michaelsbagley

Got the flag in the mail today! It looks great! I'm kind of packing for this weekend this evening, so pictures will have to wait until early next week.

Likewise, take lots of pics at the St. Louis pirate fest, and have a great time there! Send our regards to all there, we miss you all!

Someone (I think it may have been Jennie) posted the below article to the Facebook page for the event, and I thought I would share it here as well. Columbus News article on TLAPD on the Santa Maria.

Do you really want me to guess? 'Cause I think I know and don't wish to spoil it in case it is actually a surprise.

I'm in the process of composing the list of those who are coming or have expressed serious interest... It's looking like attendance will be down slightly from May, but still a strong showing. There will also be a few new faces.

I've been giving a lot of thought to period money, and salaries, and costs lately.... and searching around Twill (and other parts of the web), I have come across a number of inventories and other lists as to how much things cost, and also lists on what different people made (making an honest living)... But Most of the lists I have found have been for bulk items, or items that one may not buy every day (like a knife or clothes, sure lots of people had knives and wore clothes, but they last a long time if taken care of). So how much would a cup (bowl) of coffee cost at the local coffee house? How much would an ale cost at the local drinking hole? What about a plate of food when one reaches port and wants to escape the cuisine of the ship's cook? I found this thread looking through Twill, which gives some good starting points, but does anyone have any other good sources? If there is another existing discussion for this topic, I didn't have any luck finding it, so even a pointer to that would be great!

I tried making Black Walnut ink a couple of years ago... And while it isn't poisonous or harmful (that I know of or experienced), I did end up walking around with hands stained almost black for a few weeks after. I think it was almost 6 to 8 weeks before the last remnants of the staining was completely gone. And I wore protective gloves! The tannins in black walnut are acidic enough to eat through latex, trust me, I found that out the hard way! However, it is the tannic acids in black walnuts (and other substances used for tanning) that allow for the tanning process to succeed, so I would very much imagine black walnut could be used for that... But I also think black walnut didn't become widely used until later in the 18th century than the general GAoP (1680 to 1720) time-frame many here focus on.

I vaguely remember a discussion about this from a year or so ago... And while I am not 100% certain, I think through the discussion and showing of the samples, it was found the majority of the time button placement was the same as what it is modernly, but a sample(s?) were found with the reverse, so I think you should be okay. I'll try and do a search for the old discussion and link it here if I find it. Edit - And I found it! Link to previous discussion

This may not be very relevant since my recent change in attendance status, but I was in a position where I could have made it, it just would have been a very challenging thing for me to do so... Camping on the beach was a big draw for me. Bo made a very good and very strong point, there are countless forts less than half the distance that I can camp in, many of which have pirate events (or could have pirate events should the backing arise for such). I won't say the camping in the Fort thing caused me decision to not attend, but it would be a lie for me to say it wasn't a heavy factor in my decision. Greater focus on demos is something I only see as a positive change, so that I liked, but it wasn't enough to counter the camping in the fort thing. Staying off site isn't an option as my budget is generally such that just traveling to Key West and back is all I can afford to sink into this. The cost of a hotel (or other accommodation) puts this trip beyond my means, and beyond the means that I would be willing to spend even if my fortunes were greater. I also agree with Bo that having to prove ourselves is a bit of an insult, most of us have donated a great deal of time, effort, money, travel expenses, or goods for the auction towards this. I understand the "their sandbox, their rules" part of this, but if they actually care about their fort and their festival, they may actually want to make "their sandbox" accommodating and welcoming enough to get the volunteers who make it happen want to show up.

The folks next to the Gists, I know the guy in that pic is "Jack Salt", the young lady's name is not one I ever picked up. The folks that ran the food tent are Brandon Scott, and Jessie Dickinson. The two who work for Smoking Iron, are names I should know (I've met her before), but I can't recall at the moment.

So I thought I would share the photos from this past weekend at the Pirates in Paynetown event... And maybe a short bit of a AAR/recap. Link to Kate Souris' photos So it was a hot weekend, probably the second most uncomfortable of my re-enacting career (second to this past June's outing at Fort De Chartres), but outside of the temperatures, it was a blast. A lot of boating got done, but not as much sailing as I would have liked. It just seemed as if whenever the breeze picked up enough, there was too much going on landside to get out, or it was just not a good time... And when there were opportunities for sailing, the breeze just wasn't good for it. So, most of the boating (for me) was rowing. The Saturday battle more or less got rained out, as after the first few exchanges of canons, swivel guns, and musket firings, the sky opened up, and for the safety of those out in the boats, we all raced ashore and finished the battle up as quickly as possible. Sunday's battle was one of the more enjoyable battles I have been in this season though. There were a lot of great folks out, some new friends, and many I had met before. Attendance was comparable to last year, but perhaps a few less (hard times and all). Saturday night got strange, but in a fun way, when most of the encampment went out swimming on the nearby beach. Many changed into modern swimming gear for this, but a goodly amount of us, just went out in our period clothing. It was a really fun and interesting experience seeing a bunch of re-enactors in such a state. It's hard to fully explain the experience, but it is a memory that will stick with me for a very long time, as it was so unique. Anyways, that is the short version. A great time was had, and I for one certainly can not wait for next year!

Noooooooooooo! <pout> <Sniffle> <WHINE!!!> I have to get my Kate and Mickey fix! Ok, that's it... I gotta start saving for airfare for next month...... Don't worry, you'll still see us at Searle's in March... In fact I imagine I will see most of the PiP-sters at other events throughout the year. but there are a handful or so I only will likely see at PiP, and that is what made this the hardest for me. Being shorted time with the people I think are so great, and not getting any time with others I equally enjoy. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to have you up here with us next month! It just gives you a fall back plan.

