Cap'n Pete Straw

Cap'n Sim... Tell me what 'tis yer lookin' fer. PM me details, and I'll see if there's some way I can help ye. No promises, though...

Napped most of the afternoon. Mythbusters was on ALL DAY! (BTW, a gun fired inside a pressurized airplane will only knock a small hole through the fuselage, and will NOT cause explosive decompression. Same through an airplane window: window remains intact, with a small hole. Packing peanuts strewn about the interior of the plane were not even disturbed by the change of pressure. I feel better already about carrying my loaded gun on board a plane!) Anyway, "Predator" is on the telly now. So I am listening to the Governor of California beat the butt of an Intergalactic Skull Collector. Mean governor; leave the skull collector alone.

Julian Lennon

June 18 is marked on my calendar. But Oshkosh is a good 178 miles from me, so this will be a major hike. (Yeah, I know, if YOU are coming from, say, Iowa...) Plans will need to be made.... Hmmmm... My fever-addled brain is not working this morning, but I may have my son (William the Bloody) that weekend, and this would be an AWESOME outing for us.

NWTA? Northwest Transcendental Archers? New World Taxidermy Artistes? Norman Thompson's Trial Attorney? I probably know what this is, but it escapes me. One Rev War guy I know is also a Civil War guy.... as well as a Klingon! Alot of CW folks also do Rev War.... many of the others do WWII -- the latter group is easier to detect somehow, but as a group we do not always talk about these other eras, for we are all trying to "get into" the spirit of the 1860s. But we are talking about THOUSANDS of people... I get asked all the time if I happen to know some other CW reenactor -- and often it's about someone who does the hobby across the country from me (that's not unlike asking: "Oh, you're from Iowa, right? Do you know Bob?")

MMmm... Bacon-aroma-coif. MMmmm.... Gee, you hair smells horrific.

On my way home yesterday (driving in a feverish haze... I should NOT have gone to work at all), the local radio station played "Switching To Glide" by The Kings. "Nothing matters but the weekend, from a Tuesday point of view..." I CRANKED IT! I don't think I have heard that song in over 20 years, yet every lyric came back like it was yesterday. I really have to hook up the record player Ms. Straw bought me for Xmas (but basement office remains unfinished), because I think I still have that 45 in a box somewhere...

Came down with something terrible yesterday. Staying in today.... few minutes on the computer, then back to bed. Listening to "Mythbusters" on TV. Clearly one of the best shows ever created. Learned this morning: 78% of gas station explosions are caused by women... and mostly because of the static charge build-up of entering/exiting the car during the process. Myth busted? Cell phone useage CANNOT cause gas station explosions. Also: Breast implants will NOT explode during airflights nor deep-sea diving, at least not at any pressure that would not already kill the human thus enhanced.

shots

N'awlins? Gumbo

Y'er clearly not from Chicago. Virtually every morning there is some ability to make a joke about the traffic report -- "Drivers are backed up on LSD"; "You don't even want to be on LSD this morning"; "LSD is clear sailing..." It's hard to even hear them anymore, 'cuz in Chicago, LSD is NOT a drug, it's a main thoroughfare. Acid is a drug.

Have every album. Right now? The Daily Show with Jon Stewart -- they are replaying last nights's very funny interview with Bruce Willis.

Bert Lahr

Here is my progress on the Queen Anne to date: (1) Opened box, took out all the parts. Checked their fit. Wiped off skin oil from parts, put back in box. (2) Repeat of Step One. (3) ... There is actually a trend here already, see if you can guess what it is. I really plan to document the assembly of the gun through photography. A missing step from above is re-reading a great chapter on assembling a flintlock kit in a gunsmithing book I picked up for a dollar in a resale shop (again, great day to be a pirate). Also refreshed my supply of smithing tools. A weekend real soon....

Again, to beat a dead horse here.... I am in Chicago, and am up for anything that fits in my schedule. I am a Civil War reenactor, and must adhere to my commitments -- but they are few and far between. The only other weekend conflict is when I get my kids (and piratical partyin' and drinkin' is NOT a kid weekend activity). April is coming up soon... and the final two weekends are OUT for me (will be in Jolly Old England -- hope to get some shots of the Tower of London or other pirate landmarks). Regarding other months and summer -- I am game barring other conflicts,. and I look forward to seeing any/all o' ye here!

