William Brand

Welcome aboard! You go to Captain PEW for a rum, and every other drink you can imagine. The man knows fermentation.

Aye. It would be nice to learn when it first fell into use. Here's another that sounds nautical, but might not be, and I can't find an early enough reference for it. Lady's Ladder - Rattlins set too close.

You really should attend. We have a very good group of lads and ladies in the camp, and that extends to many a reenactor outside the Mercury in attendance. Besides, it's hot. You'll smell at Fort De Chartres no matter what your preparations.

Oak is a great suggestion. I'll have to try that one. The one that gets me is fresh hemp rope. It smells like...well...you have to smell it. Old cow chips, maybe? It definitely has a barn smell, but the earthy quality of most hemp, linen and wool is enough to give you an authentic smell, but you can add several other period smells to the mix. Beeswax from candles. Coal from the cook's stove (and as a very common fuel for heating in London and elsewhere). Vinegar from the stores. Aromatics proscribed by doctors as healing smells, such as essence of rose, aloe, etc.

Nobody gets knocked down like Oderlesseye. I'm reminded of his death at Fort Taylor where he laid in the hot, tall grass for some 30 minutes or more. He plays dead so well that we almost forgot him there, and only when we called out his name, did his scruffy head pop up among the weeds. Great stuff.

Does Wicked Willy's have wi-fi? We could all tune in and celebrate with you.

I really do wish that I could have attended. I'm glad to see that it was attended by so many familiar faces.

"The National Parks Service's position on battle reenactments is based on an ethical position that it is fundamentally disrespectful to those who actually fought and died on a particular piece of ground to pretend to accurately portray their deaths, sacrifices and suffering." 'fundamentally disrespectful'. Ouch. Backhanded slap from the park service about ethics and an implication that we don't take the deaths, sacrifices and suffering of our forebears seriously.

One of our own Mercury crew members is from Arizona and I'm from Utah, so your hobby and location are not all that strange to me. Welcome aboard, lad.

Welcome aboard, Mister Wilson.

Voted again.

Voted.

I am hoping to be to more and more of these.

I can't this year, but it doesn't stop me from reminding people.

The Brigands Grove event is just two weeks out. If you have projects to complete, chances are that you won't sleep til then if you just started.

Sometimes you just need lasagna.

Welcome back, Mister Nash. It's good to see you aboard again.

It achieves both the simplicity and the elegance of the age.

It's a very well made, unique piece.

We need an ice pick and some rum.

AVAILABLE: Mike recently finished this new knife, which is the first knife he has done with darkened, brass scales and only the second knife to come out of his new shop. It is 8 inches overall with brass scales, pins and a lanyard hole. .

What does it remind me of...? I'll ask Long Tom. He might know.

Tuh-dah!

Pete's knife is Mad Pete's knife, so it's not for sale. I was just showing Mike's work. Mike can do custom designs and commissions, so if you like what you see, he can make something similar. I find that it's best to give him a rough idea and then free up the reins. He always adds something unique and he has an eye for materials.

This is a custom piece that Mad Pete commissioned through me in exchange for a map case. I think this is one of Mike's best trade knife/sailor's knife creations. It's a larger piece and it has a 5-5/8 inch blade (from the bolster to the point) and is around 10 inches overall. It has silicone bronze bolsters and Caribbean Ziricote wood for the handle. The pins and tubing are brass.