it to make the whole shebang a two or three-day-long event.

Personally, I see no reason why something like this could not be achieved. There are plenty of Tolkien gatherings around the world, there are countless fan conventions of every kind, and there are numerous LARP groups that get dressed up and go play in the woods for a weekend here or there. If this got off the ground it could become THE Tolkien-themed event in the US.

So that is MY though-vomit for the evening! I'm glad I could finally get this all typed out! Of course, this is just one possible way to do it, and maybe I'm over-engineering the thing. Still though, it seems to me that this can totally be done, and I say LET'S DO IT. What needs to happen for us to get the ball rolling on something like this? Where do we start? Because I can tell you with 100% certainty that if we make this happen I will do whatever it takes to be there.

[Peter Remling]

Site and time frame would be foremost. Taking your feast as the main attraction, we would need to come up with a reason for the feast, otherwise it is just a tavern meal. A tavern meal would be bad either however there would need to be a menu. " Wolf stew and spiced potatoes, please".

Going back to the meal, we should have entertainment: singers and or a storyteller. The singer/storyteller would have to be professional and this means paid. A search of the local renfairs would provide us several people who would entertaining.

[Straelbora]

[quote="Manveruon"]OOOOOOOOOOOOOOKAY!

[Edited for ease of reading] Give that man a cigar. Ever since Greg mentioned this, I've have bees buzzing in my bonnet. As I wrote earlier, it's wholly possible that in the next five to ten years, I might be able to build a blockhouse as my personal cabin and make it available for such events.