Isla El Muerto

Sorry, but you're about to get a new hand rambling about one of my favorite topics.....Rum! A few good ones were mentioned. I sip rum on a daily basis (just a glass or ten after work)...I prefer it over ice, but will drink it neat if the mood dictates. MadL has a good choice with Sea Wynde....at 92 proof she came to play, but still smooth enough to enjoy. Only problem I have with pot still rum is it drinks too much like a whiskey. If I want to drink whiskey, I drink Maker's Mark or Knob Creek. To me Sea Wynde sips more like a whiskey than a rum....but it's a fine drink regardless. In the dark/aged rums I am a big fan of Flor de Cana, Private Stock, XO Reserve (a little too much oak, but still nice), Sea Wynde, and Goslings Old Rum if I can find it/afford it. For light rum I will recommend Oronoco and nothing else.....it is very deceptive.....I consider myself a dark rum purist, but I will never turn down a glass of Oronoco. Try it and thank me later. For cheap....Meyers is tough to beat...goes down easy and gets the job done. There are others....but that's a start.

South of Sac......in Galt. Was out on the delta this weekend and the water was as dirty as I've ever seen it. Looks like over the next week or so the rain is going to keep bringing all that mud down from the hills....it's killin my fishin, but I'm not complaining.....we need it. I'll check out Tales of the Seven Seas. I plan on going to the Nor Cal Pirate Festival this year. I've known about it for a couple of years now, but haven't made it over. Vallejo isn't that far.

I'm not exactly sure that this is where I belong, but that's nothing new. I figure if there's a better place that you can steer me in the right direction. I'll start off by saying that I have a bit of an obsession (my wife's words, not mine) with pirates. I've never been to any festivals, gatherings, or anything else that involves dressing up or role playing/re-enacting/etc. I'm not opposed to it....especially if there's some good rum being passed around...but I haven't done it and I'm not really sure what is involved. Basically, I am just a guy in his mid thirties who may or may not be having some sort of early mid-life crisis. A couple years ago I was shopping for coins (numismatics is barely a hobby, but I love big silver coins) and I found an 8 Reales that was recovered from the Consolacion. The coin was in fairly rough shape (as most of coins from that wreck are) and I decided not to buy it, but not before I read the historically questionable story that accompanied the coin. Right then I knew I needed a Piece of Eight from the ship that Captain Sharpe had a hand in putting to rest off the coast of Ecuador, so I kept my eye out until I found one that suited me....which I mounted in gold and wear around my neck. With the treasure in my hands my fascination was further ignited and I went a little (just a litte) nuts and started buying books and movies to learn more about the history of not only the Consolacion, but piracy in general. I am far from an expert on anything besides drinking 12 year old Flor de Cana, but I truly enjoy the history and I feel I am to a point that I need to start networking with folks that might be as crazy as I am. I live just a few miles from the nearest boat launch and spend much of my free time on the water plundering stripers in the California Delta. I am going to lurk here a bit to read about these festivals to try and get a feel for whether or not it's for me. This looks to be a pretty active forum and a good place to ominously loom in the shadows.