Red-Handed Jill

Funny you should bring this up. I've been experimenting with soaking dried blueberries in rum and using it to soak cakes with - it is sublime. Maybe give that a try as an alternate flavour.

Wow - welcome back Black Syren!!

I can recommend The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi in a big way. It's about a retired forty-something pirate in the 12th century, living in obscurity with her daughter in what is now Oman. Her past catches up with her, in the form of a job offer (one that she cannot refuse) from the mother of one of her past crewmembers - one that died under mysterious circumstances. Amina is now obliged to re-visit her past - but if she were to be honest with herself, she would admit that this is not entirely unwelcome... This is a familiar tale: a crew is gathered together for one more adventure - but if you think it's going to be another collection of tired tropes, you'd be mistaken. The story is told in first person, and Amina's "voice" is, at times, hilarious. And just when you think you know where the story is going, something new and original is thrown in (such as a gigantic sea monster wearing half a ship as a hat).

Five before the wildfire, but have bought a couple replacements since then (both of the 50 caliber mountain howitzers). Small, but mighty - and they sound great!

These are amazing Patrick! But of course I wouldn't expect anything less.

I've bought many a cannon from these folks over the years and can attest to their superb quality: https://brooks-usa.com/black-powder-cannon/

Ransom just published her first book! She's been working on it on-and-off for the past few years and has just finished it. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Map-Journey-Simon-Ash-ebook/dp/B0DMKWN78J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=37U9G0ITBVOPY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VnzXFSDlNOmerUjTaMx6L-JEoxu37u88-M2BXFI2nUo.m9u6iuNdCiD579cyxzRMQL07miWUGQe061vIYOGM2JU&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+map+sharon+robb-chism&qid=1732907419&sprefix=%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1 I'm reading it now and can recommend it in a big way. It's about a young man who finds himself on an adventure he didn't ask for and wasn't prepared for. He meets a young woman who has already been on this adventure longer than she would have liked to be, and the two of them do their best to survive under extremely challenging circumstances and uncertainty. The characters are well-written and the descriptions of the locations very vivid, making it extremely easy to immerse yourself into the various worlds. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Looks amazing!

Welcome!

Well - crap. The estuary channel in Oakland is where our sailboat was berthed. Back when we sailed there, we did see the occasional scuppered boat, but not nearly in those numbers. I'm guessing it's a post-COVID thing.

I wondered about that. Makes it even cooler!

Hope you find a good use for that! If memory serves, Patt dyed his and made a pair of slops. There should be more than enough for either that or a shirt. I got a cool scarf from Duchess with block-printed nautical motifs!

I didn't realise the Caribbean got that deep - I once swam out a mile from Jamaica and could still stand up, easily. That ship is 2,000 feet down. That WOULD be a challenge...

Patt!! We missed ya!

Thanks! Good to be back among you scallywags!

Welcome back, neighbour!

Just saw this - I'm in.

I found his Facebook page and sent him a DM, so we'll see what happens.

Sharon (Ransom) alerted me to the grand re-opening. It's been an eventful few years. Iron Jack and I bought a house in the middle of a redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains and lived there for a few years, until the CZU wildfire turned our home and possessions into a pile of ash. We fought with the county and insurance company to re-build, while the costs skyrocketed, then decided not to re-build. In the meantime, Ransom and Chainshot, after seeing what happened to us and having had many of their own close calls with wildfires, sold their ranch and moved westward, to the Oregon coast. After seeing what a lovely spot their new home was, we decided to move up there. With their help scouting houses, we found one we liked, bought it, and now we live a mere five minutes' drive apart. We've been on many adventures together this past year and plan many more.

Been wondering when you'd get back to it.

Welcome back!

I watch Master and Commander twice a year - it's my go-to movie as well.

I do wild west and mountain man reenacting. The forums that I frequent, by-and-large, are friendly and more in the way of sharing information and resources. For the most part, the dust-ups occur on-line as follow-ups to ones that have occurred in person and are rarely about someone's costume authenticity (unless it is to share information about how a particular item of clothing was made or looked like during a particular time).

I just finished How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life. It takes you through the day from beginning to end, of someone who lived during the Victorian era in England. It includes how things changed for a particular task or meal or whatever from the beginning to the end of that era and gave details for the various social stratas (i.e. how you handled something if you were really poor, poor, working class, middle class, upper middle class, etc.) A really fascinating look at the minutae of life in a different era.

Happiest of birthdays to the December natal crew!