Doin It In Style

Sleeping, that is. :-D

We got the bed yesterday and are just tickled pink with it!

Here are the pieces it disassembles into – headboard, footboard, 3 rails and a set of slats which are joined together by a strap of webbing.



And, assembled! Seriously this takes about 3 minutes.


With mattress...


And, made up!


It is gorgeously made. Jeff (Lord Garin) used beetle kill pine and clearly strategized how to use the color the best. The inset panels are have more color, and the grain runs counter to the frame, so they stand out beautifully. He really does superb work... in case anyone out there is looking for a carpenter!

The swoopy details on the headboard and foot board are removable, so that they fit standing up inside our Forrester just fine. The post finials are also removable – in case when we actually do get this in a pavillion and they are too tall we can remove those closest to the wall. Finally, in the peg-holes vacated by the swoopy pieces, it is possible we could build a frame over which to drape either a curtain to hold in more heat during the winter, or mosquito netting for use during the summer.

But here’s the kicker… I was still somewhat cautious in the fact that I really don’t like sleeping on air mattresses. You roll off, elbows and knees tend to bump into the floor, and of course getting up is difficult. So I was still concerned that an air mattress in a frame wouldn’t ultimately be a better sleeping experience. Oh, how wrong was I?!

I don’t know if the frame just does a better job of supporting it on all sides or what, but we tested it out last night and found it VERY comfortable. Certainly the not having to get down and up from the floor is a huge bonus. We ended up lying on it while we watched (most of) another episode of Burns’ National Parks show. Uh huh – I fell asleep.

Then, we started looking at our bins that we pack stuff in – bins so that if it does rain your things remain dry, and found out that the full sized bins slide right under the bed! All this time we’ve been laying out bed sizes and pavilion sizes, I was thinking we had to reserve a corner for the bins – but not if they tuck under there! How awesome is that?!



I actually was all for testing it out all last night, except that it had been oiled just the day before and is still pretty… fragrant. So we disassembled it and set it back in the garage to chill for a few days before we pack it up for its first outing next weekend. It was because we decided to attend this outing in a hurry that we had expedited the bed’s construction. As such it is essentially undecorated. I look forward to working on it periodically in the years to come to add embellishments with carving, wood burning, or possibly painting. Who knows?!

Odds and Ends

Seriously, odds and ends here. Not much of one thing been occupying my mind of late, thus I haven't blogged. In fact, yikes - if I don't post today it will be more than a month, so you get this: odds and ends.

Couple of things have been a-brewing on the SCA front (alas, not of the mead variety, though speaking of mead I have volunteered to help with next spring's International Mead Festival to be held in Boulder.. so na na nanaaah nah!)

We have been invited to attend The Great Hunt, an SCA event way down in southern NM - with horses no less. It sure was a very attractive invitation for a number of reasons, but I finally chickened out on the horse part due to it being a VERY long haul (12 hours?) and I am just not comfortable jumping into something like that yet. But Dave and I are going and will help haul and care for the other's horses, meet people I've been working with online, and have a great time of course. It shocks me to realize that this is just next weekend!

Meanwhile, as that is a camping event, this caused us to expedite the wooden camping bed a friend is making for us. It's a collapsible frame that holds an air mattress. Since Dave's back is vetoing sleeping on the ground, we decided to take this particular plunge into the medieval lifestyle sooner than later. (And I certainly am not complaining!) The design is really quite cool. Lord Garin made one for he and his wife, so we based our design on his and made some tweaks. The main design element on it comes from pictures we took at Tretower Court which we visited last year in Wales. This is where my persona is based. We noticed several doorways and window frames that repeated a specific shape - so we've incorporated that shape into the headboard, foot board and side boards. He also paneled the headboard and foot board - staying consistent with 14th century furniture design and making the structure lighter weight.

And... ITS DONE!!! I just called Garin and he was just starting to oil it. We can get it in the morning!!

Also in the construction vein, Mike is coming back up on Monday to begin work on the final phase of the basement build out. We look forward to this part of the project being quick and easy, as there is no plumbing involved (knock on wood!!!) -- it's the spare bedroom and office. We've been working for a few weeks to clear that space out -- have taken a number of truck loads of stuff to the thrift store. Feels good to lighten the load!

The movie "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" opens today in the UK. This is Heath Ledger's truly final film - he died while it was still being filmed. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrel stepped in to complete Heath's part, a rather unique solution to a tragic situation. Only, we fans are rather frustrated with the fact that it took a VERY long time to even get a US Distributor at all, and so far they still have announced only showing it in NY and LA at Xmas. Boo Hiss. Additional releases will be subject to demand. If you are at all inclined to see the film, the trailer of which looks fabulous (below), or even if you just want to be my bestest of friends... then please call your local theaters and request that they show it! Meanwhile, our brethren over the pond are getting to see it NOW.
*So jealous, and wishing I could hop over to join them*