Papa tries out the new home zombie defense weapon system

Well, we finally conducted Anabasis down at the new castra location and it was awesome!  Unfortunately, not many of you could make it, so Alex, Andrey Kyrychenko, and I had to have enough fun for the whole group!

Since I knew attendance would be low, we decided to mix in some more modern, anachronistic events with our planned living history experience.  So, after we loaded up the Pilot to the ceiling with tent and equipment, we headed to the small Georgia town of Butler, GA, to visit “Barrow’s Automotive and Firearms.”  Yep, only in my beloved Southland can you buy a tune-up kit for your car and stock up on your weapons and ammo in one stop.  Barrow’s is a gem – they have a great selection of firearms and unusually good stocks (and prices) of ammunition (except, of course, for 9mm and .22 LR, which are practically unobtainable these days).  After loading up on some supplies in case we were attacked by zombies overnight (remember, they film “The Walking Dead” just up the road from us), we headed to the castra.

Upon arrival, it was very, very windy – and pretty cold in fact as a result, although the sun was shining.  Our first priority of work was to ensure we’d be comfortable overnight, so we erected the Roman tent.  Our next priority of work (by Jupiter, I love being a civilian!) was to eat some period Roman snacks for lunch – we had worked up an appetite and needed some sustenance.  Finally, it was time to get down to business, so we set up a firing range to enjoy the anachronistic portion of Anabasis – preparation for a potential zombie attack during our overnight stay.  Alex got to practice with his new shotgun; Andrey got in some firearms instruction; and I did some pistol practice with my new SIG P229 and Ruger LCR.  We had a blast (literally).

The wind was really kicking up throughout the afternoon with gusts up to 20 mph, so much so that we almost had the heavy 10’ x 10’ awning over the firing line blow away, even though it was staked down at all four corners.  Not so the Roman tent – that thing was as solid as a rock and never even required us to tighten the guy lines.  Truly a great, all-weather design; we did a good thing when we made that – kudos to everyone that worked on it.

Ready to patrol the limes

After we ensured that we were fully prepared for any nightly zombie contingencies, it was time to kit up and head out to patrol the limes of our Area of Operation.  Here you can see the two of us posing in front of our tent – note the great coloration the tent has assumed since it was completed.  Upon inspection, we could not see any repairs required – we did a good job.

Next, we moved out, traveling about a mile along trails, sometimes having to make our way through or around the creeks on the land that were swollen with recent rainwater.

Did I mention that it rained?  Well, it had, and we ended up having to detour (where possible) several times around some water.  Fortunately, our caligae were great for letting our feet dry out and preventing blisters.

When possible – let the Auxiliary recon the route around the water obstacle

Moving through the woods and around (and through) the water obstacles was a lot of fun, and really gave me a better understanding for Varus’ disaster.  Roman Legionaries are not cut out for fighting on narrow, wooded trails – and especially not in woods.

Glad we had on armor – but the stickers made me realize that it might have been a good day to add trousers to my impression

All in all, the “patrol” was a lot of fun – a good, albeit small, taste of what it might have been like a couple of thousand years ago.  I just wish that you guys had all been there with us – a larger unit performing this event would have been fantastic.  Please try and make it to the next Anabasis!

“Is this the right path back to the camp? I don’t know, you’re the overpaid Legionary so you tell me!”

Eventually, we made it back to the castra, doffed our kits, fired a few more rounds “just in case” and then it was time to think about dinner.  Again, since we had fewer guys and had already had a “Roman” lunch, the centurio made the command decision to drive into town and procure rations from the “Big Chic,” a noted “southern” Roman establishment specializing in deep-fried delicacies.  Returning to the castra, we enjoyed our repast and then retired for the night in the tent – marking the first time it had been used for its intended purpose.  Needless to say, the tent was great – not a lick of wind bothered us.  Luckily for us, we were undisturbed by zombies (although, you know we were ready) and woke up to a fine, foggy morning where our first priority (did I tell you that being a civilian is great?) was to make coffee.  After ensuring that I would not fall asleep on the way home, we loaded up and headed back to barbarian “civilization.”

