Well, I got to the show before noon. Saw several old acquaintances.
My wife is ready to kill me, though, because I came home with another rifle. I bought a lightly used, left-hand .50 caliber flintlock. Really nice engraving and carving work. The name J. Fahling is engraved on the barrel. I'm told he is the maker. I had never heard of him. I have found several J. Fahlings on the Internet, but none of them say anything about contemporary gunmaking.
Can anyone fill me in about him?
The man who sold me the gun is a bag and powderhorn maker, not a gunmaker. His name is Bill Smith and he can be found at billsmithblackpowder.com Ron Hess, the noted powderhorn maker had the table next to Smith. I had bought a banded powderhorn from Hess at last year's show. We were all talking and then Hess said; "Well since you bought a horn from me last year, and you just bought this rifle, here I'm giving you this little priming horn to go with it."
Wow! I sure was surprised and impressed with his generosity.
Also at the show I got to shoot the breeze a bit with David Wright, the well-known artist of colonial and civil war paintings. I have bumped into him many times through the years, and bought one of his paintings many years ago.
Good people, all of them, and I recommend their work to anyone interested in fine art and traditional muzzleloading accoutrements.
So, I came away from the show quite happy. And, my wife has calmed down again. ():~)
On down the freeway, my son-in-law and I stopped in Sweetwater for a late lunch in a place just off the highway called "The Dinner Bell". Pretty good buffet.