A Sad Sontag Saga

Well, I am somewhat bummed. I've been planning on starting the knitted sontag, or bosom buddy, from the Ragged Soldier site for the past few weeks. I finally got the correct sized needles so yesterday I started it, and, much to my suprise, made great progress. (Or, what is great progress for me, anyway). I don't knit much and when I do it tends to go soooooo sloooooowwwly. Well, I was happy to have completed 13 of the 18 rows of alternating basket weave blocks that form the back of this garment yesterday. I planned on finishing up the back portion today and getting a good start on the front wrap pieces.

This morning I wondered why my sontag back was still rectangular shaped, instead of fanning out into a nice triangular shape to cover my back. I realized I had forgotten to increase my stitches at the beginning of each row. Oops.

Sooo. . .I had to totally unravel what I had knit yesterday and I have spent most of today re-knitting the sontag back. At last I am back to where I was yesterday afternoon and I am suffering from knit brain. It is a condition I get whenever I spend hours knitting on something. You know, when you close your eyes and you still see yarn slipping over flashing needles? Similar things happen to me when I sew for too long. I see a perpetual line of stitching beneath a needle going up and down, in slow motion.

At least knitting is productive. And it doesn't require much thought beyond counting so I spent a good deal of time thinking of various things, like little things I am making for some friends of mine who are expecting a baby in a few months, and that led to thoughts of my own new baby, which led to thoughts of the attic, (where the wee baby clothes are stored), which led to thoughts of cleaning since the attic is so dusty. . .well, you get the idea. I dwelt on thoughts of cleaning for so long that I began to yearn for the smell of Pine Sol so I decided to "reward" myself by cleaning the bathroom after I finished knitting my 13th row! Beware the perils of knitting too much at once!

Love,

Sarah

1930's Dress Completed At Last

I needed (or, well, wanted) something new to wear a few days ago when I went to visit my family so I finally broke down and finished this dress I started nearly two months ago, before we moved. I don't know why I put off finishing it for so long, but that is a tendency of mine. I get almost done with something, and then - that's it. Perhaps I want to prolong the pleasure of creation by not putting in hems, or adding fasteners? Whatever the reason, it is so.

I wore the dress again today for church and a picnic afterwards. It is such an easy dress to wear and so very comfortable! The only problem I find with it is that the neckline seems to stretch so I need to topstitch it down and add some trim to cover the top stitching. Otherwise, the pattern as-is fit just fine, except for taking up the shouder seams, of course. I did hem the skirt longer than the 30's style of mid-calf to below-knee length. I just felt in the mood for a long dress and I can always shorten it later if I want to.

After the picnic, the church showed a new DVD version of Pilgrims Progress. I was excited to see the movie since I have often read the book. I was not disappointed! It was a modern rendition, but still very accurate to the book. The only problem I had with the movie was the seeming undertone of the possibility of loosing your salvation. I believe that once you are saved, you are ALWAYS saved. It disturbed me to see and hear the insinuation that if you stray from the path to the celestial city (heaven) you will go to hell. I don't remember if that was in the book or not. I need to reread it.

We watched another movie last night - I Am Legend. It wasn't a bad movie, but after it was over I felt disappointed in it. The plot wasn't that great and the ending wasn't that great either. I like happy movies that leave you feeling satisfied and content. This one did not do that for me. It was rather gruesome and dark. It seemed rather hopeless. I guess that is a problem of this world. Without Christ one IS hopeless.

I like movies like Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. :) Dark movies seem to have no point to me, unless there is a moral or a happy ending. In this movie, there seemed to be the absence of both.

Anywoo - it is a beautiful evening and I must go make supper.

Love,

Sarah

Done!

Decided to go with the black velvet for trimming, since I already had it. No use getting something you don't really need, when you have something else that will suffice just as well! I found some black silk for ties and I made a velvet bow for the center back. Sigh. Velvet is difficult to work with. The strips weren't so bad, but the bow was more unreasonable.

I really LOVE how this came out though and can't wait to start *mine* with the reddish gray plaid wool I have for it. This particular wool is just not my thing, so I listed it for sale in my Etsy shop.

A smaller version, sized down a bit (but not too much, because they have large heads) will work well for the boys, I think. That, or I might try a modified sunbonnet pattern for their hoods. This hood is pretty nice, but it's not very fitting to the head and I think in windy conditions would allow too much passage of air. Hmm. For them, I have a bright red wool plaid and a blue and brown wool plaid. I can't wait to make theirs, I think they will look so cute wearing them!