Just call him Alex “Johnny Storm” Kyrychenko – when you need a good fire, he’s the man!

To sum up, Anabasis was great and I hope that all of you can make it to the next one this coming September!

Workshop Report:

      During the March workshop, Chip Lewis made a great start on his balteus, completing the apron with all of the studs, but holding off on the finials until it’s mounted on the belt itself.  We spent some time working out where the plates should be in relation to the pugio, and then he added many of the plates required.  I’m sure that he’ll complete this beautiful piece at the April workshop.  In the meantime, I completed some repairs on my lorica squamata, re-stitching some of the rows of scales on the right side where over-tightening my balteus caused some of the threads to get cut.  Not a tough project, but really made me appreciate the work that Matt Lukes put into it.

Once again, thanks so much to Rusty Myers and the other heroes in Legio VI for putting this superb even together year after year.

Workshop Report:

The November workshop was pretty sparsely attended, only Alex Kyrychenko and me – but we had our usual good time working together.  I’ve lost count of the number of hours that we’ve worked side-by-side either in my old workshop in the basement of the quarters at Fort Mac or here in Peachtree City.  Always a good time.              Alex finally received his gladius from Matt Lukes – most impressive.  He had it shipped with the scabbard disassembled so that he could tin the parts himself.  As always when trying to tin something, it was a pain, but the final result is absolutely outstanding.  So, to carry it he needed a baldric and that’s exactly what he focused on at the workshop.  The end result is a very nice piece with a hand-made buckle.  Should serve him and his gladius very well at future events.  Between giving Alex a little assistance with his baldric I also managed to frustrate myself continuing the process of mounting the new suspension loops on the plain steel pugio.  It’s going to happen, I promise.  I’ll have this done for the April event at GAJCL if it kills me.

No workshop or other event for December, for which I apologize.  Given everyone’s travel and/or other plans, it just didn’t look like it was going to happen so I cancelled.  Hope to see folks in January, where I’d like to discuss the plans, work breakdown, etc for the laminated scutum.

Member News:

Chip Lewis received some fantastic balteus parts from Replikate in Germany for Christmas.  Can’t wait to see them and for Chip to start work on the balteus in January!

Next Project:

      I really would like to make the full-scale laminated scutum as well as the display version, a smaller, cutaway model.  I’d like to talk to Chris about getting the birch strips we have on hand cut down to the proper thickness so we can get started.

The second event was the “Sons of Italy” Festival in downtown Columbia, SC, conducted on the 29th of September right by the Capitol Building.  This featured many participants to include Alex Kyrychenko and our brothers from Legio VI, vendors of Italian foods, and is always fun.  Thanks to Legio VI for putting these events together and to those who attended for making the effort to educate the public on the Roman Army.

Hope to see you all at Castra!!!

Workshop Report:

The September workshop was great – a lot of kit progress made.  Chris worked on the crest block for his Imperial Italic “B” – great piece of black walnut.  He completed the sanding, final shaping of the wood, added the mounting hardware, and varnished it – ready to drill holes and add horsehair to be complete.  Chip Lewis worked on a baldric for one of our gladii – making the buckle from scratch and doing all the leatherwork – looks great.   For my project, I started work on adding the Nodge Nolan suspension loops we have on hand to one of the plain steel pugiones in the loaner kit.  I stripped all the existing hardware off and got it ready to add the correct loops – the next part of the project is to cover the old rivet holes on the backside and then I’ll be ready to drill new holes.

