FTPI - After Thoughts

[Lily Alexander]

While most of you are on your way home, a few thoughts have crossed my mind. After being bed bug bitten, sun burnt, completely exhausted beyond all recognition, I feel like the luckiest person alive. I've shared the most incredible weekend with the finest pirates I know. Love and miss you already.

[Cannibal Chrispy]

While most of you are on your way home, a few thoughts have crossed my mind. After being bed bug bitten, sun burnt, completely exhausted beyond all recognition, I feel like the luckiest person alive. I've shared the most incredible weekend with the finest pirates I know. Love and miss you already.

And it wouldent have been possible without you and Fayma! You gals are amazing and tirelesss, and I cant thank ALL the people who come together and bust thier butts to make this event possible enough for such an amazing job! THANK YOU!!!!!

Edited December 7, 2010 by Captain Cannibal Chrispy

[capn'rob]

What does it take? The tireless effort of a few to enable such joy in so many. It all seems to flow so well once all arrive, set up and the fun begins yet it would be hard pressed for anyone to miss the planning, scheduling, permitting and cajoling that goes into the event before we put stone to blade or make our cartriges.

The Closing Ceremony, Sunday Night is something I'll remember for a long time. The feeling of the love in every signature on "Mama Ratzy's" T-Shirt, even those in "invisable Ink", was like Saint Elmo's Fire's Glow in the hearts of those present and spirits of those gone. I believe I can safely say that the Big Payoff for these folks happens when they see us show up, suit up and have a Ball! It was not lost as Lily gave Mama the Shirt that even during an appreciation ceremony, Lily was still giving.

I can only speak for myself now as I say Thank you to All that made this possible. I look forward to seeing you all at the next event so we can start getting warmed up for PiP 2011!!

I signs, "X", Dutch (his mark)

[William Brand]

I had a wonderful time. The company collected there is as varied and interesting as one could ever hope to find, and if you're lucky, stab and shoot on the field. Sorry, Jack.

[Silkie McDonough]

Lily, Thank you for all of your hard work! The effort put forth by Fayma and you to organize this ragtag bunch of criminals was nothing less than amazing. The cooperation of all participants working together wanting to make thing function well and make the event successful always leaves me feeling very connected to you all. This is a great family! I am blessed to be a member ...just hope I am not the crazy aunt in the fuzzy slippers or the purple hat ...oh wait ...that is Lily and Fayma. We even managed to warm up to the "Green Coats" (Park staff)!

As with every event I have attended at Fort Zack there are good things and bad things. I think this one was full of good things like having the event IN the fort. Sure, it wasn't the beach but with the cool temperatures down there we would have frozen assuming that we could even set-up tents in that wind! It was a perfect place to be and NO hiking to the rest rooms! Shower was outside but it was heated (eventually).

My only afterthought is "So, how are we going to top this next year?!"

[Dorian Lasseter]

Had a wonderful time... scratch that, had more than a wonderful time!

THANK YOU to Lily, Fayma, and everyone else that makes this event what it is! Can't wait til next year!

[Jack Roberts]

Yes William, no need to apologize. Not everyday you get to be stabbed and then shot. Tons of fun, now it's time for FTPI post event depression.

[madPete]

AWESOME!!!!

The PIP family rocks! Lily and Fayma - you are the best, Thanks to all for a great event.

Its no wonder folks keep coming back!

mP ^_^ (that's fer you Lily)

[Cannibal Chrispy]

I opened my suitcase today, As I opened the lid, for some reason, I heard my bosses voice in my head asking how my trip was. I began thinking about the words I had used to describe the event and my previous posting here and felt they had barely scratched the surface of the experience.

I wished to be more eloquently descriptive like Mission but before I could ponder the thought any further i was struck by the strong smell of the campfire and the echos of sincere robust laughter filled my head and as the parade of smiling familiar faces passed thru my mind i begun peeling back the layers of of garb and came to my shirt with the ruffled sleeves.

I had packed two changes of clothes but had an unexpected acquantance accompany me to the festival and as you all know i couldn't just let him walk in with street clothes so I decided dressing the accedental pirate to help spread our disease would be well worth living in a set of clothes for the weekend,

I rarely wear the ruffled sleeve shirt as it was one of my first attempts and the sleeves are a little long and the ruffles seem to only aggrivate the problem but I wanted to look my best as your auctioneer so I chose the clean ruffly shirt. I was amazed by the wide variety of colors and textures my shirt had collected in three short days and begun thinking about them in the order they appeared,

I dressed on the ferry shortly before it ariived at 12:45 giving me 45 mins to arrive by my target time the friday battle at 1:30, on the way to the fort I grabbed a couple of shrimp on a stick at BO's and walking with my suitcase as I ate them the wind blew my ruffle up and the shrimp spices left an orange oily stain.