Love,

Sarah

A Hood is Good

It is nice when both babies take naps at the same exact time in the afternoons! A few hours of uninterrupted time to do just what I like. This afternoon I sized up the hood pattern from the marquise.de site.

You see, last evening my mother in law brought over a huge bag full of scraps she had bought for cheap at a thrift store. Inside was a lovely assortment of velvets and wools. After a somewhat dangerous experimentation with cuttings and the gas stove this morning it was determined that all but three pieces of the wool were good for 1860's things. The synthetic things were promptly tossed, and the rest sorted out. (I'm going to use the brown velveteen I found amongst the things for my buckram bonnet. Pics to come as I progress on that).

After drawing out the pattern on paper I decided to make a practice hood just to see how the pieces went together and if the size was right for me. I chose the least-attractive wool scrap to use and I cut out both pieces, and then the lining of white cotton. I figured if it was a flop there was no great sacrifice materially and if it WASN'T a flop, hey, that's good too. I used the half-circular pattern shape for the curtain, with the short curve the neck edge and the long curve the hem edge. The crown piece I placed on the fold along the short, straight edge and the slight curved edge was the face edge. I sewed the crown to the lining along the turn back, piping between them. Then I pleated the rest in to match the measure of the curtain neck edge. The curtain was sewn right sides together along the long curved edge and the short edges and turned right sides out. I pleated the curtain up a little at the neck, to fit my own. Then, it was just a matter of stitching the two pieces together.

It has been a matter of some controversy, how this pattern is supposed to go together. The minimal markings on the pattern leaves a lot up to the imagination of the seamstress, so I chose the way that seemed to make the most sense to me and that would give me a finished look similar to the pattern illustration. I think this is the correct way to put this particular hood together. The picture of my hood is rather deceptive, since it is not on a head. The seam between the crown and curtain really goes ABOVE my own bun on my head, giving a silhouette very much like that of the pattern illustration. I'm really happy with how it looks!

All that's left to do is to finish off the inside seam and add some trim and ties. I can't decide if I will trim with black velvet (which I have) or cranberry ribbon (which I don't have). And I have no idea whatsoever what to use for ties. . .

Since this is just made of the wool and cotton it is not very warm but I think will work well for cool mornings and evenings. I may just keep this prototype after all!

Love,

Sarah

Galesburg Heritage Days 2008

And so, we are back. Actually, we have been back for a day or so now but I have been too tired to update my blog and very busy with the ever-increasing piles of after-event laundry. It’s amazing how filthy two small boys can get their clothes. Mostly everything is done now and the little white undies and small dresses are hanging up to dry in the sunshine and breeze. It was a beautiful event and a wonderful weekend. The park in Galesburg has always been one of the prettiest reenacting spots I’ve been to with the large lake, grasses, trees, hills and winding paths o’er meadows of bloom. Quaint wooden bridges crisscrossing creeks that feed into the lake. Plenty of sweet places to sit and rest and hide away with a Beloved One. Also, plenty of wonderful paths and roadways for wee feet to follow and fill a certain little man with great ecstasy of exploration and freedrom. Or, what he considers freedom, anyway. :)

Sadly, this year the event was very small. Only a handful of Civil War reenactors attended, and over on the other side of the park where the rondevue was held there were less attendees than formerly and less vendors of wares. I do not understand why, but after the years I’ve been involved in the hobby there does seem to be a cycle to different events. When I started out, Billie Creek Village in Indiana was the big event to go to every year. Now, that event is dying if not already dead by now. It seems the new up-and-coming event around here is at the Vermillion county park in east central IL, which will be held next month. Poor Galesburg. I hope it sees a new day again.

Judah did not have a very good time of it since he was running a slight fever and getting molars. After his waking up Saturday night and screaming non stop we decided to leave early and take him home. We were disappointed to leave early but the comfort of the little one was of prime importance and it was very cold at night. We need to make some rope beds before our next event to keep everyone up off of the ground!

I didn’t take that many pictures since I had the opportunity to meet and visit with some lovely ladies, including meeting a few ladies from the Sewing Academy! I planned to take more pictures Sunday but, alas, since we came home early was not able to do so. Even so, it was a lot of fun and so much nicer than Jacksonville!

Love,
Sarah

Soft Toys

We are leaving in about an hour for our weekend reenactment. It is strange for me to not have some last minute project I need to hurry up and finish. I remember when we last went to this particular event, two years ago, we arrived around 9:00 at night since I spent all that day we were to leave feverishly trying to get David's frock coat finished!