October saw Alex Kyrychenko completing the apron for his new balteus, finishing  it with 50 studs and the attachment of the terminals.  Wouldn’t you know, he got to the very last rivet (a globe rivet – very difficult to work with) and it failed.  Fortunately, we were able to jury-rig a solution and the apron looks fantastic with all of the tinned parts.  Chris Stewart was able to finish his crest, adding the black horsehair itself.  In one day he was able to mark 56 holes, drill them, and then tie the 56 bundles of horsehair and fix them to the crest.  Remember the rule about crests – never untie the big horsehair bundle!  I continued work on the steel pugio, adding some brass backplates that will cover the existing rivet holes and serve as the foundation for the new rivets that will hold the loops themselves.

All of us are thinking that it’s time to make a laminated scutum that will belong to the Legio, along with a partial, unfinished scutum that will demonstrate the layers and actual construction techniques.  I think this would be a great group project while we see what happens with the artillery.

All in all, a great couple of months for workshop progress.

Member News:

Not much news to report – it would be good to hear from you or see you at an event or workshop.

Next Project:

      As soon as we can get some plans, we intend to start on the artillery piece.  As I mention above, in the meantime I’d like to work on the laminated scutum since we have all the materials.

            September was a great month for events, unfortunately I was unable to attend them although a few of us were able to participate.  First was the “2nd Saturday”
Event at the Roper mountain Science Center in Greenville, SC on 8 September – quite an honor to be selected again by the museum.  The venue was a “mini-castra” with 800 to 1200 students and parents coming out to see the glory that was Rome. I really enjoy this outing, but was unfortunately unable to attend – I wish we could get this as a regular September occurrence.

            The second event was the “Sons of Italy” Festival in downtown Columbia, SC, conducted on the 29th of September right by the Capitol Building.  This featured many participants to include Alex Kyrychenko and our brothers from Legio VI, vendors of Italian foods, and is always fun.  Thanks to Legio VI for putting these events together and to those who attended for making the effort to educate the public on the Roman Army.

            Hope to see you all at Castra!!!

Workshop Report:

            The September workshop was great – a lot of kit progress made.  Chris worked on the crest block for his Imperial Italic “B” – great piece of black walnut.  He completed the sanding, final shaping of the wood, added the mounting hardware, and varnished it – ready to drill holes and add horsehair to be complete.  Chip Lewis worked on a baldric for one of our gladii – making the buckle from scratch and doing all the leatherwork – looks great.   For my project, I started work on adding the Nodge Nolan suspension loops we have on hand to one of the plain steel pugiones in the loaner kit.  I stripped all the existing hardware off and got it ready to add the correct loops – the next part of the project is to cover the old rivet holes on the backside and then I’ll be ready to drill new holes. 

            October saw Alex Kyrychenko completing the apron for his new balteus, finishing  it with 50 studs and the attachment of the terminals.  Wouldn’t you know, he got to the very last rivet (a globe rivet – very difficult to work with) and it failed.  Fortunately, we were able to jury-rig a solution and the apron looks fantastic with all of the tinned parts.  Chris Stewart was able to finish his crest, adding the black horsehair itself.  In one day he was able to mark 56 holes, drill them, and then tie the 56 bundles of horsehair and fix them to the crest.  Remember the rule about crests – never untie the big horsehair bundle!  I continued work on the steel pugio, adding some brass backplates that will cover the existing rivet holes and serve as the foundation for the new rivets that will hold the loops themselves.

            All of us are thinking that it’s time to make a laminated scutum that will belong to the Legio, along with a partial, unfinished scutum that will demonstrate the layers and actual construction techniques.  I think this would be a great group project while we see what happens with the artillery.

            All in all, a great couple of months for workshop progress.

Member News: 

            Not much news to report – it would be good to hear from you or see you at an event or workshop.

Next Project:

      As soon as we can get some plans, we intend to start on the artillery piece.  As I mention above, in the meantime I’d like to work on the laminated scutum since we have all the materials.

No events in July, although it was much cooler than expected. Looking forward to the fall and the events that the nicer weather portends.

