Hello again!
  Back from the fair where we had a nice time... even though it was gorgeous outside and the last thing we wanted to do was be cooped up inside... oh well. 

We have some minor schedule changes to the 2009 season.

Subtractions:  In May, we will not be going to Fort Bledsoe.  In August, we will not be going to the Fort at Number Four.

Definites: In May, we're attending the Schifferstadt Colonial Days in Frederick, MD.  Also, it's official, I've been accepted as a crafter for the Philadelphia Folk Festival in August!  Talk about mixing past and present!  I'd volunteered with them from 1989 til 2005 and now I get to bring my work there.  It will be interesting...

Anyway, that's all for right now.  Right now, I'm plugging away at making stock so I don't have to worry about it during the wedding or during the entire month of July.

After months of silence, I'm back!  We're kicking off the 2009 season this weekend with the Historic Winter Market in Frederick, MD, where I'll be demonstrating with the kickwheel.  Here's the tentative list of events for the season... some are still awaiting acceptance (or denial) while others are definites.

March

7-8 – Indoor Winter Market, Lynnfield Event Complex, Frederick, MD

http://www.historicwintermarket.com

 

April

 

23-26 – 18^th Century Market Fair, Fort Frederick, Big Pool, MD

http://www.friendsoffortfrederick.info/market_fair.htm

 

29 – May 3 – Lancaster Longrifles Rendezvous & Black Powder Shoot, Muddy Run Park, Holtwood, PA

http://www.lancastercountylongrifles.webs.com/

 

May (since we're getting married this month, there isn't a lot)

 

1-3 – Bledsoe’s Fort Colonial Fair, Gallatin, TN

http://www.bledsoesfair.com/

 

 

June

 

12-14 – Mountain Heritage Craft Festival, Charles Town, WV (I’m an alternate for this, so we may or may not be there)

 

20-21 – Custaloga Town Encampment, Carlton, PA

http://www.geocities.com/brigman200/CustalogaTown.html

 

July

 

3-5 – F&I Encampment at Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown, NY

https://oldfortniagara.org/events/?Y=2009&n=07&j=03&e_id=102

 

11-18 – Northeastern Primitive Rendezvous, Somewhere in NY… we’re not sure exactly where yet.

 

 18-19 – Founder’s Day, Fort La Presentation, Ogdensburg, NY

http://www.fortlapresentation.net

 

23-26 – Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Hillsdale, NY (pending acceptance)

http://www.falconridgefolk.com

 

And if we do all that, we’re not going anywhere else for at least two weeks.

 

August

 

14-16 – Philadelphia Folk Festival, Shwenksville, PA (pending acceptance from jury process… very tentative)

http://www.folkfest.org

 

15-16 – Fort at #4

http://www.fortat4.org

 

29-30 – The Battle of Newtown, Newtown Battlefield, Elmyria, NY

 

 

September

 

12-13 – Revolutionary Times, Brandywine Battlefield, Chadds Ford, PA

http://www.brandywinebattlefield.org

 

18-21 – 18^th Century Market Fair, Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA

http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/index.cfm

 

25-27 - Mountain Heritage Craft Festival, Charles Town, WV (I’m an alternate for this, so we may or may not be there)

 

25-October 3 – Eastern Primitive Rendezvous, Muddy Run Park, Holtwood, PA

As we decide on more events and as I get letters, I'll let you know what's going on!

</div></div>
Hi again!
  It's been busy (as usual) and I've finally gotten a chance to upload photos and update everyone on life in general.  Battle of the Hook was uneventful and actually not that great of an event, unfortunately.  To top it off, it rained (again) and I had to deal with issues involving my wrist, so no kickwheel this time.  On the positive side, we were able to hang out with John, our blacksmith buddy from Atlanta and I bough materials for Abe's Christmas present.  Yay!

The past few weeks have been a whirl of activity not involving the studio for me.  I went to the doctor about my wrist and was told that I had to stay out of the studio for the next 2-3 weeks... bummer... for those who missed the email, this means no custom orders for Christmas this year.  I'm sorry :(.  I've been filling my days with embroidery, since that doesn't aggravate my wrist condition, while my nights are spent working at the local Bath and Body Works (that's right, I went back) as their seasonal key holder.  I'm actually enjoying it a lot since the main stresses that drove me away last time aren't at this store or with this job description. 

