Try wearing period clothing and walk into a modern business on your own, perhaps a store, a bank, even a gas station, feeling all confident and not at all self-concious about what you have on.
It's almost impossible not to be somewhat embarrased and self-concious.
Now, do the same with a friend...or two...or three...or even more.
No more embarrassement. In fact, your own confidence may have just swelled your head two three times larger!
~ ~ ~ ~
Here I am once again celebrating all of the opportunities I've had over the past year to travel into the past.
So, here's how my 2025 year in the past went:
January 2025
Unless you are into winter sports, January can be a boring month. Christmas and all of the traditions of that season and holiday festivities are over. And so is my favorite of the four seasons - autumn. In the bleak midwinter indeed! And this is why having such gatherings are so wonderful and gives us something to look forward to. For January 2025 there were two such parties!
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| January 2025 ~The 21st Michigan Civil War Christmas party~ I don't do the 1860s / Civil War period nearly as much as I used to, but I sure do enjoy it when I do. |
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| January 2025 ~Citizens of the American Colonies 12th Night Gathering~ Welcome to 12th Night 1775! |
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| January 2025 The location of the Citizens of the American Colonies 12th Night party is at the Cady Inn at Mill Race Village - a perfect spot for such a gathering. |
We did not have the lavish, chaotic party with a grand feast (though we did have a fine sort of pot-luck meal with desserts), masquerades, nor did we have role-reversal games, evergreen decorations, or dances like jigs and reels, which were central to the merrymaking of long ago. Perhaps one year we'll take it further.
Instead we had a pleasant get together.
We did have music, by the way, provided by a fiddle player named Peter.
Let's move into February.
Again, unless you are into winter sports and activities, February can be another bland month. Yet another good month for indoor gatherings and experiences.
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| February 2025 Our winter experience in the colonial cabin at Waterloo. Yes, it's cold inside and out. |
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| February 2025 So for part of our time we simply sat near the hearth. |
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| February 2025 We celebrated Candlemass and had our candles blessed. |
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| February 2025 Our meal of peas porridge, pancakes, bread, cheese, a few nuts, and beets was as good a winter meal as anyone can have. Oh, and pure maple syrup as well! Plus cider to wash it all down. |
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| February 2025 The men of the George Washington party. |
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| February 2025 The ladies of the Washington party. |
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| February 2025 Charlotte on a cold winter's night... |
March came marching in - - and our events began to increase - - - I love all of Michigan's seasons, but I must admit that by the end of February - really, anytime after Valentines Day - I am ready for some sun and greenery.
Just a week later found the Kalamazoo Living History Show occuring.
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| March 2025 Eastpointe Military Museum's Timeline Event - 1st week of March I always at least make the attempt to grab a group shot. And when it comes to a timeline, I try to get minimum of one representative from each time period. |
Just a week later found the Kalamazoo Living History Show occuring.
This is the place to be for anyone who is into pre-1900 reenacting..
Afterward we visited the rest of the historic structures inside the Village. Roaming about and re-familiarizing ourselves and eyeing for any possible changes since the previous year.
Yes, there were two lanterns hung in the church steeple that night 250 years earlier. I was elated and proud to participate on this 250th anniversary! In fact, various museums across the country shined two lanterns in honor of that night's history (sadly, neither Greenfield Village nor the Henry Ford Museum took part---booo to them!).
I can't fully explain what it meant to me to portray my hero, Paul Revere, in this way. I mean, since I was a single-digit-aged kid, Revere was my colonial Revolutionary hero. And I've portrayed him before during presentations, but here I was, riding through town on a horse - a brown horse (the horse he rode on that fateful night was named Brown Beauty)!
The picture of me on the horse and a couple others here were taken by B&K Photography - they do a pretty amazing job, do they not? Just look in the lower right corner for their American flag logo.
We've actually had visitors thank us for not being afraid to show the faith of our colonial forebearers.