Workshop Report:

This month’s workshop was kind of slow, typical of summer and the lack of events to get excited about. Chip Lewis came by and we visited for awhile, deciding to leave and get lunch just as Alex Kyrychenko arrived. Once again, Alex was able to continue progress on his fantastic belt – this time actually getting the plates attached. All that’s really left at this point is the apron and he’s set to wear it in the fall. Can’t wait for the folks at Castra to see it.

Member News:

Not much to tell here – hope that we see some of you again soon.

As usual, with the arrival of the Summer heat (especially the 100+ degree temps we had in June) we suspend our re-enactment activities for the most part, so no event-related news to impart.

Workshop Report:

The workshop this month was fantastic, not so much for what we achieved (which was substantial), but because Chris Damour was able to join us from Huntsville! It was great to see him again, and for him to see our new “fabrica” since the last time he was able to attend a workshop we were still working in my basement on Fort McPherson.

Chris and I were joined by Chip Lewis, Alex Kyrychenko, and Chris Stewart. Alex continued his work on his new balteus – progressing now to the leather work and double-stitching of the edges (which looks amazing). Everyone is going to be jealous of this thing. I can’t wait until he starts mounting the plates at the next workshop. In the meantime, Chris Damour and I worked on the loaner kit – cleaning, oiling, scrubbing rust, etc. We even had to remove rust from one of the hamatae, which was a new task for us, but one that was greatly facilitated by a brass wire brush and an electric drill. Seemed to work great but we’ll see in a few weeks. Chip worked on his scutum rim – finished cutting it out, then shaped the tabs, then annealed and formed the rim itself – we even got the top/bottom pretty ready. His scutum can now go to paint, and then we can add rim and umbo and complete it. Chris Stewart worked on his Italic B helmet – had his crest block wood planed down to correct thickness and wanted to cut the actual block out but the bandsaw was not working – even if it had been I told him if I did it I would mess up the cut on the bandsaw! As usual, he then pitched in and helped out everyone a bit.

All in all, another great workshop and very productive.

Member News:

No member news to report, except that Rusty and Legio VI have been invited to the National Junior Classical League convention at Wake Forest University in July. I plan to attend – hope some of you all can as well.

Next Project:

As soon as we can get some plans, we intend to start on the artillery piece. I know we’re all looking forward to this one.

This last point leads me to point out an interesting discovery. We placed the painted canvas and leather tents side-by-side, and during the course of the day we observed that, contrary to our implicit assumption, the leather tent was much, much cooler on the inside than the canvas tent – I’m talking 10-15 degrees cooler. This was a surprise to all of us, even though we should have known that the Romans, being as practical as they were, would figure out how to make a tent that was both warm in winter and cool in summer.

Natalie Faulkner, the Convention President, was very appreciative of us as she always is. She refers to us as “her Soldiers” and it truly is a fact that we are now an integral part of Convention for both faculty and students, with one young lady telling us that she “saw us for the first time when she was in 8^th grade and now she’s a senior” and she was emphatic that we made a great contribution to the students’ experience. My, my – “tempus” certainly does “fugit!”

As usual, all of us had a great time, with the usual side-events that make this trip worthwhile – eating dinner together a couple of times, sharing a laugh – it’s always a great experience spending time with the superb professionals that make up “Legio XVII.” Can’t wait to see you guys next month at Explorations in Antiquity.

Workshop Report:

Although the April workshop was thinly attended, Alex Kyrychenko and I had a great time as we always do working together and hanging out in general. The two of us started out by spending about 3 hours maintaining the leather tent. While our basic design was pretty strong, we noticed that the leather had started to tear where the “tabs” holding the tent ropes join the tent walls – especially at the four corners. We reinforced these with additional stitching, actually attaching the tabs onto the 4” rain flaps, which seemed to give them pretty good strength – it certainly worked out at GAJCL since I noticed no signs of additional tearing. There were also about six feet of assorted tunnel stitching that required repair and/or reinforcement. Most of these were early seams that we completed prior to fully understanding how tight we could/should pull them. With these repairs, the tent was ready for GAJCL and seemed to hold up very well. I’m sure we’ll have to do one more maintenance session in the summer following Explorations in Antiquity in May, but for now it seems fine.

