Piwo

RF III forges ahead. The Mike's are still trapped in Baltimore. Flight cancelled yesterday, today as well. Hopefully we will get out on Thursday, the delay is getting on our nerves. We went to the hotel on Monday and took the tour. One of the problems with setting up RF III is the dates. There is a limited number of weekends where we can book the hotel. To be precise, there's one. The hotel is booked solid otherwise and schedules conflict as well as that being a "dead" time for the majority of the entire reenactment community out east. Having talked to the locals at Gettysburg they state the weather is still cooperative out there for being outside. We ate at a restaurant that is in a vintage 1776 era building in the town Monday night. Quiet, quaint and they dress in period garb and all. Was an experience drinking at a bar that's 160 years old. Despite the snow and cold we walked the battlefield yesterday and climbed to the summit of Little Round Top. It's something to walk over and commune with such a hallowed ground of our nation's history. To get RF III ( east ) off the ground we have to take what there is. If we were independently rich, more options would be open. Sadly, we're not, so we take what we can get. Contract's to be discussed, options weighed........much to do.......... Drinking in a hotel in Baltimore, waiting to get back to the Windy City.....Blaze / Croaker

So, I was dancing a lot with Mary Diamond. Does that mean I'll get the gibbet? She was just looking for a partner to trip the light fantastic with, and I happened to be available. T'was a very enjoyable time, I might add. I have not danced in YEARS, and really forgot how much fun it can be. Granted, I have two left feet but why let that stop one from having fun? But Mary was polite enough to withhold comment on my limited dancing abilities, and was a gracious dance partner. But like Jabba the Hut said in one of those Star Wars movies..."Ho, ho, ho! Your my kind of scum!" You pirates sure do know how to have a good time! Your whole gang has the right idea about the hobby. Do a great job during the day with the public, and then after hours is let the hair down and have a blast! In recent years I've forgotten about the "let the hair down" part. I'll tell you what, however. This pirate thing is going to get a real serious think by me about doing it. I don't want to make a promise I can't keep, but I've seen how you all operate day and night and I like what I see. Your all wonderful and friendly ( Is that a BAD thing to say to pirates? )and if I jump to a different time period, I'd have to say this would be it......Arrghhh, did they have Polish pirates back in the day? But finally, to wind up this long post. A real big "THANK YOU!" goes out to Cheeky for all the hard work she put in as a staff member for RF II, and both Mike's agree we want her on board for RF III! The bilge pumps would not have been able to keep up with the flow of problems we had were it not for her. She's a real credit to the hobby, and a great credit to your crew! So be sure to buy her a Grogtini or two next time your in port. And also a big "THANK YOU" to you all, and one lad in particular, named Pete. Your antics on Friday and Saturday night were a catylist and help move the evenings entertainment right along and insured that everyonehad a great time. A "WELL DONE" to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Piwo

Oh, introduce myself...Hmmh. For those that have yet to meet me, I'm the numero uno assistant for Mike Bollow who puts on Reenactorfest. I've been in the hobby for 10 years, doing WW II Polish Armed Forces. I'm the C/O of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade ( reenacted ) out of Chicago and the quasit C/O of RAF 11 Group Fighter Command as well. 11 Group were the lads who had the courage to sit next to the Pyrates at the Ball Saturday night, and in some of the pictures in "Raids" you'll see a lad dressed as a Polish Pilot Sgt. who was dancing with Cheeky and Mary Diamond at the Ball and freely making an ass of himself, but having fun at it! So, I've been around the block in the hobby for a bit, and now I'm retired and have way too much time on my hands. Messed up my back on a call at the FD where I was a fire/medic. Now I'm missing parts of 2 discs and 2 vertebra so I've had to change my reenacting lifestyle to more static and less physical pursuits. The name "Piwo" is my pilot "call sign" in 11 Group. Piwo is the Polish word for beer! So I go by that, or "Blaze" as my last name is Blazejack, and yes quite a name for a firefighter. I hope that will give you a good start as an introduction....but heck with that! MORE PICTURES FROM THE BALL I SAY!