When we venture out on our own like this, we usually don't cook on the hearth. Our main objective on such days is to work in the kitchen garden and then sit back for a few inside the cabin before leaving.
And then on Memorial Day Monday, I ventured back to Greenfield Village, Norm joining me and we, once again, dressed period.
Taylor is a very good reenactment - one that I feel will continue to grow. And with the Lee family (Doug, Sheila, and Dalton) at the helm, it is in good hands.
Part of our presentation is the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
When I was asked if I would like to try out the loom inside the Visitor's Center, I jumped at the chance! You see, my 5th great grandfather, William Raby, was a weaver back in the 1700s in England. So, in honor of this ancestor of mine, I was only too happy to experience such a thing. I like to think there might be some similarities between he and I---clothing, for one (lol).
I hope this time line event continues.
This took place on Saturday.
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| March 2025 My good friend Jennifer and I at Kalamazoo. |
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| March 2025 And here is Mr. Townsend from Townsends! Oh, and me, too~~ |
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| March 2025 Me, Norm, and Charlotte met up at Big Boy's for a burger afterward. Oh! And so did my wife, who did not dress period and is taking the picture. |
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| March 2025 And then only a few days after Kalamazoo, we had myself, Larissa, and Bob doing our Patriot's Presentation for Warren Woods Tower High School. Please meet Paul Revere, Sybil Ludington, and Ben Franklin. |
April
April is an interesting month. It can snow, rain, be warm, be very cold...you got to be ready for anything if you live in Michigan in April. But April really jumped out in front this year.
Opening Day in mid-month at Historic Greenfield Village is always a cause for celebration. It closes up at the very end of December and so we have to wait around four and a half months before it reopens again. Of course, a few of us tend to dress period when we attend:
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| April 2025 Three of us visited Greenfield Village for Opening Day wearing our colonial clothing. |
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| April 2025 We spent the first part of our day at the far end of the Village, where the colonial houses stand, including my favorite, the Daggett House seen here. |
Something else historical was occuring that month of April:
This year of 2025 was the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride and the beginning of the American Revolution.
I did my part to commemmorate:
first of all, on the night of April 18th, right around 10:00, 250 years to the day and time that Paul Revere took off from his house to make his famous warning ride, I put two of my lanterns in my son's 2nd floor bedroom window.
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| April 2025 The house next door to me was empty - up for sale - so I went into that backyard and snapped a few somewhat distant photos. |
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| April 2025 And here is a closer look. The lantern on the left is a replication of one of the two that were hung in the Old North Church steeple, while the lantern on the right is one of a similar nature. |
Earlier on this anniversary day I asked a few of my friends through Facebook if they would do the same that night, and then post their photos on Facebook.
They did!
I was so happy and honored at those who also took part---only seven of my friends did that I knew of, but better than no one. I also heard there were thousands of people across the country that did take part.
Even the White House shined two lanterns (though not because of me lol).
But I wasn't quite done with the commemorations just yet.
You see, Paul Revere was not a lone rider. Revere and William Dawes took different routes to get to Lexington, then when they decided to go to Conord from Lexington, a third rider, Samuel Prescott, joined the two.
Prescott was the only one of the three to make it to Concord.
From historian David Hackett Fischer in his acclaimed book, Paul Revere's Ride (p. 147):
Samuel Prescott made it safely to his home and awakened his brother, Abel, to also become a warning rider. Abel Prescott traveled south to Sudbury, and he went to the home of Thomas Plympton, the leading Whig in Sudbury, and directly after, the town's alarm bell began to ring -- this was about 3:30 or 4 o'clock in the morning. Warning guns were fired to summon militia companies on the west side of the Sudbury River and also in East Sudbury, now the green country town of Wayland. Within thirty-five minutes the entire town of Sudbury had been awakened.
Yes, by sunrise the greatest part of the inhabitants were notified. And soon they found themselves in the town of Concord
What this means is another commemoration I did on my own for this special anniversary, for the very next day - the next morning, in fact - which so happened to be April 19th---I went to Greenfield Village again specifically to visit the Plympton House.
