Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Is there still interest at having a Moot at Dragons Wood Inn, probably late June or early July?

For those who missed the announcement first time around, I've got 13 wooded, hilly acres with a gutted 1930 farmhouse that I'm turning into a fantasy/medieval inn.

www.dragonswoodinn.com or www.facebook.com/dragonswoodinn

Some of the things I'm thinking about doing:

A intro to Sindarin class.

An Orc hunt (My six year old son suggested that we construct some Orcs and place them at various points in the woods, to be used as target practice. Next weekend, I'm going to try and construct the first, out of old 2x4s for skeletal framing, old furniture foam for muscle, and Goodwill clothes and Halloween masks for outer layers).

We're about 45 minutes southwest of Indianapolis, several miles off the main road, but pretty close to decent roads and other amenities.

Please let me know if anyone is still interested.

I'm still trying to make this happen for 4th of July weekend. If the date changes, I will need to know to request time off.

Pretty sure myself, Udwin, Odigan, and possibly Ursus were planning on/expecting the 4th of July weekend. We were tentatively talking about starting with a bit of a working morning onsite at the inn Friday, followed by camp Friday evening at the rock shelter in nearby Morgan-Monroe, and time spent on your property Saturday-Sunday, to help accommodate a wider ranger of schedules.

Greg wrote:Alright, we're just under two months out from the proposed date-of-mooting, so I'd like to propose a plan/schedule of sorts to mull over for purposes of filling that weekend and getting a little bit of everything in and under our belts, for both travelers and (relative) locals.

Friday, all more nearby participants/attendees arrive at the Dragonswood Inn as early as is practicable in common clothing, and for a half day or so, pitch in with whatever physical labor needs Buck has around the site. ....Thoughts? Buck, your take?

There are a million and a half things that I could use some extra hands for. Making wattle fencing for the garden. Splitting shingles for the roof. If it hasn't been done by then, nailing old barn wood onto the interior walls.

The one I would really need help with is a proposed 'watch tower' on one of the hills. The previous owners bought the rounded sides of logs from a lumber mill (imagine the curved outsides you cut off to turn a tree trunk into a cross-section of a square). They nailed and screwed them to the exterior as a fake log cabin skin. They are thick and heavy. I want to take some 2x4s and other lumber I have and make a two story watch tower on the hill, then skin it in these left over log sidings. I think it would be a cool photo op point, and fun for LARPers, etc. , as a 'capture the flag' point. Getting all that lumber down one hill, across the hollow (currently bridged by an assortment of old wood pallets), then up the hill and to the construction point will go much easier with extra help.

Then, of course, there's the building of the cooking fire place in the Inn, and building the bread over, and the forge for the smithy, for any would-be masons.....

E.MacKermak wrote:I'm still trying to make this happen for 4th of July weekend. If the date changes, I will need to know to request time off.

I know that a lot of people have 4th of July plans, but I'm sticking with the 4th, because so many people have long weekends.

I'd eventually like to make it an annual Moot (actually, I'd like a summer and winter moot to be held each year), and would have to poll participants to see what works best.

Greg wrote:Pretty sure myself, Udwin, Odigan, and possibly Ursus were planning on/expecting the 4th of July weekend. We were tentatively talking about starting with a bit of a working morning onsite at the inn Friday, followed by camp Friday evening at the rock shelter in nearby Morgan-Monroe, and time spent on your property Saturday-Sunday, to help accommodate a wider ranger of schedules.

That sounds great. And anyone interested in arriving earlier or leaving later is certainly welcome.

Deal, and done.

I'll try to roll in Friday morning and start toting lumber, if you'll be there/available.

Greg wrote:Deal, and done.

I'll try to roll in Friday morning and start toting lumber, if you'll be there/available.

I should be.

I'm having some friends in from Michigan this weekend, and hope that we'll be able to get some progress on the interior of the Inn, so that it's fully habitable by the 4th of July.

It looks like there is still one guy who will thatch your roof:
http://www.thatching.com/

Kortoso wrote:It looks like there is still one guy who will thatch your roof:
http://www.thatching.com/

Wow!

Being both my birthday weekend and the 4th I unfortunately wont be able to make it. Straelbora, I'm hoping to make it over your way at least once this summer to help with the labor and maybe have a small moot.

Ursus wrote:Being both my birthday weekend and the 4th I unfortunately wont be able to make it. Straelbora, I'm hoping to make it over your way at least once this summer to help with the labor and maybe have a small moot.

Just give me a few week's notice, at minimum, and I'll make sure we connect. I'm 45 mins or less from the Inn site.

Ursus wrote:Being both my birthday weekend and the 4th I unfortunately wont be able to make it. Straelbora, I'm hoping to make it over your way at least once this summer to help with the labor and maybe have a small moot.

Cool. I spend most of my spare time there, especially now that the garden is planted. Trying to get a coat of paint on the exterior and old barn wood on the interior over the next few weeks.

Will need some expert help in doing the lower exterior in stone and the upper exterior in beam and stucco.

Greg wrote:Just give me a few week's notice, at minimum, and I'll make sure we connect. I'm 45 mins or less from the Inn site.

I'm going to send out an inquiry to all the folks on the Facebook page who said that they were 'interested' or 'coming.' Even if it's four or five folks, I'll go ahead for the 4th of July weekend.

If not enough people are serious, I'll just bump things to a normal 2 day weekend, maybe in September, when things are (hopefully) cooler.

My comment was re:Ursus's about coming out at another time. I'm pretty sure our 'locals' at least are gung-ho for the weekend of the 4th, starting Friday. I believe myself, Udwin, and Odigan, at a minimum.