Arriving shortly before the battle only to be told i couldent shoot due to my lack of attendance at the safety meeting. So i stood by the line just in case i could be of any assistance when Carribian Pearl asked me to hold her gun while she crewed the cannon and as I pulled it from my belt to return it to her I noticed it left a small grey mark but the kiss I got for holding it was worth the smudge and probably the origin of one of 2 colors of lipstick found on the right sleeve. Next I made my way to the Wolf and as I reached out and grabbed one of the newly rigged cables for support my ruffle beat my hand there leaving the cables grey twist imprint; next came a big kiss from Liberte' another lipstick candidate as is the Golden Goddess, future photos with determine the guilty parties.

After the cruise I headed back to the fort for dinner the onion soup left a color so pleasing to my eye that I wish i had dipped my whole shirt in it, there was actually a hardend globule of beef stew tucked in an inner ruffle so thick and rich it held fast for two full days of action. They were made with love and it shows, literally. The faint amberish outline of where the Wobble juice ran down the round bottle and onto my ruffle as Willie made me laugh while attempting to drink, a small tear in the sleeve caught on one of the corners of the ammo box as it was flung about during the auction, a very light grey smudge on the top of the left sleeve from displaying the blade of the sword that would become Youngblood's for all to see and although im sure several other stains were gathered that evening these are the only ones I can remember however the excellent german sausage provided by Klause that was served at breakfast the next morning was a little hotter than I expected and when i went to spit the burning ember into my hand the ruffle flopped forward and recieved the hot chunk of sausage and a light brown stain with a couple darker brown tones.

I crewed MY mortar on saturday and looking at my shirt I can see the grey flecs where the wet sponge flung tiny dropletts of dirty cannon water and a few black and grey spots that come with that territory, also clear is a grass stain that was most certainly attained during one of my valliant deaths. There is a spot the size of a dime on top of the right sleeve from a large drop of apple pie that jumped out of my glass when toasting, bits of cinnimon are still visible in the weave and you can see where I spilled rum and coke down the front while driving Sue's pirate ship golf cart blindly in the parade and prints where Master Wasabe hand fresh from the forge shook my wrist at the blacksmith shop as he presentied me with the gift of a flintlock tool he made for me.

I thought to myself, wow I hope these dont wash out. I was unable resist smelling it, and once I got past the smell of the campfire, the faint smell of a couple different perfumes and colognes came forth and I wondered which of the dozens of hugs had left them there, it made me feel very good, safe in a security blanket kinda way and I thought wow there was a lot of times this past year where I could have used this feeling as it was wrought with several less than pleasent experiences but this dirty shirt reminded me that I have a whole army of people that care about me, and I them. I remembered someone asking me where I was staying right when I got to the fort and i said "I dont know" although I cant recall who he was, but i do recall the look of disbelief that he gave me when he replied "I cant believe you came to a festival and dont know where your sleeping" to which I replied "this isnt just any festival and Fayma says I have a place to sleep and thats good enough for me".

I pulled the shirt away from my face tears welled up in my eyes as I recognized the last one, I wasent even wearing it at the time I had just changed into my people clothes in Faymas tent and stepped outside with my suitcase when Lily approached me, I think now about what her week must have been like, proper placements, performers parking passes, portable poopers, pirates pogs, procuring pecularities, persnickity privateers and plenty of paperwork, mixed heartily with about 20 hours of sleep and garnished with drama and here she stands before me and tears are streaming down her face because i have to leave early and am missing the pig roast. "They're happy tears, I'm just so glad you made it" she said, as i hugged her tightly and kissed her. Tears mixed with mascara left my whole cheek wet and as I turned to leave I noticed a ruffle hanging out of my suitcase, pausing and pulling a little bit of sleeve out I wiped my cheek before stuffing it back in zipping up the open corner and walking out of the fort.

Now I kneel in my spare bedroom in front of a pile of dirty pirate clothes tears streaming down my face thinking that I have blood relatives that I see less that once a year and they certainly dont cry when i leave,and how much i love my pirate family. When my wife approaches, her doe like eyes widened with concern as she asks me if i smell somthing burning, she notices my tears and asks me what is wrong and once again i find myself searching for words deep inside everything that is me and all that I could choke forth between sobs was, "I love them I love them all" she came forward and held me for a moment and said she knew what i meant, leaning down to kiss my head she noticed the shirt I was holding tightly and said "Eww gross give me that im doing whites".