Since I live in the Midwestern state of Michigan, not in the New England state of Massachusetts, to have anything Revolutionary War-related locally at hand can be tough.
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| April 2025 But we do! It was at this house where I spent a part of the morning of April 19th in 2025 --- the 250th anniversary to the date of the Battles of Lexington & Concord. Abel Prescott, who's brother rode with Paul Revere the night before, pounded upon that very door behind me to awaken Thomas Plympton to warn the town of Sudbury of the Redcoats marching to Concord. |
If I was in charge of Greenfield Village, I would have posted someone at this house on that 250th anniversary to tell the story of this house's connection to the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
I would've also shown two lights in the bell tower of the museum.
But...nothing.
For shame.
Then, only about ten days later, I accomplished something that was nearly ten years in the planning stages.
I put together and hosted a Metro-Detroit version of Massachuestts' Patriot's Day 250 - the Semiquincentennial of the Battles of Lexington and Concord - at Mill Race Village. I had literally been planning for the 2025 Patriot's Day since early 2018. The idea for such a 250th commemoration just simply popped into my head in 2015 (the 240th).
So I made a few phone calls to some reenacting friends, tossing ideas back and forth. My main course of action was to keep it as accurate as possible, even if that meant for less participants. I mean, I knew we would not be getting a thousand redcoats or eighty militia/minutemen, but I, at the very least, wanted to have the look down, if nothing else, of militia and redcoats. That was and is of utmost importance.
I also didn't want it to be a one-shot deal. I wanted this reenactment to be an annual event, having the ability to see what we do right and where we could improve.
So it was in 2019 that I was, for the first time, able to have it, and it was a grand success. It wasn't very large, but I was very satisfied. And more reenactors began to contact me about participating in the following year's event. Then, sadly, came 2020 when covid shut the world down, and 2021 when there was still great covid concern by many, so we did not get to do this event again until April of 2022. That year was also a great success. Even greater than 2019. Then 2023 and 2024 proved to be even grander, continuing on the uphill climb, with participation ever-growing along with a growing number of spectators.
The 250th in 2025 was the best yet.
I was Paul Revere---and I rode a horse!
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April 2025 "The Regulars are on the march!! The Regulars are coming out!! They are marching this way!! Ring the warning bells! Fire the muskets!" |
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| April 2025 I really like this photo because there are no people looking modern in it - it's a sort of time-travel photo. |
Yes, they are Patriots.
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| April 2025 Captain John Parker's Lexington Militia. |
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| April 2025 King George's Regular Army. |
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| April 2025 The Regulars The guys certainly put on a show - a battle - for the many spectators. |
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| April 2025 A local Detroit news station - FOX 2 News - came out. |
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| April 2025 A group shot of those who put on the battles. |
So April 2025 was a pretty darn exciting month. But May is on the way, and it was just as exciting, but in a different way.
May 2025
The merry merry month of May. When green really begins popping.
Spring shines.
Back to the colonial cabin we went. It was planting season, and at the cabin we follow the season.
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| May 2025 The Waterloo colonial cabin crew for May 2025. 2025 minus 250 equals 1775, on account of that's the year it is. |
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| May 2025 It's May - planting season is upon us! We are so very appreciative of the plot of land Waterloo has given to us to plant our kitchen garden. |
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| May 2025 And my wife here loves to garden. |
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| May 2025 Families worked like a well-oiled machine - everyone had their role, and Larissa's was making us a fine dinner. |
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| May 2025 Saying our grace before our meal. Religion seems to be playing less and less of a role in history lessons taught in our modern day. Well, we researchers know better and therefore have never shyed away from showing the Faith of our ancestral Fathers. |
Schools tend to greatly shy away from teaching the belief system of our colonial ancestors. In fact, there are people today who believe early American colonists were not religious--they are misinformed; the colonies were founded by people with deep religious convictions and faith. This modern misconception likely stems from focusing specifically on the religious skepticism of some of the Founding Fathers and a misunderstanding of what some call the separation of church and state principle.
