Rats

Yes and for all the men present... I also want to thank all the "BOOM BOOM GIRLS!" That will definately not be easily forgotten... What a lucky cannon! I look forward to it then! On the last day, as I was making the rounds and saying good byes, Papa told me that last year I Was pretty reserved and sort of stayed in the background, so that he was glad to see me let lose more this year. For my 3rd ever event, I figure I am on a steady enough curve! lol The ones I took were with Kate's camera. The others were on MADdogge's, I think? Also, I was not quite awake enough to write the thank yous when I did, because I left out TONS of people. Like Fayma and Papa and Lily and Spike and everyone else that put in all the time and effort to make this all go as smoothly as it did. To Rats for teaching me some basic swordplay (and MADdogge and Mickey for the use of their swords). Callenish for the hot showers and Salty for the delicious breakfasts. And to the other BOOM BOOM GIRLS and all the cannon fellows, for being awesome and keep safety our priority!

YEAH! Stupid.. stupid Mad Dog! That would be me you big dumb lummox... Stupid M.A.d'Dogge

Darlin Jess! You have no clue as to the flood gates you have now opened! You see it's kinda like enviting a vamp into your house... Once you agree to a photo shoot with riff-raff like us, all brakes are off and there's no avoiding it. Not to mention the fact that you get hooked and as Mr. Cross puts it... We become "Camera Whores"!! You and Sweet Kate were perfect! I've worked with professional models who may have looked good, but had not a grain of common sense or were able to follow even the most basic of directions. Yet you guys knew exactly what I wanted from you and made it happen... Without killing yourselves or falling down stairs to do it.... Speaking abuot falling down stairs.... I heard someone fell down a spiral stair case. Anyone got those pics??

Patients my dear Mr. Cross. Patients! I'm just giving brother mad Dog and Matty Bottles a chance to catch up. I have to say that after 10 years of a commercial photog, that you were the easiest recruit for camera whore I have ever met!!! I ofcoarse mean that in the very best possible way! You my friend are a natural!

Oh I get it... and here I was trying to pick up darlin Shay instead of the gun! Maybe I got me priorities all confused and such?? I will agree with you mate, it is a pretty gun.... Yet a prettier lady! So say's I

So we arrive at the camp and start setting up... Oh did I mention that I recieve a phone call stating that I'm supposed in court to testify on Friday (The next day!)back in Wisconsin!!!!! I then proceed to start playing phone tag with work on and off for the next day and a half!!!! We also find out that brother Mad Dog, who left his truck at his sister-n-law's house also recieved a phone call... Only his call was from his darling wife... asking if there was anything valuable in his truck. Did you catch that? WAS there anything valuable in your truck? Aye mates!! Ol Mad Dog had his truck stolen right outta his sister-n-law's driveway!!! So he gets to play phone tag a bit and deal with that headache. All this on the heel of what was apparently a pretty cool video shoot. Sounds like stupid MadDog and Keith got to be in the filming for an episode of Dinner Impossible!! Stupid Keith.... Stupid Mad Dog! Sounds like this went excellent and I'll let Mad Dog chime in and tell his lies!!!(this is actually the que for Mad Dog and keith to chime in and tell what happened on their end!!! Hint hint hint!!) It actually sounds like all the behind the scenes and the out take stuff were more fun than anything. especially with the producer actually thinking hat Keith was actually getting drunk the whole time and worried that he would passout!!! So needless to say the arrr-ival and greetings from our family of friends was enough to make even the toughest of riff-raff tear up and wanna..... (how does Mad Dog say it?) Oh yeah....cuddle! The next morning...Thursday? we woke up to find we were on the sothern most tip of Key West! All I can say is that you will never be able to appreciate it until you see it and feel the wind hear the surf for yourself! I wake up and smell burning wood and frying bacon!! Already our darling Lilly, Keith and the early birds from the crew are making the camp buzz. Now this is where I have to give complete and humble thanks to our darling Lilly for everything she did to not only take care of our crew's camp, but also to help ensure that clean up and the necessary jobs were done with the rest of the camp. I have to be honest and say that this venture would not have been the succes it was, had not this increadible woman been willing to pull her hair out and eventually knock herself out with her ledger board. So to be honest, waking up with this host of friends in a Key West, was kind of like waking up on Christmas morning surrounded by your family... And not the family that you only tollerate or really don't like or even kinda hate because they broke your toys or kicked your dog..... Yeah you know the ones you I'm talking about! OK how about some help here you guys??!!I'm sure I'm missing some stuff!!

You haven't seen anything yet!! We've been shooting storyboards for years. I always felt this was an excellent tool for eventually planning video and film projects.