In mud news, we're scrapping the Fort Mifflin event this weekend to stay closer to home... Abe picked up some work with a farm that will most likely be more profitable than going to eastern PA and I'm setting up at a local craft show on Saturday, so if you're in the Inwood, WV area, stop by Musselman High School and see me!  I'm also in the process of applying for some other shows, but I won't post those details until I know whether or not I'm going.

Until then, here are some photos from Battle of the Hook (along with Sobaka photos because everyone needs some Great Dane in their lives!)

Howdy all!  The weather has turned decidedly crisp as we coast into the cooler months.  We just got back from the Market at Washingtonburg in Carlisle, PA.  This is the second year for this event, which is held at the Army Heritage and Education Center with the War College (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/) and I highly suggest visiting there if you haven't already.  It has one of the largest collections of Army artifacts from F&I to today and it's amazing.  They did a special tour for the reenactors on Saturday night and they let us see artifacts pertinent to us, like a lance from Rush's Lances during the Rev War (and that's Benjamin Rush for all my fellow Dickinsonians), the original bellows from their blacksmith shop, original muskets and powderhorns, swords, you name it.  It was amazing.

The event itself was quite nice as well.  The weather was gorgeous (unlike the rain with Brandywine) and I got to try out my newest toy: the kick wheel!  It got us a crowd and a lot of pottery found homes.  An even bigger bonus: all the pieces I made made it home for firing!  We got to see a lot of friends and reconnect with Sobaka's girlfriend from last year, Sky the blue harlequin Great Dane.  Of course, I forgot my camera, so no pictures this time.  Sobaka also made friends with a chocolate lab puppy and a dalmatian.  Yay for dogs.  The last bonus of the weekend was my new friend Kim, who is a fabulous amateur photographer... she took my new photo for the blog and I love it! 

For now, it's back to the wheel to try and recuperate and get ready for the Battle of the Hook in Gloucester, VA next month in addition to wedding planning, seasonal retail, and general prep for 2009.

***** REMINDER: If you want goods from The Mermaid's Wheel for Christmas, you MUST let me know by October 31 at the absolute LATEST.*****

Home again home again after another rainy event.  I'm pretty sure we'd fulfilled our quota of rainy, nasty events this year with rain at Alafia, Marietta, Bledsoe, Boone, and Falcon Ridge... but nooooo... Hanna had to come and dump rain on us at Brandywine.  Oh well.  Thankfully, we didn't get quite the amount of wind they were expecting, it didn't rain while we set up, and Sunday was gorgeous.  That meant dry canvas and product.  Saturday was a washout... we left before two and hung out with our friend Lois for the rest of the day.  Sunday was a good day in weather and sales, even if the dog started shaking the moment the first musket fired.  Two perks of the weekend: 1) we have a new event in the schedule: The Siege of Fort Mifflin on November 8... check your inboxes next week for more information through Mermaid Mail (sign up by emailing me at mermaidswheel@yahoo.com).  2) My wares are now for sale in the Brandywine Battlefield gift shop, so if  you're in that area, be sure to check it out!

Now we're just doing prep work for The Market at Washingtonburg next weekend in Carlisle and Abe's working on his workshop... coming soon: hand-made ironware from Raystown Forge!  I've been doing a whole lot of paperwork, webwork for the coming launch of the new www.raystownforge.com, and wedding-work... I have a hot date tonight to go register for stuff at Kohl's (and maybe Target) in addition to a consultation with a photographer this afternoon.  Maybe, one of these days, I'll actually get back into my studio! 

Oh, for those attending the Carlisle event, I'll be debuting demos as I have picked up a kick wheel... I just need to practice with it a bit more. 

That's all for now, hope you enjoyed the photos of the newest wares.</div></div>

The weary mermaid has landed home once again and is having a week off (*gasp* vacation?).  July has proven to be a very busy month between Fort Niagara, Falcon Ridge prep, and Falcon Ridge, but I've survived!

