Yep, my wife, daughter and I have been rendezvousing with the NMLRA since the mid 80s. Our era of focus is the French Indian war. I have meet and made friends with some of the best knife makers, instrument builders and skilled rifle builders.
Egar Chatin, Ivan Boggs, Tony Bell and others have all made knives for me. I have one of Edgars tomahawks.
This is the first knife I made, I saw one at the first rendezvous I went to but didn't have the money so when I got home I took an old flie and made this'
The first year I camped with Egar I bought this knife from him.
This is the Hawk I got from Egar.
Our wall tent, picture taken in the mid 90s.
It may seem hokie but the wealth of knowledge and skills is amazing. I have friends that are members of the American Mountain Men. The skills and trades that are lost to the rest of the world are practiced and revered here.
In the evening sitting around the campfires the instruments come out and these guys, including myself, are no slouches, many of us are or have been professional musician, again including me. We shoot flintlocks, compete throwing knives and tomahawks, fire starting, weave, spin, dye, make soap, swap stuff we have made, buy materials, fabrics, tell stories, there is a woods walk for the archers.
10 days in the 18th century with out any one or thing to encroach on that fantasy except for the occasional contrail.
Nothing can be displayed that was designed after 1840. No electonic noise, music, kid don't play video games and have to attend school to complete homework sent to camp with them by their teachers.
The crowed of rendezvousers are from all walks of life. The guy who tans gator for me is a retiered rocket sientist, my buddy Larry Shaw, who does my copper ware and is a phenominal copper smith designed and built the liquid oxygen tanks for the Apollo missions. The guy who made some of my clothing made many of the costumes for Mel Gibson's movie the Patriot.
Laugh all you want brothers this is a community that is self sufficent. From farmers, to miners, blacksmiths, chemists, carpenters, Doctors, Vetinarians, Native Americans, decendents of the first Europeans, all are here.
The slide show linked below are from the Alafia River Rendezvous last January. Notice the guy who built a wood fired oven and baked sourdough bread all week.
These people are my closest friends.
Alafia River Rendezvous 2009
