Raphael Misson

Hear, hear! Buy from those you know. I wondered about a regular buckle being able to work. Could someone bring an extra buckle to Paynestown so I could play around with it? I don't like the center bar set up - that's why they fell apart in the first place. Or perhaps I could try gluing the buckle back together...

Thanks everyone for the comments. I was starting to think this one was a miss (too long or something) since only Michael seemed to have read it. Please read it to Grace - I really do try and keep her in mind when I write it...although I can't resist popping in little adult jokes here and there. (Heck even Bugs Bunny did that...) You know, in as much seriousness as I can muster for this topic - I don't mean to steal any of Lob's thunder here. Baby Lion aspires to be as daring as Lob. (I had actually thought about asking you guys to let me post stuff for Lob on his wall.)

Say, I might get to like that box at the top showing the photos in the galleries yet. Check out this priceless photo capturing two of my favorite topics in one image (from Iron Bess' gallery):

I have a pair of these from Mary and I love them. However, the buckle is really cheap and both buckles have now fallen off my shoes. Under the buckle are two strips of fake leather that cross over one another. (There's an elastic strip underneath them.) Does anyone have a suggestion for where I could get a buckle that would replace my broken ones? I thought about buying expensive shoes, but I find these are really quite comfortable. Plus they're getting a nice worn look which I really like.

ASTM International Standard E 2189-02, Standard Test method for Testing Resistance to Fogging in Insulating Glass Units. Fascinating and heady stuff, this. You should all procure a copy for your home libraries post haste.

Very well done. Bravo!

I've read that at least some of the DVDs contain the version edited for television. You may also have to be careful when purchasing them unless you have an all region DVD player.

I was kind of kidding about the 1707 thing (2007 (my first PiP) => 1707). Since pirates seem to have rarely operated for more than a year or two, I can't imagine the Mercury would have even been a pirate vessel in 1707. Plus it seems from my reading that captured surgeons weren't usually kept for more than a couple of months. They were traded out for the next surgeon they found when capturing ships. (There are some exceptions, but the examples I've read involve poorly (and often informally) trained surgeon's mates who enlisted with pirates and one surgeon who just decided he wanted to become a pirate when he was captured. (Peter Scudamore - on Bart. Roberts crew. Scudamore was hanged.))

Of course the real reason I don't mind posting all my quotes is because I randomly change the spelling of certain words (you can't tell properly misspelled words from intentionally misspelled words in period documents) and word order in some of the quotes I post. That way if someone copies the quotes I have intentionally altered in a published work, they'll get some of it wrong. I don't change them enough to alter the meaning - I wouldn't want to mislead folks seeking info - but I change them just enough to be able to spot someone stealing my hard work. It might also make them look a bit silly if someone compares their quote with the original document. "Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false!"

You're welcome. Of course, you are assuming I will ever get around to writing an actual book or that if I do that it will ever get published. However, everyone interested in period correctness should absolutely have to read primary sources. It's like being punished for all your previous sins of poorly documented opinions about period. (Especially when you try to interpret the Latin parts.) "Thank you sir, may I have another!"

So I finally saw this. You know, it's a pretty decent pirate movie. It is. It's droll and much more true to my idea of pirate behavior than a lot of other pirate movies. Of course, Matthau is hammy fun as he usually is, while turning in a good portrayal. However, I think the whole thing would have come off better had they played the music straight. The score has a dopey, fun, adventure-style that frequently contrasts with the violence on-screen. Had they given us something more serious and even sinister (at times) I have a feeling this would have been a completely different movie. The other sore point for me was the ending. I won't give it away, but it was like they just got tired of writing and decided to end the movie *here*. More serious music (and perhaps a bit more foreshadowing before-hand) might have improved this ending. I'd give it 2.5 of 5 stars overall. I didn't find it to be the diamond-in-the-rough that some other folks seem to consider it, but it was worth a watch.

Well, Baby Lion finally got his pics and info together from his Honduras trip. Since he's really no longer just a PiP thing, I am creating a new post in the Ports O'Call forum in this thread. He's a world traveler, that Baby Lion.