Niagara was a nice event, as usual, with none of the nasty weather we've experienced in the past.  Our only complaint was with our assigned spot... we think we missed a lot of traffic because people didn't realize there was another row of sutlers where we were.  My sales were fine, but Abe was less than impressed.  Oh well... next year is their 250th, so it will be set up differently.  When we weren't keeping shop, we hung out with a really nice bunch from the French camp as well as Abe's parents, and just really enjoying the time.  We didn't make it to the Clarkson House for dinner this year, so we may have to visit it twice next year.  OH! And I received my birthday present from my sweet baboo... I now have a new knife, and a Glen McLaine at that!  It's gorgeous and I'll try to get pictures up soon.  After the event, Abe and I went to Niagara Falls again, but this time we walked over to the Canadian side.  It's much nicer over there in regards of view and surroundings, but it was expensive.  After that, we journied home in preparation for the end of the month.

I just returned home from Falcon Ridge Monday evening, which was a very profitable event for me.  Most of the stuff from my last slide show found new homes.  I also had a blast hanging out with my friends Cindy and Rachel, who graciously agreed to help me with this event (Abe was at a different event).  The big downside of this event was weather.  It started raining about two hours after I arrived Wednesday afternoon and rained until the following afternoon... very muddy.  After that, we had great weather until Sunday afternoon.  Sunday gave us a storm for the record books... rain, wind, thunder, lightning, and (I kid you not) hail the size of golf balls.  I felt like I was in a hurricane.  Cindy, who was staying with her parents in a nearby town at night, couldn't get to the festival that day and Rachel and I had to hold the tent down for fear that the stakes would give way and the tent would fly off into the storm.  When the thing finally passed, the craft area looked like a disaster zone... mangled EZ-Up frames, tarps and canopies everywhere, and two of the large festival tents had come down.  I was one of the very lucky few with no damage whatsoever.  Between Rachel and my efforts and the staked ratchet straps on the tent, the booth was fine.   My shelves were staked down with 18 inchers, so they didn't move.  I only had one piece fall off my shelves, but it didn't even crack.  I'm very lucky and I know it.  However, after that storm we decided to pack up and leave.  Abe and I plan on going again next year (I made more on Saturday alone than I make at most period events) and we'll know what to do in preparation for anything Mother Nature throws at us.

As for pictures, sadly, I don't have any.  The memory card in my camera had a malfunction right after Niagara, so I lost all of the photos I had taken.  I have a few shots of my booth from Falcon Ridge that I'll post at some point, but I'm going to wait until I have some more stuff before I create the next slide show.  For now, I'm going to enjoy my short vacation before getting back on the wheel to fill some orders, experiment with some ideas, and build stock for September's events (Brandywine and Carlisle), in addition to doing some wedding stuff.

Oh, and Abe's pulling out the the Virginia Highlands Festival Sunday... it's not doing well for the period sutlers and he's got too much to do at home.

</div></div>
Enjoy! 

****NEW EVENT IN SCHEDULE****

Ok, so I applied to something out of the ordinary on a lark, figuring I wasn't going to get in, but they totally want me!   Mark your calendars and make arrangements now... the Mermaid's Wheel is going to Falcon Ridge!  This is big!  I have been accepted as a crafter for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival this year.  The event is July 24 - July 27 and is in (or around) Hillsdale, NY.  There'll be music by Dar Williams, Eddie from Ohio, Wild Asparagus, John Gorka, Vance Gilbert, and others.  There will be dancing.  There will be mermaids!  Seriously, I'm still in shock over this because it's a huge event and it's a melding of my past, present, and future... I've gone to this festival as a spectator and a volunteer for years and never imagined I'd be good enough to be a crafter.  So, woohooooo!!!!  But, until then, I shall be locked away in my studio, seeing as I barely have enough stock to support my two shelves in the store.