With some extra time on my hands, I decided to make a few toys for the babies. When they were smaller it was easy to keep them amused with a wooden spoon, or bits of ribbon or a colorful blanket to lay on. Now that they are older they need more amusing things. :)

It has been hard to find much on toys for little ones during the 1860 era. I have had little luck coming across mentions of baby toys at all. I did see one painting that depicted a little girl holding a stuffed bunny so I decided to go with that, and also make a cloth ball.

The ball was supposed to have been a ball, that is. It came out looking more like a pumpkin. But it has cheery colors with blue and red check cotton and yellow linen. I sewed red wool felt squares at each end and a button on one of the ends. Judah likes the feel of buttons. I made sure to sew it on VERY well, so no fear of him choking on it. It delighted my heart to see him pick up his pumpkin when I finished it this morning and squeeze it and laugh. He really loves it! I was so pleased! It is stuffed with wool batt with a small sewed shut bag of dried beans in the middle, for a little weight.

The bunny is made of a very soft brownish-gray chennille fabric. (as for fiber content, don't ask, don't tell) :) I drew out the bunny shape and cut two, sewed right sides together, turned it, stuffed it lightly with wool batt, and stitched up the opening. So easy! It probably took me fifteen minutes to make it. I added an embroidered pink nose and french knot eyes and a fuzzy pom pom for a tail, made of cream colored wool yarn. So far, neither of the babies seem that interested in it.

So these new toys, along with a few books, which, if not from the period, are quite old anyhow and have some pretty colored pictures inside (Grizzly Boy and Bunny Bear and The Little Childrens Bible) make for a nice little selection of toys that they can play with. I also have a small bag of wooden blocks and a wooden rattle that is painted yellow on top with a green handle.

Finally, alas, do you remember poor Etta? She has been lying, poor thing, on my closet shelf these past months as the regency dress so fondly planned for her never happened. The pattern never quite worked for it, so she has been without covering. Today I finally made her a blue plaid dress, very plain, with a T-shaped bodice and a pleated skirt. With a bit of lace for a shawl and a cheerful red belt she looks much happier now that she is clothed. She is along with the other soft toys in the basket and I will either give her to a little girl who is in our unit or else, if she doesn't want her, keep the dolly in the toy basket for any little child to play with who might visit camp.

And so - must go check the cookies I'm baking to bring with us. I'll post pictures when we get back!

Love,

Sarah

Shirts, Pinafores and a Bonnet Form

I’ve been sewing shirts this week for a little fellow just a year and half older than David. His mom and dad are reenacting friends of David and I and back at Jacksonville they mentioned how difficult it is to find childrens clothing. I sure agree! Most vendors at reenactments around here have nothing for kids and the few that do have hideous, poorly put together and very overpriced items. I offered to make a few shirts for the little man in exchange for the outgrown shirts his mom said she was going to give me for my own little boys. I just hope the new shirts I made aren’t too big or too small. Too big would be better than too small. I made them enormous on little David so hopefully they will work.

I was surprised at how little fabric it takes to make a square cut shirt in size toddler 5. I had about a yard left of each fabric so I used the leftovers to make new pinafores for the babies. I was greatly inspired by Mrs. Graham’s pinafores she posted about on her blog so I used her pictures as inspiration and Mrs. Clark’s 1-2-3 Pinafore pattern, girls variation, for basic instructions.

I measured little David yesterday to make the bodice pattern. For Judah, I stupidly used the same pattern just making the bodice 1” shorter than little David’s, and the skirt 2” shorter. Later that afternoon when the pinafores were mostly done I tried them on the boys. Little David’s fit perfectly but Judah’s looked like a regency apron! I had not realized how much he has grown and his chest and shoulder area is every bit as broad as his brothers and his waist is bigger. I didn’t want him to wear his way-too-small pinafore, yet I didn’t want to give up on it either. I thankfully had enough fabric left to make a new bodice for the pinafore so I just took the old one off and sewed the new one on. The skirts were already the right length. Judah is a stocky baby. His pinafore won’t be able to button at the waist but I will put some ties on the back to make it work. That way, too, it is adjustable for any future babies who might wear it.

Then, today, I made David his new white shirt. His most recent white shirt is two years old and he has worn it to death and he desperately needed a new one. I used some very light white cotton to make the new one. It was a lot easier making the bigger size shirt than the very small ones I made a few days ago! I think he will like it since it seems it will be much cooler than the heavier weight white one he has now.