Following the tent repair, Alex worked on polishing his balteus terminals – he’s finished all of them (man, what a commitment that was) and his balteus is ready for tinning and assembly. Thanks goodness the last two soldered terminal tips held up to shaping so I don’t have to repeat that fiasco! I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Member News:

Nothing major to report – you guys out there that we have not heard from in awhile please drop us a line and let us know how you’re doing.

Next Project:
As soon as we can get some plans, we intend to start on the artillery piece. I know we’re all looking forward to this one.

The weather forecast for Saturday was for thunderstorms, so I delayed the actual weather call until Saturday morning, hoping that the weather would clear or the chance of storms would abate enough for us to kit out. Unfortunately, at the time of our departure for the castra, the weather was looking very overcast and I had a great deal of doubt about our ability to kit out and not get soaked. At any rate, the four of us decided to deploy: myself, Jared Fleury, Chip Lewis, and Alex Kyrychenko all ventured south, and in addition to Roman weapons also carried quite an arsenal of modern weapons.

Once we arrived, the weather was looking better but the forecast was for storms overnight – not something any of us looked forward to experiencing again (we all remember that Castra Romana at Givhans). So, we put up some awnings, set out our targets, and then proceeded to enjoy ourselves with various calibers of rifles, shotguns, and pistols – I’d estimate that between the four of us we probably put 2000 rounds downrange. Following the shooting, we had some lunch and then decided to walk it off by patrolling the property, learning our way around all of the many foot trails it contains.

While the morning and afternoon were, thankfully, dry, we were still looking at a forecast calling for overnight thunderstorms, so we made the reluctant decision to redeploy via the “Big Chick” restaurant where we all enjoyed some good, southern fried chicken.

I feel bad that we didn’t kit out and do more Roman activities as we have in past iterations of Anabasis, but I think we all enjoyed ourselves and, just as importantly, learned that the new site offers a number of great opportunities for Roman patrols, a drill area, bivouac site, and even a potential site for a new, full-time structure devoted to the hobby.

My thanks to all who attended – it was especially nice to see Jared again – and I look forward to seeing you all at Junior Classical League Convention in April.

Workshop Report:

It was great to see Alex Matras join us at the workshop along with myself, Alex Kyrychenko and Chip Lewis. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot for him to work on but I hope that the fellowship was worth the trip – we sure enjoy spending time with him.

This was a different workshop in that we combined work on Roman projects with some modern efforts as well. Prior to anyone’s arrival, I started fooling around with my progressive ammunition reloading press, trying to make it work and teach myself how to re-load ammunition. Chip arrived while I was experimenting, and one thing led to another. After a great deal of trial and effort, we definitely taught ourselves the basics and overcame this cranky piece of machinery to end up with about one hundred 9mm pistol rounds that are now ready to fire – along with about 50 rejects that didn’t come out so well. Definitely a learning experience.

Once our comrades joined us, we gradually moved on to some real, Roman fabrication. Chip and I continued work on his scutum cutting the brass strips for the rim and shaping both of the long sides, which are now ready for annealing and forming. The remaining sides will be shaped next workshop and then I’m confident they’ll be ready for final forming at that time as well.

Alex Kyrychenko continued to form what will be the magnificent apron terminals for his new balteus – he has pretty much finished shaping all of the parts except for maybe some minor trimming/polishing (assuming my last two re-do solder blobs hold up).

As always, the workshops are what keep us together as a unit and it was great to combine efforts once again.

Member News:

Great to see Jared Fleury again – he has quite an arsenal and it was a (literal) blast getting to shoot some of it!

Next Project:

As soon as we can get some plans, we intend to start on the artillery piece. I know we’re all looking forward to this one.