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| May 2025 Celebrating Rogation Sunday (on a Saturday! lol), our colonial minister blesses our freshly planted crop. |
The very next day after our cabin excursion, my wife Patty and I, along with our son Miles, travelled east to Massachusetts. Our first vacation in nine years!
Of course, we did all of the touristy stuff, such as Boston's Freedom Trail.
For this first day of our vacation, Patty & I wore our colonial clothing.
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| May 2025 Here's Patty standing near the grave of John Hancock. |
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| May 2025 And that's me in front of the grave of Paul Revere. |
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| May 2025 Speaking of Paul Revere, there we both are in the back part of his house! |
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May 2025 As we were walking to our next stop, I saw this old alley, so we ducked into it~ I was told that we are standing at the corner of Washington & Spring Lane, which is the oldest street in Boston, from around 1630! How cool is that?!? If I'da' known that at the time, we would've done more exploring! |
For the rest of our vacation we wore our modern clothes. I seriously considered wearing colonial when we visited Lexington & Concord, but I think I just wanted to see the sights.
Why, then, did we "dress" for Boston and not in other areas?
Because I knew we'd be at the Paul Revere House and his gravestone, therefore I also knew I'd want my pictures taken at those spots.
Shortly upon returning from our Massachusetts vacation Larissa and I did a colonial farm life presentation at St. Michael the Arch Angel Catholic School in Livonia:
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| May 2025 Larissa and I ready to take the class back in time... |
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| May 2025 As you can see, many of the children dressed the part, making their own make-shift clothing. These kids are always wonderful to speak to. |
Next thing you know it was Memorial Weekend. As last year, Patty and I got dressed and went to the cabin to work in the garden on the Saturday of the holiday weekend.
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| May 2025 It was just Patty and I there~~~ |
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| May 2025 There's my wife in the garden. We planted more crop there: she got the beets! |
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| May 2025 Here I am planting my favorite: pompions! (Pumpkins)~ By the way, in September and October they came up wonderfully! I loved that we were able to show the public over the fall Pioneer Day. |
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| May 2025 Here we are in front of the Giddings House. |
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| May 2025 Gigi and I in front of the Daggett House. |
So, May was definitely a grand and adventurous month, and from here we head into June and to the Taylor event.
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| June 2025 My son was flanked by Amy and Jennifer at the Taylor Colonial Days event. |
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| June 2025 Working the shaving horse at Ben Franklin's/Bob Stark's tent. |
At the very end of June, we in Michigan have a unique sort of celabratory "holiday" (you might say).
You see, Michigan is a state filled with historical surprises. For instance, we are the number one state in the union for lighthouses. Yes, it's true---no other US state has near as many lighthouses as Michigan. I mentioned this to a person while in Massachusetts and he didn't believe me. I told him to look it up, which he did on his phone, then shook his head: "I'll be damned!"
Here's something else: we are only fifth out of the fifty states in log cabins:
Colorado
New York
North Carolina
Wisconsin
~~Michigan~~
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Texas
Minnesota
New Hampshire
And we here in this state celebrate that fact (click HERE).
In fact, Michigan Log Cabin Day is celebrated annually on the last Sunday in June to honor the state's pioneer heritage. Here in 2025, Log Cabin Day fell on June 29th. It's a day when many historic log cabins across Michigan opened their doors to the public, offering a glimpse into the pioneer past through tours, activities, and demonstrations. It's a unique Michigan tradition. The day aims to educate and celebrate the history and importance of log cabins and the pioneer spirit in our wonderful state.
So it only makes sense for us to celebrate our cabin heritage at Waterloo's Log Cabin Day Weekend!
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| June 2025 Late June, summertime is here, and the girls, dressed in their 1860s clothing, are working in the kitchen garden. |
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| June 2025 Me, my wife Patty, and goodfriend Charlotte wear our 1860s clothing for Log Cabin Day at Waterloo. |
And before you know it we were celebrating the 4th of July 2025 at Mill Race Village in Northville.
