In between new jobs, moving to New Braunfels, and packing our covered wagon(s), we decided to take a break last weekend and run up to Southwestern Regional Rendezvous for the day. It was pretty close – Hearne, TX – and knowing full-well that it would certainly not be in Texas next year (it’s been here for the past two), we wanted to take our niece out to see a bigger event.
The location was just outside of Hearne, on a place we’d camped before with TAB. That event was one of those October events where it was cold at night (capotes), hot during the day (breechclouts and cotton clothes) and of course – rained the last morning. That was also the first event where we used a tent with walls (a story for another time), but I digress . . .
Martin “Short Bear” Hayes was booshway, with Rick “Smoke-In-Face” Quinn and Andrea “Blushing Ankle” Raum as co-Segundos. Arriving the last weekend with the rest of the riff-raff and non-combatants, I made my way over to rowdy camp, where I knew I’d find one or more of my crowd. I was stopped mid-way having spotted Smoke across the camp and taking down the recent smoothbore shoot. We made our way back to camp, taking turns with pulling the small handcart of firewood. Immediately accosted by the boisterous presence of Rick “Screaming Cloud” O’Shea, I felt at home with my brothers of the rifle and hawk.
It’s spring in Central Texas and the first tendrils of heat were making their way through the sparse tree cover of the rendezvous site. Everything was lush and green – a testament to the harsh rains and summer storms the early campers had experienced the week before. Otter Woman and I walked around the camps with our niece, Devin, seeing a lot of old friends and catching them up on our recent updates. Being visibly pregnant, everyone was excited and looking forward to the coming of our most recent addition to our camp. The hassle of our previous year – as evidenced by our lack of attendance at the last two TAB rendezvous (something I had told myself years ago I would never let happen) – were quickly forgotten as we received the warm embraces and good tidings of our fellow campmates.
Otterwoman and Devin made their way through the trader’s tents, jewelry makers, and also sampled some of the great period fare – including homemade ice cream. I walked trader’s row – proudly carrying my new Jackie Brown rifle – and spotted a hunting hat I had seen the year before. It was in the style of the mountain men as drawn by Alfred Jacob Miller: wool construction with the distinctive “wolf ears” sticking up from the top of the hat. I am always going back and forth with the longhunter (1700s) vs. mountain man (1800s) look and the more period-correct items I am finding for the later, the more and more I want to head in that direction.
On the way out, we met Tejas – his name earned by his buckskinning family who rendezvous together in New Mexico and Arizona – and talked to him about the upcoming events. Tejas lamented about the lack of longer rendezvous – “it’s not worth setting up a camp for only a weekend” – and Otter Woman and I were both impressed by his fortitude and his accouterments – all made by his family members.
Reluctantly, we headed out later in the afternoon – looking forward to the next TAB rendezvous in April – and hoping that future events wouldn’t be suffered by our crazy schedules.
– Many Rifles