Workshop Report:

Now that the tent is complete (except for maintenance and upkeep between events), we are returning to some more familiar projects as we wait for the plans for our next major project, a Roman ballista.

December had a pretty good gathering featuring Chris Stewart, Alex Kyrychenko (with Andriy, his designated driver), Chip Lewis and myself putting in some time on a variety of projects. Chris made a new baldric for his gladius that turned out very well. He then oiled up his caligae for the winter and capped off the day by making and attaching some very cool crest hooks to his Italic B helmet based on research by H. Russell Robinson. This Deepeeka Italic B is a very good reconstruction, but more importantly it is the only one we’ve found that actually fits Chris’ head. With the new crest hooks, he’ll now be able to wear his crest in even greater style and comfort!

Chip Lewis started on that perennial favorite of all Legio XI milites, getting to learn the joys of the jigsaw as he cut out his scutum blank, glued the separate pieces together, and got it strapped onto the form. I gave him minimal assistance on this project, and then both of us applied a coat of varnish to the tent poles, completing that one last detail of tent manufacture.

Alex Kyrychenko has decided to make the terminals for his new balteus (with the cool plates from Matt Lukes) himself – and these are some really complex pieces. Accordingly, he started cutting them out of very thick sheet brass – .032” – and shaping them into the distinctive “spade” shapes with cutouts for details. Really, really tough work which he accomplished with his usual skill and attention to detail. This is going to be an amazing piece when completed.

After the workshop, we were joined by Michelle, Jay and Robin Stewart along with Daisy Lewis and all of us (Piper and her sister Blair included) then ate hors d’oeuvres and played Nasty Santa – the most popular gift of which (stolen three times) was a bottle of wine and a bottle of vodka. Chip got a great set of tools that he stole from Andriy!

To cap it off, we then watched the rest of the SEC Championship game where LSU (Piper’s alma mater) whooped up on UGA!

Awesome evening. I was glad there were plenty of designated drivers!

Member News:

No new news from this month, although we hope to hear from those members, new and old, that we’ve not seen for awhile.

Next Project:

As soon as we can get some plans, we intend to start.I know we’re all looking forward to this one.

Upcoming Events

Note that I’ve set the date for Anabasis – they can still be changed (for instance, to suit folks with other commitments), just trying to get a mark on the wall since we’re about 60 days out. I don’t have the Georgia Junior Classical League convention dates yet, but I’ve asked the organizers for them and should have them in the next newsletter.

We had fantastic weather, swapped tales and admired kits with good friends we’d like to see more often, and realized that we are very lucky to have someone like Rusty as a leader in our hobby. Thanks to all of Legio VI who spent so much time and effort making this a premier event.

Workshop Report:

As you can see, we finally FINISHED the tent during the November workshop! This was a hectic session, where all sorts of small tasks associated with finishing the tent and preparing for Castra required us to move with a purpose to get them done. Chris Stewart, Chip Lewis, Paul Montello, and Alex Kyrychenko and I were joined by two new, young prospective members – Jesse Hardin and Isaac Delaino – who were attending their first workshop.

The first thing we had to do was erect the tent so we could take a final measurement of the tent poles so we could cut them to exact lengths as well as apply a coat of neatsfoot oil as a preservative/weatherproof. Once we got it standing, our plan was to use a garden sprayer to apply the oil – which unfortunately didn’t work worth a crap. So, off we send Chip Lewis and Alex Kyrychenko to Home Depot for foam brushes and, hopefully, some more neatsfoot oil. Well, of course Home Depot had the brushes, but neatsfoot oil? No way. Fortunately, Chris remembered that he’d seen neatsfoot oil at – of all places – Tractor Supply Company, so to TSC they headed and voila! Two gallons of oil, which we then applied (the technical term is “slathered”) to the tent.

Meanwhile, myself, Paul, Chris, Jesse, and Isaac pulled out all of our loaner kit and pulled maintenance: oiled, polished, removed rust, lubricated, re-inventoried and re-packed it. When Alex and Chip got back, we all fell in and “slathered” the tent with neatsfoot oil – and were done in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Then, we came inside and polished the signum so that everything was in readiness for Castra.

