James River Bateau Festival–Scottsville 6/24

June brings the Bateau Festival to the James River.  Reproduction bateau as well as canoes, kayaks, and even truck tire inner tube “rafts” take to the James River at Lynchburg.  For 8 days they pole, steer, paddle & float their way to Richmond.  The Festival actually takes place on the river with stops at designated camp sites en route.  The half way point is Scottsville where the Festival comes ashore on either side of the town’s boat ramp.

It was a very warm day as is usual for the Scottsville camp.  Most of the bateau crews went swimming once thay had secured their craft to the river bank.

A few bateau crews favor period attire.  Or at least period-esque attire with period shirts over contemporary shorts & cutoffs.  Did I mention it was hot?

Crews also favor hats, particularly cloth hats one get get wet and thus cool ones head.

Some bateau carry a good sized crew.    Every bateau carries coolers with iced beverages.  Dehydration is a very real danger on the river.

Many of the bateau can be rigged with an awning, perferably one that can be quickly furled if the wind picks up.  An awning makes an unpredictable sail in a stiff wind and no one likes getting blown onto a rock ledge.

This bateau has an 8 man crew, which is just about right for a craft if this size.

This bateau has only 4 guys for a crew, but they’re all young guys.  Oh the exuberance of youth.

There were fewer vendors than in previous years.  There wasn’t a craft fair in the park this year.  There were several very fine food vendors and some nice historic displays.

There is generally live music beginning in the late afternoon. 

This teepee didn’t come down river on a bateau, it came down in 2 canoes paddled by 4 young guys.  They had sleeping gear and all too.  Oh the energy of the young.

This is my Rendezvous friend the Paddling Potter from Waynesboro with his Paddling Pooch Partner.

There was a wedding at the Scottsville camp this year.  My friend the Potter solemnized the nuptials.  There was a bit of a breeze for the ceremony which was a good thing indeed.

Congratulations to the Happy Couple!

Blue Ridge Spring

I live very close to Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Each spring I try to take a morning drive in one of these areas, preferably on a bright spring day just as the trees are leafing out when each species is a different pale green. 

 Looking North into the Shenandoah valley

On May 4th I took just such a ride along the southern third of Skyline Drive.  It was one of those bright blue sky fluffy cloud days when you could see all the way to West Virginia.

 An Open Meadow Hillside

The ground was a verdant green anywhere it was open ground but most of the bush understory has yet to leaf out.

  Haze Thickens as the Day Warmed

The clouds were gone by about 10 am and the haze started to obscure the distant hills.  The forsythia were just beginning to bloom in this small meadow.

Shenandoah Valley in the Distance

Spring tends to highlight the various micro-environments with the National Park.  The trees in the middle distance have barely started to leaf out.

 Another View Towards the Valley

Two miles further up the road the hills were a patchwork of new green leaves.  This meadow also had wild flowers blooming their little pea picking hearts out.

 Three Views of Spring

At this overlook the bushes in the foreground are leafing out, the hills in the background are very green and the little hills in between are still bare brown.

These next 3 pictures were taken from one spot.  I just turned in place at the edge of the parking area.

 Looking South & Uphill

This hillside is still winter brown.  A few understory bushes have put out a few leaves and the tips of some of the tree branches are budding out.

 Looking North & Uphill

The understory bushes are partially leafed out and the trees are into leaves rather than just buds.

Woods at the Parking Lot Edge

In between the little hills the grass was green, the understory was well leafed out and the trees were filling out nicely. 

It was a nice relaxing drive.  I saw a few deer and several hawks.  Deo Gratis

Installing a Swivel Unit on a Van Passenger Seat

  Methuselah in Ohio Camping

My Faithful Readers may remember this photo from July of 2014.  I am modifying  my cargo van for solo camping, with an eye to modular interior units so it can easily be switched back to a basic cargo van at need.   I  want an uncluttered interior that is comfortable inside when the weather is uncomfortable outside.  Last summer I realized that the passenger seat wasn’t really useable as a place to sit when camped.  It is awkward to get in and out of it from the inside of the van.  Commercial van campers have driver & passenger seats that swivel, so I started looking for a swivel unit for my van on the Inter-Webs.   It took me awhile to find any retail vendors and longer yet to find any with good product  reviews.  I got my swivel unit from Shop4Seats.  It was even on sale.
The swivel unit didn’t come with any instructions but it didn’t really need any instructions.  The OEM seats in my van are attached to a steel mounting bracket with 4 bolts.  The seat bolts are permanently mounted to the seat itself.  Warning: the seat mounting hardware is metric. 

Passenger Seat Fittings 

This is the bottom of the passenger seat.  The 4 mounting bolts are easy to reach when the seat is attached.  It takes a 14mm deep wall socket or wrench.  I used a deep wall socket.   I’ve heard that Chevy passenger vans have an electrical connection to the passenger seat that is part of the passenger air bag system.   My cargo van has no such connection to the seat.  A key operated switch in the dashboard turns the passenger airbag function on or off.   (The van half of the wiring does lurk beneath the floor mat.)

