Matty Bottles

I remember a fancy digital version of The Buccaneers of America, I think, which was not in English, but I haven't seen one of a General History of Pirates. I'm not saying there isn't one, but if the digital versions remembered are of a different book, I don't want anyone to run around looking for something that might not be there.

Happy Birthday, Mickey!

Well, I have to confess that I'm disappointed that I won't get to hang out with you, Bo, but I understand and I hope you heal well.

Cripes, Bo! Watch out, man. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope to do it again someday, so stay alive. I get the feeling there's a lot of things a lot of people can learn from you, so stick around so you can teach 'em.

Hey, happy birthday Bilge!

During my first colonoscopy, I made an ill-timed Fraggle Rock joke...

How about you never say never, Michael?

I've heard of weaksauce, but never awesomesauce. What wonderful treasure will the internet crap out next?

Finally, a place where we can swap colonoscopy stories!

On the off chance I someday have a son, I picked a good name for him. Then my wife nixed it because "he'll have too many names" (as though you can ever have too many names.) so I added your last name to it and submit it for your perusal: Charles Edward Stuart Beach Sure, it has that tricky 'CH' sound, but what a great name.

Well, pragmatism (or penury, as the case may be) certainly appeals to me. I guess jute it is.

Yeah, I mean rope. I hoped to find a cheapish source for hemp. Say, how long has manila been in use, I wonder?

I just got a grappling hook from taylor-rose outfitters, and I'm looking for some line to tie to it. Anyone have a good source for PC line?

When I started reenacting about a year and half ago, I didn't know how to sew. Now all of my clothes are handmade (except for a few shirts). GAoP clothes, at least working men's clothes, seem like the perfect clothes to learn on. The patterns are fairly simple and the garments are easy to put together. I haven't put together a frock coat so I can't speak to all those crazy pleats, but short jackets, shirts, and slope hose are actually fairly easy now. Another thing you can do is make the first run out of cotton (and if you go to walmart you can find $1 a yard cotton - I think patrick hand has talked about this elsewhere.) if the garment comes out messed up, you can learn from it and it's still fairly inexpensive. It you do it right, you can do the next one in 100% correct materials even better, and you have a natural fiber backup in case of emergencies.

Now that I have stretched them, they fit like a dream. And the stretching isn't any sort of effort at all. I just store them with a wooden shoe tree in them (and some craft popsicle sticks in the tightest spots) and the are just fine when I need to wear them.

Michael, I can't tell from the pics - are those brass or pewter buttons? Also, I hope you are at RF5 - you will see a greatly expanded kit.

I got the "Caladog" or Catelander." It made me want to camp with them.

Many more birthdays and a lucrative new year to the White Trash Fur Company!

Shoddy provenance (at least what was available on the website) but still something to consider: The box lock would put it at ~ 1735? Historic Williamsburg thinks they were around, too...

Thank you all - it was a great birthday. My wife threw a surprise party and my sisters flew in from both coasts!

My first job with the Sturgeon Bay Department of Public Works was 'restoring' an abandoned city cemetary that housed many local Civil War veterans. According to the older guys on the work crew, the owner of the adjacent gravel pit pulled up all the tombstones except for two and used them to pave his patio in the late 70's. I guess he thought it was cool. He also used to drive his front loader through there as a shortcut to the road, and wound up crushing/collapsing most of the graves. We could see the low spots where the earth had settled into the depression left by the collapsed casket.

You should ask historyfanatic about his unexplained experiences. It's pretty creepy.

Yeah, I have a MVTC pistol, and many of my crewe mates have MVTC hardware, and we all love them.

Well, I really did mean that high-school/college-age demographic. I was perhaps anomalous, but between saving up for college in high school, and then paying for college and rent while I attended college*, I would have been hard-pressed to afford even the $100 mark. The moment I started an actual job I had more income than I knew what to do with, after those years of minimal spending. But you're right, in that it isn't a very expensive hobby when it comes right down to it. You can make everything you need, with the exception of the big-ticket items that aren't necessarily crucial anyway. You can form your own hats, sew your own clothes (even cut stockings out of wool if so inclined), carve and finish your own truncheon, make your own belts and boxes - which is where I am. Unfortunately, in my case, I also have a burning desire for evermore 'details' that continue to bankrupt my hobby funds. *And I didn't even own a car, with all of it associated costs.

I think you missed a set of ellipses... "Hasn't been an honest politician..." Oi, BlackJohn, Yer sayin I quoted another? Who might that be? Hummm, two fellers wit th word 'black' in their names. Wouldn't want ta run in us in a darkened alley. Nah, I just think BlackJohn is suggesting that there is no need to limit the claim of dishonest politicians to just your lifetime.