Mary Diamond

I am in the very beginning stages of researching Anne Bonny, with eventual re-enactment intent. I am looking for exhaustive historical detail, and am unfamiliar with reputable authors in this field. Perhaps some of the Pub's more well-read pirates could offer a recommendation or two? Many thanks!

Thanks for the kind thoughts and provisions, Capt. Sophia! Hubby just bought me a bottle of Pyrate XO and a fresh package of Oreos, so I think with that, we will be ok. We're not so far north as Red Cat and Mad Jack, but Chigago is getting nailed with this nasty weather, windy sleet and freezing rain. At least the ice storm is cancelled. I'd rather have snow than this nasty crap. You can shovel snow ~ I hate bustin' through ice!

Great links, Chole! :) I was just operating under the assumption Salty wanted to make use of her existing pattern, but with free patterns available online, well, they are definitely useful for a person willing to try them! Mary

William, were you in attendance at PiP 2006? Thought I might have shared our bottle of Tattoo with you and some of the other folk gathered round, singing with guitar accompaniment, but, it was dark that night - all I saw was a red goatee ~ Mary

Pics? You want PICS? GADS, how many do you want? Tony Callahan was on site, and shot in the realm of 5,000 images. :) There are a few below ~ http://www.callahandigitalart.com/photocart/ Still setting up Cannon training (hey, who's that?)

Hi Salty! I can appreciate your question, and dilemma. IMHO, I like the character flexibility offered by patterns such as Simplicity and Making History. There are just days when it is more fun to be a girl in breeches and a corset/bodice, than to have to deal with 8 bazillion yards of skirts and trains and sleeves and whatnot. Not to mention I have been making costumes for years before coming across re-enactors, so have a case of Oh-Isn't-That-Pretty patterns and material awaiting my attention, that are most definitely not period correct (artistic interpretation, more like)! But, now I find myself as part of a re-enacting crewe. They are kind and understanding, but, being a re-enactment group, they want attention paid to period correct details. Which means breeches belong on guys (or girls portraying guys), skirts and stays on girls. BUT - if there is an event which is less historically accurate (a little more Hollywood), then I can get away with wearing my Simplicity outfit and my bucket boots! (Definitely not GAoP, but ridiculously hot, nonetheless). So, all that said, (and like Kass says) it really is up to you and what you think you will be wearing it for (i.e. Renn Faire - you'd fit in just fine!). Not all pirate groups are historically correct/re-enactors. But we all have fun! :) Best of luck to you, and take your time and enjoy it. Once you get the hang of patterns, it is addictive. :) Mary

Really sharply done - Love the entertainment center, the attention to detail, and, well, the undead monkey just takes the cake! Very British South Seas looking. Fabulous job, all without compromising potential resale - not as easy as it sounds! Kudos to you :)

Ah, well, here is what started it all off - Halloween 2004. I submitted for the Simplicity couples costume contest, and heard NOTHING back. Thought I'd at least get a "nice try". So, since then, my ever thoughtful hubby purchased some lovely thigh-high bucket boots for me at PiP 2006. And on to ReEnactors Fest II, where I appropriated, in proper pirate fashion, my hubbies breeches and weskit/vest (pending me making my own). Oh, you didn't attend, you say? Well, now, that is too bad - look at the fun you missed out on!

Ah, it seems I am in good company ~ Like Silkie and Kass, I was also a graphic designer for, wow, 15 years or something like that? Yeah, it sounds creative, but the reality is, you are just a monkey with a mouse, doing what the client wants (the red circle). Over and over and over again, stuck in a cube, for, oh, like 10-12 hours a day. So I left that to pursue a career and degree in horticulture. Wrapping up the Master's Degree (working on my final project), with April - September spent at a landscape supply / garden center doing sales, design and pest/disease ID. Much happier now! If only I didn't have to work weekends ~ but I love the work, and at least I am outside in the sun.

Lovely, lovely wood! And the metal details - should look absolutely splendid. Keep us posted!

Thank'ee, Callenish Truly, I'd love to. Every time I try to report them, though, I get a weird error from the Pub. And no response when I send an email to the powers that be... So I stopped trying.

Sad, indeed, if Kass cannot make it. Perhaps, though ~ her idea had merit. Would it be hard to put into motion?

Hoping that she will grace us with her presence again ~ safe journeys, madam.

Awesome idea, Lady B! Marketing/promoting would take some careful wording ~ don't necessarily want to "let the cat out of the bag" per se, but still want to let people know a BIG TO DO is scheduled, MUST NOT BE MISSED! Maybe should involve large quantities of opposing re-enactors (i.e. pirates vs. military) providing pre-action in a few areas, coming together (hopefully with audience following - captives, perhaps? ooohhh ) to one area for the main action, to ensure getting a large audience. Mind, I don't have experience orchestrating this kind of thing ~ just a few thoughts to throw darts at!

Welcome to the Pub ~ enjoy yourself! Oh, seems you already are... And thankee for the drink.

