The Quiet Work of Winter

Well the rendezvous and motorcycle camping season for 2011 has come to a close.  Oh there will be days spent in the woods and solo rides from time to time, but the time for organized events for this year is past.  For the next four months I will be spending most of my non work days quietly at home working on house and gear projects.   I’ve got more than enough of both types of projects to keep me very very busy, enough to make a beaver look down right lazy in fact.

Currently I’m working on tying up loose ends on various projects already in progress as well as getting various small projects done.  I’ve finished the red stripped petticoat, repaired several seams and reattached some loose buttons on my attire.  The small wood boxes the Urchin and I used when we did Civil War events have been cleaned, had hinges and hasps attached as needed,  gotten the CW markings removed and been repainted flat black.  Now I’ve got a box for my iron stakes, a box for kitchen utensils and a box for candles, fire starters, fat wood and matches.   Two days were spent making fire starters so I’ve got a goodly supply of those in store also.

Most recently I’ve been working on belts.  The white belt is a 18th century buff leather military belt (yes it’s real buff leather).   It just needed its buckle sewn on and holes punched in it.   The black belt next to it is a belt I got from Barkertown Traders and it was originally medium brown.   I shortened it to fit me, dyed it black, stitched a new movable keeper for it,  sewed the buckle on and punched the holes.   I intend to use it to hold my match cote in place.  The brown belt next to it is another military belt that just needed its buckle sewn on and holes punched in it.   I have a French infantry belly box to reassemble to go with it.  The belt will be an even brown color once the Neatsfoot oil finishes soaking into the leather.  The last item is my blanket carrier.  I originally made it too long but that’s been fixed too.  I also worked on some powder horn straps but need to get some D rings to finish them up.

The routine house cleaning in the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are done and the rendezvous gear has been unloaded from the van.  I found some stock interior trim fasteners at Lowes that fit the 10 holes in the van floor from whatever cargo racks the previous owner had in my van.  They makes things look finished and block insects from coming in the mounting holes.  I also took the van to the car wash and got the rest of the EPR mud removed. 

Time to kick back and watch a Big Bang Theory episode or two.   And contemplate a name for my Chevy Express van.  Suggestions on a van name are encouraged.