whose doggedness and colorful outfits
Life at the cabin, or maybe it's the cottage. Nothing beats spending time away from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life than a few days away at that special place. Away from the routine, away from work; it might be remote enough not even to receive cell phone service.
In any case, it is that place where you and your family and friends can get to, year after year and kick back, put up your feet, play, read and enjoy yourselves. What are some ideas that will help keep that relaxed feeling going for the whole time away?
It is probably a fact that this space is somewhat smaller than what you are used to at home. Fewer bedrooms, less kitchen space, closer quarters. And, most likely you are hosting more than the usual amount of people with extended family, friends and visitors for the day or weekend. Organization and planning are key.
Where will everyone sleep? Twin beds are the most functional and allow for the most sleeping space. Is there room for a sleeping loft? In the South a screened porch is a must in the summertime, and sleeping porches oftentimes are used for overflow guests or when the temperature soars.
Even inflatable mattresses will work to take care of overnight guests and are so easy to store until needed the next time.
Easy accessibility along with good functionality in the kitchen is important both for food preparation and cleanup. Again, with a smaller space, organization, as well as easy to fix meals will help. An outdoor grilling area is a must. An informal dining space is nice, but depending on the number of people, you might find eating takes place wherever one can find a seat €" the porch, the deck or out of doors.
Which brings me to the subject of furniture: Think about pieces that are easy to move both indoors as well as out and as the need arises, such as conversations, eating, game playing, rainy day activities. Consider slipcovers for your furniture; they can be thrown into the washer and for a bit into the dryer; they make life so much easier for the hosts. Multifunctional pieces of furniture work here too: The ottoman can be a spot to perch or work as the coffee table; the futon or daybed that is used as a sofa can also be slept on; and a set of nesting tables can be moved to wherever you need them.
Some other thoughts are: You may might rainy day activities, so plan ahead. Cozy nooks for reading or quiet time are always great chill out spots. Will you need a spot to hang beach towels? How about a guest book to chronicle the events and the visitors? A family history of sorts?
Patrick Stultz wades through the forest, bushes snagging his baggy red trousers. He hoists a.58-caliber musket above his blue-wool jacket and sweat-stained red kepi hat. A rusty tin canteen rattles against the leather cartridge box on his belt. He marches out of the shadows of the elms with his fellow soldiers, blinded by the sunlight and the smoke.
Two dozen men fall clumsily into rows, stepping on one another's heels. Stultz hangs back and barks at the men of the front line to take a knee. All obey their sergeant, including Jesse Henry, a 30-year-old with whiskers like tumbleweed. He pulls out a paper cartridge and tears the flap open with his teeth. Gunpowder granules mix with saliva and turn his lower lip black. He dumps the remainder down the barrel of his replicated Springfield Model 1861 and puts a gold-colored cap no bigger than a pencil eraser in front of the hammer. Raising and aiming the 10-pound, 40-inch weapon with both hands, he pulls the trigger. Three feet of flame leap between deadened tree branches toward gray coats across the open field.
It's a Saturday in late April and a few hundred Civil War reenactors are gathered at Neshaminy State Park, a 339-acre campground northeast of Philadelphia that substitutes for Northern Virginia. There, in November and December of 1863, the Army of the Potomac tried unsuccessfully to squash the rebels before winter. Over four days of skirmishes, the Battle of Mine Run took the lives of 1,272 U.S. troops and 680 Confederates.
Stultz, Henry and their fellow New York-area reenactors belong to the 14th Brooklyn Regiment Company E, which is modeled after the New York State militia whose doggedness and colorful outfits are said to have caused Confederate General Thomas €Stonewall€ Jackson to shout, €Hold on, boys! Here come those red-legged devils again!€
It's an hour before the day's big battle, a public event. Hundreds of spectators are gathering on the other side of the park while the reenactors treat themselves to a €tactical€€"a warm-up to make-believe. But this private moment of mock carnage and immolation would abruptly come to an end. The 14th Brooklyn has hardly volleyed shots, and got the kinks out of its formation, before they corner the enemy. Frustrated at the quick and aggressive positioning of the federals, the rebels call a cease fire about 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Brooklyn marches on.