 Seat Side of the Swivel Unit

This is the seat side of the swivel unit.  The release lever is under the front of the seat once it’s installed.  The 4 large holes are for the 4 seat bolts.  The unit consists of 2 heavy metal plates with a  coupling permanently holding them together.  The unit is quite heavy, much heavier than the set itself.

 OEM Seat Mounting Bracket

This is the OEM seat mounting bracket.  There are 2 welded in place  bolt studs on the bottom plate of the swivel unit.  They go into the left side OEM bolt holes.  There are also 2 removable bolts.  They go through the bottom plate and into the right side OEM bolt holes.  If things don’t want to quite line up & play nice, loosen the front 2 Seat Mounting Bracket nuts & tweak  the front corners of the mounting bracket in or out as needed.   (The OEM seat mounting bracket uses 18mm nuts.)  Now tighten the seat mounting brackets nuts back down if they were loosened and then tighten the swivel unit nuts. 

                        Swivel Unit Bolted to the OEM Seat Bracket
Here’s the swivel unit attached to the OEM seat bracket.   Pick the seat up, center the seat bolts over the holes in the top plate of the swivel unit, drop the seat into place and bolt it down with the OEM bolts.  Swiveling  the seat some makes access to the seat bolt nuts easier.  I used a wrench rather than a socket for this step.  Voila!  The swivel unit is now installed. 

 Seat Bolted In  & Swiveled to the Rear

Here’s what it looks like with the seat swiveled to the rear.  The swivel unit positions the seat about 1 inch to the left & 1.5 inches higher than the OEM seat position.   To swivel the seat first slide it almost all the way  forward and then pull up on the swivel bar & rotate the seat towards the driver’s seat.  Yes the clearances are very very tight. This is easiest to turn the seat with the passenger door open but it can be done with the door closed.  It can’t be done while sitting in the passenger seat, there simply isn’t enough space.  Its a van folks, not a class A motor home.

 Stock Length Swivel Release Lever

Some of the reviews of this swivel unit didn’t like the length of the swivel release.  Neither did I.  My passenger seat is normally slid all the way back.  This means the swivel lever  sticks out in front of the seat were it awaits the unwary skirt.  (Yes folks, I  sometimes have passengers & they are often 18th century attired women wearing long skirts.)  So I shortened it by about  3.5 inches. 

Shortened Release Lever

Now the lever is only a half  inch past the seat position bar when the seat is all the way to the rear.  No more long skirt trap!  And yes, the short release is as easy to move as the long release was.

21st Annual Ft. Frederick Trade Fair – 4/23-26

I was only able to attend the 1st day of this year’s fair but I had a grand time.  I was able to arrive at the Fair site Wednesday afternoon to help Missy Clark set up her trade tent.  Thursday I visited with some old friends and tried out my new-to-me full frame DSLR.  The weather was rather chilly but at least it wasn’t overly windy or raining.

I’ve divided my Fair photos of note into 6 separate posts.  This allows folks to skip things that don’t catch their fancy and keeps the post’s length down to something manageable. So:

1.The Ladies with a Few Gents

2.The Men at the Fair

3.Fair Camps & Fort Barracks

4.Barkertown – Missy Clark Proprietor

5.Trade Goods of Note

6.Gourds by Ver Sacrum – A New Trader at the FFTF

Last year I drove to the Fair from my Urchin’s house, spent the day at the Fair, and then drove all the way back home all in one day.  This made for a very tired Hebron Valley Lady!  I also scouted out the NPS campsite at McCoy’s Ferry before the Fair gates opened.  This year I drove up to Big Pool Wednesday and stayed overnight at the McCoy’s Ferry campsite.  Thurday I attended the Fair and drove home late that afternoon.  This made for a very pleasant Fair outing.

 Camp Site #2

McCoy’s Ferry is a National Forest style camping area.  There permanent building pit privy and 2 porta-johns on site.  Each of the 12 camp sites have a picnic table, a fire ring, a stand up cooking grill and a paved vehicle parking spot.  There are also 2 group camp areas at one end of the camping area.  All sites are 1st come, 1st served.  A picnic area and boat ramp are also part of the site.  The parking pads are nice and flat.

 The Van Camper on Site

There was a bicyclist camped at the far end of the site from me.  It was fairly chilly so I made dinner in the van.

 The Potomac River

The view from the site is very very peaceful.  This river level is normal for the April.  The campground is closed by NPS if flooding is a real danger.

 Looking Downstream

The cost for all this beauty is $10 1 night, $5 for those with senior or military NPS passes.  You are expected to bring your water with you and take your trash with you when you leave.

The Ladies with a Few Gents

Several folks who follow my blog had commented on the shortage of women in many of my picture posts.  So I decided to remedy that this year.  All of these folks were asked before they were photographed and are aware they might be posted here.  

