I’ve been going to the Shenandoah Long Rifles Rendezvous at Belle Grove Plantation near Middletown VA since 2003. These fine folks hold an event there on Memorial Day Weekend & Labor Day Weekend every year. Sometimes there’s a November Veterans camp too. I haven’t made every event but I’ve managed at least 1 event every year.
The Camp Gear
I stayed overnight with Da Urchin so I could get to Belle Grove early in the morning. By 9 AM I was unloaded with my mule parked in the pasture & ready to set up camp. The weather was sunny & warm but not so warm that setting up camp required any real sweating on my part.
Camp Up!
The weather promised to be warm but dry so I pitched my fly high & wide using the 6 foot side poles. This gives me maximum shade while encouraging any breezes that are ambling about to wander over my way. That’s Buffalo Woman’s kitchen fly to the right of me with her teepee showing up behind the kitchen.
Neighbors Setting Up
Of course I wasn’t the only one setting up camp. The event hadn’t officially started as yet so folks hadn’t shed their 21st century clothes yet.
A Family Camp with Room for the Whole Family
I’m camped in a 9x9x7 wedge tent with a 10x16 fly. This marquee & fly are much larger but then there’s room for the whole family & maybe even a spare friend. Plenty of space to cook too even if it rains hard.
2 Hard Working Rendezvousers
Now Rendezvousing is hard work, why just look at all the hard labor these 2 fine fellows are getting done.
Lunch in Camp
Here’s a hard working couple. Why there’s crackers to unwrap, sausage to slice & cheese to cut. Plus a mug of fine brew to pour into a mug or tankard. No point is in sharing one’s beverage with the yellow jackets.
Another Lunch Bunch
Of course some folks prefer uptown repasts & dine on fresh garden salad & homemade vegetable soup with a fine imported tea.
Time for Play Too
But its not all toil & sweat in camp. And no one needs to tell these girls that all work & no play makes Jill a dull girl.
Fly-Free Camp
Now some folks prefer a more open camp particularly with fair weather on the table. This spot gets the morning sun but afternoon shade.
Wall tent, Marquee sans Walls with Chandelier
Obviously this is upscale accommodations. A fine wall tent with a marquee in front furnished with a double trestle table. There’s plenty of seating for friends & not 1 but 3 coffee pots! And flowers on the table too!
Another Fine Camp Meal
Rendezvous is about fine times with friends & family. Yes we shoot guns on the woods walk, test our archery skills on the range and throw hawk & knife at targets on blocks of wood. But even the best competitors generally care more for the fun than the score.
A Laughing Camp
I don’t remember the joke that was told as I was taking this picture but it sure gave us all a good laugh.
Supervised Cooking
Our ancestors spent a great deal of time growing food, gathering food, preserving food, storing food & finally cooking food. There’s a good deal of cooking at any rendezvous even it it’s been gathered at the local supermarket. Some folks do bring home grown foods or wild game they have hunted.
Musicians tuning Up
As the afternoon grows the musicians begin to tune up. Music isn’t actually a universal language but its universally language. (Think about that, it’ll come to ya.) And while I’m a singer I like listening as much as singing.
BUCKET!
Buckets are required, alcohol in the bucket is optional.
A Quiet Camp Moment
Hi fiddle dee dee its a woodsman’s life for me.
This was the last rendezvous SLR will be having at Belle Grove. The SLR has had many good years here but they’re outgrown the site in many ways so its time to move on. The Labor Day Rendezvous has a site in West Virginia but after that it’s anyone’s guess at this point. There are some prospective locations though. I have faith the shining times with SLR are not at an end, not yet anyway.
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