Life at the cabin, or maybe it's the cottage. Nothing beats spending time away from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life than a few days away at that special place. Away from the routine, away from work; it might be remote enough not even to receive cell phone service.
In any case, it is that place where you and your family and friends can get to, year after year and kick back, put up your feet, play, read and enjoy yourselves. What are some ideas that will help keep that relaxed feeling going for the whole time away?
It is probably a fact that this space is somewhat smaller than what you are used to at home. Fewer bedrooms, less kitchen space, closer quarters. And, most likely you are hosting more than the usual amount of people with extended family, friends and visitors for the day or weekend. Organization and planning are key.
Where will everyone sleep? Twin beds are the most functional and allow for the most sleeping space. Is there room for a sleeping loft? In the South a screened porch is a must in the summertime, and sleeping porches oftentimes are used for overflow guests or when the temperature soars.
Even inflatable mattresses will work to take care of overnight guests and are so easy to store until needed the next time.
Easy accessibility along with good functionality in the kitchen is important both for food preparation and cleanup. Again, with a smaller space, organization, as well as easy to fix meals will help. An outdoor grilling area is a must. An informal dining space is nice, but depending on the number of people, you might find eating takes place wherever one can find a seat €" the porch, the deck or out of doors.
Which brings me to the subject of furniture: Think about pieces that are easy to move both indoors as well as out and as the need arises, such as conversations, eating, game playing, rainy day activities. Consider slipcovers for your furniture; they can be thrown into the washer and for a bit into the dryer; they make life so much easier for the hosts. Multifunctional pieces of furniture work here too: The ottoman can be a spot to perch or work as the coffee table; the futon or daybed that is used as a sofa can also be slept on; and a set of nesting tables can be moved to wherever you need them.
Some other thoughts are: You may might rainy day activities, so plan ahead. Cozy nooks for reading or quiet time are always great chill out spots. Will you need a spot to hang beach towels? How about a guest book to chronicle the events and the visitors? A family history of sorts?
Patrick Stultz wades through the forest, bushes snagging his baggy red trousers. He hoists a.58-caliber musket above his blue-wool jacket and sweat-stained red kepi hat. A rusty tin canteen rattles against the leather cartridge box on his belt. He marches out of the shadows of the elms with his fellow soldiers, blinded by the sunlight and the smoke.
Two dozen men fall clumsily into rows, stepping on one another's heels. Stultz hangs back and barks at the men of the front line to take a knee. All obey their sergeant, including Jesse Henry, a 30-year-old with whiskers like tumbleweed. He pulls out a paper cartridge and tears the flap open with his teeth. Gunpowder granules mix with saliva and turn his lower lip black. He dumps the remainder down the barrel of his replicated Springfield Model 1861 and puts a gold-colored cap no bigger than a pencil eraser in front of the hammer. Raising and aiming the 10-pound, 40-inch weapon with both hands, he pulls the trigger. Three feet of flame leap between deadened tree branches toward gray coats across the open field.
It's a Saturday in late April and a few hundred Civil War reenactors are gathered at Neshaminy State Park, a 339-acre campground northeast of Philadelphia that substitutes for Northern Virginia. There, in November and December of 1863, the Army of the Potomac tried unsuccessfully to squash the rebels before winter. Over four days of skirmishes, the Battle of Mine Run took the lives of 1,272 U.S. troops and 680 Confederates.
Stultz, Henry and their fellow New York-area reenactors belong to the 14th Brooklyn Regiment Company E, which is modeled after the New York State militia whose doggedness and colorful outfits are said to have caused Confederate General Thomas €Stonewall€ Jackson to shout, €Hold on, boys! Here come those red-legged devils again!€
It's an hour before the day's big battle, a public event. Hundreds of spectators are gathering on the other side of the park while the reenactors treat themselves to a €tactical€€"a warm-up to make-believe. But this private moment of mock carnage and immolation would abruptly come to an end. The 14th Brooklyn has hardly volleyed shots, and got the kinks out of its formation, before they corner the enemy. Frustrated at the quick and aggressive positioning of the federals, the rebels call a cease fire about 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Brooklyn marches on.