Two Friends

These ladies could be the wives of tradesmen or prosperous farmers.  And yes, tinted glasses were both available and very popular in the 18th century.

 Two Trader’s Staff

These ladies would be of a somewhat lower social class than the previous 2 ladies.  Their clothing is plainer and may well have been bought 2nd hand.

 3 Ladies at the Chandler’s Stand

The 2 ladies in the center are dressed in fashions that were more common in towns rather than on the frontier.   The lady on the right has a wool pull over hunting shirt on, a more frontier style of attire.

 A German Frau in Her Camp

This lady is working on some mending.  Note her wooden shoes to keep her feet dry.  The British colonies had a great many German speaking residents and the Pennsylvania border is only a day’s travel from Ft. Frederick.

 Missy Clark

Missy is also keeping her feet dry in wooden shoes.  Klompen, sabot – it’s all the same really, with minor shape differences depending on the local tradition.  Missy has also drawn up her petticoat hem to keep it dry and is wearing several layers of clothing to ward off the chill.

 Chantal

Chantal is also wearing wooden shoes, you can see the sheepskin that are used to keep the shoe from rubbing the top of the foot raw.  Wooden shoes are fitted noticeably loose on one’s bare foot.  You then wear thick socks and sheepskin pads to get a good fit.  (Chantal is holding Missy’s new trade sign, which she made.)  Chantal is younger than Missy and wears her petticoats shorter.  Thus she hasn’t drawn them up. 

  2 More Country Ladies

Cloaks were the common serious weather garment for women.  And everyone wore a head covering when out in public.

 A Trader in a Capped Greatcoat

In Europe it would have been very rare indeed for a woman to wear a man’s outer garment.  Here traveling trades women sometimes adopted men’s outer garments for their practicality.  Just try driving a wagon team wearing a cape!  It was also safer on the uncertain frontier to appear as a man at a distance.

 A Native American Wife

This lady’s pucker toe moccasins and French print trade shirt identify her as from the Great Lakes area of New France. 

 Susan

Another warmly attired lady of the middling classes.

 OK So It’s Not a Lady . . .

This is a trader’s display of a woman’s basic attire. 

 2 Couples

The man on the far left and the lady on the near right are Iroquois.  The man on the near left is a frontier trader.  The woman on the far right is his Native American wife.

A Iroquois Couple

(This is a better photo of the Iroquois Couple)

A Man and His Wife from the Frontier

This couple is wearing an open front hunting shirt as their outer garment.  The capes help shed water and add a second layer to the garment over the shoulders and upper chest.  These also break the wind nicely.

A Gentleman & a Working Woman

No, not that kind of working woman.  A street vendor, in this case she vends shoe polishing.  Shoes are expensive and streets are rarely paved.  Frequent polishing extends the like of the leather.  He is dressed as a prosperous townsman and she is dressed as a respectable woman plying her trade.

The Men at the Fair

In the past I have mostly photographed fair trade goods and camps.  This year I focused more on the fair goers.

THE SOLDIERS:

 British Junior Officer Interpreting Life in a Military Fort

 Soldier in a British Regiment from Scotland

This fellow’s regiment was camped just outside the fort, thus he is fully accoutered.

 French & Indian War Foote Soldier on a Pass

Notice that a soldier on a pass to go to town, or in this case a fair, would not have been allowed to wear his accouterments.  Only soldiers on duty would be so attired.  (FYI: This is Frank from my Civil War unit.  He got me started in the 18th century world & encouraged me to come to my first Trade Fair.)

A Foot Soldier from the French Garrison

N.B. These aren’t his usual shoes, they were back at camping drying out from previous days heavy rain.

 A Retired Soldier

This retired British soldier of foot now turns his hand to making shooting bags and powder horns.

THE NATIVE AMERICANS:

 A Seneca Man

A thoughtful Seneca husband buying candles for his wife.  Those English flies are such useful critters!  Their wax made into candles makes a lodge bright of an evening.

The Seneca’s Trade Tent

Native American bought Euro-American goods & Euro-Americans bought Native American goods.  It was a two way street in many many places.

 Another Native American out Shopping

N.B. I was only at the trade fair on Thursday.  The best day for attire is Saturday when everyone puts their best foot forward.

THE EURO-AMERICANS:

A Gentleman Arranging to Purchase a Chest

  Hunters from the Forks of the Ohio

  A Gentleman Meeting with a Master and His Journeyman

 Note the hat & Apron on the Tea Seller

 Another Tradesman Plying His Wares

A Hunter, A Farmer, The Master Craftsman and Another Craftsman Chatting

Mark Thomas in a Wool Hunting Frock & Workman’s Cap Trying to Stay Warm

  Another Master Craftsman in a Rifleman’s Frock and Tricorn Hat

This poor man is trying to copy a pattern and the wind isn’t letting him get the job done.

  Two Townsman Admiring a Sword

An Original 18th Century Sword – Note the Engraved Design