After a relaxing but busy weekend at Angel Island, I have returned to the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles- it was all too short a time but it was a pleasant relief from the heat and near-constant brush fires. So how was it? Excellent! The weather was perfect for wearing wool uniforms and the cooling breezes off the ocean kept everything on an even keel. 🙂

Angel Island has been a favorite with me because of its rich history going back to 1863 when a permanent military presence was first established. As previously noted, this year we stayed on at Camp Reynolds on the West side of the island where a small group of us presented a living history timeline display focusing on the year 1917.

The main living history day, at least for our contingent, was on Saturday and we set up a display of uniforms and equipment as they would be laid out for inspection, per the regulations. Behind us is a row of Civil War Era tents left over from another event that happened a few weeks before. One of the best parts of the event was being able to interact with the public and tell them about the history of the island and the US Army in the First World War.

At the other end of Camp Reynolds was the officers’ quarters…

Looking Towards The Golden Gate

Here are a couple more views:

We took up residence in the Quartermaster Building and cooked part of meals there:

Yes, as an officer I would sample the enlisted men’s meals. 🙂

And there was time for a road march:

And here we are relaxing up at the officer’s quarters by special invitation… 🙂 

And in the parlor…

I also took the opportunity to model my new 1906 pattern officer’s uniform, complete with the proper campaign ribbons:

Well, as with all good things, the event came to an end and it was time to go home. I will definitely be returning next year! 🙂