So, we did it! After 17 months of work we are ready for our next project, and I’d like to personally thank all of those who had a hand in its completion:

Matt Audette
Jared Fleury (Laudes for his many, many hours of individual work and prior research – would not have had it in time for Castra without him!)
Martin Kealey
Alex Kyrychenko
Chip Lewis
Alex Matras
Paul Montello
Rusty Myers
Chris Stewart

Member News:

While at Castra, we were very fortunate to have Rusty introduce us to another prospective member, Jonathan Sargent and his wife, Jennifer, from Clermont, GA. He’s located up near Jared Fleury’s neck of the woods, and we hope to see him at a future event or workshop.

Next Project:

Well, the consensus is in – we’re going to build a ballista (stone thrower). Alex Kyrychenko is in contact with an expert on Roman artillery in Russia, who believes that we can construct (considering that we will be able to take it apart) either a 10lb machine using the Greek formula or a 20lb machine using the table found in Vetruvius. All of these dimensions, of course, are driven by my trailer size!

This is going to be a major undertaking, but I know that we’ll devote the same energy to this project that we showed on the tent. Once Alex’ friend supplies us with the drawings and plans, then we’ll start to look at how long (and how expensive) a project this will prove.

News/Events:

This month’s event was the annual Italian Festival conducted in Columbia, SC. The Bella Italia Lodge 2808-Columbia hosts this event each year to increase awareness of the local Italian community – its heritage and culture – and share its festival proceeds with various charities throughout Columbia. The lodge has successfully contributed to Harvest Hope Food Bank, The Oliver Gospel Mission, Christ Central Mission; paid for Veterans Memorial Trips to Washington, DC; and assisted various other humanitarian efforts around the region and around the world! In addition, a portion of the proceeds is earmarked to provide college scholarships to worthy students in the Midlands.

Hosted by our comilitiones from Legio VI FFC, this was a nice event in the middle of downtown Columbia. Legio XI was represented by Chip Lewis, Chris Stewart, Paul Silva, Alex Kyrychenko, and myself. All of us had a wonderful time, enjoying some great Italian food not once, but twice at a local restaurant! The only downside was that we once again proved that caligae and asphalt don’t mix – I know my feet hurt for a couple of days even though we were able to stand on a rubber mat (camouflaged with some burlap bags, of course) for much of the day. The organizers of the event greatly appreciated our participation and have already asked us to return next year. Thanks to Legio VI, especially Mike Daniels, for their hard work in making this happen.

Workshop Report:

The October workshop and subsequent work throughout the month have gotten us almost to the point of completion on the tent. Friday afternoon prior to the workshop, I bought the planks of rough-sawn white oak required for the poles. Chris Stewart came over that evening with his portable table saw and we cut the poles (after some very careful measurement!) into the required dimensions, leaving them a little long for final adjustment after we’ve been able to erect the tent. The wood was incredibly dense – I broke off a drill bit actually made for metal drilling in it before we were done, and the table saw was literally smoking! These poles are heavy-duty! Copying a page from Legio V’s tent, the center ridge pole is hinged with a leather strap so that it will fold. This work stood us in good stead for Saturday’s workshop with the larger group.

Saturday, Alex Kyrychenko, Chip Lewis and I finished stitching the tent. Chip and I made and attached the pegs and loops for the actual closures, while Alex finished stitching the two remaining door seams. This was Chip’s first attempt at stitching leather, and he, like the rest of us, has now shed blood for the legion!

At this point, we’re pretty much done except for the following:

• Need to actually erect the tent and ensure that any adjustments required in the length of the tent poles are made (shortening as required).
• The tent needs a good coat of neatsfoot oil (or two).
• We must attach the guy ropes that will run to the pegs.

Not much left to do – can’t wait to unveil it at Castra.