blackjohn

I recorded it onto my hard drive and finally got around to watching it last night. It was a pretty good show, though I did get tired of seeing the same historical vignettes over and over again, and like most shows of its ilk one only really needs to see the last 15 minutes to get the whole story. Here's a re-cap. SPOILERS ahead... Their theory... he was not the son of an Italian weaver. He was of noble Catalonian birth. He fought against Spain in a civil war, and thus he cloaked his past in secrecy, as he didn't want his Spanish patrons to know of his rebellious past. Blackjohn

I should send her this way... She'd probably enjoy this pattern thread.

Wow! I've never seen that. The internet... what a cool thing... Blackjohn

I would love copies, Black John! Now I'd have to figure out of what. . . probably stuff out of Waugh. I'm a lazy pirate, and would find it easier to just make adjustments to a full-sized pattern than drawing it on butcher paper from scratch. 36" printer. . . how cool is that? Righto! It won't be this week, but I'll try to get to it soon. I'm leaning toward the coat on pages 60-61 of Waugh's book. Or... I'm tempted to scan the Park's Canada "book" Man's Coat, 1730-1750. Are you familiar with it? It's an over-sized pamphlet about 12 pages in length, with a pattern and construction notes. Blackjohn

Middle of no where, Maryland... I dunno, there seem to be too many pirates around here for it to be the middle of no where... Blackjohn

That's the 225th for the Seige of Savannah? I really should do more revwar again... As for wool... the old revwar unit I was in placed an order from a mill in ol' Blighty that has been making wool for a couple hundred years. That was some VERY nice wool. VERY nice. My portion was going to become an officers coat. At the time I was an ensign (sometimes corporal), but my only coat was line infantry quality. But one thing led to another and I stopped doing revwar. So the wool just sat around. Then one day we needed wool for a jollyroger. And that VERY expensive white wool (it was for the coat's lining) became a skull and wings. Swinging back on course to patterns... my friend Kass has an online pattern shop: http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/ Though I have not used them, I trust her. And she's planning on doing late 1600s - early 1700s patterns soon! Blackjohn

Those early Spanish explorers never cease to amaze me. Archaeologists have found what appears to be remains from a fort they built at the base of the Appalachians in 1567. There's event a pirate connection... the Spaniards were trying to find a land route to Mexico to avoid pirates. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/148...p-7640935c.html Blackjohn

Nice. Thanks for the links. I'm always on a quest for a better hat. As for those pointed witches' hats, it's pretty neat to think that the earliest example dates to about the 4th or 3rd century BC from a grave find in China's Tarim basin. Blackjohn

Thanks for the links. I wasn't sure about the whole member/non-member thing, and I seemed to recall YEARS ago the medieval group I was in would hire their archers out as mercenaries. To go or not to go, that is the question!?! Blackjohn

Just curious, how goes the quest? If you've hit some dead ends, you might want to try looking for aerial or satellite imagery at: http://www.terraserver.com/ Or, check or at the area on a quad, though this may be too smale scale for what you are doing: http://geography.usgs.gov/partners/viewonline.html Blackjohn

Another good book on the subject... Mercenaries, Pirates, & Sovereigns. State-Building and Extraterritorial Violence in Early Modern Europe. From th blurb on the back... "The contemporary organization of global violence in neither timeless nor natural, argues Janice Thomson. It is distinctively modern. In this book she examines how the present arrangement of the world into violence-monopolizing sovereign states evolved over the six preceding centuries." Blackjohn

Avast! If that ain't a loaded question! Modern pirate mentality... historical pirate mentality... I believe there are too many variables involved to paint piracy with a broad brush. But I also believe there are some common themes - poverty, greed, revenge, revolution. There are those who see pirates only as being interested in one thing - money. I think they are wrong. Not everyone is interested in money. Myself, for instance. Have you ever read any Rediker? Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea... and... The Many Headed Hydra... at least I think that's the name of his other book. Interesting social histories. Check them out if you are looking for some alternate views. I'd say more, but I sail with the tide!!! Blackjohn