I seem to be coming across a lot of opportunities to travel lately and I usually take my good pal and traveling companion Baby Lion with me to chronicle the things I see. Baby Lion and I were in Honduras in June. I took lots of pictures of him (like any proud father) and decided to continue to chronicle his trips. You can read about Baby Lion's latest adventures in Honduras on this web page. (It is sort of written for Grace, but adults may enjoy it as well. ) On a more serious note, it just so happened that I was there the weekend that the military threw their president out of the country. It was quite interesting; you can read some of my thoughts on what happened on this web page. Now, for those of you who don't read the PiP forum, you may be wondering who the heck Baby Lion is? He's a little Lion created for me by 8-year old powder-monkey Grace Thatcher. She's the daughter of Mercury crew members Silas and Lady Constance Thatcher. (Grace may be 9 now - I last saw her at PiP in 2008). Of course, there's a whole story about Baby Lion, but I'm not going to tell it here. If you want to know more about Grace and how BL came to be in my life, see this page. You can also find out about his adventures in Mexico If BL takes any more trips, I'll be sure to take photos and write it up for Grace. (I'll links in here so the rest of you can see what BL is up to if you're interested.)

FYI, this place proved to have really good rates (I compared them to the ones in town.) Since I probably won't be there very much, price is important. (The other place has nice amenities, but since I wouldn't be taking advantage of them, I couldn't see clear to pay extra for them. :) )

Aw, shucks. You guys make me blush. I had to come; I heard Mark needed a gunner for he mighty ocean-going galleon. And now that I know Grace is going to be there...well! BTW, I will probably take Friday off to make the trip because it's 5+ hours without have to run around and play in the hot rod and I don't want to miss the opportunity to do that. Plus I want to get the lay of the land for the site. Who will be there when? Oh, and my registration and check are in the post as of today.

William is trying to get people to explain their characters. But not here...check out the thread in the Mercury Crew forum. http://pyracy.com/index.php?showtopic=15480&st=0&gopid=363757

The Mercury is the only crew I officiously belong to...and that's only because they captured me in late 2007 *cough* 1707. (This means I've been captured for, what, 14 or 15 years? I must not be trying very hard to escape.) Where's Captain Jim? He's a Mercury guy! (At least, I think, he is...) Patrick, too...although I believe he's defecting to the buccaneer crew this year. Isn't Iron John one of us? What about RedJessi? Captain Sophia? Silas and crew? These are all people who I believe have said they were part of the Mercury Crew in the PiP forum in the past. Perhaps you should have posted it in the PiP forum where these folks visit more regularly...

The nearest town is Bloomington, Indiana. There are a lot of places to stay there. See Bloomington hotels/motels. Anything near Hwy 446 or on the east side of town will be within about 15-20 minutes of the event. There are lots of good places to eat in Bloomington and the nightlife is impressive. Of course, it won't compare to the fun we usually have on Saturday night at Paynetown! Yeah, it's more of a personal preference thing for me. I'll be spending most of my time at the site. (I wish it was like PIP and I could ride my bike to the site.) Thanks for all the info!

Yes. And I'm bringing as much medical gear as I can fit in the hot rod. "This is ridiculous." "What are we gonna do?" "... Road trip." Does this mean my pal Grace is coming? I am nearly finished with another edition of the Baby Lion website about our recent visit to Honduras. (I hope it has some educational value for her. Mostly it's just silly.)

Hey historyfanatic, what do you recommend for hotels nearby?

Dear Donald, Dear Bennett: The Wartime Correspondence of Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer and The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White.

Hmm. I haven't noticed that. I just checked Beyond and the VNC function seemed to reflect the unread post for me. (The WAG thread...you know, come to think of it, I might actually pay not to be notified when that thread received posts... )

I thought this at first, but I believe I have determined what's really happening. The new function doesn't display new posts, it displays unread posts. The old function used to display posts based on the time they were posted, with no regard to whether you had read them or not. I didn't like this at first, but then I got used to it. (Aiieee! Noooo! Change! ) It actually gives you a little more control. Plus, with the "Mark Board as Read" function at the bottom of the page, you get clean the "View New Content" display right up.

That's probably because the original book is also fascinating - plus you know it's PC. :)

No, what. (Who's on first.)