Williamsburg Visit

Dave and I went to Williamsburg last weekend for the Redcoats weekend. It is set in the year 1783 when Williamsburg was occupied by the British military for a short period, and General Cornwallis declared martial law. It was a pretty neat weekend. In addition to all the normal Williamsburg activities, there was a British encampment in the center of town, and the troops marched up and down Duke street:
There were many reenactors on hand for the event. I adore this lady's 1770 Riding habit...I would really like to make a fancy one in green wool (granted, I think I'd rather wear it to a Winter event, rather than an in the sweltering June heat). She was even wearing gloves! I have to admire her willingness to be truly period correct. The gentleman behind her is actually one of my co-worker's sons. He was playing her servant, and would yell 'make way for My Lady' as they walked up and down the street. I'm trying to talk Dave into this next year...sadly, I haven't made much progress.Calypso came with us to Williamsburg. She's too little to kennel, and we thought it would be good for her to be out and socialize with people. In addition to people and dogs, she also got to meet a variety of wildlife. As with the big dogs, Caly didn't hesitate to bark at the large horses. I don't know how big she thinks she is, but she clearly has no concept of her real size.
The cannon demonstrations were a lot of fun (though Caly disagreed). I think this is part of the 33rd Regiment (a group of reenactors).
One of my favorite sights was the camp followers working in the British camp cooking. Here, they have chickens roasting over the fire: And they're also making pies! I've made pies before, but I've certainly never attempted that over an open fire. I have to say, I'd be hesitant to get out and cook near an open fire in my costume skirts. There's a very good reason that death by fire used to be unfortunately common for women.I went in costume the first day, but Caly was the star of the show. Here, one of the ladies that works for Williamsburg has fit Caly down into her pocket hoops. I don't think she'd tolerate that very long, but that would sure be a fun way to carry her around.We couldn't go five steps without someone asking us to stop and let them take a picture of Caly, and she was a big hit with kids ('can I pet the puppy?!!'). Calypso was pretty worn out by all the walking, so she was on her best behavior with everyone. We gave her lots of water and even sprinkled her coat with water to cool her off at every water fountain we passed. We missed a photo of it, but this nice lady gave Caly a drink straight from her mug (she was done with the water and about to toss it out). It was pretty cute.Check out my costume website for more info on my costume, and some in depth photos of the Williamsburg tailor shop. Dave and I got year-long passes, so we'll be going back for sure. Our next visit will be in September (well...Dave doesn't have to come if he doesn't want to, but I'm going for a weekend sewing seminar on period stays).