Edited December 8, 2010 by Captain Cannibal Chrispy

[Beowoulf]

What I came home to:

More comment to follow ONCE I CAN STOP SHOVELING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gunpowder Gertie]

Oi- Crispy- that was touchin' Lad, I'm wiping a tear from me eye, meself...

and Beowulf- can't wait t' hear about yer adventures, Mate!

[Brig]

This PiP was different for me for several reasons, most of all my sister's absence and my daughter's attendance for the first time. I missed Mae terribly- this was my first PiP without her, and I felt her absence constantly. Having Keira at PiP was both joyous and exhausting. The daily commute between the fort and the condo for her naps, the hours spent at the condo while she was sleeping, trying to keep her out of harm's way and entertained at the fort, all left me unable to immerse myself in the event as I had in past years. Still, I wouldn't trade it. Having her with us at PiP was something we had looked forward to since she was born, and it was wonderful.

That said, I don't think I've ever felt love for my PiP family more strongly. I'm sorry for not saying many goodbyes. It was a choice I made, because I knew I'd never make it through them. I'm getting sappy, but it's okay. Some times and people are worth it. And besides, Chrispy did it first. I couldn't say it better than he already has: "I love them, I love them all." This event is worth doing. The time put into it is worth spending, all because this is our family, and we love each other.

There is no way I could thank everyone to whom I owe it, but there are a few folks I have to mention:

-Mama and Lily and everyone else who worked so hard for this event all year long.

-Edward, Lily, and Galen for being willing to room with us and making our first PiP with Keira so much easier, for just helping take care of us and making us feel like family all over again.

-Shay for the parade ride, and Mission for telling me to go along in the first place. I can't even possibly begin to describe all that happened, but I can't remember when I've laughed so much (once I realized that my fears of jail time or death were irrelevant in light of...everything).

-Willie for making such awesome Wobble bottles, and for being someone that I am always glad to see.

-Bawdy Be, Sutler John, and Chrispy for providing toys and trinkets to help keep Keira entertained, your kindness meant much to us both.

-Last but not least, Jack for all the hours of work he puts into making our family presentable for PiP and our other events.

I miss you all, thank you for being your wonderful selves!

[Bos'n Cross]

Wonderful time all around! A big thank you to lilly and fayma for making it all happen, i cannot begin to fathom the amount of work you two put into making this happen....just remember to relax now that its over! I already miss all of you so very much, i think that the best part of pip, is not the battle, auction or contests....its the people that make this event truly special! i cant wait till we all get together again.........and a thanks to you all for putting up with me and not killing me along the way!

P.S. Beowoulf ....bet you want to move to florida now lolol

[Shay of the Keys]

Ahh, Chrispy, you said it beautifully.

I am so indebted to my pirate family; thanks to so many of you for such a memorably glorious time: Mama and Lily, you were above and beyond the call of duty, from the pre-dawn rescuing of Mission's bicycle to stays instruction through the weeks. You worked so diligently and it showed! Bawdy Be, thanks for the generous gift of P.C. dishes and visit to your emminently Keysey emporium. A special thanks to Brig for lustily joining me in singing during the parade, Commodore Poppycock being a good sport when we dropped you at the Pegasus, and a certain battlefield angel who appeared like all good Christmas angels in the nick of time with GOODIES, my first taste of Wobble Juice (dang, it IS good stuff!)... but most of all Mission and madPete who unabashedly spoiled me with trips to the Liquor Laudromat, Blue Moon, and Cafe Sole, not to mention helping with parade decor which we forgot to put on the car, adventuring in the kitchen with shears and caviar, but most of all to Mission who put up with Parade Prologue Policemen Prevarications and an 82-year old vehicle who gave you more unexpected exasperations than yours truly. I love my pirate family. Thanks, mates.

[Silkie McDonough]

Oi! I forgot Shay's dinner! So happy to be included lady ...even if it was just because I sat down in the right place at the right time. hehe

[Capt. Sterling]

I would like to begin by thanking Fayma and Lilly for all their time, finances, sweat and tears spent putting this festival back on track Ye did it Ladies, and made it better than ever.

Thank ye to the Crewes who stepped up to face the new challenges of this year’s Fort Festival (time line, Fort camping and living history demos, just to mention a few). T'is ye who truly made this festival a success. Yer contributions, willingness to play by the rules and holding fast to safety shows ye for the true professionals ye are. I am beholden to ye all.

