Bob and Benita enjoying a Rendezvous. 

Most people are given, or earn, camp names. We are also known as: 

"Runs out of Powder", and "Meadowlark".

Benita playing the dulcimer Bob made her.

Waiting for dinner to cook.

A real "Tintype".

Scenes from the Eastern Primitive Rendezvous September of 2004

Some views of the encampment

Good Friends

"Picture Perfect".

 This lad will be a great shooter when he gets a little older.

Click the icon to see more pictures or medallions from the Rondis

Bob and Benita live south of Dayton, Ohio, and have been camping primitive style since 2002.  They enjoy attending at least 4 or 5 Rondis a year camping from 3 to 10 days at a time.  Most of the events are locally sponsored through heritage festivals or by local black powder clubs, but some of the events they attend are sponsored by the National Rendezvous and Living History Foundation (NRLHF), a branch of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA) which sponsors events nationwide.  The events vary in size from just a few campers to over 3000 like-minded people who enjoying living, learning from, and teaching others about our heritage.  "Rendezvous" is a French word meaning "a gathering place". It is a celebration of history during the fur trading period (1650-1840) when the frontier explorers and trappers would get together with "suttlers" or traders to swap their furs for supplies as well as to renew old friendships.

You can learn more about this fun hobby by following the above links or by visiting events in your local area.  A quick way to find local events is to visit the Smoke and Fire website and obtain a free sample copy of the Smoke and Fire News, which lists many events nationwide.    Another site that lists many events is found at http://www.living-history.net/CR1840S.HTM.  An internet search of "pre 1840 rendezvous" will also give you suggestions as to where you might look to find events.