</div></div>
 

The whirlwind continues through the spring.  We're back from the event at Boone's Homestead in Birdsboro and I see it's time for an update!  When I last posted, we were preparing for our journey to Castilian Springs, TN for the Bledsoe's Fort Colonial Fair at the beginning of May.  We loaded up the dog and our stock and made the exceedingly long treck into the Central Time Zone (now I can't say I've never been out of Easter Standard Time!).  Abe drove, Sobaka slept, and I read the map, debated with Abe, and snoozed as well.  After an exceedingly long time in the truck and an ok dinner with sub-par service at a random Ruby Tuesdays, we arrived and promptly crashed in the bunk for the night.  The next day, we enjoyed setting up the oval for the last time and Abe argued with stupid credit card people.  Then, of course, it rained.  Thankfully, the rain didn't stick around, but it was just long enough to douse our friend John's stuff before he could set up.  It let up just enough for John to set up his tent and get his blacksmithing stuff under cover before the skies opened yet again.  We decided to go out for dinner, where we discovered that the county was in a tornado watch.  Awesome.  That's what I get for going to events in Tornado Alley.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well that night.  The event itself was pretty good.  There were a lot of people (and dogs) coming and going and sales were brisk.  We enjoyed pretty weather and the dog had a blast playing with some other dogs.  The most amusing part for me was when Abe let me out to wander on Sunday and I watched the Lace Merchant's presentation.  This man does an incredible first-person impression of a French lace merchant living in the colonies.  He dresses like a fop and carries a thick French accent.  His presentation is hilarious and factual.  He explains his role, how to make lace, and why he was in the colonies, all with an incredible sense of humor.  I busted a gut watching him.  Then I bought new clothes and life was grand.  We packed up shop Sunday and headed home, spending the night in a lovely truck stop before hitting home on Monday.  
While we were home, Abe and I toured a few facilities for the wedding and decided on The Purple Iris in Martinsburg after needing to move the date to get the spot.  We also did some landscaping around our house.  Yay.
Next, it was off to the Revolutionary War encampment at the Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro.  Thankfully, this wasn't nearly as long of a trip as Tennessee, but that's not to say it didn't have its problems.  We got a late start and then noticed that one of the truck's tires was dying, so then we got an even later start.  Thankfully, our new tent doesn't take nearly as long  to set up.  We unloaded the trailer, got the tent up and set a few things up, opting to do most of the arranging on Friday.  I woke up Friday morning to rain pounding on the trailer.  It rained the entire day, turning the site into a mud hole.  I started out in shoes and threw them in the truck within the first hour because the mud was just that thick.  We sort of felt bad for those who came in that day to unload because by the middle of the day, the directors weren't letting anyone drive on the field (countless numbers had gotten stuck already) and the suttlers had to carry or cart everything in.  That would have massively sucked for our shop.  By about lunch, we were both soaked through and decided that we needed hot lunch and we needed it now.  We ventured out to a diner for soup and sandwiches, and then to a wholesale market for some stock needs (and now I have new hatpins... yay).  We returned to the site to finish some last minute adjustments to the stock.  Then we decided that my parents' house was close enough for us to go to that night.... hot showers and free dinner... yay.  Despite the mud, the event was very good.  There were tons of reenactors and a decent amount of public despite the mucky conditions.  Abe sold a bunch of swords and I parted with three totes of pottery.  I really need to kick it into high gear for restock.  Anyway, one thing I really enjoyed about this event was the wildlife.  There were birds everywhere!  They had bluebirds, ducks, geese, other birds everywhere!  The site was gorgeous too.  We want to go back to this one, but probably not next year...  you know, since we're getting married that weekend and everything.
So, we survived the mud, the tornadoes, and Sobaka's attempts to help us garden... what will June hold in store?

Finally back from our April of madness and gearing up for our May of madness! Unfortunately, I have no pictures because our camera sucks, but we just ordered a new one. Photos from future events to come!

Marietta:
The third weekend of April madness found us at the Marietta House Museum for their annual Marching Through Time event. I used to love this event for the mere fact that it was my first, but it's gone down hill each year. Last year, it was cancelled due to torrential rain and this year the same happened. It was also under new management this year and they made it very clear to all reenactors involved that they didn't really want to have this event this year. Oh well. We still had some fun and made some green. I also made friends with a WWI paratrooping unit's mascot, a gorgeous German Shepherd named after a German military guy that escapes my mind at the moment. Though we were bummed about having to pack up Saturday night, we were glad to sleep in our own bed.

