Mary Diamond

I think you may know Mark better than almost anyone else, Mission! You are right, it was difficult to restrain myself (but you need the Cravat!!) for the formal dinner, but I am so proud of him (and grateful) that he tolerated the coat. And you got a photo with him, without a hand towards the camera! A little at a time, boys and girls ~ we don't want to scare him away. Though, I can tell you right now, the wig and fop will never happen ~ there is only so much the poor guy can take.

For myself, it was the sheer joy of being back at PiP, seeing all who mean so much to me ~ and sweetened further by my dear hubby. Favorite Moments ~ All our gear (plus 13 pair of shoes!) in the MiniCooper. Mark and I with our 3am-5am watch in the pouring rain ~ Pog or Death? (our take on Eddie Izzard's Cake or Death/Church of England bit). Seeing William, not recognizing William (OOPS!) ~ and spending the rest of the trip exclaiming "WILLIAM!" each time I saw him, as if for the first time. Meeting Oderlesseye! A wonderful person, and so patient with my public shyness ~ The Auction ~ much as Captain Jim promised, the event seems to materialize from nothing, due to the sheer goodwill PiP seems to inspire. New Pirates Captain Jack (Steven Sepulvida), Squeak and Pick Pocket Pete not only bought auction items, but also contributed items taken off their persons directly to the Auction! On a lark, Pete offered to auction a Kiss ~ well, that was simply amazing. Meeting Shay of the Keys ~ a highly personable and talented Lady who I look forward to getting to know better. Sword fighting with Finn and Nick ~ YAY! I loved every minute of it. Especially when Finn broke his rapier on mine ~ haha! I WIN! Taking shelter in the MiniCooper with Mark and Mission during the Big Blow ~ Knotting up a new rope ladder for Maddogge in the aftermath of the storm, enjoying the simple pleasures. Scarlett Jai, at the Forge ~ zealously at work on the bellows, then, suddenly, realizing she abbreviated Dutchie's fishing spear. Bloodthirsty Barbara, Crudbeard, Viceroy, Gareth and Elizabeth at dinner ~ looking at me with amusement as the Goslings Black Seal burns down to my toes and back up ~ it burns... IT BURNS! Funny, Barbara seemed quite OK with it ~ drinking it like water. and Crudbeard's history/explanation of "no elbows on the table" Chatting with Mooseworth and Mrs. Mooseworth (*sigh* I apologize, I am terrible with names!), resplendent in her newly acquired riding habit, hand-sewn by Chole. and, not to be forgotten ~ Mission IMPOSSIBLE! Dah, Dah Dah Duh, Dah, Dah, Dah DUH ~ oh, dear, you are one of my favorite people, and the memories of yourself and our conversations are priceless. I am sure there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind now ~

Agreed ~ Mark didn't sleep so well last night, as he told me... something about me sword fighting in my sleep...

As always, very nicely done ~ Wish I had the ability to be in more than one place at a time ~ I would have loved to participate.

Oh! That was a perfectly Lovely Battle, full of promise, and hope, and... people walking off the battlefield midfight. Sigh ~ the communications aspect needed a little work.

Capt. Bo ~ Please do not apologize! Your contributions are always welcome, and it is the thought that counts. Indeed, as Mission said, the success we had with such a last minute gathering almost certainly guarantees this will be an event again in the future. YHS, Mary Diamond

Good Evening, All ~ I would like to extend my deepest Thanks to everyone who participated in Dead Man's Chest this year. I would like to especially thank Chrispy ~ You are an Amazing Auctioneer, and the $620+ raised are in large part due to your fast and fun style. To all who were not there ~ the evening was a side-splitting event, including the auction of one Mr. Cross, by Mr. William Red Wake, as well as the auction of a Kiss, by Mr. Pick Pocket Pete, received by Mr. Cross. I recall someone floating around with a video camera, but do not know who... once I have photos downloaded, I will post a few here. Thank you again to everyone for making this last minute event a great evening! YHS, Mary Diamond

FYI ~ We are leaving, and as of the completion of this post, I will be without computer access until after PiP. Please feel free to contact me via cell if you have any thoughts or questions ~

Let the adventure begin ~ the MiniCooper is packed to the gills, and we are leaving Chicago ~ See you all soon!

Thank you, Capt. Bo ~ Please see your email.

Ugh~ So, I'm upstairs, brushing my teeth, finally getting ready to crawl in bed, when I realize what you are going on about. Gave me a bit of a smile, you did ~ before I remembered you really aren't going to be at PiP. Going to miss you guys ~

Many thanks for your responses, Diosa and Chrispy ~ I will keep you posted.

Good Evening, Cap'n Rob ~ Many thanks for your kind inquiries ~ we are tired, but in good health, and plan to leave for the Keys in about 18 hours. We will keep your wishes with us on our journey. Regarding the Parade ~ it is not a short journey, by any means. Last year (or was it 2 years ago? my memory fails me) there was a float provided by the Rum Barrel, however, I am unaware of any arrangements this year. If I recall correctly, the parade lasted at least 2 hours. Wishing you well, and looking forward to meeting you ~ YHS, Mary Diamond

Just a quick poll to see who will be where Saturday Evening.

Ahoy! Fayma and I spoke today regarding the auction ~ it would be great if we could still pull it off, even if it is a smaller scale than originally devised. All proceeds benefit the Friends of Fort Taylor There have been many volunteers (Thank You!), but somewhat less in the way of items to auction (Thank you to Capt. Bo, Rusty Nell and Patrick Hand for their kind offers). I am hoping that as word spreads, more items will come in to be donated. As this appears to have become a somewhat smaller event than originally anticipated, we may be able to handle this more informally ~ our thoughts are to have only one Auction, Live, Saturday at the Sacred Heart Dinner at Silkie's Hide on the beach. It was originally intended that this appear in the general public program ~ given the change in scope, this will appear in the re-enactors program only. And, yes, the Key West Holiday Parade is supposed to start at 7pm ~ not sure when else to squeeze this in, though. Volunteers ~ Crispy, can we still count on you to act as auctioneer? Diosa, Rusty Nell, Sheila and Capt. Sterling ~ are you still available to help given the time and location change? All thoughts and suggestions are welcomed ~ please keep in mind I am leaving in 30 hours, and will not have computer access after that. I can be reached at 847-312-3409 on my cell. You can also contact Fayma directly at 812-290-6056. Items for Auction can be brought to Fayma or myself, at the Hide, Saturday evening, before 5pm, please. Please be sure to give your name so we can note the item and who donated it. Thank you!

Unfortunately, no room in the MiniCooper for firewood ~ we can make local runs when we arrive.

Function surmised, however, I cannot say the same understanding will dawn on a child. I most certainly hope they would not know what it is!

Oh! I am so very, very Happy to hear the news! Finally, some good news ~ too much bad news has floated through our home of late.

Bored kids shooting themselves in the eye ~ Honey, how did your eyes get all infected? Eeeewww. Love the new pelican ~

I have previously purchased large 32oz. size and small travel sized Dr. Bronners from the Target (www.target.com) in the Chicago area (though they have stores all over the country, inc. 2 in Miami). Best to call to make sure they have it in stock, I have found it located in the Cosmetics and Pharmacy area.

Nooooooo ~ Ah, Willie, not you too? I was so looking forward to spending some time together being notty.

Oh! A Fantastic tale, which I do most certainly hope to hear and SEE more of!

Hmm ~ Still having trouble getting the page to load. Any luck getting someone to address the "Operation Aborted" message?

Please count me in ~ but I won't be able to check the Pub, or start on "it" until after we get back from PiP ~ but it Will be delivered before Christmas.