Sunday, May 31, 2015

Manatee Historical Village - Inside Cracker House 1920


Sit outside and play checkers, or wander inside and buy any and everything in the local General Store... this one is now a gift shop..

my grandmother sewed on one like this and once stitched her finger. she also caught her fingers in our wringer washer

For a gallery of Florida Cracker homestead photos, that are still standing and preserved, Click here for a slide show..


Check out the size of this bedroom in 1920... the photo is the whole room. Plus this was the bathroom to. Under the cloth is a chamber pot, also known by my family as a slop jar, and you would have washed up in a bowl with a pitcher that would sit on the wash stand.



Saturday, May 30, 2015

Civil War Reenactment - Misc


Reflections of a young soldier in the windows of this house.
Six generations of my mothers family, lived here. My grandmothers home was almost identical to this 1920 home and was a short 2 miles from this one. This oak is 100 years plus.


My mothers parents - born in 1900 and 1904
Her grandparents in 1886 and 1987
Her Great Granny was born in 1862 and lived until I was 6 years ( my dad killed Great Granny 's rooster when it attacked me)


my dad’s parents were born in 1880 and 1886 his grandparents born during the civil war. 


This war was 160 years ago, but my fascination lives on because of living with all the above ancestors who talked and talked about the war.

this young man said he was guarding the house, his gun is carved from wood





Friday, May 29, 2015

Civil War Reenactment - The other surgeron


The surgeon and his nurse. When I asked if I could take his photo, he said Yes, but I am still in my underwear...the white pants and shirt go under the uniform.. they had every thing from saws and knives to forceps for delivering a baby. He assured me they used chloroform but had to be careful since it can be deadly.


Above is the wooden chest of medicines and below are blood cups. They built a tiny fire on the skin, placed the cup over and the vacuum sucked blood. YIKES. another way other than using leeches. He had a supply of those. I did not check to see if they were LIVING..




Above, Pat with the nurse.. and the fully stocked surgeons chest

Formaldehyde, double syringe to put two bottles like this in the body, the coffin with the Label on it, to write all the info on where to ship it home.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Civil War Reenactment - The Women


Women were a very important part of the war..they took care of the families left behind without the men, they worked as nurses and even as spies. Over four hundred women  dressed as men and went to war.



The ladies in their pretty dresses were in the buildings to answer any questions.  Above and below OOPS! fans? electric fans?
They said the dresses were cool because of the hoops holding them out.
I am just happy I did not live back then.



Above was a female soldier that marched with the men. She said there were women who carried the flag, and marched with the soldiers. I have never heard this and was unable to verify it.


When the soldiers searched the buildings, these ladies argued with them.
the one in the center said to the soldier in her garden, "are you taking our food to? you already have our silver" and he replied "everything here is the property of the United States of America'...


Pat, a modern day woman, held the flag out for me...we were dressed for the 90 degree weather in capri's and t-shirts. One of the ladies in the house , said to us  "What are you doing in public in your bloomers?"



Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Civil War Reenactment - The Oath


We watched as the company marched down the middle of the street and into the other part of the park.


They were called to attention and given their orders to find every man and take him to the courthouse to sign the allegiance form..


and to search all buildings for Judah P. Benjamin

(I felt much better when one of the soldiers whispered this Southern Belle, "Don't worry, they will not find him, he escaped to England and became an attorney." He laughed when I yelled YAY!)




Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Civil War Reenactment - Soldiers


clicking on photos will enlarge for detail

The 7th Volunteers - Union Army came to Bradenton for the 2nd time in our cities History. They camped in our Manatee Historical Park. The Union army did not come this far into Florida during the war, but in 1865, after the war, one unit came to Bradenton, for the 1st and last time.


Pat (a lady I met in the parking lot) and I walked up just as the troops were finishing there breakfast at 7:30 am Saturday morning. We were the only visitors that came that early.


I was of course fascinated with the fire..