Every year, beginning in 2017, a few of us have been welcomed with open arms at Historic Mill Race Village to help celebrate Independence Day---on the 4th of July itself!
Only during the covid scare of 2020/2021 were we not there...technically. A few of us still showed up on our own, nothing official mind you, but I could not see letting this so important holiday go by the wayside. But in 2025, a fairly large group were there in force, for Mill Race Village is the place to be for the "spirit of '76"!
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| July 2025 Something I'm very proud of: my "street of flags" - - - I line the main street that runs through Mill Race Village with historic American flags of the Revolutionary War period. |
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| Ben Franklin reads the Declaration to the large crowd that gathered. |
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| July 2025 Patriots fired their firelocks after the Declaration was read! |
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| July 2025 Here are most of the reenactors who came out to celebrate the 4th of July! |
The very next day...
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| July 2025 On July 5th, Ben Franklin and I (as Paul Revere) were asked to speak at a special Independence Day church picnic out in Davison, Michigan. |
As I mentioned earlier, I think very highly of timeline events. I love the idea of seeing so much history come alive, all in one area.
I had two to attend on the same weekend in mid-July.
I participated in the one at Historic River Rain on Saturday:
 July 2025 |
This is what a timeline is all about! A history of military uniforms and accoutrements all in a glance. (from left): 1770s, 1790s, three from 1812, then we have 1840s, 1860s, 1940s, and two from Modern Day. |
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| July 2025 Inside the River Raisin Museum I was able to try, for my first time, the loom! |
The very next day I drove in the opposite direction to the Chesterfield Timeline.
That weekend was an extremely hot one. In fact, River Raisin cancelled their Sunday due to the heat.
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| July 2025 The minister there in white gave us a wonderful Sunday morning religious service at the Chestrfield event, which had many trees to shade the grounds. |
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| July 2025 There was a historic church on the premises, so we did a few posed photos with preacher Norm. |
Moving on...
Charlton Park in Hastings is one of our best events of the year, for we get a house built in the 1850s to call our own. This has been it for us since 2008, and there are no signs of letting go.
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| July 2025 Here is my friend Vickie and I out sutlering. It wasn't just she & I - many of us reenactors took a break to go shopping. |
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| July 2025 In front of "our" house the Union soldiers march passed and the ladies gave them a hearty welcome. |
However, the very next day, Sunday, I found myself in a time 90 years earlier at the Colonial Frankenmuth event.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - - these 18th century cabin excursions are as real as it gets for me. I don't consider what we do here reenacting. It's true living history at its basic best, where we experience our historical research each day - each moment - we spend there. Nothing is fake.
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| July 2025 For her first time in public, my Civil War reenacting friend, Theresa, came out in colonial clothing there in Frankenmuth! |
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| July 2025 Here is Susan, another long-time friend. And a long-time spinster~~~ |
As if July wasn't busy enough, I went back, in period clothing, to Greenfield Village. Norm Gerring and I enjoy going there and hanging out together.
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| July 2025 Most of the Giddings House is plexi-glassed off, so we were limited. |
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| July 2025 Here am I, looking out the back kitchen window of the Daggett house. |
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| July 2025 What better place for a minister to be than inside a tavern? Not preaching to those who drank beer, for nearly everyone, from child to old age, did, but to those who drank in too much excess. |
So that was quite the busy July.
August certainly snuck up on us!
And so here we were, celebrating Lammas Day at the Cabin.
I can't think of a better way to spend a summer daysummer day than at the cabin celebrating the first day of harvest time - August 1st.
And we celebrated by preparing to process wheat into flour.
