vermont: costume drama

as soon as my mother said the words "civil war reenactment", i became crazy with excitement and anticipation.  i have no love of things war-related - i'm a pacifist - but i love costumes and living history, and the shelburne countryside they chose for their battle site is gorgeous, so it was a simple decision to go.

as a veteran living history actor and overactive critiquer, i was a little disappointed in the inaccuracy of dress and character - unless women of the christian commission really did have french manicures.  as a paid actor under contract, i was fined for breaking character, getting a tan (pale skin was the riche fashion), and doing anything that would take a visitor out of 1891.  it was a job and i committed myself to it.  in contrast, the folks of the civil war event do it out of love for sharing, living, and honoring history, and they do it at their own personal expense.  it is not a job, it is a passion, and isn't that what matters?