*This report was originally written by Sorn during his long tenure as Ritari. It has been reposted here in an effort to collect all our resources on our new site.
On June 26, 2011 Keeper of Seasons Hall met in the Sandia Foothills to celebrate Midsummer, returning to a site we had not used for that holiday since 2007. Though we had originally planned to meet in the Bosque, a few days before our celebration city officials decided to close the area. Extremely dry conditions had created severe fire danger in many parts of the state; even our site in the Foothills was closed not many days after we had met there.
Once again meeting early to escape the heat, we made our way from the Michael Emery trailhead parking lot. Because it had been months since the area had any measurable precipitation, most of the usual plant and animal life was in far less evidence than in previous visits. Though the wildlife is used to desert conditions, even the hardiest of cacti were having difficulty staying green. As we walked, we saw a few rabbits and birds, and the site that four years ago had been plagued with gnats still had some insects flying around, but they were so few in number that a simple area diffuser repellent was enough to keep most of them away for the duration of our stay.
Once everyone was ready, we began our ceremony. I had the honor of leading the celebration, beginning with an announcement of our purpose in gathering and a hail of the wights of the land and the powers of the season. We worked our way through the rounds of sumble, hailing the Aesir and their allies, hailing our ancestors and heroes, and making boasts, toasts, and oaths. More than one of our members had recently lost family, and I had recently gained family, so the second round was very affecting for me personally. After everyone had hailed as they saw fit, the remainder of our drink was poured in libation.
Following the libation, we spent some time sharing breakfast and speaking of different current events, both personal and more wide-ranging. Though we’d met early, it quickly grew warm, and before long, we decided to pack and leave. We made our way back to the trailhead, spoke briefly about upcoming Hall business, and went our separate ways until our public meeting two weeks later.
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