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| August 2025 Our friend, Theresa, who you met in my Frankenmuth pictures, harvested wheat from a farm near where she lives in Lapeer, Michigan. And this is what Patty and I brought with us for this special Lammas Day. We are bringing in the sheaves. |
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| August 2025 Using the flail to separate the edible grain kernels/berries from the dry husks (chaff) and stalks. |
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| August 2025 Next up: grinding the wheat berries/seeds into flour with the stone hand-quern. |
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| August 2025 The busy day ended with a fine hearth-cooked meal. It was a wonderful day. |
Normally I make it to the Jackson Civil War reenacting event toward the end of August, but my motor vehicle was running rough and I didn't want to take any chances. However, once I got the van running alright, I did continue to visit Greenfield Village --- twice that month dressed in my colonial clothing.
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| August 2025 Checking out the Farris Windmill. |
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| August 2025 A friend of Norm's from his early reenacting days joined us this day. |
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| August 2025 A tale of two centuries: Here's colonial Ken eyeing the future...an 1880s farm house! |
Then, near the end of August:
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| August 2025 Norm paid a visit to the weaver. |
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| August 2025 Norm and I inside the Daggett House. |
So, on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, though still in August, Patty and I took a ride to the Waterloo Cabin on our own. I had recently acquired the 17th century flag of St. George's Cross and I asked Brian Dewey if he would dress in his 17th century clothing and pose with it.
Well, wasn't I surprised when he showed up with clothing of that period for me to wear!
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| August 2025 My first time ever wearing clothing of the mid-1600s. The clothing belongs to Brian Dewey. Here I am holding the St. George's Cross flag. This flag, made of linen, came all the way from England. |
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| August 2025 Of course, both Patty and I had our colonial clothing and spent time working in the garden. |
August was another fairly busy month in the past. Too bad I did not make it to the Jackson Civil War event.
Mid-September found us at the Waterloo Cabin once again, only this time Patty & I, for the first time, brought along our eldest grandson, Ben. At this point we had no period clothing for him to wear, aside from one of my cocked hats, so he came along modern. But that was just fine, for we gave him a taste of period cabin life.
Norm and Charlotte came out with us. Though it wasn't supposed to be any major cabin day, it certainly turned into one!
Lovin' it!
Lovin' it!
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| September 2025 Ben, along with Norm and myself, worked at starting a fire with flint and steel. |
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| September 2025 Ben enjoyed picking a pumpin out of our garden. |
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| September 2025 Here is the cabin crew for that mid-September day. |
Here I am in Port Sanilac with the Voyageurs.
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| September 2025 If you look closely at bottom center, you can see the flame from the fire I started with flint and steel. |
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| September 2025 Jackie and Mickie at Port Sanilac. |
Back in August, I received an unusual request: I was asked to attend the September 14th Salute to Freedom Picnic for the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee out in Commerce, Michigan as Paul Revere. They received my information through someone who is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
'Twas an honor.
Now, before anyone jumps all over me for thinking that I'm getting political, I do not claim a political party. And if the Democrats ever invite me to one of their picnics or gatherings, I would say yes to that as well, depending on its location and if the date was available.
When I was first asked to take part, I let them know that as Paul Revere I was not a Republican nor a Democrat, and I would not speak on current events - not at the mic and not privately, for it would not be fair for me to speak on behalf of Mr. Revere in such a manner. Paul Revere, to my knowledge, supported the Federalists, so he was neither a Democrat or Republican. As for which two parties the Federalists would align---as I read elsewhere: "Many members of both parties would be at a complete loss." I agree.
Anyhow, it was an honor to be asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to a crowd of around a hundred people. Then Norm gave a prayer of Grace before the meal. Local representatives gave speeches and there was a special prayer for the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk---I do not agree with or believe in murder in any way, so yes, I took part in this.
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| September 2025 I absolutely love this picture, for I am very patriotic. |
Still in September and at another wonderful timeline event, only this time we were up in Saginaw for the River of time.
They ask me to participate as Paul Revere, and I gladly accept.
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| September 2025 It was great having so many friends take part, including the Schroeders (on the right) hearkening back to their War of 1812 days. |
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| September 2025 Paul Revere telling of my famous ride and what lead up to it. |
Let's jump into early October - my favorite time and month of the year.
