The Explorers' Club
№ CCCXLIV - The Kula ring exchange system.







Project MERCATOR
Red Patton invited me to Dexter, Michigan's Civil War Days & on Saturday we motored to Ann Arbor to pick up his betrothed, the future Mrs. Red Patton, & then continued on to Dexter. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, though not for the reasons anticipated. The reenactment, which I had thought would be the centerpiece of the festivities, was small—with perhaps a score of men squaring off against each other representing the battle in the Wheatfields, on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg—& consequently somewhat underwhelming. No, the real fun was in talking to several of the reenactors. One fellow, a friendly Vietnam veteran playing an artillery sergeant, was keen to recruit Red Patton & the future Mrs. Red Patton as reenactors; we ran into him thrice throughout the afternoon, & by the third encounter we were jointly lamenting most Americans' ignorance of even the broad outlines of history. He was a skilled raconteur with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. The second fellow of interest was the sutler, whose insights into both the 1860s & the reenacting community were fascinating. We met the third fellow sitting in his tent, dressed in civilian garb. I asked, referencing the nearby chess- & checkerboard if the men of the period would have been more likely to play chess or checkers; he replied that it depended principally on their socioeconomic status, with the common men playing checkers & the upper crust playing chess. More discussion followed, which revealed that his tent was not meant to represent a campaign tent, but a period house; it's simply easier to transport & set up the household goods inside a multi-chambered tent than to build a log cabin. He was playing Senator Jacob Howard, Republican of Michigan, who was a lead author of Amendments XIII & XIV of the United States Constitution. History came alive that day!

The fourth fellow who made the day such a smashing success was the fellow clad all in white who was running the historical cricket pitch, teaching anyone interested the basics of the game as it was played in 1860s America &, after the battle reenactment, organizing a scrimmage. He picked himself & Red Patton, a tall, athletic fellow, as captains, yet after each had selected his squad he reassigned me & another fellow to his own side & sent two of his picks to Red Patton's squad. It's good to be the ersatz league commissioner. In any event, he achieved his goal of parity between the sides, the game ending in a twenty-three-all tie. Boy howdy, was that a blast! The competitive juices flowed, my batting being more successful than my bowling; fielding, I ran & jumped & threw myself to the ground in the pursuit of non-period accurate neon green softballs. In my enthusiasm not only did I tear up my shins, requiring generous use of first aid ointment ever since, but I also tore a seem in my favorite short pants; darning them will tax my meager skills. The physical challenges did not end on the cricket pitch. After our first lessons with the cricketer but before the game, Red Patton, the future Mrs. Red Patton, & I were dragooned into a game of tug of war using a rope that in retrospect was way too thin. My side won the tug of war, defeating the Pattons, but for the rest of the day my hands were sore, especially my left hand. Why knew Civil War Days would be so athletic?

Next weekend, Red Patton & I plan to sojourn again to Ann Arbor, to see Kon-Tiki at the Michigan Theater.

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Sufjan Stevens, "Amazing Grace" from Songs for Christmas (T.L.A.M.)

Sonntag, 9 Juni
Vampire Weekend, "Worship You" from Modern Vampires of the City (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I'm intrigued yet puzzled by the lamely-titled Modern Vampires of the City, specifically "Unbelievers," "Worship You," & "Ya Hey."

Samstag, 8 Juni
Rab Carriker, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" from Over There!: Songs from America's Wars (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: There are a pair of heart-wrenching piano renditions of "Battle Cry of Freedom" on the soundtrack of Ken Burns's The Civil War, but what I really wanted out of yesterday's R.B.D.S.O.T.D. was the lyrics.

"The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor, up with the Star!"