I said to the men around the fire, "Might a Rebel to the bone approach your fire?"  The gentleman in white welcomed us with
"of course, southern ladies are always welcome"

Doc Holiday and a Frontiersman

and introduced himself as The Surgeon for the company and the other man said 'I am just a frontiersman" .

I pointed to the whip on his shoulder and said " and you are also known as a Cracker here." He said "I am!'

Pat is from NJ and she sucked in her breath, thinking Cracker was a bad word... The Surgeon explained, Cracker was a word to be proud of in Florida during that time." and I said "because the name comes from cracking that whip to herd the cattle.

The frontiersman said " no ropes allowed, whips only, and mine is the length for a man walking, the whip would be longer for a cracker on a horse."

We were told the army is here to compel all men of the former Confederacy to sign and swear allegiance to the United States of America.....  and to find and arrest Judah P. Benjamin, Secretary of State for the Confederacy."....... to be continued


Drums and the cot in the tent with a wool blanket.. and OOPS! Charging the walkie talkies...




Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day 2015


7th Volunteer Company, Union Army Civil War Re-Enactment at our Historical Village Saturday May, 24 2015
In 1868 the 30th of May was declared Declaration Day, to honor all the soldiers who died in the War Between The States, known as The Civil War.

750,000 died in that war, the most in any of America's history.  In 1971 the last Monday of May was dedicated as Memorial Day to honor the dead from all wars. 
That war is sometimes called the American Apocalypse 

Today we honor the fallen

This is a Link to United States military Casualties since The American Revolution, and the numbers are staggering.

And since only the dead have seen the end of war, the numbers continue to climb. God Bless our Soldiers


Friday, May 22, 2015

Abstract or NOT..


I used this as my new header in Addicted to Snap-ping my photo only blog.
I took the below ATTEMPT at taking an abstract photo into PicMonkey to FORCE it to be abstract and as usual
Got Carried Away and I used one of their Butterfly overlay




Same thing on this one.... below is what was in the camera, above is monkeyed with and I used my own butterfly photo on this one..

I am sure you are wondering WHY and here is the reason...
A few days ago, I visited Click'n Camera and found her post on taking abstract art photos. Her Photos are Amazing Abstracts..

My only excuse is she has better glass and pretty things to put under it. I had a chair cushion and a candy dish. I JUST KNOW that is why mine are not like hers.













Thursday, May 21, 2015

PicMonke, Me..the Art of Painting




Good Fence Thursday



Our fence  between our back yard and The Bratz Fort next door.


Back yard  gate.
We consider this a Good Fence, it keeps the dogs safe, protects neighborhood kids from our pool and gives us privacy.

Just for fun I ran Good Fence through Google Search and found there really is a good fence.



Bob's Nook Of Junk and plant hospital and his side of the gate.
That gate is 25 years old and still standing.




Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Post Script -Recycled Dreams Winner


Here is PROOF Her Madness the MadSnapper was at the 
 Prior Post  Fashion Show and further proves it was not my skills or my camera that caused blurred photos. The professionals were shooting in low light to.


Above is the winner (not ME silly).
If you want to see MORE photos of all the dresses they are  HERE and are not my photos.

photo from library flicker acct

The top three designs... left to right.. designer, 3rd runner up, designer, 1st place and 2nd runner up...

see what I mean about it was NOT my SKILLS???? shooting inside is a challenge

There were about 300 people, half of which were holding Smart Phones in the air, I was the ONLY ONE with a point and shoot camera.

( I nearly died of mortification and felt every eye in the place was on me thinking.. SHE has NO smartphone)

I was Also the ONLY one not taking selfies with all the contestants.

 soooooooooooooo I came home and took these using my camera, remember it has no forward facing LED to see what I am doing.


Please I beg of you, do NOT click on photo to enlarge.
NO... that is not bed hair... that is my going out hair and now I have decided to never go OUT again...
WHY would anyone take a selfie? I mean who wants to see all THIS UP CLOSE..   NOTE: to hide your chins, lean forward and to the side...

JUST IN CASE YOU ARE INTO SELFIES THERE IS AN EXTENDER POLE.....