Fort Frederick:
The next week, we headed up to Big Pool, MD for one of our largest events, the Fort Frederick Market Fair. It's a great fair because it almost feels like you're shopping in an 18th century town... there are vendors of any kind of notion you could possibly need and we get to see a bunch of good friends. There was some rain, but not enough to dampen our spirits. I also took time to discuss wedding options with Missy Clark of Barkertown Sutlers and try on shoes from our own stock.  I'm not sold on the idea of a period wedding, but it would be pretty if I go in that direction.  All in all, this event proved to be the best income for any event in The Mermaid's Wheel's short existence, so thank you to all who have supported me throughout.  I'm also pleased to announce that I've expanded my market.  You can now find products from The Mermaid's Wheel anywhere you find the fine woodworking of Seneca Creek Joinery, as they have purchased mugs for resale.

That's the quick and dirty of the past month, check for the Mermaid Mail detailing our coming events.  Don't get Mermaid Mail?  Drop me a line at mermaidswheel@yahoo.com to sign up!

Hello again!  March finds me puttering away in the studio, trying to design new pieces for the coming season.  I already have a few good ones, it's just a process of making more stuff without too much repetition.  Woo.  We started the month with the indoor Winter Market in Frederick, which was the official one year mark for the Mermaid's Wheel.  I sold my first piece there last year, so that was kind of cool.  Especially since I did over twice the sales this year.  Things are looking up as I get better at my craft. 

I've also set up an Etsy store for selling modern stuff.  Etsy is an outlet for crafters to sell their stuff online.  I'm hoping it will be good for me... I've gotten a decent number of hits on the mug I posted yesterday... let's just hope someone buys it! :).  Check it out at mermaidswheel.etsy.com

We've finalized a good chunk of our schedule for the coming months.  Here's the skinny (cut and paste from the sites of these events):

April:

Marietta House Museum in Glenn Dale, MD:
April 19-20, 11 am-5 pm
Marching Through Time
Spend the day at our living history encampment that encompasses reenactors from 1st century Rome through 20th century Vietnam. Visitors will experience camp and domestic life, military drills, period merchants, crafts, food and more. No pets allowed. Free parking at Glenn Dale Community Center with continuous shuttle service to the event.
No reservations necessary.
Fee: $8/adult, $5/ages 5 & older, Free/4 & under

Fort Frederick in Big Pool, MD:
The staffs of Fort Frederick State Park and the Friends of Fort Frederick are pleased to announce that we will host the annual 18th-century Market Fair, April 24 – 27, 2008. The fair represents eastern North America from 1730 through 1790. The Fair is open to sutlers, traders, street vendors, and entertainers as well as individuals, groups, military units, and American Indians portraying the appropriate time period and geographic area.   I haven't found anything on admission price or hours, but it's usually been 9-5 both days.

May

May 3 and 4, Fort Bledsoe, Gatlin, TN:

The Bledsoe’s Lick Historical Association wishes to invite you to join us for the First Annual, Bledsoe’s Fort Colonial Fair. This will be a Juried Event focusing on the 1750-1790 time frame.

• Colonial Music & Entertainments
• Food & Drink
• Colonial, Longhunter & Eastern Woodlan Indian Camps
• Demonstrating Craftsmen
• Merchants & Blanket Traders
• Shooting Matches
  & Much More

Fees:

$50 / Merchant, $25 / Blanket Trader, $10 / Camper

$5 / Adult Admission, $3 / Child Admission

Wood, Water, Ice, Straw & Bathrooms on site.

Hours: 10:00am - 5:00pm / Saturday, 10:00am - 3:00pm / Sunday.

Wilderness Road State Park, Ewing, VA

May 9th - 11th, 2008 History comes alive with Frontier Militia, Cherokee Warriors, an 18th Century Trade Fair, CLA Artist Show and much more...
Daily Events: Friday & Saturday: 10-5 Sunday: 10-3	Admission: $3.00 adult per day $1.00 child per day (ages 6-12)
Frontier Battle: Saturday 1:00 pm Torch Light Tours: Saturday 8:30 pm ($2.00)

May 17th: Hagerstown, MD - Not official yet, but I'm looking into an open-air arts festival at the Benjamin Art Gallery.  It's 9-4 rain or shine.