Rats, one should never displace a crew member. Your a sawbones for a reason. Tis a good thing! There's a fellow in the WW II community, does German. He's an amputee. At a few events I've seen them do a number on him in front of the public during a public, staged battle. They "pull" his mangled leg off and the medics do treatment on his wound while he screams in pain. The Civ War people have done this as well, cutting a hole in a surgery table to shove a limb thru to hide it. They then hide soup bones in a gooey mess that they can saw on to simulate the amputation and carry the "limb" away in a bucket. Seems they have had a few people spew up for real watching it. How's that for reenacting?

Rats, ye must have drank too much Grogtini! T'was hard enough just gettin' out of the hammock on Sunday morn and navigating the hallways. Besides, I think all the shots of friends you might see from then would all have red and bleary eyes, even IF you used those programs and enhancement red eye removers for pictures! I know some one kept ringing eight bells in my noggin' for a good portion of the morning! Speaking of which, since I'm new to this, did pirate ships and crews have doctors or ship's surgeons like they did in the Royal Navy? Curious, as I thought if I were to explore this part of the reenactment community doing that would be right up my alley. I was a fire/medic for 20 years, just enough medical knowledge to be dangerous I'd always say. Call myself "Croaker" and how could one go wrong with this crew by perscribing large tots of rum for every ailment anyway?

To my new pyratical friends, I do have one question for you that has to do with Historical Jeopard. How did you enjoy the German VD training video that Alex provided at the end of the game? The first time I saw it, I nearly wet my knickers laughing so hard. That's the kind of twisted fun we like to pursue after public hours. I see that you all had a good time, and don't worry, there will be an RF III! Monday the Mike&Mike boys jet out east to look at Gettysburg for RF East I. Looks very good that it would take place there. Looking at weekend after Thanksgiving, as that is "dead time" out on the East Coast. Get all your crews from across the Seven Seas together for a Pirate's Christmas party? Oi! I shutter to think about a party like that? Have good olde St. Petenicholas hand out Christmas booty from a chest? On a serious note, I know one of the comments out on the many boards this week is that we were gearing and leaning towards a more World War II theme at RF. We're the first to admit it, we are WW II reenactors after all. That's what we do. Any help from reenactors from the other time periods is always welcome, we can use it! But the point of RF is to bring ALL the time periods together. For those that were at RF II you saw the multitude of time periods. It's a chore and a half trying to make things work for everybody. Ask one of your crewmates who works on the RF Staff with us ( and a damn fine job she's done as well! ) what things are like. I swear, there were some times I wished I could have had a few people "walk the plank" for some of the things that came up! Seriously, if any of you have any comments , suggestions or the like, send them along to us. Can't promise they will all get used ( let's face it, it's just impossible to do everything for everyone ) but it will at least get due consideration. Oh, one correction on a picture out there. With Mary Diamond and Tiffany with the British soldier in the hall way showing there legs off. No need to be disturbed. That's Brian, Tiff's BOYFRIEND! Ernie of the Coldstream Guards and owner of Castle Keep, LTD. is her father! ....but I can't help Pete out with the Centurion, however........sorry!

I'd like to send a big "thank you!" to all the crew of "Archangel" and the other pirate cohorts. Sitting next to you all at the dance / ball on Saturday night was an experience I won't forget for many a year! Meeting Pete & Co. and dancing with some of the ladies was just a first class evening. And I've now been introduced to "Grogtini" as well! It would seem we have found a group of kindred souls from across the centuries that have the same outlook in reenacting as we do. I just can't type enough about what a great job you all did this weekend, first class! Thanks for the opportunity to have been press ganged into the crew for an evening at the Ball! Respects, Mike "Piwo or Blaze" Blazejack; Sgt. Pilot RAF 303 Squadron, RAF 11 Group and RF2 Staff member.