Oy! I hadn't seen this topic before.... I signed up awhile ago for the Fool's Gold Screw (oops... sorry about the typo), but I think I did it all wrong. I'm on board in heart, spirit, and intent, but maybe not technically (that'd be "technologically"). I need to give it another shot -- mainly, I cannot remember my Yahoo name ("Cowboy"-something), and the new one I generated did not seem to work, alas. (Which Lass?) Almost talked Mrs. Straw into seeking out that Piper restaurant today, but after the flea market (so much piratical stuff! Purchased a whole box of flints, an awesome nautical tchotchky wall hanging for William The Bloody's room, and a $5 powder horn; passed up an $85 LARGE ship's helm), we were both exhausted, and came home. Anyway... I "get to" look over Lake Michigan every day (not the best of jobs, but ye cannot beat the view), and anxiously await the opportunity to hang with ye scalliwags whenever the collective lot of us gather.

OH! I totally forgot! I also picked up today a small (very small) powder horn for $5. I already have a full-size one (these are cow-horn horns -- of course, I already have several bronze / copper ones for Civil War shooting) but this small horn is a perfect size for pan charging, IMHO. It's a little over 5" long. Today was another good day to be a pirate.

Went to another flea market today and found the same lady with the $20 box of arrowheads. I did NOT pass up the deal this time. NOW I have enough to last a lifetime! Yes, I know that European flints are considered superior... but there just aren't that many to be had hereabouts. Several years ago, I purchased a half dozen, but I'll be darned if I know where I put 'em. So it's broken pieces of arrowheads for me... and these new ones are already napped to the perfect size! So, this afternoon, I pulled out the better of the two (working) guns, tossed some powder in the pan, pulled back the hammer.... Click - POOF! Nice cumbustion. All you guys worrying about my blowing my face/hand off, rest assured: (1) I have almost 20 years experience with black powder weapons, so I am NOT a novice and (2) I really do not intend on using lead balls in these things. I'll save that for the Queen Anne (still yet to be...). Hawkyns, I suspect you are right. The frizz on the other one generates no sparks, but I suspect there is a problem with the spring, as well -- the action of the hammer does not open the frizzen all the way. Still -- looks GREAT as a matching set. Oh-- back to today's fleas market .... I also ran into the guy from whom I bought the three guns for a hunnert bucks. He had nothing interesting with him today, but promised to bring some more next time (one month from now). Hmmm.... updates later, I suspect...

Mentioned this in another posting, but I scored a dozen LARGE pieces of flint off eBay.... they arrived yesterday. Napped a couple of pieces for my two new flintlocks, the rest I will use to.... START FIRES!

UPDATE... Scored a dozen pieces of flint from an arrowhead collector (eBay); these napping cast-offs did not pass muster for a collection, and I have a lifetime supply for less than $11.00. Last night I pulled out a couple of large (heavy, antique) tools and started smacking away at a couple of the more promising pieces -- I napped and trimmed a couple of squares which perfectly for the sea service 'locks.... tried one (the one that required less cleaning) and it sparked up a storm! Huzzah! The other, sadly, did not seem to have the spring strength (perhaps wrong angle of pieces?) to make sparks. It's not the flint. This will require some thinking. Matched set o' pirate pistols. One works great. Still have an unbelievably awesome-looking Middle Eastern bone-inlaid flintlock which I could sell or trade... or just for show. Hundred bucks (toss in 11 for the flint). Still a good deal.

Merrydeath. Okay, It has "Death" in it, but it also has "Merry." Ye gotta ride that fence, ye know. Perhaps ye should alternate. Sunshiney smiley face, and then morbid dark foreboding depression. And then those bewitching eyes again. And back to the bowels of Hell itself. Works for me.

I spent hours and days throughout that site before I found you guys here.

Sadly, so do I. I have two jackalopes (not head mounts: full bodied) and my youngest daughter loves them.

CSI New York. I got home early, wife has a late appointment. I took advantage of the opportunity to jump on here and try to catch up with all of you guys (trying to give the Mrs. more attention -- and rightfully so -- than the computer for the past week). Made dinner (chicken soup from scratch. mmmmm....) and don't want to watch tonight's videotaped "Alias" until she gets home. But I clicked on CSI-NY. And it's playing and I'm paying it no attention. (Priorities: #1: wife. #2: online pirate buddies. #3: CSI-NY. Okay. got it). Raise your hands, anyone who actually read all that incredibly boring personal stuff.

That has got to be the funniest sentence I think I have ever read. I'll suggest to my son (13) to add it to his signature line.