thanks to my years in college spent uselessly studying medieval history and literature so that i could become a cook, i have a pretty keen interest in any number of things from the era between the fall of the roman empire and the rise of the renaissance. to anticipate the first question that may have come to your mind, no, i'm not one of those people who dresses up in tights and pantaloons and runs around some field every summer. i do, though, have a healthy interest in medieval weaponry and warfare practices (as well as studying how the philosophies and beliefs of the medieval church profoundly effected the evolution of modern civilization). for pure excitement, nothing from the medieval arsenal beats the trebuchet. more refined and advanced than the catapault, a trebuchet uses ropes, pulleys, and counterweights to fling a projectile accurately over great distances. seige engines, such as the trebuchet, were used to batter down the walls of castles so invaders could directly attack a well-fortified enemy, rather than continuously having boiling oil, excrement, and goodness knows what else dropped over their heads from defenders atop the walls. where all of this is leading, though, is that last february i told the kitchen boys about my interest and enthusiasm for trebuchets and even milled over building one. today, pete gave me this small, fully-functioning model, which hurls grapes and small wooden balls a good 20+ feet. the things itself is super cool, but what's even better is that i have a friend who listened to me, remembered something that i liked, and took the time and trouble to get it for me. thank you, petey. by the way, this is the second trebuchet that pete bought for me. he memorably confessed to having broken the first one playing with it a few days before my birthday. ha!
