Civil War Re-enactment

Bright-eyed boy Troy was invited to participate in the Battle of 1st Manassas at Bull Run re-enactment July 23 and 24. Serious business! Troy and his buddy Bill were privates in Stribling's Battery. You can't tell from the photos that it's about 325 degrees. Their uniforms are cotton and wool, and are very authentic down to the hobnail boots.

Troy and Bill took turns as buglers and water-haulers. This is Troy as bugler.

Bill and his dad Ed (below) are regulars at this sort of thing. Ed even changes out his glasses for a style that is more period correct.

I like this last shot. Kind of shows how it probably was back in the day; hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait. I can't imagine sending my 14-year old off to war though. It would break any mother's heart that their sons would want to, and so many did.

The boys had a great time, though, and came home sweaty, dirty, and hungry. But they came home.

Local Devastation Pictures Coming In

Thanks to all of you for your kind words of support, as we look to recover from the devastation of today's quake!

Dispatch from Hilton Head

Here's a picture of Molly that's a little less somber. I'll have some pics of the fambly and Hilton Head soon. The beach is really beautiful, very different from Cape May or Rehoboth. Broad and smooth. I've seen a snowy egret at the water's edge, and there a lots of pelicans. I miss the dolphins though. I think the water is too warm. It is like bath water, and strangely shallow for a great distance out. The jellyfish lurk too.

The biggest decision of the day for me is what to download to my Kindle next. What are you reading?

The End of an Era

Or more specifically, the end of Dinwiddie Street's Dalmatian Dynasty.

Poor sweet Molly. We rescued her when she was three years old, badly malnourished and mistreated. At her first vet visit after we got her, the doctor noted her class 2 heart murmur, amongst other things, such as the untreated wounds on her back and belly. A year later, the doctor noted that the heart murmur was all but gone-- he said we'd mended her broken heart.

Eleven years later, she'd survived the loss of her happy housemate Mosby, and even thrived a bit as the queen of the household for a while. Lately, though, her health began to deteriorate, and I know she trusted us to do the right thing. Knowing that doesn't make us any less sad for her loss. I was happy to be able to hold her at the end, to be able to tell her that we loved her, that she was a good girl. And she was. She was the best girl, and I'll miss her.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

In this context, the bad and the ugly are one and the same. I'm having a real challenge with my tomatoes this year. They're growing great, producing large well formed fruit, but they are being nibbled at. I'm sure it's birds nipping away, so I covered both plants with anti-bird netting. What you see here is AFTER I installed the netting. grrrr.


Now THIS is what I'm talking about. Finally got one before anybody (or anything) else touched it. Let's break out the mozzarella, basil, and good balsamic vinegar and have lunch.