Position Description: Scribe

Day 108: I'm scheduling this for publication on January 29 because I'm not sure I'll have internet. It's been dodgy for some time, affecting our whole area. This time, it seems to be localized, so it could well be that my modem has burned out while trying to access non-existent service.

So...the story here is that I have a new position description: scribe to Mount Rainier's Volunteer Program. I took on the responsibility myself, although I have not done any calligraphy for thirty years or more. I learned the art while participating in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism, not Student Conservation Association). The hand I chose to learn was Uncial, and of course to be strictly "period," I could not make adaptations when using it in SCA documents. That said, I developed my own style of illumination (the flourishes and artwork which embellish text), incorporating birds and flowers into my drawings. I created our baronial scroll, a 2' x 3' work which took weeks to complete. Sadly, it disappeared from our Seneschal's keeping, and the only record of it I have are a few sketches and colour slides showing sections of it in close-up.

The volunteer recognition certificates are another story. I had nothing showing the full Uncial alphabet, so I had to invent a few letters. By the time I had completed two dozen "scrolls," I was satisfied with a blend of Uncial and Celtic Roundhand, a closely-related style. I am happy to say that my skill with the pen does not seem to have diminished too badly, and I'm sure by the time I've recognized another several hundred volunteers, I'll be quite confident in its use.