WeÂ’re home early. Thursday set up went well and the weather was nice. Friday was nice, not too cold, no rain, just a little wind. Saturday morning we woke up the overcast skies and a chilly breeze. Around 1:00 PM the skies opened up and starting spitting on us. It wasnÂ’t a heave rain, but enough to get everything damp. Then the wind started picking up. This made the day not only feel colder, but there was no place to stay dry. The wind would blow the rain under the flies. It also would make the fires throw sparks.

The wind got heavier all day and into the night. During the night the rain started coming down in buckets and the wind picked up enough that it frightened me out of dead sleep thinking the tent was blowing away. Trust me, if youÂ’ve ever been tent camping, strong winds are not your friend. My tent is pretty sturdy and surrounded by other tents. I never took a direct hit from the wind all night, yet one time I woke up to my tent swaying in the wind. Fortunately I can report that there was no damage in my camp. One camp blew a loop, but nothing serious.

This morning we were wakened by the sounds of vehicles and hammering. Pulling myself out of the tent, I looked to see what was going on. There were cars all over camp. I talked with one of my neighbors and they advised that the even was canceled. They were calling for more rain and high winds all day.

I confirmed what I was told with one of the committee members. Thus Ktreva and I packed camp and headed home. It was nice to see some of our friends, but I really wish I had another day to do my re-enacting.

Posted by: Contagion at 01:56 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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We are packed and set. Everything is ready to go. Of course, can you guess what the weather is supposed to be like this weekend? Let me give you a hint:

Yep, thatÂ’s right. We are going to be rained on all weekend. That always makes for a fun event. We need the rain so that doesnÂ’t bother me, but canÂ’t it rain during the week and give me my re-enacting weekend just rain-free????

Eh, I guess I should be used to it by now. Over the last two years IÂ’ve only had 5 events that we didnÂ’t get rain. We do 8 events a year, that means only 31.25% of the events weÂ’ve done, we didnÂ’t get wet at.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:55 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 On second thought after seeing the weather forecast I'm glad Wil has to work this weekend. I'll think of you all up there while I'm dry & warm in my home this weekend. Of course if you are borrachin (spanish for drunkard) all weekend, maybe you won't notice the cold & rain!!!

Posted by: Red at April 26, 2006 06:11 PM (WiUwg)

2 Being from Scotland and all, aren't you used to the wet weather?

Posted by: That 1 Guy at April 26, 2006 06:31 PM (lfQya)

3 Ah, hell! I was hoping to buy a weskit off you this weekend, Red.

Posted by: Graumagus at April 27, 2006 01:55 AM (jlBPW)

4 Maybe it'll shift?

Posted by: Oddybobo at April 27, 2006 08:03 AM (6Gm0j)

5 Look at the money you'll save by me not being there. Oh by the way I've got access to some really nice green wools now. I know how you scotsmen love the color green. Hope your group has fun even if the weather is bad!!

Posted by: Red at April 28, 2006 07:02 AM (CHaVd)

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ItÂ’s officially here! The start of re-enacting season is upon us in the Contagion household. The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of making sure everything is pulled out of storage, inspected, and made ready for the opening weekend.

That is no small feat around here. If it was just me, IÂ’d be able to pack everything I need in the CAB of my truck. When you throw in the family, it then takes my entire truck, the bed overflowing with equipment, and whatÂ’s left being packed into KtrevaÂ’s van. ItÂ’s hard to tell from pictures, but we have a lot of gear. As the boys get older, we need even more. It also doesnÂ’t help that Ktreva and me purchase more items that we find every year. ItÂ’s not because we need it, but because we want it.

To give you an example, this is our camp from two years ago this weekend (April 2004). It includes the smaller wedge tent behind our fly.

Click to Enlarge

This is our camp from the end of last season (October 2005), with out the wedge tent. (Boopie didnÂ’t participate in this event so we didnÂ’t bring his tent.)

Click to Enlarge

Over a year and a half our camp dressing and equipment grew by that much. Since the time of the second picture, weÂ’ve purchased more items to make our camp look nicer. If youÂ’ve ever thought of becoming a re-enactor, let me share some information with you. This is not a cheap hobby. That is why we build our camp gradually, we buy what we want when we find it, and we can afford it. The nice thing is since we are in our ninth season; we rarely are in need of anything anymore. WeÂ’re finally in the stages of buying the want itemsÂ… like the still! Maybe some year Ktreva will break down and let me buy one of those $4,000.00 custom made flintlock rifles IÂ’ve been drooling over for years. What? A guy can dream canÂ’t he?!?!

