Dungeons, Dragons, Sword fighting and Cake

Dear Liza,

Cousin Kestrel turned 11 on Friday, and there was a lovely party to celebrate.

We all met at the gazebo at Anerbethy School because the weather was gorgeous and there is lots of room to horse around.

The main organized activity was a game of Dungeons and Dragons. I was happy to see the playing board I made for Cousin Jasper is getting used! I don’t know much about the game, but Kestrel’s Daddy Dave explained it to me as organized story-telling. It was sure fun to watch! Auntie Katie was the ”Dungeon Master” (the person who is running the adventure) and, fabulous storyteller that she is, made it all fun and interesting.

In between moves, some impromptu swordplay broke out. One of the guests had brought these nifty swords made of hard rubber. Though they would certainly hurt if they hit you, they were mostly safe for reasonable kids. And that’s good enough.

Character creation is part of the game, and can take a long time, but everyone enjoyed the process. And there were snacks.

Birthday cake and presents rounded out the afternoon. Kestrel used the old tray storage shelves in the gazebo as a present opening space, with help from her friends.