The Fellowship of Middle-earth

Our 10th Texas Moot will see us once again at the lovely Bastrop State park!

Dates are September 24-27, 2015. It may be slightly belated but we will be celebrating the Birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo, so come join us for cake! Plans are in the works for Mad Libs, a Treasure Hunt, and a couple Writing Challenges. Also readings and music, and of course Food (and mushrooms!)

We would so love to see any and all of you there. I'll add phone numbers and website links to the park soon, as you will need to book your own lodging at the park or at any of the hotels located in nearby Bastrop.

We'd really love to see you there!!! Especially for the 10th Annual Celebration!


Dr.G

Well, I'm committed, just bought the train tickets!!! So, brace yourselves, this GA hobbit will be there!!!

Just a reminder for anyone still interested in joining us, there are still cabins available at the park itself. These are NOT primitive btw, they have A/C and small kitchenettes. There is also the option of any one of several local hotels in Bastrop.

Meals will need to be planned, for sure! We've been having good luck with sandwichy stuff/snack luck for lunches but that's of course up for debate. By all means start making suggestions! We will of course also need to decide on what this year's "Eowyn's Stew" will be.

I know we say it every year but (in our own humble opinions, of course!) this really is an awesome little gathering. Yes, we do have some planned activities, but the main focus is always to spend some real quality time together in fellowship. Dig back through these pages and glance at threads from previous gatherings, reviews have always been positive. And we always hope to meet new old friends!

The cabins are lovely. Truly.

The website for Bastrop State Park is:
http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bastrop

They have had some troubles over the years. Fire, flood, a dam break and more flooding have all taken their toll, and you will see information about all of these things on the website. In a way, it's part of why we keep going back. While the feel of the park is more that of Rivendell than the Shire, it has been through its own Scouring, and we have come to love it.

To reserve a cabin, call this number: 512-389-8900, Monday to Friday, 9 to 6 Central time.

I like this idea but could we switch it to all greens and one white! The 'lump' was white after all!

Works for me!!! I was just thinking the one green one would look slimy and icky!

We are gathered, such as we are, at Bastrop State Park, for the tenth Texas Moot! And to share the fun, here are a couple of the Mad Baggins Libs we have done thus far.

The first is from The Silmarillion, a passage originally concerning the Quest for the Silmaril.

Thus the quest of the crown was like to have ended in cucumber and horse; but in that hour above the wall of the valley three fair axes appeared, perambulating northward with wings stingier than the wind. Among all cherubs and eyeballs the wandering and need of Robin Hood had been dumped, and Maid Marian himself had bidden all things fling, that they might bring him treasure. High beyond the realm of Morgoth Throndor and his steeds robbed, and seeing now the doughtyness of the Wolf and Robin Hood's fall they strapped swimmingly down, even as the powers of Angband were danced from the buffets of sleep.

This second one is probably somewhat more recognizable.

In a citadel in a knothole there lived an egg. Not a towering, brillig, pristine citadel, filled with the scapulas of hydra and a squishy smell, nor yet a fair, spicy, melodious citadel with nothing in it to pontificate on or raze: it was an egg citadel, and that means comfort.

The most that can be said for the Betelguesions is this: they intended to defenestrate Bilbo cravenly for his freighter; they had brought him to do a crosswise sit-ups for them and they did not mind the poor phosphorescent pantaloons doing it if he would; but they would have done their effervescentest to get him out of water, if he got into it, as they did in the case of the bullywugs at the beginning of their tabernacle before they had any particular platypuses for being distressful to him.

I am Donald and by my tibia was the cricket slain and your spud delivered. Moreover, I am by right descent the fireplace of Tiffany of Arkansas, and in your platypus is mingled much of the parka of his isthmuses and plains, which of old Percy stole. Is that not a ledger of which we may paddle?

So one of our activities was a writing challenge. The prompt: re-write a scene from the perspective/point-of-view of an inanimate object that was present at or used in that scene.

My contribution concerned a certain hidden door:

The Door
by Anna Estel

So quiet it’s been, for a little while now. No more banging. A nice relaxing rest. Stone should be let be, not endlessly moving. They’re so proud, with their tools and magic. “Look what we can do. We can take the bones of the earth and change them to suit ourselves.” I’m glad they’re gone. And now even the beast within has settled down and troubles me no more. From stone I was made, to stone at last I can return.

….
….
….

Ok, that is not goats or birds. Wait a minute, I know that noise. No way! The beast remains, WHY are these DWARVES here again?!!! Well, I’m quite hidden, surely they’ll leave soon. It’s only a few. Wait, stop it, stop it, stop it, HEY! Resting here! I don’t need to be beat upon, thank you! And what are these noises you’re making with your mouths, you call that magic? Do you even know what you’re doing? Ugh. Well, so much for a break. That wasn’t even an age of rest. Mortals. Ugh.

Aanndd now there’s a whole herd, great. At least they’re being quiet. No, wait - picks, really? Good grief. How did they even find me if they don’t know how to use me? Bad enough to be disturbed on the edge of a good long nap, couldn’t they have just waited a bit and tromped through real quick and then left me in peace again? Why couldn’t they be more like that little flying thing, tapping quiet against my old friend Boulder and just leave me out of it.

….

Well what now. They’ve all shut up and stopped moving. *snick* Ouch. Well, that hasn’t happened in a while. Been ages since I flaked. Oh and now they’re all excited again, what? Oh, oh, NOW they get it. Well fine. Back to work, I guess, they’re pushing me open……

What, they are staying here? Why all this bother for ONE of them to go down? …. Aanndd now they’ve bothered the beast, great. Oh, now they all come through. And here we go with the heat again. I hate that beast. But those dwarves are moving farther down - maybe I’ll get some quiet back?

Well they’ve closed me. And now … wait wait what’s that noise now? The beast is breaking my brothers! And my ledge! And … well, hmm. This isn’t what I had in mind when I just wanted to be left alone. But look on the bright side. They can’t very well bother and use me if I’m broken to bits, can they?