In April we had an event at Battleroad, usually this is the first event of the year and 2009 was no diferent. We only had a small crowd this year from the first New Hampshire.
The day started out with some hanging around for the guys and the campfollowers alike …
And some drilling for the wee ones …
But eventually the men went to do what they do best, and headed off to battle …
While Kolby decided to work as back-up, putting to use the skills he learned at drill …
As with any military it started as a hurry up and wait situation …
Once the waiting and the talking was complete, they did go have a roaring battle. All the while the women spent some time sleeping …
And stitching …
And finally the men came home safe and sound …
It was actually a very hot day in April, to the point of being uncomfortable, but we all survived, even if we were a bit crispier because of it.
To see all my pictures from this event, be sure to check out my album here.
On January 10, 2009 the Continental Line meeting was held in Pennsylvania. Since I am now adjutant of the regiment, I went down to the meeting with our captain, Jim. We carpooled with another fellow reenactor, Bobby. The three of us drove down to PA after work on Friday, and since it was so late in the night, much silliness ensued on the drive down. Things like pictures of toll booth attendants:
Which she was not amused by. But luckily, even through all the silliness, we made it down in one piece, arriving at about 1:30 in the morning. We got stuck in some pretty nasty traffic, and watched a Big Rig drop their drive shaft right in the middle of the highway. It was quite an adventure! Here are just a few photos (the ones that weren’t too blurry anyway) from the drive down:
Saturday was the day of the big meeting, it was very interesting, seeing as it was the first time I had ever attended one. Apparently I was pretty slacking on the picture taking this day (though pictures of meetings is pretty boring) but I guess I got pictures of the most important stuff ….
Breakfast ….
Lunch ….
and dinner ….
Check out the rest of the pictures from Saturday here:
On Sunday, there was some pretty nasty weather rolling through back home, so we decided to wait it out a bit in PA and take a trip down to Valley Forge National Park before we made the drive back. We got the very special privilege of a private viewing of the George C. Neumann collection. Click here for more information on his collection. They only had about 40 people in to see the collection and we were lucky enough to get on the list. Here are a few items from the collection:
Original cartridge box with original cartridges still in it:
After we looked at the collection, we drove around the National Park. We weren’t the only ones in the park ….
We also saw cannons …
Sleeping quarters …
And a church built on the site where Washington was said to have prayed while at Valley Forge …
After all of this, we headed on home. Luckily we missed the big storm, and by the time we were home, everything was cleared and plowed just for us. It was quite an adventure heading down to Pennsylvania, I am glad I had the opportunity to go!
Poor, poor Fort Ticonderoga. It’s actually one of my favorite places to visit for events, but for some reason it never gets it’s fair place on my blog! Perhaps it’s because it’s the last event of the year, and I am just blogged out by then? Well regardless of the reason, please check out my pictures from the second day of the event in 2008 by viewing my gallery here.
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And also please enjoy these videos from the event:
Fort Ticonderoga was an absolute blast this year! The fort changed where the battle happened, and it seemed to be a much better place to have it. We had good weather, with only a slight amount of rain, and we were able to have lots of good times.
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The weekend started off with a bang, quite literally. When we drove in, this is what we were greeted with …
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Yes, that’s the road leading into what looks like bushes?? But no, it was …
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A tree that literally fell over into the middle of the road. Luckily no one was hurt, and since no one was hurt, it was actually kind of amusing! We had to drive up on the grass, around the tree, and we finally reached …
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Where we signed in …
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The rest of Friday was relatively uneventful, filled with saying hi to everyone, setting up our tent, and just general, overall good times.
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Saturday morning Kris and I woke up early and decided to sit out and watch the sunrise. We were not disappointed.
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Unfortunately without us there to protect him, Kolby got attacked (saw crawling on the wall of the tent) by a ginormous (relatively medium sized) arachnid (spider). After which he proceeded to scream and cry at the top of his lungs, thus managing to wake all those around him. We quickly came to his rescue and moved on to more morningish type things.
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Breakfast was cooked and served by Glen.
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And it was enjoyed by all …
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Lunch came next, we had a super yummy pasta salad by June and sandwiches prepared by Lori.
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The boys marched off to battle …
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The rest of our men manned the cannon …
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The ladies waited for their return …
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The musicians got ready …
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and the battle got started …
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During the battle dinner was put over the fire…
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And the women worked on weaving, game playing, and sewing …
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All the while, the battle soldiered on …
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There were a few causalities …
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But those were British, so yay for us! The battle went very well. The men returned home, we ate our dinner and had a casual night of chit chatting.
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To see the rest of the pictures from Friday and Saturday, be sure to check out my album here.
