Camp Floyd 2010

Okay, lots of pictures, but it was such a great weekend I want to remember it!
This weekend Emmitt and I attended Camp Floyd for the Civil War Encampment. This occurs every Memorial Day Weekend. Camp Floyd is about an hour from my house and since my tent is not quite ready, I just drove back and forth. Matt and the girls went down to the ranch for the weekend, camped out in the Outfitter tent at the ranch, rode horses, got sunburned, rode 4-wheelers, ate hot dogs and marshmallows, killed a rattle snake, played with cousins and Grandpa, caught lizards, and had a super fun long weekend also.

Friday night Amanda and I drove down and just spent a fun evening with the soldiers around the fire telling stories and munching. Amanda played her dulcimer and we had the boys singing their little Confederate hearts out. I have never heard "Hooray hooray for southern rights hooray" belted out so loudly and with such gusto! And on a sweeter note, I did tear up when we all sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." The setting was so beautiful, the dulcimer notes so clear, the men singing, it just made my heart swell up and land in my throat.

Saturday Amanda returned with her entire family, and Emmitt and I also returned to Camp Floyd. I was pretty nervous about the weather because it was supposed to get up to only 52 degrees and rain. But it turned out very nice. There were quite a few more public folks there than I expected, a nice little surprise. A fellow in our group named Bill made this cannon. This is a picture of his brother with his cannon. They got to shoot of 9 pounders. It sure is beautiful.

This is our groups camp. It was so fun to see Russ and his wife Deb. Russ just had hip surgery so he came as an injured soldier. It was perfect, he had good stories for the kids that asked about his crutch. He told them his Yankee friend (Scottie) had captured him.

The Friends of Camp Floyd had some fun uniforms for the kids to dress up in and play around. They would dress up, get a musket, and then learn a few drilling moves and then drill in the park center. It was pretty cute. Camp Floyd does a great program with the Boy Scouts of America and has quite a few uniforms, muskets, and games for that age group.

I made some new friends. This is Tracy, Toni, and Honey. They can knit amazing things and the little girls all loved to go visit with them and learn about spinning wool and knitting.

We tried to have the soldiers sing the Hooray for Southern rights song with as much enthusiasm as they did the night before, but they were a little on the timid side in front of a crowd. Emmitt looks like he is trying to lead the music. Amanda did a great job on the dulcimer and answered so many questions about the instrument.

I also got to meet Richard the barber. He is fabulous. He does straight razor shaves for the guys and he has so many deliciously manly smelling things in his tent he uses with his shaves and cuts, I kept walking by just to get a whiff!

Camp Floyd has a small museum in the building that is called The Stagecoach Inn. It was a stopping spot for the Pony Express 150 years ago. Emmitt tried out some of the great furniture!

I had to try out one of the rooms in the Inn also. Emmitt did not want to sit and rock though!

This darling picture is Lydia, Amanda's little girl. The pinafore Amanda made Lydia is so darling. I just love love love it. Amanda's kids were so good. The boys played swords and hoops, and actually, so did Lydia. She loves playing with the boys. Don't let the beauty of her fool you!

Here is Private Mark Jones and the Mrs Mark Jones.

William did a great job of watching Emmitt for me. Those two are little buddies.

Now here is Emmitt and I. He was such a good little boy all weekend. I am so blessed.

I have been piecing this cot quilt together and on Friday I bought a wool batt so I could be busy hand quilting it during the weekend while at Camp Floyd. I did not have enough time! I swear the clock moves much faster when in a corset! Jake appreciates my cot quilt and right here he is bartering with me - he wants one.

Cot sized quilts were made by both Northern and Southern ladies to take to the war hospitals and to just send with the men when they left. They are about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide - they fit a hospital cot nicely. When folded in half, they fit perfectly with the bedroll on the soldiers' backs. I used all early 1860s reproduction fabrics in this quilt and I think it turned out well. It comes from a pattern of one of the few cot quilts that actually made it through the war.

Private Jones is getting Emmitt ready for service and teaching him the basics of wooden sword fighting. I got so many comments on Emmitt's clothing. Of course I had to explain that boys did wear the same thing as girls did until they could go to the bathroom by themselves. The newspaper photographers loved him and took his picture so many times.

Emmitt found Lydia's fruit basket and demolished a few apricots or nectarines before I realized it. He also found some dirt. And ate it. And loved it. He was such a happy little boy!

Amanda and her dulcimer - the crowds loved it. She even took requests!

Saturday after the public left, we hung around with boys for awhile before we headed home. Amanda got out of her hoop, petticoats, and corset and a little more comfy. This is Kevin, Kris, Amanda, and Jake.

We all went back Monday for more fun. The soldiers had all left so it was just us and all the civilian group. There were twice as many public there because the Sunday papers were full of pictures and stories about the Civil War Encampment and all the fun at Camp Floyd. I am glad we went back. The weather was so perfect - warm with a little breeze. We set up under a huge tree and spent the day set up for tea and with Amanda playing her dulcimer.

I wore the dress I just finished but started months ago! I don't know why I love to start a project but not finish it! I have a spiffy little hat for this dress, but I wasn't sure if it was 'period correct' so I only wore it for a little while at the end of the day.

There were free stagecoach rides for the public so Amanda and her kids took advantage of that and had a nice little ride.

We found a new reenacting friend at Camp Floyd and she just happens to live in Heber City! Hooray! Ladies teas and socials - here we come! This is Gail, me, and Amanda.

Amanda and her hammer dulcimer drew a crowd all day. The folks loved it and at one point there were many chairs set up around her just listening to her play. Amanda asked for requests and one guy in the crowd shouted about "How about Goober Peas." Well, we all love that song. You should hear Kendal sing it -so darling. Anyway, so Amanda told the guy to come sing it with me and her. Now, I don't sing. I can barely hum. But, for the sake of the moment, I sang Goober Peas with that super nice guy and Amanda. The crowd thankfully joined in on the chorus parts! Thomas, Amanda's shy 8 year old, sang My Old Kentucky Home with her and it was darling.

Amanda was playing for a group and this gentleman asked if he could join in with her. He played his harmonica with her and it was so beautiful. I am not musically blessed, but I have a love and admiration for it. I have a deeper understanding of it now too, I see how it can bring strangers together for a special few minutes of unconditional friendship. Everyone enjoyed the music.

I mentioned that the newspapers loved Emmitt. Sunday morning I broke the Sabbath and purchased 3 newspapers. Amanda and I were interviewed for and included in the Salt Lake Tribune and The Daily Herald. Mine and Emmitt's picture is in the online version of the Tribune, but not the printed version. The Deseret News took some pictures of Emmitt so he is in the online photo gallery. All three papers did excellent articles on the Camp Floyd event and our little group got some great publicity. My friend Russ was a favorite with his bad leg and crutch. Kris and Jake were also interviewed. The Deseret News has a 3 minute video on their webpage and it was fun too. What a great time!


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700036188/Civil-War-re-enactors-have-a-blast.html

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_15190147?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

These last pictures are just a few of my favorite so I sepia-ed and blurred them up a bit. What a fantastic Memorial Day weekend.