All of these things needs hooks or buttons but alas, I don’t have any that will work. David is stopping by Hancock fabrics on his way home from work to pick up buttons and hooks. By the way, does anyone know why Jo Anns and Hancocks no longer carry black hook and eyes? The only ones they have come in a package with bars and eyes mixed, which I don’t like, and the other packages are of WHITE hooks!

And last but not least, I did break down and sew up the frame for my fashion bonnet. The 2 year old buckram was a little dirty, but I did the best I could with it and anyway it will be covered so no one will see. I tried getting new buckram at Jo Anns but they just stopped carrying it. What a disappointment! I made the tip with one layer of buckram and the rest is two layers. I overcast wire to the edges all around and to the seam between the tip and the crown. Then, I covered that with white bias binding. Sooo…hopefully this one won’t collapse like my last one did. I want to get it finished in time to wear to our event after the one we have this weekend.

It has been lovely weather, and the best news is that this weekend is supposed to be even nicer! It will be wonderful having such pleasant weather for our event! Usually this event is terribly hot.

Must go care for a cranky almost-two-year-old,
Love,
Sarah

A Dress for Freeport and Zuchinni Cake

We have a reenactment in Freeport, IL this weekend. Technically, it’s NOT a reenactment, but a steam-engine fair or some such thing. I have never been. But David has always wanted to go and help his artillery unit rob a train, which is apparently what they do at Freeport. I’m not even going to attempt to try to reconcile South Carolina Artillery home guard with a robbery of a northern Illinois steam train. This is just a “fun” event, not necessarily an “authentic” event. Obviously.

I wanted to make up my striped semi sheer for this weekend so I started the new dress on Tuesday. It still lacks hook and eyes and I have to baste the bodice and skirt together, but hey, I’ve got a few hours. And we might not even go up til tomorrow morning on account of it supposed to storm this evening.

It was easy to put together. There is nothing interesting to say about it. Even though it came out exactly as I wanted it to, it was not thrilling to me to see it come together. At last I discovered the reason. It looks exactly like every other adult style CW dress I’ve ever made. I said so to David last evening and he shrugged and suggested,

“Why don’t you make one in a different style?”

“But I can’t!” I wailed. “This IS the style!”

I did use a new lining material for this one. I usually use white cotton for lining my bodices and this time I got something called “drapery lining” from Wal Mart. It is 100% cotton and has a very tight weave and is rather stiff, compared to plain muslin. I loved how it worked for lining the bodice and I used the leftovers to make a new set of under sleeves to go with the new dress. I love the crispness of the fabric! I made trim applied to the bodice in a wide, shallow V shape. On reflection, I ought to have made the neckline V as well, to echo the V trimming. Oh well. I’d like to make more of this ruching to put on the sleeves, where they are gathered, but I haven’t done it yet. If I have time I will do that before we go to Freeport. If not, I’ll get it done before Galesburg, our next event which is a few weeks away. For details, I made a plain white cotton collar, a silk bow made out of scraps left over from my silk dress and I also plan on using the belt I made to go with my silk dress for this one. I would like to make another bow/belt set in dark green silk but until I get the silk to make that, these will work nicely. In a break from my sewing, yesterday I made a zuchinni cake. Zuchinni cake is something that goes back into my earliest remembrances of childhood. My mother used to make them, iced prettily with cream cheese icing and set beautifully on her wooden cake stand with the domed glass top. I believe she got her recipe from one of our landlords when we lived in Connecticut, many years ago. She shared the recipe with me and now my own children have been enjoying this delicious, moist cake! For anyone interested, here is the recipe:
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup oil
Beat together
3 cups flour
1 tsp. each salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 cloves
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Add to above mixture
stir in 1 cup walnuts (which I never do)
pour into bundt pan well greased and floured bake @ 350 for 60-70 minutes.
Cream cheese frosting
2 cups confectionary sugar
1 3oz. package of cream cheese
1 tablespoon milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat together!!!

Love,

Sarah

Planning a New Dress

Over at the Sense and Sensibility board there have been so many inspiring posts lately by lovely ladies who have made clothing either inspired by vintage garments or from vintage patterns. I am in need of a few new summer dresses, especially since the gowns I wore the last two summes have sadly seen their better days. A few months ago I purchased several patterns intended for summer frocks, including a few of the "Retro" patterns by simplicity. I also have this really amazing 1920's dress pattern from Past Patterns that I've been longing to make the past few years!