May 31 - June 1, Schifferstadt Architechtual Museum, Frederick, MD
Colonial Days... this is the first year for this event...
10:00 AM -4:00 PM both days. Demonstrations of 18th Century lifestyles, trades, crafts and skills come alive at Schifferstadt. FREE 

June 13-15, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
Ok, so this isn't an event, but I'll be attending my fifth year college reunion this weekend.  Woo Red Devils!

July 4-6, Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown, NY
Nearly 1000 Living History demonstrators gather at Old Fort Niagara to re-create the 1759 Siege of Niagara. 

I'll post more events as they finalize, but note that, with the exception of Niagara, we will not be in New England this year.

I'll also post more pics as I finish pieces that are worthy :).  Back to the mud with me!

</div></div>

Finally, we're home!  YAY!  After nearly a month of travelling, showering in truckstops, and sleeping on an air mattress, you do really appreciate your own home!  And now, for the nitty gritty on our trip to the southern climes...

When you last left the intrepid potter and her blacksmith beau, we were in Florida after an early morning at a flea market and a run-in with a hatchback sporting some goats.  Prior to this, we had been in Atlanta, Georgia.  There, we spent time with fellow reenactor and blacksmith John, staying with his parents and enjoying the attentions of their pets.  They have two indoor cats who are very loveable in addition to two dogs, Buddy and Teddy (but if you ask John, Teddy's name is actually Gary).  Teddy is a beautiful dog with a very sad story.  John's family adopted him after he was rescued from his former life as bait dog for pit bulls.  As a result, the poor thing is afraid of just about everything, but men especially put him off.  He warmed up to Abe by the end of the weekend and he thought I was fine, but my heart broke for this dog.
One of the days we were there, the boys went off to Army surplus stores and shooting ranges while I stayed in, read for a bit, and then explored John's town for two hours on foot... it was a great walk and the place was beautiful!  If you're ever near Roswell, you need to stop. 
We headed for Florida on Sunday and also started a strict regimen of Zicam to combat the Florida Crud.  After the flea market, we went back to the parking lot of the Alafai... they wouldn't let us in to set up until Wednesday, but you had to be there on Tuesday to pick out your spot, and if you wanted a good spot, you needed to be near the front of the line.  It's ridiculous, but it gave us a place to camp for a few nights.  We hung out with our other trader friends, Tom and Dennis, listened to books on tape, I read, Abe played with his PSP, and everyone tried to kill time.  After Abe roped off our spot Tuesday, we went exploring and ended up at the movies.  We saw "I Am Legend," which was decent.  Tuesday night, despite all of our efforts, I could feel the crud coming... sore throat, coughing, fabulous.
Wednesday was set up day.  We drove in to where Abe selected to find that they had moved our ropes a bit, making our spot smaller, and squeezed another trader in.  Fabulous.  We started the slow, tedious set up with the tent.  Our tent goes up best with two people because it has a ridge pole... but I nearly died when I tried to help Abe with ours... I officially was in the crud... Couldn't breathe, hacking chunks, not pretty.  He found someone else to help finish the shop tent as well as our sleeping tent.  I felt helpless.  Bah!  We did get everything up, but by the end of the day, Abe was starting to feel ill as well, so when Thursday hit, we were both useless.  It happens every time we come to the Sunshine State... the humidity and other stuff make both of us horribly ill... it sucks major monkey toes.  Thankfully, since we had used the Zicam and then later, the Airborne, if didn't stay as severe for as long.  We did end up spending Saturday night at a local hotel... there were major storms coming and we both felt maybe a shower and a good night's sleep in a controlled environment would help.  Turns out this was correct.  By Monday, most of my symptoms were gone, including the need to suck on my inhaler on an hourly basis.  Couldn't tell you much about the first weekend of the event, though... I slept through most of it.  I do know that, though it aggravated us when we were setting up, our new neighbors were a boon... they played decent music every night!
Monday started VERY early for me, seeing as Abe decided to go back to the flea market with another vendor... so he was up at 4:30 and gone by 5... the bed got really cold really quick.  I went back to sleep and waited for the sun to rise and warm the tent a bit... then I got myself dressed and opened for business.  I did close for just a bit to go take part in one of the many activities they run... the rolling pin and frying pan toss.  I missed out on this last year because of the crud... couldn't breathe.  Now I'm really bummed... it was a lot of fun!  I didn't place in either one, but it gave me an idea on how to do for the next time.  There were a decent number of ladies, and between all of us, we managed to shatter 4 cast iron frying pans.  Good times, but I had to go try to make some money.  Spent the rest of the day reading Amy Tan, talking with John and Sebastian, and getting random calls from Abe ("We're still at the flea market...").  