Shay of the Keys

Ahh, Chrispy, you said it beautifully. I am so indebted to my pirate family; thanks to so many of you for such a memorably glorious time: Mama and Lily, you were above and beyond the call of duty, from the pre-dawn rescuing of Mission's bicycle to stays instruction through the weeks. You worked so diligently and it showed! Bawdy Be, thanks for the generous gift of P.C. dishes and visit to your emminently Keysey emporium. A special thanks to Brig for lustily joining me in singing during the parade, Commodore Poppycock being a good sport when we dropped you at the Pegasus, and a certain battlefield angel who appeared like all good Christmas angels in the nick of time with GOODIES, my first taste of Wobble Juice (dang, it IS good stuff!)... but most of all Mission and madPete who unabashedly spoiled me with trips to the Liquor Laudromat, Blue Moon, and Cafe Sole, not to mention helping with parade decor which we forgot to put on the car, adventuring in the kitchen with shears and caviar, but most of all to Mission who put up with Parade Prologue Policemen Prevarications and an 82-year old vehicle who gave you more unexpected exasperations than yours truly. I love my pirate family. Thanks, mates.

Finish sewing the lace on my new shift Find some decent leeks (alas, naut nautical ones; 'tis for a specialty supper) Knap 2 more flints for Arvel and Ducky Finish the It's the Most Blunderbuss Time of the Year song Kidnap Mission from MIA so he won't be M.I.A. for PIP Roll the Nutlogs (don't even dare respond to this one, Animal!) Fix the rumble seat latch and throw everything in; tie down what's left oh, and finish 2 more performances and 23 more piano and tennis lessons before I go Other than that, I'm ready!

Most Excellent! (but i be need'n me eyeglass to be readn this here post) mP I was posting sotto voce. It's an old performing trick, used by no less than Popeye the Sailor. Oui, Monsieur, as Shay, oops Chez Crevettes must be kept a solemn secret de Polichinelle:

Patrick, I am at the moment without wheels, but will be going to Searle's come heck or high water. If I don't find another vehicle by that time I'll rent something able to carry my musket, and your doglock is welcome to ride along with us up to St. Augustine. Just ship it to my home address here in the Keys, and we 3 will meet you up north. Whatever I can do to help... -Shay

I'll be there; wouldn't miss it for the world. Buccaneer Camp, if you please; 'twas such a delight to harass dear Patrick, and I mightily look forward to the opportunity to do it again in 2010!

Woah... best smelling fire... not the best smelling Camp...... If ye gots sensitive nostrils like that flea bitten Pyrate Hunter Sturlin'.... ye wanna be way up wind from me.....(an' that's before I start fartin' the 1812 oviture......) Never fear, Fearless Leader Hand! Your 1812 Overture will be happily upstaged by the delectably fresh flyblown drying pigskin just upwind of your noble establishment. (I have it on excellent authority that you like to be close to your re-enactment projects round -the-clock for true authenticity). uh, Patrick, could this be a clue as to why we're down to only two buccaneers? Woe is me, as the powers that be have just determined the ignoble pigskin will not be participating in PIP. A vainglorious end thwarted with only 5 days to go...a moment of silence dedicated to all porcines of yesteryears in their brief lives rooting amongst the wilds... Sorry, Patrick.

Nay from Shay--- the pig's hide is still awaiting defrosting and I have boards to peg it out and describe the finer arts of boucan-eering as told by primary sources from Benerson Little's Buccaneer' Realm. I've been planning and prepping so please, please let me know if you DON'T want the pighide and accompanying living history demo (I promise to keep a close check on the prevailing winds!)

Captain: My apologies, as I thought my tent dimensions submitted a while back were confirmed, and my computer has been non-operational for several weeks. My footprint is an 11' frontage with app. 10' depth. I'll be with both the buccaneers and Hurricane's group, in a period tarp/tent held up momentarily by a centuries-old oar. Put me wherever onlookers need comic relief. -Shay

Woah... best smelling fire... not the best smelling Camp...... If ye gots sensitive nostrils like that flea bitten Pyrate Hunter Sturlin'.... ye wanna be way up wind from me.....(an' that's before I start fartin' the 1812 oviture......) Never fear, Fearless Leader Hand! Your 1812 Overture will be happily upstaged by the delectably fresh flyblown drying pigskin just upwind of your noble establishment. (I have it on excellent authority that you like to be close to your re-enactment projects round -the-clock for true authenticity). uh, Patrick, could this be a clue as to why we're down to only two buccaneers?

AH HA! I'm back; my computer has been behaving nastily for several weeks and I've not had the patience or time to troubleshoot it out. My apologies to all. Patrick, I am securing more firewood as of this morn; native seasoned buttonwood in 4' chunks 10-14" in diameter. I know you are crazy busy, but please advise ASAP as to how large the firewood logs can be. I am at present securing a chainsaw to buck them, but down here in the Keys, no one's has a bar large enough for serious firewood cutting, so I have been scrambling. I'm trying to secure as much as possible, between pallets and non-glued wood so we can share with all; at present, I am unloading the trailer to haul it all down. -Shay

Haunting Lily, Please sign me up for the following: Shay of the Keys/ Buccaneers/ Trash Detail Thurs. 1900 and Fri. 0900 Shay of the Keys/ Buccaneer/ Tour Guide Fri. 10:30-12 Shay of the Keys/ Buccaneer/ Town Crier Fri. 12-13:30 and Shay of the Keys/ Buccaneer/ Bathroom Detail Sat. Beach (W) prior to 0900 Thank-you kindly!

OK... Buccaneers this is something we gotta work on....... The Buccaneer Camp kinda sorta needs a fire..... not a huge fire.... but a fire anyway..... Shay... can you make this happen... (heck I'm flying in... so fire wood isn't something I can take care of....)(hey...Animal is going to be driving down if he can make it.... and... well you're like the closest...Post if it is doable....) From wot I can figgure right now, there are going to be maybe three of us camping there ... that is still cool... three years ago that was the entire authentic Pyrate Camp...... so this stuff grows...... .. We are doing a period that most people have no idea wot it is......they think Pyrates sacked th' Spanish Main... nawh... that's wot we (the Buccaneers ) did................ SO we gots ter tell the story...... . No problem; I'll start scrounging the wood for our fire ASAP -Shay

Update from Treva Shay: During the day I be a swaggering sassy buccaneer, of which parts the musket and knives are further along than be my clothes (I be finding that Snaphaunce locks are more fun to play with than than making buttonholes... sigh), but I will have a small tarp for my footprint (along the same lines as yeself's) and able to furnish for the general buccaneer camp native foilage and the raw pigskin, if and when needed. Nighttimes I be stashing the weapons, donning female garb and transforming into Shay of the Keys on the harpsichord. P.S. Patrick, Please advise if ye wants me to keep the pigskin au natural and bring it as is, or if I can thaw, prep and use it now for part of my kit, thereby granting me back half of my freezer space.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Silkie!!