Do you know much about audio and editing? Maybe I'll start a site for our planning. I have about 3-4 scripts either done or roughed out for the Tyburn series i have planned. plus with the photos we have already, story boarding would be a snap! Which camera do you use for video? Which camera do you suggest?? Maybe we can start a thread on the AA crew site so we don;t pyrate this one?? Cheers!!

I don't know darlin'... every hero needs an arch-enema... or is it enemy?? Besides then there would be no Rats and Maddog for a crime fighting team... Coarse he always wants first billing or he pouts, acts like a girl and throws a tizzy... Stupid MadDog!! Stupid tizzy throwing Maddog! Rats - You're so nice! I'm loving how complimentary you are to me... Don't hang around that Dogge guy or he will make you mean.... :) It's my pleasure to take care of you guys when it comes to meetings and such! Bring on Meat Fest 2010 at the Buccaneer Camp!!!!!

So do I!! I wish you could have gone with us to diner, that would have been perfect! we could have used you in a few instead of me everywhere. You also would have been a better doctor, instead of having me play a thug and then a doctor later..... That's alright though brother. we need to talk about my plans for the videos!! This next year might be some good film work!!

I think I'm going to make a groupsite for just pics... so that we can plan and post our photos and keep em in order. What's great about the albums is that when you watch em in slideshow they can keep rolling in order and easier to watch!! What says you?? Hmmm? maybe we should just restart the archangel groupsite??

I love these pics!! I have to say that staging these photo series is one of my favorite parts of this entire event!! Just wait til you see what Mad Dog does to Matty and Brian!! Maybe we can also add what happens to Matty, Brian and Rats??? I think we should go early next year and just stage pics!!

I couldn't agree more! I also have to say that after working in commercial for 10 years, Mr. Cross (who claims not to know how to act and such) is an absolute natural! For a first timer infront of his guy makes some of us old camera hogs look like chum in the water... Stupid old age... Turn 40 and all the young turks start showing up!! Yeah...yeah... I know... Out with the old and in with the new!!!! But seriously, wait till you guys see the pressgang photo series we did for Mr. Cross and also the Brawling Barmaids with Sweet Kate and Red Jess!!! BTW: why did Mikey get to be the guy in the middle??? Stupid...stupid Mikey!!!

I do remember the violent beating that occurred... Think it looked something like this? Ooops... sorry... or is it more like this?? Still waiting on lies, Ratty! All of that was true. Though I cannot swim, I dealt with the sharks like I deal with every challenge: I punched them in the face. I punched the sharks in the face. I punched the tarpon in the face. I even punched the grouper in the face, because though it seemed harmless enough, it was making faces at me. Then I grabbed a seagull in each hand and flapped my arms and flew to safety, all while Brian, AKA 12-Pound Richard, ate all my fries and drank my soda. Unfortunately, I was too tired to punch him in the face, but I did kick a conch so hard it turned into fritters.

You know I saved her and even gave her the breath of life.... But that neck-ed barmaid who said she would be sure to "thank" me later.... she still charged me for the meal and the friggin meal!! She even expected a tip!!! Pout.... pout.........Stupid barmaid.......! Still waiting on lies, Ratty! All of that was true. Though I cannot swim, I dealt with the sharks like I deal with every challenge: I punched them in the face. I punched the sharks in the face. I punched the tarpon in the face. I even punched the grouper in the face, because though it seemed harmless enough, it was making faces at me. Then I grabbed a seagull in each hand and flapped my arms and flew to safety, all while Brian, AKA 12-Pound Richard, ate all my fries and drank my soda. Unfortunately, I was too tired to punch him in the face, but I did kick a conch so hard it turned into fritters.

You all know what you did and how we done it... From the running and planning a helluva camp and excellent meals, to the major success of an all scale battle, to the vigilance and teamwork conveyed during severe weather and unexpected circumstance.... Everyone of you and I mean EVERYONE really made this event such a pleasure to attend. What a great crew of riff-raff and cutthroats! I couldn't be more proud!

So as we were watching the feeding frenzy, a scantily clad young miss accidentally fell into the dark waters and was set upon by the horrible sharks.... Without thinking of himself, Ol' Rats began slapping the water to get the sharks attention then heroically threw Matty Bottles who cannot swim into the chum soaked waters! Then with the agility of a man gone insane lept into the the water and rescued the now neck-ed young barmaid. Anything else you might want add?? And by all means Matty, pick up where you want an add what you will. Also if folkls want to add their own, please feel free. Cheers The unknown fish were tarpon, hideously ugly and fearsome in their own right (seriously, these suckers looked HUGE, and I figured they were actually fairly mild specimens of the real prizes out in the gulf.) I think they feed around sundown - Rats, I am still waiting for the lies. So far everything has been the gospel truth. Oh, yeah, the Islamorada Fish Co. was at mile marker 81, if anyone is interested.

Though very fitting. I agree that your real name is perfect!! Here's to you Miss Diosa!

