Privateer

Saturday 24 September 2011

Charlestown Naval Yard in Boston, home of "Old Ironsides". This chap belongs to a naval historical society. Today he was the captain of an American Privateer, a sort of legal pirate as he had a Letter of Marque from the government which gave him permission to attack enemy ships, in this case British as he was representing the War of 1812 - 14.
Of course the Americans were just doing what the English, French et al had done before them - all's fair in love & war.

Absolute Bounder!

Saturday 6 August 2011: Absolute Bounder!

Barkerville, British Columbia. The site of a gold strike by Billy Barker in 1862 - which led to the Cariboo Gold Rush and B.C. eventually becoming part of Canada.
The town was inhabited until the Seventies, now it's a living museum. There's still gold in them hills though.
This chap plays a well bred Englishman with an eye for the ladies and a taste for opium and gambling. To keep things fair, his accent did a tour of the British Isles.
There are lots of actors playing characters from the heyday of the town so they inhabit different time periods. It's all great fun.
We started off with a guide called Holladay, who had Heidi pigtails and was incredibly chpper. So chipper, I felt like murdering her. Finally, it dawned on me that she was one of the cast - nobody could be that chipper!
The vicar is the real deal: the Church of Canada found itself in a theme park but have come to an understanding with the Province over their being there.