John and I closed shop and we decided to skip cooking and go for dinner at one of the many fine vendors.  Abe returned and he and I went on a Missy Clark hunt.  Missy was only at the event for a few days and was supposed to have flown in that day.  We hunted and found her at a gathering of dulcimer players, so we sat and listened for a while.  Then we escorted Missy to her campsite and discussed the next day's Highland Games and renewal of wedding vows in the Scottish tradition.  I was planning on competing in the games, but Abe was passing due to the lingering crud.  The wedding was to take place later that day.  Then Missy gave me a cool little keepsake.  She made me a thimble on a necklace or, as she called it, my portable shotglass.  It's a tiny clay cup onto which she painted 18th century mermaids.  It's really neat!  Missy went to bed because she was beat and Abe and I went back to our camp to listen to the music.  It was dark by then, but the full moon was shining and everything was gorgeous.  This site is a decent distance away from artificial light sources, so it's really peaceful at night and you can see soooooo many stars.  With the moon that night, we had moon shadows too, which are always neat.  We listened for a bit, but then Abe decided he wanted to go for a walk.  I said ok, figuring we were going to someone else's camp, but then we set off in a different direction from where I assumed we were going.  We started walking towards the shop of the man who drove Abe to the flea market that day, but we passed it and then did a U turn around a stand of trees.  We talked about Abe's day, my day, the sky, etc. as we walked.  Abe stopped between these two trees the site uses as landmarks for things and gave me a kiss, which I though was sweet.  But we didn't resume our walk.  We stood there, looking at each other.  I wasn't really sure what was going on, but later found out that Abe was waiting for the children running around the trees to go away.  We stood there, forehead to forehead, and he asked me to marry him.  There, between these old trees in the moonlight.  It was perfect.
The next day, when I went to toss the caber in the Highland Games, Missy started yelling, "Wait!  Something's not right!  [pause] Did you get a ring?"  And so started our current life of well-wishers and advice-givers.  The Highland Games were fun, even though I didn't place in anything.  I'm getting better but it takes practice to flip a mini telephone pole!  Later that afternoon, Abe and I watched the Scottish Wedding, which was interesting.  Missy said that she would be thrilled to do it for us, but we don't think we want to have that as our main ceremony.  We may do that at a future rendezvous, but that's yet to be decided.  
Wednesday, I took part in the Great Chemise Race, which was an obstacle course run in only a chemise (long shirt that served as underwear for the 18th century woman).  I was doing great until the stinking ring toss.  Oh well.
Thursday evening, Missy and I hosted a chocolate party, which was highly enjoyable.  We had a great turn out despite the slightly rainy weather.  We all learned about chocolate, drank our fill, and shared some wonderful goodies.
Other than that, the event wasn't really much to write home about.  I did ok with my wares (sold a bunch of big pieces!), but Abe didn't do that well.  We decided between the sales and the crud, it wasn't really worth the trip.  We're going to skip the trip next year.  Maybe we'll go back in 2010.
The Alafai officially ended Sunday morning and we packed to leave for a truck stop near the flea market.  We ended up spending the evening with Denny and his wife before turning in in preparation for another early morning.  After spending maybe 6 hours between two flea markets and a wholesale store, we headed for the east coast of the state to burn some time in St. Augustine before heading to Savannah, Georgia for another event at the Wormslow Historic Site.  
Wormslow, as usual, was gorgeous, but boy, was it chilly!  We enjoyed sunny weather, a wonderful staff, and the company of a fun dog and his owners (See Keevan in my slide show), but were again disappointed by sub-par sales.  I've also found out that, according to one trader, my name is actually Mandy... it's very odd when you know someone's talking to you but they're saying someone else's name.  She also insists on calling Abe "Adam."  I guess they could be our alter-egos, or maybe our evil twins... Abe and Megan, meet Adam and Mandy... how do you do?
We left Georgia Monday afternoon and followed Tom home for a real shower and a night on a real mattress.  The next day, we went to Seagrove, NC, which is a huge potter's community.  I only really wanted to see some of the history, but the museum was a real let-down.  Thankfully, I found a great book in their gift shop, so the trip wasn't a complete waste.  After puttering around Seagrove, getting minorly lost in North Carolina, and driving for a while, we found ourselves in good ole West Virginia, where it was cold and gloomy.  Abe's brother had been by the house earlier to turn up the heat and drop off the cat, so we were greeted by a very happy Pixie.  Later, Abe's parents dropped Sobaka off and were finally made aware of our engagement, which called for happy times.  I decided to take the rest of the week off to recoup, do laundry, and start the planning before getting back into the mud bright and early Monday morning.