This weekend we are doing the Gathering at Macktown in Rockton, Illinois. IÂ’ve attended this event for the last 8 years. We didnÂ’t attend this event for the first time until our second year of re-enacting, and it is one of my favorites. Unfortunately there is only one event left on my schedule from my first season, Trail of History. All of the other events we did either folded, we stopped portraying that period of history or are just too far to travel too.

As I stated earlier, this is my ninth season as a re-enactor. That means this is my last rookie season. After this year I’ll actually be considered by some of the long time re-enactors as, “Not a greenhorn”. Ie, “I was over at Seamus MacPhail’s camp checking out his still. He’s come a long way since that first year when he was making people drink his bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He’s definitely not a green horn. Some of my readers who have seen my camp, or known me as a re-enactor might laugh at this and think I’m joking. I’m really not; I was called a “tenderfoot” just six months ago by one of those grizzled re-enactors.

IÂ’m tired from all the lifting, so IÂ’m going to hit the sack. If any of you are in the Rockton, Illinois area and want to experience some history, head on out to the Gathering at Macktown. I think you would definitely have a good time.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:52 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Yay, fun stuff!!!

Posted by: Ogre at April 26, 2006 07:47 AM (/k+l4)

2 Seriously though, aren't all hobbies expensive? If they weren't they'd call them free-ways-to-not-spend-your-money-on-stuff.

Posted by: oddybobo at April 26, 2006 11:18 AM (6Gm0j)

3 Wish we could be there, but that dreaded 4 letter word WORK is keeping us from being there. Wil is scheduled to be off for Bloody Lake Vou next weekend. We are definitely looking forward to a weekend away!!

Posted by: Red at April 26, 2006 05:49 PM (WiUwg)

4 I hope it *doesn't* rain all weekend. Have a great time!!

Posted by: Richmond at April 28, 2006 01:14 PM (e8QFP)

5 Thank you!

Posted by: Oscar at August 03, 2006 01:51 PM (i0hYc)

6 Good design!

Posted by: Raymond at August 13, 2006 06:31 PM (e0oPZ)

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Well Contaminates, IÂ’m home today. Now IÂ’d love to regale you with a tale of how I was boldly standing up for my employees or calling down the inanity of management, thus I received another day off of work. And as much as IÂ’m sure youÂ’d love to read that story, itÂ’s just not the case. Nope, today IÂ’m homeÂ… all day because IÂ’m having windows installed in the house. Someone has to be here for the contractor to come in and to pay the balance due.

IÂ’m kind of hoping that the weather holds out and they finish relatively quickly so I can actually make something out of the day. I have start re-enacting in a week and a half and there is a lot of work to do. Well, okay there isnÂ’t that much work to do. We are pretty much set. I do have to do some staining and treatment of a collapsible rifle/musket rack. All the equipment seems to be in good shape, nothing really needs repairs or replacing. However, if these guys take to long or we get the rain they are calling for, there will be no outdoor work for me today.

Part of me was thinking that I could get together with a friend or two and help the local economy by depleting an over abundance of beer. For reasons I just canÂ’t fathom, I have the idea my wife would NOT be happy with that decision.

So if you see me around through out the day, making comments or just leaving tracks on site meters, donÂ’t worry. Nothing happened, IÂ’m just supervising some housework.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:19 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Today is Tartan Day. I wish I could write a larger post for it, stupid time constraints. For now I'm going to link all of my Gathering of the Blogs posts I made last year. Sorry, no orriginallity here. I didn't even wear my kilt to work.

Recipes
Minced Callops
Colcannon
Barley with Mushrooms

What is a Jacobite?
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Highland Fashion Show

Just for a picture of me in a modern kilt, go to Who am I. Also if your curious about my Scotish family heritage, don't forget to check out my post about my ancestry.

For More Posts regarding Scotland and Tartan Day; follow the fiery cross to these sites:

Posted by: Contagion at 04:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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