Anywoo, I pulled out the "Retro 1930's" pattern I got from Jo Anns earlier today along with some purple fabric a friend gave me. I have exactly the right amount of yardage to make the dress and I think with the way the bodice is shaped it will work very well for a pregnant belly this summer. Of course, I probably won't be showing too much either until later this year, but allowance for a pooch is a good thing. :) Better to loose than too tight, revealing every line and roll and wrinkle! LOL

I can't wait to start on the dress and hope to get a lot done tomorrow. I usually don't use patterns as they require so much adjusting and twinking to get them to fit right but hopefully this one won't give me too many problems! If I have enough fabric left over, since I'm thinking about making the shorter, sleeveless dress (View E), I might make the cute little jacket that goes on top.

And also, thanks to Amber at Fruit of Her Hands, I have been inspired to make bread again. I usually make a recipe that produces 2 loaves but since David does not eat bread all that much I was always having to throw dried out or molded bread away since it did not get eaten and our freezer is too small to store extra loaves. I found a good looking recipe for a basic bread on Allrecipes that only makes one loaf so I tried it today and am really excited about how it came out! It was quick and easy to make and the smells were so good while it was rising and baking!

Finally, I got to see the new baby for the first time this past week. I had had an ultrasound scheduled with my doctor for earlier this week but when I returned home from our reenactment on Sunday a message awaited me on the answering machine, informing me that my doctor had been in a serious motorcylcle accident and it was uncertain as to when he would be able to see his patients again. The doctor who is taking over for him while he recovers I have yet to meet - I hope I will like him better than the original. I had my sonogram at the hospital I plan to deliver at and to my relief the wee one showed up right away on the screen, it's little heart just beating away! It measured exactly at 10 weeks of age so that is a bit earlier than I had thought but I am relieved it is all right and excited that my new due date in late January is just 2 days after my brother's birthday.

I must go rescue a baby who keeps climbing into his brothers crib. I found him today standing on top of his dresser, having pulled from the wall a plaster mold I had made of his and Judah's wee feet back in December and thrown it on the floor! Luckily it did not break, but I must now break HIM of his climbing habit. Unsafe, indeed.

Love,

Sarah

Grierson Days in Jacksonville

A whole week and no posts! I meant to post again before we left for the weekend but was so busy getting everything done that I lacked time to do it. So, to make up for it, a rather lengthy post follows. . .

We left home Friday, a little after the noon hour, and wended our way to Jacksonville. It was a comfortable, two-hour drive and we arrived at the park with plenty of time to find an ideal site to set up camp and get out the tents and the fly to put up before evening fell. David’s mom and her friend Bob came with us and halved the A frame for their dwelling place. She had the west side and he had the east side. After setting up the A frame I was reminded of how much I love it! It is so much easier to put up three poles and stake the sides down that getting out the many poles and ropes that go with setting up our wall tent.

I had never been to the Jacksonville reenactment before. For the past four years or so I have been hearing great things about it and it is supposedly “THE” event to go to around here. I was anticipating a much larger event than we actually experienced but it was better organized than most other reenactments around here and the camps were laid out neatly without the crammed together, haphazard chaotic mess of tents you usually see.

We set up near the federal surgeon and had friendly neighbors in blue to our East. To our West was a cavalry unit that definitely was the unpleasant part of our sojourn. Everyone in that unit had a decidedly modern appearance, attitude and conversation and it seemed the women and children only dressed in quasi-period clothing for the battle and then changed back into modern clothing for the rest of the time. It was a little distracting but not nearly so much as the fact that the unit had a loud drunken party on Saturday night that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning. The bawdy talk and obnoxious laughter and shouting that seemed amplified to a great degree kept both David and I awake and miserable most of the night.

The next day David complained to the Union commander and he said he would speak to them about it, but that they were celebrating their 10th anniversary as a unit. Later that same day we talked to our friendly neighbors to the East and they said that that particular unit has a drunken party every year.

“They were supposedly celebrating their 10th year”. David said to one soldier.
“Yes, they were.” was the reply. “Last year they were celebrating their 9th.”

There were signs everywhere stating that alcohol was prohibited! If we go back again next year, I told David I will *not* camp near that unit again!

