On Sunday, I took Debbie's youngest son and his buddy to the reenactment of the Battle of Monmouth. The battle was actually fought on June 28, 1778 and was on a Sunday as well. Geek moment! But that wasn't the best part of the day.

The cool part was that it wasn't my idea. When the boys found out about the reenactment, they begged me to take them. I used to do Civil War reenacting and have been to a million of these kinds of things. Honestly, the smoke and fire show doesn't do much for me anymore. My only motivation to attend these events is to get some reference photos for paintings. But when these little 8 year old's gave me the puppy eyes, well this geek couldn't say no.

We arrived just in time for the big show. As we walked from the parking area, the pace quickened when the first shots rang out. These guys were jazzed and it was infectious. I enjoyed the battle as much as they did! Their barrage of questions showed that they were genuinely interested. It was a perfect illustration of why I got involved in reenacting years ago.

Another great moment was when, at the end of the battle, we heard over the loud speaker that there would be a children's drill complete with wooden muskets and cartridge boxes. Now, having done reenacting, I know that at the end of an event you're tired, sweaty and outta there. Kudos to Outwater's Militia for running the drill while everyone else was packing up. I could describe the scene, but I think these pictures tell the story better.

The kids dutifully thanked me for taking them. I should have thanked them. They made my weekend.