Old Virginia Primitive Riflemen Rendezvous

I spent March 18 trough the morning of March 21 at the OVPR Rendezvous near Surry VA. Here’s my camp with its new 9x9x7 tent. The tent is AWESOME ! The weather was splendeferous ! Warm during the day and very cool but not too cold at night. Thursday night was the coldest but my old Federal sky blue wool pants, gray flannel shirt & navy blue wool vest kept me warm & toasty. Friday & Saturday nights I didn't need to wear my old CW clothes. I didn't even need more than my shift once I got in bed.

Here's me & my baby Martin. Making music in the evenings around this or that campfire is some of the best times at rendezvous. I spent Friday & Saturday making music at various lodge fires around camp. Thursday I was at Dulcimer Dave's marque for a while for the sing, then at various other lodges just catching up on what folks have been up to since last I saw them.

English colonial farm widow from the frontier in the Shenandoah Valley. I understand she has a horse, a sow, 18 chickens, a solid built 2 room house with loft and clear title to her land. Looking for a church going man with a horse or ox team and a cow.

Gypsy Jane had her lodge next to mine. We cooked together all weekend and then helped each other pack up Sunday. Once we left the 'Vous, we spent the day at Jamestown Settlement for their Military Through the Ages event. I've got plenty of pictures from MTA and will post some of them later.

March 27 through April 4 is Holy Week – I’ll be at church a lot & posting again after Pascha.

A Great Time with Old Friends

I had agreed to give a Lenten talk on Eastern Orthodox Christian Prayer at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg VA awhile back and this weekend it was time to do the deed.  So Saturday I headed off to my friend Connie’s place (she who had gotten me into this gig) for what turned out to be one super weekend.  On the way to F’burg I stopped off at a friend’s curio shop just outside Orange and walked right into an ol’ timey jam session in progress.  Not being one to pass up opportunities for enjoying good live music I borrowed a guitar and played some solid 2nd guitar to various fiddle tunes and Carter Family hits.   A great time was had by all and I headed back down the road to Connie’s with a nice CD of Stephen Foster tunes by the Virginia Serenaders.  Good Times come to those who answer their knock on the door.

Once I got to Connie’s we headed out to zerox the handout for the talk and find some lenten dinner, which Connie provided via the local Japanese eatery.  The food was excellent, the ambiance very Japanese and Connie full of delightful news of family, sundry others folks and Mary Washington College.  After dinner we went to hear the Westminster Choral College ensemble choir in concert at St. George’s Church.  Oh my.  An entire choir of sophomores, a choir that was stunningly, awesomely, marvelously fantastic.  And rather humbling too, a choir that at my very best I would not have been quite good enough to make the cut. 

Sunday morning came a bit sooner than expected, compliments of the US Congress and the move into Daylight Savings Time.  My talk went fairly well, a bit of technical difficulty getting my iPod to play the chant selections I wanted when I wanted them, but otherwise things seemed to go well.  Liturgy in the refurbished  St. George’s sanctuary followed (praying with friends is always good), then coffee and a brisk walk to the local Thai restaurant for more lenten fare.  The Thai and the Japanese are in a dead heat for best Far Eastern restaurant in F’burg !  All too soon it was time for me to leave Connie’s most excellent company and head on home.  Good times with good friends always seem to never last long enough.

Its Spring AGGHHH !

Where did the winter go ?  I didn’t get any wood cut up outside (its been covered with snow), I’ve got more downed limbs to cut (product of too much snow), the red strip 1700’s petticoat still needs a rear placket and waistband, there’s a weskit to sew, Jane’s cot to fix, my cot to fix, the new tent is here & needs its poles made, and WHERE DID THE WINTER GO ?  I got all kinds of stuff done in December then everything went to pot.  Or to snow I guess – I spent way too much of my time shoveling snow, trying to get places in the snow, sleeping at work because of the snow, leaving early for work because of the snow, and generally being exhausted due to the snow.  So now its March, I’ve got a week until OVPR and AGGHHH !

There, that’s out of my system.  Jane’s cot is coming along nicely, although the kittahs don’t think it needs fixing.  Skitty thinks its fine the way it is.

Clearly Baboo and Pippin agree.  They spent a great deal of time Tuesday inspecting my work.   The cover is getting fixed in spite of their “help”.  Now if I can get the poles for the new tent done I’ll at least show up at OVPR having accomplished SOMETHING.