I want to thank the safety officers, especially those out on the field, for their diligent work. Without them people get hurt, with them, everyone went home with all their fingers and toes and most importantly their lives. When a challenge presented itself, t’was my name that was called and my head on the chopping block so to speak, but because ye all know yer jobs and do them so well, I earned a hug from the NPS and a “We trust you.”, which is high praise and which I share with all of ye. Gentlemen, I would work with ye any time and hope to do so next year at the Fort, t'was a grand team ye made. Once ye have the opportunity to relax and jot down any concerns, changes, or improvements for next year please pm me as soon as ye can. Thank ye.

I want to thank the crewe captains/leaders/representatives, not only for yer prompt attendance at the meetings but also for yer input during. We want all to feel included in all that we do. This is an event created for all of us, by all of us.

Special thanks go out to Fayma, Constable and my crewe, who, without, I would not even have been able to make the trip.

-to William and Dorian, yer assistance with the battle plans was greatly appreciated…

-to Diosa, Hawkyns and Cran for narrating the battles and keeping the folks on the wall informed and entertained. Truly something that is no small feat.

-to Hawkyns for keeping me posted on how the battles looked from up above.

-to all the crews that stepped up to keep the grounds safe, clean and functioning, from fire pits to garbage to washing dishes and chopping wood, yer extra help was noted and truly appreciated

-and last but never least…to my crewe I raise a glass to ye (granted t'is filled with milk, but the respect and love I have fer ye is still the same). Ye have easily proven that the nay-sayers were so very wrong. Ye do have what it takes and to me, ye have proven that over and over …. Skills, talents, intelligence, a strong work ethic, and dreams that will help this crewe achieve even higher goals. For,most importantly, ye have the heart that it takes to pull together, work together, and then, no matter what is thrown at us, to stand together till the end. Ye are everything I could ever hope ye could be and ye proved it again this weekend… Thank ye for yer hard work, yer dedication, yer loyalty and especially for truly having my back. Ye mean the world to me.

Top Ten things about Fort Taylor 2010

10.CJ and the Snotties

9. Ahem… William’s bloody nose… (**heh, heh, heh** That’s my boy!)

8. My Mayan Mistress and her little rat…ahem… I mean squirrel that nearly cost me one Master Carpenter and my honour whilst being up on the ramparts, gazing at said creature (the squirrel) and over hearing “what is Captain Sterling up to now?”

Marshmallows AND Steak….indeed! HA!

7. Being witness to Dorian and William meeting face to face for the first time

6. Having William and Dorian’s assistance with the battle plans. The beginning of bringing stories to life.

5. All Cran’s contributions to the hand to hand on the field….(When God closes a door, He always opens a window and since the window is His choice, t’is always for the better. Ye are a gem! One more event and ye are MY gem! **diabolical laughter**) And of course, Mr. Ohlandt running across the field carrying Edward.

4. Matty Short Thumb Walker…whose seriousness and caring heart is priceless to me.

3. Edward and Jack, my Aaron and Hur

2. My Crewe-

1. The Family being back together again and stronger than ever before. I love ye all and if t’is within my power to do so, I will do what ever it takes for ye.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Capt. Sterling

[callenish gunner]

Damn!!! Now I feel even worse that we had to cancel at the last moment There were just too many obstacles that kept us from coming this year ...they just kept snowballing... We've already begun our "PIP fund" for next year Come Hell or High Water PIPmas Fund!!!! the first step is replacing the Jeep We're really missing all of you

[oderlesseye]

Cannibal Chrispy WHEW! Wot a story..You took me thar ye did! And My eyes well up too just readin that..! Well met!

[jollyjacktar]

10.CJ and the Snotties

*Cue Air guitar and pyro*

Just wait for the tour, Our next date, March 19th Jamestowne VA

[Bos'n Cross]

oooh thank yee captain! ilove thee!....and i await that next concert master ohlandt!

[matty short thumb]

i am touched, sir. thankee. i cannot say what this event means to me. there are no words. i could not hope for a better first year and i look forward to the next.

[Edward O'Keeffe]

FTPI reflections

Well here I sit, still in KW stuck due to weather. The extra day gave me some time to think back over last weekend and try to condense my thoughts. I've never been one for long drawn out postings so I will try to be brief, and most likely fail.