Ah, yes, as I helped decorate my sisters' wedding tent, I am aware of the limitations on "hanging". The great thing is the burlap and flags, banners can easily be strung up to the main crossbeam/pole, as they are so light. The other stuff is just propped and stacked up, laying around. Keep in mind - you must check with your FIRE MARSHALL! All this stuff, plus the booze, is uber flammable. He may ask for an additional exit. I have a spare palm tree from her event - I could be co-erced into renting it (renting: just because it is a hassle to bring and was expensive) should you decide to go that route. Love the pirate crewe flags idea - would really work well! If they are not inclined to give their own, repros of their (or indeed any flag) could be mocked up on cotton canvas with latex paint, and used again for next year ~ Not sure, probably not, were there Wanted posters back then? Wouldn't that be a hoot! XXX rogue character (attending) could be "wanted", to be turned in by Children, but he could buy them off with doubloons! The motivated kid who actually coerced him to the bar to turn him in could receive special commendation!

Welcome aboard! Have a look around, feel free to jump in with both feet - 'tis a very welcoming crowd! Tell us more about yourself ~ we promise, we won't bite!

Hey Sally, I had a few thoughts on your bar decor ~ Walls could be draped with burlap sacking (available in huge rolls for landscape contractors) - not period, but rustic. A raid to gather weathered planking and pier moorings (old barns, piers, boatyards, the local municipal forestry dept (for dead tree logs - i.e. fake moorings)), would provide vertical interest against the walls, over the burlap. Alternatively, railroad ties from the local home improvement can be roped together in 3's to create small moorings. Chunks of aged stone are nice, but harder to move. I don't think potted plants were bar fashion back then, but they always add a nice vertical touch - perhaps rented palms at the entrance? Spring is coming up - check with your local garden centers ASAP for bulb boxes (wooden slatted boxes) they might be throwing away. Easily aged with stain in a pressurized garden sprayer - drape with a bit of fish net, add a doo dad on top (something non-breakable, non-valuable, that can be affixed so as not to walk away with patrons - such as coils of rope or sea shells), and voila! a vignette. Don't forget flags, banners, and such for color. Placed strategically at the entrance, around the bar proper, and a few in the interior, these kind of groupings add a lot of character for a 6-8' wide x 8' high area (each), without the obligation to cover the entire space. Because they are grouped, they make more of an impact. If anyone has a great velvet captains chair, a vignette can be made around that, with additioal detail, like your rugs, brass tray, potted palm, etc. Great for photos or skits. Please, PLEASE tell me you guys are recycling at this event.

Aha, the mystery is solved! I imagine he will be pressed to leave the hat at home for 2007. Maybe the pants, too, but... that would be "the other end of Duval Street" (eh, Silkie)! So, no comments on the kid aspect Well, should it have any appeal, I notice the Port Washington Pirate Fest (in Raids) folks (Scuttle Sally) have some pretty nifty ideas to keep the little buggers occupied: As for the children's area. I've been in talks with the owner of the local HobbyTown. He's really in love with the idea and we're working on getting him to set up a demo area where kids can play some of the various pirate games (like Quest for Davy Jones Gold and Dread Pirate) or even work on making easy model ships. We're also looking at a dig for treasure sandbox for the wee little pirates in training. For the Buccaneer Bar, we'll be setting up Pirates Dice and mancala...maybe Shut-The-Box if Hobbytown can get us one. Oh, and I'll give you a teaser...we have something really cool along the lines of the popular wooden dubloons that will give the kids another way to interact with the pirates. The wooden dubloons will continue as they were SO popular last year! We'll have a seperate booth for their redemption.

Thank you, I am glad you liked it! It was taken at Po Lin Temple on Lantau Island (just outside of Hong Kong). It was fantastically windy that evening, but made for really amazing photos. Yes, I like crows ~ find them to be quite fascinating, brash - was sad to see them dying off around here (along with the sweet little chicadees) due to West Nile, but they are making a comeback. Saw a lovely murder of them last season. Another photo for you ~ from Thailand. Theare so many wats (temples) there, and every one of them are encrusted with decoration, tiles, and gilding - so very much different from Japan (very reserved) and Hong Kong (in between - Chinese style).

Yes, I noted the proposed dates for RFIII as being in conflict with PiP, but then I realized - No Problem! They are still holding the one 15 minutes away from me, in February (ish). 2006 PiP was warm (learning that linen is the way to go) but a most thoroughly enjoyable experience for us newbies.

Agreed - did that once, never again! Go Taurus! 2 bulls in the same china shop = my hubby and I, 5 days apart.

While visiting a temple one evening in Hong Kong in 2003 ~

Hmmm, ah, (bite), well... where to go from there. Best to leave it alone, as I may be getting in too deep! Merry - I will be up at Port Washington with Archangel - I thought I saw in the thread that you'd be there with Fool's Gold? A few months, then! Busy, busy ones, at that.

Ah, thank you all for the many welcomes! Callenish, you blue-eyed rogue, you'll have to bend my ear when we next meet ~ I spoke with Silkie re: developing a brogue, and your name was mentioned. :)