Christmas at the Park

Note: Due to a massive ice-storm this last week here in Michigan which included taking out our power for four days, my posting of this has been delayed. Also, I procrastinate badly. :) At long last, here it is!


Merry Christmas!

I hope you and all your family and friends are well this holiday season. Please stay safe in your travels and best of wishes to you for the new year!

Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. The snow is falling down outside while the woodstove keeps us warm indoors. The Christmas tree is up and decorated, and the stockings are hung. However, one shouldn't stay inside eating Christmas cookies all day, so what better place to visit than Charlton Park?

Their annual event, Of Christmas Past, is one of my favorite times to visit during the year. The whole village is decorated, and with the snow gracefully making its way down out of the sky, it is truly beautiful.

The store fronts are ready to receive any last-minute shoppers.

The general store has everything you need to prepare Christmas dinner. Note the Bowens Mills flour.

If you still need a present or two, there are still a few things left in the store...

 

The Sixberry House is a good place to warm up - plus they have cookies baked in the kitchen wood-stove!

The cobwebs were strung in the parlor with care, in hopes that Christmas guests would soon be there...

The cobweb game is simple - you receive one end of a string, then you follow it around the room to the end where you find a small prize.

The perfect spot to curl up with a good book

The Bristol Inn

 The blacksmith's shop is on the left (red building), with the carpenter's on the right. They both had demonstrations going on. The carpenter's had a working 1840's lathe that was very interesting to see!

The Lee School, circa 1869

 

I thought these were interesting. Once again, you can click on them to make them bigger. 

That's it for the pictures. Have a very Happy New Year!

(This picture is not from the most recent ice storm. We had a good bit more ice than in the picture - I just wanted to add that.)

Historic Fort Wayne

Built in a four-pointed-star shape in 1845, Fort Wayne stands across the river from Canada. It was constructed to protect Detroit from attack if need be. Luckily, a treaty was signed with Britain even before any cannon were procured. The new Fort was re-commissioned as an infantry garrison, but did not see any troops until the outbreak of the Civil War, when the first Michigan soldiers reported for duty. 


Because of new relationship with the Britain and later Canada, Fort Wayne never saw a shot fired in anger. The peaceful location became a primary induction center for Michigan troops entering battle in every U. S. conflicts from the Civil War to Vietnam. Among other duties over the course of its 125 year use as an Army base, it served as an infantry training station, housed the Chaplin school for a few years, and was the primary procurement location for the vehicles and weapons manufactured in Detroit during both World Wars. Also during WWII the Fort housed prisoners of war from Italy.

The houses in "Officer's Row."

Inside one of the houses.

Outside of the fort

Exploring the fort

Mom and I went to go watch the battle, but instead I was kindly invited to play some parlor games with some of the members of the 21st Michigan in one of the officer's homes. The games were quite fun and it was nice to be a bit farther away from the cannons. They shook the house we were in!

The smoke and horror of war outside...

...in contrast to the smiles and laughter inside. (Picture borrowed from Ken G.)

If only our brothers and fathers weren't off fighting this dreadful war and they could join in our merriment... We met Dr. Richard Gatling who gave an explanation of his new invention of a gun with revolving barrels which is supposed to quicken the end of the war. I found something that I think will work even better...

This is a Sherman, if you were wondering.  :)

The Van Raalte reenactment

On the 8th Mom and I headed over to the Van Raalte farm, a large 160 acre farm in Holland. The grounds are a mixture of fields and forests of apple trees. The apples were ripe and as you walked beneath them, you could smell the sweet scent of them. (They also tasted pretty good!) I believe the event is a newer one, but it was very well put together. On to the pictures!

One of the Union cannons overlooking the battlefield. The reddish-brown thing in the middle is part of a wooden split-rail fence put up as a prop. 

In addition to the apple trees, there was also a lot of poison ivy!

Some of the lovely cavalry mounts. 

A sign in the Confederate camp.

I'm not sure who set it up, if it was the park who did or something reenactor-related, but there was a tent with 1860's games. Mom and I played the game of Graces for quite some time. Here is a link to more information if you want to learn how to play. 

It was very windy, which is why my skirt looks so weird...

At 11:00 was a concert by the 5th Michigan on the farmhouse steps. You may remember them from my Jackson post. They played quite a few new songs and also some of our favorites.

After the concert we listened to a speech by President and Mrs. Lincoln.

My dress fabric

Southern men marching off to war. 

Led by General Lee! Traveler was taking the day off.

The boys in blue getting ready to meet the Confederates on the battlefield.

Southern artillery

Here you can see one of the fences I referred to earlier.

If I remember correctly, the first part of the battle was Pickett's Charge, while the second part was the battle of Little Round Top. There were three Southern cannons and four Union. One of the Union cannons was sending out a smoke ring with almost every shot! 

The smoke ring is in the middle of the picture, above the trees. This was about a quarter of the spectators - quite a good turn out!

Aren't they a cute couple?

The circa 1870's farmhouse

This reenactment is definitely one I will go to again. It was very nicely organized and well planned in an interesting setting. The only thing that Mom and I agreed on was that there were too many Gators driving around. It takes you out of the 1860's mindset when you have to keep stepping off the road to let one pass. I can see, however, how people who have a hard time walking would miss out on a lot of things on the beautiful grounds if they didn't have the four-wheeled access. It's a fine line to tread.