Pictures from Lost Falls Rendezvous

Right on the River

Our Neighbors

Swim at Your Own Risk

Connie, Our New Help

Us In The Kitchen

The Owner Ed

Hanging Around

Music!

My Beautiful Elk Brain Tan Leather

Just Look at the Quality and Size of these Hides!

This is Loren of Circle S Leather showing off the beautiful Elk hides he brain tanned and smoked on both sides for me.

Loren and Liza Stallsmith Circle S Leather - http://Braintanner.com

I could not be more pleased with the results!

Any one who tries to recreate pre-contact garments knows how precious it is to find someone who is making brain tan the old way.


I know several good brain tan tanners, but to my knowledge, Loren and Liza are the only quality Elk Brain Tanners in the country.


As you can see, they are thick, as large Elk hides are, but he has put the work into them to make them supple enough to make a flowing garment.


I should be receiving the hides in the next couple of weeks and will begin construction of this dress at Forts Folle Avoine, in Danbury, Wisconsin, July 18-24, 2011.


Join me in the kitchen as Doyle and I celebrate our Sixth Anniversary of our First Meeting by beginning work on this historic treasure.


(You are more than welcome to help me cut the acres and acres of fringe!)

This dress will be a recreation based on paintings of John Whites watercolors of a first contact Elk hide garment that I found a technically correct version of that had been gifted by tribal people to a good friend of mine in Florida, who graciously lent it to me for study.


Now for the hard part.....pre contact shells or first contact beads or just plain beautiful fringe! (I am basing the long fringe on the letters written at the period of John Whites paintings that comment on Native garments being so long of fringe, they dragged on the ground, and I will get that documented for posterity at a later time.....).

Man's One Arm Sleeve Ties to shoulder, covers back

Also there will be sleeves made for this garment based on an actual one armed sleeve in a museum made for this type of garment and possibly a head dress worn during the era made of shells researched by my Archeological Friend Sheila.

Lost Falls Rendezvous, Black River Falls, WI May 17-22

Lost Falls Rendezvous

May 17 – 22 2011
Where-Lost Falls Campround N2974 Sunnyvale Road Black River Falls, WI 54615 (map) 

Booshway's Camp

Description- Lost Falls Rendezvous Just a reminder that the Lost Falls Rendezvous is on schedule for May 19th. through the 22nd. This will be the second annual and anyone who was at last years event will surely not want to miss this years! See our calendar for contact information

This is a great Rustic Event right on the banks of the Black River. It's on it's second year now and promises to be one of the great primitive Events of the Spring.

Another angle

site on the River bank

Things look a little barren here as I took the pictures before anyone set up. We had a great group of dedicated demonstrators and it looks like it's going to stay that way, everyone teaching, all the time. Our kind of Event.

While no new traders are being accepted this year, demonstrators and campers are welcome to contact those in charge, (on our calendar), and come by to check us out!

Lots of river sites

Nice site overlooking the river

Another great site

Bloody Lake 2011 Snap Shots

Words fail me as I try to describe the wonderful experience we had at Bloody this year, so many good friends came to us and were so happy to see us back at what we love to do best, which is cooking and sharing our lives.

At one time our future was in doubt, we felt at our darkest hour that it was the support and prayers of our reenacting Sisters and Brothers that bore us up and filled our sails as we navigated stormy waters.

We had many fine folks volunteer to help setting up and also our neighbors kept a watchful eye on us during the Event to see if we needed assistance, you could literally feel the love and concern of those around us.

We are humbled by this outpouring of genuine concern and hope that in the future we may rise to help others as we have been borne aloft.

One of the truly touching moments was when Doyle was surprised by the Gang of Scouts who have lived off our back door for as long as he has been setting up at Bloody, they brought him an apron that has a tag on it the is reversible, one side says "Naughty" and the other "Nice".

You can imagine which side he chose to display.....

When you think of how easily we could have not been here this season, it makes one truly believe that no man is an island and that we can all help each other just by a good thought, prayer and a little action now and again.

We are the living proof of the love of our friends....