The OVPR was started by a group of lads who were shooting black powder muzzleloaders on the weekends and felt there could be more to it than just the shooting. More even than shooting in period attire. Now the shooting, the hawk & knife throwing, and the archery are a solid part of what makes a Rendezvous, it’s the spending time with your friends & family that actually is the heart the affair.
That’s right, just hanging out and talking to your friends about whatever is as important as the clothes & the skills of the era. What a concept.
Now the lads don’t have an Informal Tea or Men’s Social as organized affairs but that doesn’t mean they don’t plan shenanigans. They just plan them a bit more spur of the moment.
Of course planning new shenanigans requires reviewing old shenanigans to revisit past successes and avoid repeating past failures.
Of course a Rendezvous does invole shooting contests, so there are consultations among the lads as to loads, loading techniques, and the like.
Shooting a firelock means cleaning said firelock after the fact. Else the firelock ceases to work in a reliable way. An unreliable firelock is a dangerous firelock.
Of course there’s also plenty of time to just sit & enjoy your camp, the weather, and the woods.
A bit of housekeeping around one’s lodge is a good idea too. Just not a strenuous amount of housekeeping. It helps if the lodge is small.
Fires need tending too, both for safety and so that the cooked food is also edible food.
It’s a good thing the lads spend so much time planning shenanigans, it leaves them less time to actually accomplish the aformentioned mischief.
There’s always a a quiet time at day’s end to just savor it all too.
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