silas thatcher

another great read !!

the last three weekends of september !!

hmm !! no matter how many times i looked before, "july" was not there.... methinks somebody slid it in there between then and now just to make it look like i missed it !!

every year, there is the blessing of the fleet at portage de sioux , missouri... and each year they have a different theme... this year's theme, of course, is pirates... a local guy has converted a boat into a pirate ship on which he gives cruises, etc... he is going to be leading the pack on the water... exactly what anyone's participation level is going to be is still being worked out right now...we may end up simply showing up and adding some piratitude to the whole affair... i will keep everyone updated....

one of the directors of the st. louis pirate fest has asked if anyone in the mercury crew ( or any other crew for that matter ) would like to be guest reenactors during the festival... our participation is not too terribly taxing, mostly show up, set up camp, and be ourselves... if you are interested, let me know !!

how do i post in events for something new ?? july 17, to be exact...

looks pretty good mate !! now all you need is a rope or two to practice on !!

karadimos, thanks for the link... kinda sounds like "no"... maybe my parents could only afford a first and last name

i'm thinking that i need to have something inside the hat to help hold the shape while i reshape the brim... mark, did you have issues with this ??

that pic should give you a better idea...

want it to look more like this one ...

after seeing a few people over the weekend at fort de chartres wearing wide brimmed hats to help combat the sun, i decided to purchase one... the hat needs a little reshaping ... i want to make a more pronounced edge where the brim meets the crown... hope this makes sense !!! that way it won't slope down so much like the pic shows.. i am thinking that a bowl of the correct size to hold the shape of the crown while flattening the brim and maybe even something wrapped aroung the base of the crown ( a belt, rope ?? ) to help define the edge better... i dunno... any advice would be appreciated :)

i'll be there, for sure !!

ok, that's enough from the both of you !!

despite the repressive heat, i had a great time !! even bought a wide brimmed hat that needs some reshaping, after eyeing william's and michael's and the voluminous shade properties...

would i have had a middle name in the late 1600's, early 1700's ?? if so, what would be the typical deciding factor for a middle name ??

pictures !! pictures !! need more pics !! ahem... k&m...

happy b-day buddy !!

i took very few pics, less than a dozen, and they are nothing to crow about.... so please !! post some links.... :)

while connie and i did do some stuff, i think that the real work was done before hand by william and capt. j... without them, cooperation with the event directors wouldn't have happened... and many thanks should be given to janet who braved the heat and sun to cook some wonderfully delicious meals for us.... and wait until you guys see some pics of the flag !! tracy did a wonderful job getting the flag done in time for our enjoyment !! even staying up until 2 in the morning to finish it !! it was nice to finally meet william, capt j, and see everyone else again !! we had a good time despite the heat wave that finally broke on sunday... pics will be coming later...

home... will type later... now time for a shower !!

micheal, at that time of night chances of them letting you drive to the camp site is poor... if it has rained recently, then no chance at all !! packing it in will probably happen... we'll have the wheels and can probably borrow more to help...

are we gonna need some poles for that ??? the way things are going, i could possibly get one or two, or three...

there is a possibilty i will have to work starting thursday and friday... if so, i will arrive in the evening... if the job got pushed off until the next week, we will arrive during the day on friday...

i work in construction and have to deal with safety ALL the time !! sometimes it can get outright ridiculous... we have usually policed ourselves and have not had too many instances... most of the rules and regulations are strictly insurance driven...rates and cancellations can be MAJOR problems for any contractor... an event that requires peace tying cannot be looked upon as some kinda personal insult to the owner's proficiency or skill level but rather to the idiocy of others that are in attendance... even a minor incident can spell major headaches for the organizers regarding security and insurance rates... factor in political idiots on the city council that think a bunch of drunken maroons running around with guns (oh, my !! ) AND lethal edged weapons can be dangerous and unhealthy to the standards of the community to which they proudly serve, are willing to jump at any chance to get on television and advance their own careers... not only do we police ourselves, we have to police others as well to insure future events will happen... yes, the general public finds the pc pirate boring and would rather see jack sparrows running amok, but therein lies the problem educating the masses and possibly dissappointing them with the fact that pirates never wore eye patches and said "ARRRRGH" i LOVE jack sparrows because he got me into this silly mess to begin with.. and glad he did !! but i also respect the organizer's wishes not to have them around and understand why... you can most certainly control yourself, but have absolutely no control over the general public who may be an up and coming runner for the darwin awards... just my 2 pence worth :)