The other unpleasant part was that we were set up very near the main road that goes through Jacksonville. Motorcycles, sirens and many, many train whistles spotted the night. During the day it wasn’t as noticeable but at night it kept us awake and startled wee Judah from his slumber on more than one occasion. On the other, far side of the park the Confederate camp enjoyed comparative peace and tranquility. I was very envious of their ideal situation. Sigh.
Despite the less than ideal neighbors to the West and the main road behind us it was a beautiful park and we had very pleasant weather. I heartily enjoyed being able to cook for my family over a fire, do dishes and haul water. At most events of late I have had really nothing to do besides watching the children and it was an enjoyable break to be able to fill up my idle moments with manual activity.

Little David was upset the first night but by Saturday morning was used to his new temporary home and found great pleasure in walking around the tent, looking beneath it, and exploring inside of it. He also enjoyed visiting Bob’s tent where a bamboo mat was spread on the floor. He couldn’t get over the feeling of that beneath his darling little toes!

Judah most enjoyed the food, the striped candy stick one of the sutlers gave him, and splashing in the water in the metal tub for his nightly baths.
On Saturday I walked with David up to the center part of the park. He lined up for pay call and much to my astonishment each soldier received five gold colored dollars in a small muslin sack. I can’t imagine how much money the organizers put out to be able to do that for each soldier! It was interesting to watch since I have never seen that done at an event before.
My mother in law and I went to the fashion show, held in the hospitable shade of several trees with an ornate gazebo beyond with punch and cookies for the ladies. I was startled but flattered when a lady approached me and asked me to be in the fashion show with the babies! This has been my 2nd fashion show ever! And the second one in less than a month!
After the fashion show we went to sit near the edge of the battlefield. Soon after the start two ladies in a federal cavalry unit fell off of their horses almost simultaneously. For a minute it was unsure if it was part of a staged stunt, or if it was real. At last the battle was halted and those who had medical training rushed out to make sure if the ladies were all right. One lady was hurt worse than the other was motionless on the ground. An ambulance was called and she was taken away to the hospital, later reported to have had a stage 2 concussion but otherwise all right.
The second lady was borne away on the federal surgeons stretcher.

As I watched David direct the stretcher bearers to the wounded lady my eyes filled with tears as they rushed to her. This situation was not a play act for the amusement of the crowd and enjoyment of the participants. It was real. They carried her off the field and to a place where another ambulance later came to pick her up. She was awake, conscious and moving but had to be checked out just in case. She was later released from the hospital with only bruises and scratches.

As I watched all this I was filled with a wonder as to why people reenact the Civil War. I do not reenact because of the battles, I do it because I enjoy dressing in period clothing and trying to experience a little what a lady and mother of the time might have felt as she cared for her family in a way so foreign to modern sensibilities. (or should I say, modern insensibilities). Yes, the battles that are reenacted are for the most part safe. But it is a little odd to see men rushing towards each other, firing at each other, with huge smiles on their faces, laughing, talking to each other. Was this the way the war really was? The way the whole atmosphere changed when those two ladies were hurt was chilling. What if men really were shooting at each other to kill each other? What then? Why do men make a play act out of something so horrible? Why do people come out to watch it and cheer and clap? Would the veterans who actually fought in this war appreciate the way their sacred sacrifice is being remembered?

Saturday evening we drove a few miles away from the park to a beautiful old dance hall with a luxurious surrounding porch for the ball. The floor was a glossy wood one - no gym floors this time! The dance mistress had on a beautiful sheer gown and the live music was rendered beautifully from the musicians. We stayed only for a little while since the babies were fussy but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and look upon it as the highlight of the weekend. It was truly a “magic moment” for me to be there in that beautiful place!

On Sunday we went to the outdoor church service, ate lunch, watched the battle and then packed up and came home. David and I got to spend a little time alone together before the battle as his mom offered to take the babies for a little while and Bob napped under the shade of the fly. It is so unusual to be with David without the little ones around! We walked around the park and sat at a table to listen to a gentleman who played banjo and guitar sing some songs of the period.

My overall feelings about this event are mixed. I enjoyed some of the activities that went on but didn’t enjoy other aspects of it, such as the location, some of the people, most of the sutler wares and the food stands that sold hot dogs and pepsi and funnel cakes.
David’s thoughts are that we will only go back if he goes as part of his medical unit (we went independent this year) or his artillery unit.
There are other events around here that we enjoy much more and that do not have any of the unpleasant things that we experienced here.
So thus, we are home. And looking forward to our next event, rather than looking behind us at this one.
Love,
Sarah