The end of this event is always met with a sense of loss. It always feels like a piece of me is missing as I load up and head North. This whole year I got to see first hand the amount of work that goes into pulling this festival off. Lily and Mama we all owe you a huge debt of gratitude, your dedication and hard work made it all possible. To all who set up camps, thank you for your patience with me as I was in no way ready to be responsible for camp set up, but with all our help, the whole thing came together an looked great. Spike & Crispy, thank you for letting me work your mortar crew, and spike your piece as I deserted. William, hearing you swear at us as your flag went up for auction is a memory I'll treasure forever. Diosa, keep that demon beast in your bosom, lest it tear someones throat out. CJ thanks for picking me up and getting me where I needed to be. Harry, it will always be an honor to serve under you on a gun crew. Shay, what can I say, you are the best, I haven't eaten a meal like that in years, and you hauled it in a 90 year old car. Doug from Searle's, save me some of that pocket food for next year. Poppa, can't wait to see the pics from this year, you either need to take fewer pics or get more minions to rotate them so you can get some sleep. Jai you did the dirty work, and made us all look good. Cap, I can't say how much I appreciate the hours you put in on the suit, even though you didn't have the time to spare. Silkie & Galen, having you two for the long drive got us here safe. Be, the closing was wonderful as always, great idea going with water to make sure all were included. And to all those I forgot to mention, none of it would have happened without you.

Looking forward to next year

E O'K

P.S. Deadeye, I cannot thank you enough for making my friends feel so welcome in your home, you are a fine, fine man.

Edited December 10, 2010 by Edward O'Keeffe

[Beowoulf]

Might one of ye remind me of the name of this fine lass?

Edited December 11, 2010 by Beowoulf

[Silkie McDonough]

Caribbean Pearl

[Lily Alexander]

Inside the walls of the Fort, we found our home for the weekend. Our pirate family was reunited, bonds of friendship reinforced and many hearts were mended. The walls were alive with the sounds of laughter and song which could be heard until the wee hours of the morning. I could swear I even heard music even after everyone was fast asleep.

Do miracles happen at Fort Taylor? Absolutely

So many thoughts and images keep racing through my mind and dreams, now that I’ve had some time to rest and collect my thoughts, there are many that I would like to thank.

To the Friends of the Fort, Broadside Foster, park staff and all the park volunteers. Thank you for once again giving us the opportunity to invade your park and home and for all the extra hours of work you put in. Being over budget and short staffed, there were several obstacles along the way but you all rose to the challenge and made us feel welcome. So much was accomplished and I look forward to building on what we started this year.

Fayma, thank you for all of the times you felt frustrated and beat up in your fight to bring us a quality event and getting us back on the right tract. I especially want to thank you for your friendship and for having the faith and confidence in me to let me do my thing without question. I love you dearly and am so proud to have you in my life.

To Sterling, Diosa, William, Scarlett Jai & Dead Eye. Thank you for the countless hours of phone calls and work you put in. A lot of which went unnoticed to most but without all of your efforts, the event wouldn’t have been half as successful as it was.

To all the crew captains, crews and vendors, thank you for being a part of the encampment and for making my job easy. Your contributions to the encampment were greatly appreciated and I sincerely thank you.

To all the gun crews, line commanders and safety officers, thank you for giving us great battles each day and keeping us safe on the battle field. You rose to the challenges set forth by the ATF and NPC and did so admirably and without incident.

To my darling husband Edward, thank you for putting up with me throughout the year. For all the times you got yelled at for no reason, for not throwing me out of the house and especially for stepping in to handle issues even when I didn’t know it. I couldn’t have done this without your love and support.

Thank you all for the personalized deck of cards that I will cherish forever and for making the work so worthwhile. I love and miss you all.

There were so many amazing things that happened at the Fort this year, it’s hard to keep tract of them all let alone make a top 10 list. Here are a few of my favorites:

Watching the Mercury flag fly high above the Fort. (Then being in on the stealing of said flag).

Three people out bidding each other on one book to give to the same person.

Having Harry captain “Little Bit” and watching the awesome smoke ring come billowing out of her muzzle.

Stolen moments of girl time with Bawdy Be and Fayma in Be’s tent.

Hugs from Joe the Park Ranger.

Sitting on the floor, arm in arm, with Diosa and Fayma at the closing ceremony. I can’t even begin to describe the feelings and emotions that were happening all around me. What an incredibly magical evening.

Hiding pogs on the last gate watch with Sterling and Edward.

Walking around the encampment and listening to the sounds of snoring sleeping pirates.

Last but not least, one of my favorite things that happened this year occurred after the event was over. We found out during the event that a group of guys Edward works with were making a bucket list trip to the Keys in the hopes of making it in time for the Invasion. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen but thanks to Scarlett Jai and Deadeye, we made the best of it. To read Brett’s story and follow his adventure, See the links below.

http://brethoefen.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/shiver-me-timbers/

Video of Brett’s sword fighting lesson with Deadeye.

http://brethoefen.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/stepping-out-of-character/