Back at Greenfield Village, dressed appropriately.
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| October 2025 Sitting by the hearth in the original kitchen of the Eagle Tavern. I added the fire by way of computer magic. |
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| October 2025 This was quite a surprise to me - on this early October visit I ran into my frriend Tonya. Many years ago, she and I used to reenact together in the Michigan Soldiers Aid Society of the 1860s. And now we run into each other at Greenfield Village! |
And soon I found myself back at Waterloo Farm for one of my most favorite of events, the wonderfully awesome Pioneer Day, celebrating the pioneer spirit and the Autumn harvest.
This really just may be my favorite yearly event, though Patriot's Day at Mill Race Village is up near the top as well (along with the 4th of July). But Pioneer Day is all about historic farming and harvest, which is what I'm all about.
Our trips to Greenfield Village are mostly for posing in history---utilizing historic structures to match the clothing era that we wear.
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| October 2025 The cabin crew for Pioneer Day. Hey---there's Tonya to my right! |
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| October 2025 And here's Tonya winnowing as I'm threshing the wheat. |
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| October 2025 I am using the quern to make more flour from the wheat grain/berries. |
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| October 2025 Meanwhile, Patty was on the porch spinning wool into yarn. |
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| October 2025 My wife and I harvesting our pumpkins that we grew from seed! |
In late October my friend Brian and I went to Greenfield Village.
I wore my 18th century clothing while Brian dressed in the fashion of about a hundred years earlier than I.
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| October 2025 As Brian reenacts the 17th century, and Greenfield Village has the only structures from the 17th century in the Metro-Detroit area, why not do a photo shoot? |
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| October 2025 But the Cotswold Cottage isn't the only 17th century structure inside Greenfield Village. Here is the Farris Windmill, from 1633. Yes, that's Brian there walking toward it. |
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| October 2025 And I am posing with my favorite structure there... |
Just a few days later, on another beautiful fall day, I was back at the Village---and it's now November:
To read my blog post about our colonial cabin Thanksgiving, please click HERE
Two weeks later I was back at Greenfield Village for my annual Black Friday excursion, only, unfortunately, Norm could not make it but Charlotte and Amy did, and we had a great time!
I have spent the last nearly 20 or so years visiting Greenfield Village on Black Friday dressed in period clothing - - - - and more often than not, I usually have friends come along. It's a great way to walk off all the good harvest food you ate the day before. Plus you are not out buying overpriced "gifts" that won't last much more than a day or two following Christmas.
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| November 2025 Good day! I'm looking for Sam Daaggett. My wife needs her spinning wheel repaired. |
Since Norm portrays a minister, it's only right we take his image in front (and inside) a replicated 18th century New England church!
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| November 2025 Moving toward the Martha-Mary Chapel. |
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| November 2025 The church presenter allowed Norm to go to the front of the church. He did with great reverence, then he kneeled and prayed The Lord's Prayer~~ This was a moving moment. |
Every November, we, as a country, celebrate the fall harvest by enjoying a great harvest meal. Most know this as Thanksgiving. We, at the cabin, celebrate this day on our own. And since we are presenting ourselves as living 250 years earlier, Thanksgiving has yet to become a National Holiday. Heck! We're not even a country yet!
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| November 2025 Here is our November 2025 cabin crew. Note my grandson Ben has joined us again. And look---he is wearing colonial clothing this time! |
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| November 2025 Using a cudgel to mash the apples that would soon be made into cider. |
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| November 2025 Enjoying our harvest meal---and thanking God for His bounty. |
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| November 2025 We took another group shot inside the cabin. |
November 10, Larissa and I did a Victorian-era farming presentation in Rockford, Michigan down in Monroe County.
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| November 2025 The advertisement for Larissa and I and our presentation. It worked - we had quite the crowd! |
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| November 2025 Victorian Farmers. The coolest part is it seems that many in our audience were descended from Victorian Farmers that actually lived in the area where we were at. |
Moving through November, and, yes, back at Greenfield Village.