Just popping in to say hi!  We're in lovely Bartow, Florida, waiting for them to let us in to the rendezvous to set up... they won't do that until Wednesday.  So far, we've had an uneventful trip and the weather is a little chillier down here this year, but it's not bad.  It just means I need to wear a sweatshirt.  Right now, I'm in a public library with a view of a lake through the window in front of me, where there are little herons fishing... it's very nice.  I'm also aware of just how much of a Yankee I am... locals have been looking funny at me when I talk.  Oh well.  We also saw one other oddity today.  We were en route to the Webster Flea market at 5am (!) and saw in front of us this little hatchback, no bigger than my little sedan, with (and I kid you not) two decent-sized goats in the back.  T'was very strange.  We're thinking about catching a movie later, but other than that, nothing earth-shattering.  More to come (plus pictures) when we get home!

</div></div>
 Glad you asked!  I've been busy for the past few months bulking up my stock for my big adventure south... and it's finally here!  We're hitting the trail at the end of the week with 8 boxes of pottery and high hopes for a good trip.  We'll be heading to Atlanta first to spend some time with another reenactor and check out some shops.  Then it's off to Homeland, FL for the Alafia River Rendezvous.  This is the one of the largest events of its type... a week long gathering of pre 1840 reenactors taking part in competitions, seminars, and trading wares.  We'll be there for the duration of the event (January 19 - January 27) and set up in the sutler area.  We're also planning on taking part in the Highland games on Tuesday and I'll be hosting a Chocolate Party with Missy Clark on Thursday evening.  Public is welcome on the last two days of the event.  To get in earlier in the week, you'll have to be in period dress and pay the participant's fee.
After the Alafai, we'll kick around St. Augustine for a bit, and then head to the Colonial Faire and Muster at the Wormslow Historic Site in Savannah, Georgia (February 2 - Februaru 3).  This place is gorgeous, one of my favorite places.  So, if you're in the area, come find us.  Coming up next for us is the Historic Winter Market in Frederick, MD.  See you in 2008!

Here's a smattering of Christmas gifts from '07...

Survived my very busy weekend of two events with most of my mind in tact, and made a little income doing so.  Always a plus.  I'll be at Greencastle again this Friday, but I won't be set up as long as last week... the event died after about 8 and it was rather chilly.  The Harper's Ferry event went well for my first time... next year I need to have more plain, modern stuff for craft fairs and less 18th century stuff... except for canteens.  I've sold a lot of canteens.  I've been busy in the studio, creating stock for the big winter trip south as well as working on Christmas gifts... there'll be a slide show of custom work after Christmas... too many readers are getting things from the Mermaid or from those who ordered from the Mermaid and I don't want to spoil any surprises :).  Onwards... I have fifty pounds worth of pieces to deal with today.... yay!