Cool! Both good choices! I think I put A General History of the Pirates at the top of my list! Right now I'm reading A Pirate of Exquisite Mind. It's a biography of Dampier, and it's really good. Blackjohn

Ahoy! I imagine this has been asked before, but lets do it again... What's your favorite pirate book? Blackjohn

How We Are Organized The Pirate Brethren is loosely organized. We are not a guild of some type, nor are we affiliated with the SCA or other such organizations. We don't have officers, except for the "captain." We don't have annual dues. Most of our information is exchanged via our email list. This is where you can find us arguing about pirate trivia, e.g., the accuracy of striped stockings. There are no expectations placed on members. Only one thing is asked, that each of us tries to have kit that is authentic to our period - roughly 1680 to 1724. Blackjohn

Thanks for the explanation Rumba Rue. Sounds like you have a tight-knit group there, with everyone on the same page, which is nice. Blackjohn

I do know this, modern medicine is a "good thing." At the 2000 Howard Pyle Festival while setting up camp on the beach early in the morning I managed to ram a dirty piece of driftwood into the top of my foot. I little sliver of it broke off into my foot, and being the tough guy, I mean idiot, that I am, I figured I could hold out through the entire day's event without medical attention. I did hold out. But the wound became infected in a vile sort of way. Without modern medicine, I wouldn't be suprised if I found myself in that famous category of, "survived the battle, died of infection days later." Blackjohn

I'll admit I've always wanted to see this. Do you have to be a member of the SCA to attend? If not, it would be tempting to beg/borrow/steal an early snaphaunce and throw together a Tudor sailor's kit. Blackjohn

Born in the city of Baltimore, grew up on a shipwreck in a place called Dundalk. Blackjohn

Ahoy! I'm curious as to your use of the word "Guild." I'm not particularly familiar with "Renn-culture" or the SCA. Is that what most pirates groups with those backgrounds or heritages call themselves? Best Wishes, Blackjohn

Wow, that's really neat!!! It beats my plastic Hotwheels track sword by a long sea mile! :) Blackjohn

WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON... Of late there has been much talk of cartridge boxes on our list. One of the crew is going to attempt to replicate the box found on the Whydah. http://www.piratebrethren.com/whydah/cartridgebox.html Blackjohn

WHO WE WANT... We want you. All of you! We want everyone to join us in a big happy brotherhood of piracy where we make our own rules and everyone is treated as equals! However, we also want to try to be authentic... and we know being authentic, or trying to be authentic, is not everyone’s bowl of punch. So... 1. Are you interested in learning? 2. Do you have a sense of adventure? 3. Are you willing to get dirty in the name of fun? 4. Do you have a flair for the dramatic? 5. Are you a re-enactor, or interested in becoming one? 6. Do you live in the mid-Atlantic region of the east coast of the USA? 7. Are you interested in pirates, from the historical point of view? 8. Do you have nothing better to do than to spend your money on things that most people would raise an eyebrow at? 9. Are you trained in the use of black powder firearms? 10. Do you own a sword? 11. Are you interested in learning how to really use it? 12. Do you believe authenticity can be fun? 13. Are you willing to interact with the public while dressed in historical attire, and either entertain them or educate them? If you can say yes to most or all of these questions, then please consider joining our merry band of adventurers. Blackjohn

I sorta draw for a living: http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ocs/rnc/raster1.htm Used to do charting with pen and ink. Now it's all computerized. Same stuff, different set of tools. Someday I want to use my cartographic skills to make a real, old-fashioned chart. Blackjohn

We don't have the copier anymore. Now we have a 36" wide scanner connected to a 36" wide printer. And I haven't even used it yet. I should get some practice in by scanning those patterns. If I can get it to work, would you be interested in copies? That sounds like quite a haul of book booty. Congrats!!! As for hot... very true. But hey, pirate is not so bad... try wearing three layers of wool and two layers of linen while carrying a pack, musket, and cartridge box, in 103° heat with close to 100% humidity... aaaah, Maryland in the summer. But I'll think cool thoughts for ya... of a nice iced rum punch maybe! Blackjohn