Well it seems like Kate and I will not be making it to Key West this December. With us not coming, Trish, Shannon, Young David, and Young Cody will also not be coming. (I only speak for them as they are not on this forum). I believe our canceling will also impact Mark G and Nick Strojny coming. I don't think Nick checks in here any more (but I might be wrong), and I imagine Mark will speak for himself when he next checks in. Hope everyone has a good time.

Just goes to show we have coinciding great tastes! Can't wait to see you again, but next time we meet, we should really do dinner! So, we have oddly colliding cooking interests it seems...last time it was Jamaican... I have been playing with some paella recipes over the past few months... Mine was triggered by going out to a paella bar in Orlando and refinding my love of it. Honestly, while I am a definite carnivore, I have found some of the veggie ones to be more flavorful (and much more attractive) I will have to hammer down one recipe i really like and ship it your way :)

That is some bloody awesome work! Love the colours! Just an awesome and really cool, understated and unique look! Are your fabric buttons stuff with fabric? IOr are you using some sort of coin or wood biscuit for shape? Either way they are very well done!

While in the future these might be available for order/sale... For the short term, I am switching gears and only making stuff for the wife and I. I have so many half finished projects and projects I very much want to start and complete, and many of these projects are in this state due to my generosity towards others (and a bit of compromise for profit). If anyone is really interested, try and contact me come November(ish) to see if I am back into making stuff for others again.

I finally finished the large size portmanteau for the wife. This one is about 23"-24" inches wide, and about 9" in diameter (+/-). This time I only stitched the straps on at the bottom, with each strap being held on with two squares of stitching, and then the strap guides visible on the top of the lid. Kate did all the dyeing herself, and will be coating it in leather conditioner/sealer later today.

I'm a pretty avid gamer... But like BlackJohn, I am a big face to face gamer and mostly do RPGs (it almost always seems to be D&D, but I am always looking for other games as well), although I do play board games or other tabletop games when I get the chance. I still have my huge collection of the Pirates Collectible card/miniatures games that I would jump on the chance to dust off (i.e. Pirates of the Spanish Main, etc.). Computer and console games are okay, but I try to limit myself on those, as I find they don't hold my attention as well or give me the enjoyment face to face give.

While not specifically a pirate event, it is an event that does focus on later 17th century re-enacting, and a great way to expand ones re-enacting horizons (if one is interested in that). Anyways, this will be the fourth year of this event. It normally takes place in Dayton Ohio at the Sunwatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park, but for this year only has been moved to a private location in central Ohio. The event will be moving back to it's original location for 2011 (or be canceled), but we wanted to keep the continuity going and not skip a year so we moved the event to a private location for this year only. For details, see this web page. The event centers around a hypothetical meeting of the four dominant forces of the New World (Native, French, Dutch, and English) coming into contact in a trading scenario. It is a great time, and a wonderful opportunity to re-enact in a late 17th century context that isn't nautical based. Contact me if you are interested or want more information.

I would think that "cigarettes" of the 17th century would look more like small cigars than modern white papered cigarettes. So you would likely get a more accurate look by cutting the plastic end of a "Black 'n Mild" than using a hand rolled cigarette in white rolling papers. But regardless, the evidence still supports that using a pipe would have been the most common method of taking tobacco during the era. It just looks as if there is some evidence it wasn't the only method.

No, no HP Sauce in Paella. The HP sauce is pretty much reserved for beef dishes. Ransom, it wasn't too labour intensive, but it does have a long cook time, with period checking on it. So I can easily see it not being a day to day dish, but once in a while..... Definitely!!!

Going back a few weeks ago, I caught the "Good Eats" episode on Paella. I've always wanted to try it, and the funny thing is, I think I first heard about it on an episode of "Seinfeld" (a show I rarely ever watched). So last weekend, while on a random shopping excursion looking for drapes (well Kate was looking for drapes, I was tagging along ), I was wandering around the kitchen wares aisle of the discount store (you know that one where they sell off the brand name stuff for cheap because they got all the goods from an overstocked factory or a business going under). Anyways, I saw a paella pan on the shelf an looked at it, and I was blown away by the fact that it was only $7! So I bought it, and then went out the next day to buy all the ingredients I needed to cook up a batch. Let me tell you, I was very happy about my $7 purchase. So I did some more reading, and have found there are a lot of variants on paella. I've found vegetarian versions, seafood versions, mixed almost jambalaya versions... I don't think I have been so excited about a food preparation style since I tried risotto some years back. But Paella is soooo much better than risotto! So, I was wondering if there are any others out there who have had the obsession in the past, or still do, and what recipes you have tried or particularly like? Edit -> I looked into the history of the dish a little, and while the modern version seems to have come about in the early 20th century, the concept is traceable back to at least the early to mid 19th century. It might go back further than that, but in my quick first glance at the easy sources, it looks like it doesn't go back too much further than that. If anyone has more information about the history of the dish, I'd love to hear about that as well!

I'm on it! I am going to ensure the gambling/gaming demo gets done again, as it is a lot of fun, and potentially very interactive (see last paragraph of this blog). If real life and time permit, I hope to even have reproduction period coins for that demo. Jay, Sam and I really had a good time of that on Sunday at P-I-B, and I feel foolish for not thinking of getting that going on Saturday. The gaming demo is a great one, because anyone can come in and exit out of the demo at leisure. Kate (the wife) has some good ideas she has been kicking around for quite a while as well. I'm also contemplating a more fun (but a bit off the wall) addition for Friday night, but I want to run it past Mark G and some of the others before I getting a feel for it here (it is fun but would require a majority participate).