Monday, October 19, 2009

Dollinger Farm Reenactment & David's 3rd Birthday

On Saturday we went for the day to the last reenactment of the season - no more til April! Saturday was also David's 3rd birthday so we packed the children up early in the morning and spent the day at Dollinger Farm. Due to the cold, we did not stay the whole weekend as we did not want to keep the boys out overnight.
It is a pretty place for an event and although in the past I haven't liked this particular event due to the commercial atmosphere, I enjoyed myself very much. It was such a pretty day, it warmed up a bit in the early afternoon, and it was nice to meet some new people, including a lovely lady who introduced herself to me as having been to my blog before! (It was a joy to meet you! I hope we and our little ones can visit again at future reenactments!)
Here are some pictures from the day.
One of the generals wives. She had a beautiful knitted bonnet that I'd love to copy and a gorgeous wool dress. I have seen her at other reenactments but did not really get to meet her until this one, due to my having to keep an eye on the children most of the time and having little opportunity for visiting.
Malachi eats a candy stick. Once we arrived we first browsed through the sutler area. There were some very nice ones, and at one we got the boys candy sticks in hopes of them settling down if they had something sweet to suck on. Malachi had a lemon flavored one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, he was completely sticky before he was finished but a damp cloth cleaned him up just fine. We brought a cold lunch of smoked sausage, bread, cheese and grapes. Here Malachi pauses mid-chew to allow me to take his picture. In passing, I made this striped coat for him when he was four months old and prayed it would last him through the season. And. . .it did! Just barely, but he squeezed into it one final time. He seems to have had a growth spurt since our last event. He had to wear Judah's wool dress from last year and Judah's strapped petti that Judah wore this summer. I'm glad I had the bigger things to put him in, or else I don't know if we could have gone! But geez, why do kids grow so fast?? This is the last time the older boys will wear their clothes too. The bodices and hems on their shirts and trousers are a bit too short, already. And I just made these things five or six weeks ago!After our picnic lunch the boys wanted to explore. Just beyond the camp was an open area, fringing off into woods and a deep ravine. The boys were fascinated by the ravine and tried several times to slither down into it. I did not blame them for their curiousity. When I was growing up, wooded ravines were some of my favorite places to play!
Here Malachi sits in the high grass and looks for tasty leaves to chew on. A fuzzy caterpillar offered a most tempting sample of snack but I rescued it just before it fell victim to a most untimely and unfortunate death.
David. The last time we were at this event we were newlyweds and he posed in almost the same exact spot for a picture. Then, he had a sutler made uniform. This time, it is one I got to make.
I wore my black wool dress since I didn't get to wear it much this year, just once in February to the Abraham Lincoln Birthday ball. Plus it helped against the chill. Hoorah for wool! It is the best, most versatile fiber ever.
Before the battle we decided to walk a bit and visit. I carried Malachi and the older boys walked with David. They even held hands. They just started doing that lately and I think it is so adorable!David and I. I wanted a picture with my birthday boy but he wouldn't look at the camera! Oh well!
David and Judah on their way down the hill to the sutler area. My favorite sutler was called Mother of Purl and she had a wonderful assortment of wool yarns. I got some lovely blue-green heathered wool yarn to make the boys some mittens. It's a good thing we did not have a lot of extra money to spend or I would have spent it all there!
I used my wool shawl as a makeshift sling. It helped so much. Malachi does get very heavy, especially when he naps. David tied the shawl behind me and just behind my shoulder and we were able to adjust the tightness to support Malachi's little bum and his back. This is almost certainly the last event where Malachi will be small enough to carry around and to be considered a baby.:( Next year he will be walking and definitely a toddler.
One great impression was the priest who went about on the field administering last rites. Oh wow, that was an awesome impression. Here he is after the battle talking to a confederate soldier.
We got to meet some other people as well. These guys did a fabulous job with their impression as refugees. It was thrilling to see! Fabulous, fabulous job.
Here is David and Judah. Poor Judah. He did get quite cold. I tied my shawl around his head and he kept it on. Something he would not normally do. Note the man bending over by the tree on the left hand side. He had a beautiful repro guitar with gut strings and it had such a beautiful sound to it. I would love to get one someday!One thing I definitely learned this weekend is that I need to get the Past Patterns overalls pattern for David. I saw two gentleman wearing overalls from the pattern and they looked fabulous. Heck, I saw so many gorgeous civilian clothing items I'd love to make for David. One man had a beautiful yellow and black plaid frock coat that I especially liked. For, you see, since I have decided to go old-fashioned in my wardrobe David has joined me in my endeavors and has decided he wants to dress that way as well. So waistcoats, trousers, shirts, frocks, sack coats and overalls are in my future! Whew. I'm thrilled though, truly! David looks so much more natural in his period clothing than in modern stuff and he says he finds it much more comfortable. He is such a hard size to fit (a 2X Tall with a very long torso) so making our own clothes at home will be much better and more economical in the long run. And it is always more fun to dress old fashioned when you have someone to do it with you. :)

Love,

Sarah

13 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my that looked like it was a lot of fun! :)
    the outfits are just darling! And that picture of Malachi wrapped around you in the shawl is just so cute! Mmmm and that cold lunch sounds like it was quite delish hehe.

    Hope you all are feeling better!
    Love to all,

    Jackie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Of all your dresses you've posted about, I'm pretty sure this one is my favorite (so far! I'm sure you'll dream up something new). The colors are just striking. The curves on the front flatter you so beautifully. Just all around -- georgous!

    Oh and my husband and I greatly enjoyed the picture of your little Malachi chewing away on that candy stick. That's our personal favorite candy, and a glimpse into the wished-for future. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Y'all look so wonderful. I just love seeing all your pictures. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sarah,

    You all look wonderful, AS USUAL! :)

    The picture of you and birthday-boy-David is so sweet. Sometimes pictures like that are nicer than posed pictures! :)

    I'm so happy that Big David is going to be dressing old fashion with you! It IS much more fun to dress up WITH someone!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Birthday to David! And for you, dear momma, don't blink...the days go far too quickly...
    Awesome that husby is joining you in historical dressing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. It was lovely to meet you on Saturday. If it was not so cold I would have loved to chat a little bit. We have a lot of history in common. (married young, oldest of large family, homeschooled, passion for Christ and raising our little ones in His name) Perhaps next year :) amber

    ReplyDelete
  8. You all look so wonderful. The picture of David with the two oldest boys walking hand-in-hand is particularly sweet. I look forward to seeing what old-fashioned clothing you come up with for yourself and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Sarah,
    You have a precious family!!!
    God bless you,
    d

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your black wool dress is stunning! The teal trimming sets it off wonderfully! Oh, you are so blessed to have a husband who want to dress old fashion with you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You look great, all of you. I love your photos. You dress is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I thought you might like to add this photo. The quality is not the greatest. Here is the link to my facebook. www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=9383186&l=ca8f74a719&id=698485595

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a fantabulous post this has been. Never seen this kind of useful post. I am grateful to you and expect more number of posts like these. Thank you very much. Northern beaches romance

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your lovely thoughts!