Photos from April Rendezvous

Before I let more time pass and totally forget to do so, I thought I'd post some more photos of everyone from the rendezvous last weekend! (There's a lot. I couldn't decide on just a few to post!) I don't have time to write a lot of commentary, but there are some descriptions in the photo captions. We had a lovely time and I am so glad we had the opportunity to attend. A rendezvous is certainly a very different "flavor" of event than a Civil War reenactment but just as enjoyable and perhaps far more relaxing due to the wide range of periods and impressions portrayed.

The girls and I before leaving home! We are all wearing a version of the
drawstring dress, and Anne's natural curly hair was easy to put up in a regency
hairstyle. She was so happy with this since for 1860's events she requires far more
combing and hair conditioning to get her hair to lay relatively smooth. 

Crystal rock candy was a huge hit with the girls. Purple
for Anne!

And pink for Rosie! Here, she is watching the All Nations group
dance and sing. 

Judah bought an arrowhead. When we got home, he wrapped it and made it into a
necklace.

You can't see it, but Anne bought a pink rock and was
showing it to me. 

The All Nations group that drummed, sang and danced. 

The dancing was very enjoyable to watch and generous invitations to participate were
extended to all of us around the circle. Rosie desperately wanted to dance
so I took her out, where she promptly became very shy and stood frozen to the ground
while the rest of us danced around her.

Up at the kids activity area, Judah and Malachi were busy working on some art. 

Malachi's punched metal picture!

Talking to the tradespeople.

Benjamin was 2 days away from turning 4 years old and had some birthday money
from his great grandparents to spend. He quickly decided on this wooden
double-barrel shotgun. 

Malachi made some new friends. I wish we all could make friends so quickly and easily!

Anne made punched metal art for the first time and was very
proud of her star!

Her dress is like the Boone Frock I made her a few springs ago,
but with a tuck taken at waist level all around for a drawstring to go through.
She was very unhappy about having a green dress but once we got to the event
she decided she really liked it. I wish I had had enough fabric to make it longer but
even at a shorter length the dress still looked nice. It was nice to finally use up
this fabric that has been sitting in my stash since probably before she was born!

The drawstrings for the waist emerge at center back and tie to pull up the fullness
around the waist. She wore her 1860's chemise and drawers under it. 

We walked a little ways into the woods and looked for fossils in the dry creek bed.
I love this photo! But how did Anne get so tall?! 

One of the camps. Someday, when we aren't busy every weekend with baseball, I'd
love to camp at this event with the kids. It's such a beautiful spot!

There were dandelions everywhere and Rosie wasn't letting any of them go to waste!

The boys were drawn to the ax throwing activity. All 3 older boys
threw and so did Anne!

Anne showing off her fossil collection. 

This kid is a natural at almost all period style activities. He threw and got it
on the paper on his first try!

And meanwhile Rosie was obsessed with dandelions. . .I love
this picture of her. Her gown is made of the leftover pink dotted swiss
I used for the girls 1860s dresses last spring. I had just enough for this dress and the fabric
was perfect for the style, and both fabric and style perfect for Rose! I made elbow length sleeves
for her, instead of short puffed ones like I made for Anne. Hopefully this dress will still fit next year.
And then, I will lay it away with a few other treasured gowns to save for the girls and maybe, if I'm very lucky,
future granddaughters who may enjoy dressing up in historical styles from time to time.

Pink cheeks!

And itty bitty black slippers. :) 

David never could quite hit the target but he sure had fun trying!

Malachi 

Anne in line to throw! She surprised me by wanting to try. 

Benjamin wanted to throw, too, but he is still too little. :) 

And here she goes! A huge thank you to the lovely young lady who instructed Anne
and was so patient with her. 

Being unable to throw an ax, Benjamin decided to look for worms. 

His dress is made from a blue linen blouse I've saved the past
few years. I always meant to remake the blouse, which was far too large for me,
since the material is so nice. I never did remake it though, and it was a good
candidate for Benjamins Boone Frock. It is a little short, but paired
with his 1860s trousers makes a passable look for early 19th century. 

I love how the trees are finally flowering. :) 

Love,

Sarah