The Technopod

The Technopod in Action at Great Western War

I just returned from my first Technopod adventure! The maiden voyage occurred at the Great Western War, an annual SCA event near Bakersfield. The SCA is the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international group of Medieval re-enactors who get together to re-create the middle ages as they should have been! The event is basically a camping event where Medieval buffs get get together to have a good time getting dressed in Medieval garb and camp in an environment that has the feel of a Medieval battle campaign complete with period pavilions and mock battles!

Medieval Re-enactors in full armor

Medieval re-enactors marching into battle

For 4 days and 3 nights I participated in the Great Western War as a test of my trailer’s camping and computer imaging capabilities. I was camping with a small group of SCA-ers known as the household of the Inn of the Crimson Spade. This group of 7 (myself included) “plays” at running an inn in southern Spain in the late 1500’s. In practice, the inn serves up a party atmosphere with a bar, tables and games most evenings at the war. My job at the inn is to provide background music (as an amateur musician I specialize in middle eastern instruments, particularly the oud, bouzouk and frame drum that fit in nicely with the Medieval theme.)

The War provides a wonderfully rich photographic adventure that is both challenging and rewarding! Where else can you get shots of a King and Queen, in full regalia, riding horses out to address knights in armor with multi-colored banners blowing in the wind! Everywhere you look people are dressed like they just walked off the set of an expensive period movie. I’ll have a bit more to say about the photographic aspect of my adventure in subsequent blog posts…

Technopod Kitchen

The Technopod kitchen

The Technopod was pressed into service as part of the camp kitchen. I have a small stainless steel sink (seen about just to the left of the dish bussing tray above the cooler) and a double burner propane stove that I place on a flyaway table off the rear of the trailer. There is a 10 gallon water tank,in the bottom of the trailer, that feeds the sink. I’m not quite done customizing the interior of the trailer yet but this proved to be a good test of the cooking facilities.

Sitting at my computer

Here I am sitting on the bed at my computer

I have a full electrical system installed so I can work on the computer, as well as power the sink and interior lighting.

Lee inside the trailer

The Technopod is small but comfortable

The bottom of the trailer is covered with a futon mattress that runs the full length – very comfortable! I made the faux stained glass windows by painting with acrylics on the inside – this provides a certain level of privacy while lighting up the interior. Yes, I’m wearing a turban! Stay tuned for more…

The King makes an appearance on horseback

The King makes an appearance on horseback