Sunday at Old Sturbridge Village was a beautiful day. Apparently it rained buckets and buckets in New Hampshire for pretty much the whole weekend that we were at Sturbridge, but we didn’t have nearly that much rain while we were here. The rain actually held out for us on Sunday until after we were packed up and gone. The only rain we got was the little bit we had on Saturday (which was bad enough).
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I took a stroll down to the local tavern where there were flush toilets and mirrors and soap and running water, all of which I was very grateful to have.
Along the way, I decided to take some pictures of the scenery and the camps of others nearby. One of the first things I ran into was the neatest sleeping set up I have seen to date …
Though I guess they couldn’t all fit in there …
I also stopped to chat with a British gentleman and got some pictures of their area.
After my bathroom run, Kolby, Kris and I headed down to the bank to take some pictures. Kris’ real life job is at a bank, so we thought it would be fun to have one of these printed up for him to have there. We ended up getting some great pictures.
After our morning walk, we headed back to camp for some early morning conversation ….
And some breakfast cooked for us by Lori. She made scrambled eggs, sausage, and some fruit cakes, the really yummy kind, not the weird kind you think of around Christmas time. And we threw in some potatoes left from Glenn’s meal on Saturday.
And you guessed it, it was enjoyed by all! We really do eat well at these events!
After breakfast there was a little bit of free time that was used to play …
Fetch water …
Clean guns …
Make some tape …
Go for a walk in the woods (and get turned around just a bit) …
Visit the blacksmith …
Watch some fencing …
Take a portrait (Thanks Larissa!)
Check out the scenery …
And tune a drum …
After all the morning activities, it was time to get ready for the battle. Before the boys went down to fight, there was a prayer said.
Then it was time to march into position.
Once again I will defer all the good battle details to my hubby, but here are a few pictures and videos I really liked:
Unlike most of our events, we couldn’t leave Sturbridge immediately after the battle. This is because they are a running business that doesn’t close until 5:00. So a bunch of us took the time after the battle to go on a little boat ride. We learned a little more about the history of the area, and it was a nice relaxing time.
Old Sturbridge Village was a very fun event and I am very glad we had the chance to go. If you would like to see all the photos from Sunday please visit my gallery here.
The second half of Saturday started off with a super yummy lunch that consisted of chicken pieces and muffins made by Debbie, a cool cucumber salad made by Lori and grapes brought by me. (I know I had the easy end of that bargain!)
The food was very much enjoyed, and it really filled the men up before they went off to battle.
Kolby gave us a little lunchtime entertainment …
June and Kitty had a good rhythm going with their tape making and couldn’t be tempted away even by the offer of good vittles.
After lunch a Larissa and Lori worked on their lucets weaving string (ropes? Not sure what you would call them!) to be used in their petticoats (or anything else that requires tying).
Finally it was time for the Saturday battle. Once again I will let Kris tell you all about the goings on, but here are a few pictures and videos that I took from the battle …
Towards the end of the battle it started to rain. A few of us went and made hand dipped candles, and then we headed back to the dining fly. By then the boys were back and it was pouring. Everyone crammed under the dining fly to try and keep dry …
One improvised and stayed dry under the kitchen tent …
Most of us gave up and headed over to the tavern for a drink, so we could be dry inside …
After the rain, Jeffrey and Kolby had fun splashing around in the puddles. Luckily, even with the rain, it really wasn’t muddy. For that I was very grateful because I think we had enough mud from Boone Homestead to last us a few seasons at least.
For dinner, I had brought some roasts to cook up. We weren’t sure of how long to cook them, June had a thermometer to use (not period correct, I know, but we didn’t want to kill anyone either), but none of us really use a thermometer to cook with. So it was a bit of back and forth to try and settle on how long they should cook for and what temperature they should be at. But we finally figured it all out and got them cooked up properly (and no one died) (that I know of).
And Bob was kind enough to cut them for us …
In addition to the roasts, I boiled some potatoes (very boring) and Debbie made a truly delicious vegetable medley that included carrots, green and yellow zucchini, onions, and green peppers.
And of course everyone enjoyed the dinner very much!!
After dinner Janie came by to read Kolby the Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar, and surprised him with a book she had brought.
Which involved some audience participation, and was enjoyed by all …
By now it was time for dessert and we got to enjoy the pie that Debbie had made earlier and a few pies that June made as well. Kolby liked the pie so much, he decided he couldn’t wait for an eating utensil before he dug in.
At the end of the night, there was a dance in one of the buildings and Kris and I wandered over there to check it out. We found a few people that were already enjoying the festivities.
There was a lot of dancing going on and even some singing from the HMS Somerset crew.
Saturday was a great day overall, even with the little bit of rain that we had. Stay tuned for all the festivities from Sunday. If you want to see all the pictures from Saturday afternoon, be sure to check out my gallery here.
