Monday, February 28, 2011

Frank W. Buckles 1901-2011........

I just learned that Mr. Frank Buckles the last surviving American veteran of World War I has died. With his death, we loose the last living link to the many men that fought in what was optimistically called "The war to end all wars". World War I was the point that America took it's place on the world stage as a major power and we never looked back.

So now, Mr. Buckles has joined his long lost comrades.

May he rest in peace

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Cookin' With The King..................

I have been very, very slack in my blogging, but I do have a explanation for it.

I have been in the middle of a project work frenzy. More about that in a later blog.

In the meantime, I just finished up a reenactment at Moore's Creek Bridge National Battlefield where as a member of the re-created Craven County Militia I served as the camp cook. This requires that I cook period food with period correct tools and techniques to both educate the public and to feed the troops.

In the picture below, I am cooking jowl bacon on a reproduction 18th century shovel.

You may be asking yourself the question, Why a shovel?

It's quite simple,

1. In archaeological excavations of camp sites from the Revolution, they have found several shovels that were modified and used as frying pans.

2. Armies preferred that the men boiled their rations, so there were no frying pans issued to the troops.

3. I portray a sailor, and since they wouldn't normally know what the hell to do with a shovel, they would just do what ever came to mind with it.

4. It worked and was mighty tasty...............