I don't always agree with their plans (or sometimes lack thereof), but they are the only game in town for us.
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| November 2025 Historic Greenfield Village presenter, Sarah, and I at Daggett. |
Norm brought along his recently purchased New Testament Bible, which is an exact replication of an original, as made by James Moore, Bibleman.
"This is a replica of (an) original 1733 New Testament."
Norm is so honored to own such a replica, and he very well deserves it, for he is "our" minister as colonials in the cabin. And I look forward to the day to have him preach inside a church of the period, using this very Bible to preaach from.
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| November 2025 I was so glad the kind presenter allowed these photo opps! She told me she had no problem with me posting them. |
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| November 2025 And in both photos of Norm here inside the 18th century replicated New England Church inside Greenfield Village, Norm has his wonderful authentically replicated 1733 New Testament King James Bible. It is a very impressive book. |
Two weeks later I was back at Greenfield Village for my annual Black Friday excursion, only, unfortunately, Norm could not make it but Charlotte and Amy did, and we had a great time!
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| November 2025 Charlotte, myself, Sarah, Mary, Diane, and Amy. Sarah, Mary, and Diane are Daggett presenters. |
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| November 2025 Amy and I inside the Plympton Home. |
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| November 2025 I am standing in the historic doorway of the Plympton House. Thomas Plympton once stood in this very same doorway accepting the warning to send out the alarm to warn the town of Sudbury, Massachusetts that the Regulars were marching to Concord --- back in April 1775. |
December - the month of Christmas!
And only a week later we were back at Waterloo Cabin in the midst of a colonial Christmas.
Again, this is another fine event that really helps to bring the holiday home. And my friend Amy joined us for her first time out at the cabin. She told me she had a terrific time. I'm so glad - and we'll get her out again with us next year.
Our time at the cabin is as real as it gets for us. I am very proud of our stamina in all kinds of weather doing all kinds of 18th century activities.
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| December 2025 The colonial cabin crew celebrating Christmas past during Waterloo's Christmas On The Farm event. |
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| December 2025 Meet Amy---not new to reenacting, but she is new to our cabin crew! I was very proud that the pumpkin Amy was preparing is an heirloom squash that was planted by seed last June, grown in the kitchen garden, and harvested during the Pioneer Day event in October. Pumpkins were usually refered to as pompion at the time. |
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| December 2025 Feasting on a Christmas meal consisting of potato & ham soup, gingerbread cake, beets, bread, and warm spiced wassail to drink~~~all cooked at the hearth. |
My living history year ended, once again, at Greenfield Village during their festive Holiday Nights event. December 28 was the very last night it was open until April 10th - and what a joyous time I had---and then my wife came along and dressed in her period clothing - well, that just made it all perfectly wonderful!
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December 2025 18th century Ken & Patty~ Patty and I asked one of the security guards to capture our image. |
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| December 2025 I had to visit my favorite house! |
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| December 2025 I brought my wassail bowl, so Anne and I did a few posed pictures of me asking for a bowl of the warmed wassail. |
A pretty busy year, eh?
Every year I'm amazed at how often I am wearing period clothing. And I never tire of it. It's like a childhood dream come true.
But things have very much changed in the reenacting world. We've grown older, and the younger set, for some odd reason, don't always seem to have the same interests in living history as us. But there is still hope---you saw my eleven year old grandson in a few photos, and I was told that my ten year old granddaughter is interested in trying the hobby out as well. In fact, she mentioned just the other day that she is interested in having her Nonna (my dear wife) teach her how to spin on a spinning wheel!
Yes, please.
Yes, please.
Until next time, see you in time.
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| Hope to see you out celebrating!!! |
To see my posts on previous year-end articles:
Click 2024
Click 2024
I've been reenacting much longer than this, but it was in 2016 where I began this annual posting. So with today's and all those links here, there are ten years of year-end posts. Whew!
New Year
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