OK so I figure everyone has their own stories and lies... here's just the start of my trip even before I got the Keywest.... More will follow and I'm sure will be added to by the usual suspects!! On Wednesday Dec 2nd at approximately 5am, Rats (that be me!), along with my esteemed colleagues “12Pound Brian” and the infamous Matty Bottles; left the sky port of Milwaukee. An hour or two later, we landed in the warmer climate of Altan-teea, where I lost my boarding papers and Matty dropped his drivers license. About a half hour later we managed to find Mr. Bottles’ ID and I begged another paper for transport, just as the boat was being loaded. However we did have to walk back to the other side of the airport, which was practically back in Milwaukee anyway. A couple hours later, we landed in Miami and was treated to an hour wait at the Hertz rental coach. BTW: they have signs all over that claim 10 minute service and crap….What kind of 10 minute “servicing” they were offering was not clear. But we got our car and promptly got lost with the help of our GPS who needed to be reminded we were in Miami and not Wisconsin. I was personally upset everyone was not wearing white blazers like Don Johnson in Miami Vice…. But since we were doing piracy? OK I'll let sleeping dogs lie! SO! We hit the road and a few hours later arrived at the ISLAMORADA FISH CO. Though this place is set up like a fishing lodge. I believe it was technically the restaurant next door is where we dined. You see they had a thatched hut dining area out on the pier, with huge fish hanging from the rafters. This place had great food, such as fried and breaded gator, salt crab and I had to grope-her. I mean grouper! Now let me say that the meal and the location were perfect!! Exactly what an island meal experience should be!! Did I mention the sharks??? No I didn’t thinks so… So I’ll continue... as we’re sitting next to the rail and finishing our meal, Matty Bottles notices a fish jump in the water in the small kind of pool/ bay between the shore and us. Now, just for your imagination purposes, this small pool, which let out into the ocean was no more than 30 to 40 feet squared and about 10 to 12 feet deep. The water was also no more than a 3 to 4 foot drop from the deck. Wait a minute… Did I mention the sharks?? Ok so we start seeing these huge gorram fish cruising in this little bay area. Some range from 3 to 4 feet long and for the life of me I cannot remember what they were called… So this fella from the fish store/ charter service next door arrived with this big bag of leftovers and starts feeding the fish. Suddenly a swarm of seagulls start dive bombing the water and trying to steal what they can… This is when I notice the large gray fish with the gill openings on the side….OH crap that’s a shark!! Now for those who have never seen a shark, imagine this… a large thick fish that’s the diameter of a full-grown bulldog or pit bull. My original description was “That thing is like a big angry dog with fins!!” I kid you not!! They just cruised through the area and flipped their eyes when they made hit for the food. I had just joked about running and jumping off the pier and into the water… Which is exactly where they were probably waiting and chatting amongst their selves before dinner… Then we start seeing another… and another!!! So before we know it, there was approximately 20-30 of the large unknown fish, one grouper and about 8 sharks that ranged from 3 to maybe 5 feet!!! Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to get bit by a small dog or an angry ex-girlfriend, let alone something that wants nothing better than to eat you!! But regardless, as the guys threw in the snack, these things weaved and cruised directly under us, which was no more than a couple feet bellow us, the fish continued to weave and overlap, kinda like the ending of that movie open water. Occasionally they would get close enough to the wooden pillars that are holding up the pier and as they would make a hit on the food, they would make a loud thud and kind of shake the pier. The feeding lasted about 20-30 minutes and then suddenly like clockwork, they all disappeared. More to come!

You totally rock, my dear goddess O'the bodice!! And what a great job with the walk the plank gig!! Also a big thanks for agreeing to narrate our battle!!!!

Great pics my friend! And an honor to meet you!

Rats, Matty Bottles and B-man Brian made it into Milwauke about 11pm-ish... I also have to say that I already miss my dysfunctional pyrate family!!

WOW!! That sounds great!! I hope you got plenty of pics!! Can't wait to hear more!!! OK gotta go and finish packing. We're leaving tomorrow morn! I don't know about anyone else... But I plan... TO MISBEHAVE!!!!!!

HAAAHAAAaa!!! Oh man!! I can see how things are going to go!! But Pappy... I'm hungry.... You wanna eat?! You do-a-da prickity stitch!! But Pappy Rat-Eye, you have two dozens of the kids, and a few that can't do the prickity stitch, so selling them was the only option!

NO WAAY! You got to go to the enerald isle AND going to PIP???? I had to sell of my 5 or 6th born male child and a lung just to go to PIP.... A trip to Ireland has always been a dream!! You have to tell us all about it So get well m-dear! You have a couple days left!!! ALSo... To everyone else!!! No sicky sick people!!! There's waaay too much fun that needs to be had!!!