Roll Call 2007

[hurricane]

So what are the best restaurants?

How much money do you want to spend?

Do you just want best as in "best" or "best as in a Key West experience.

If the latter, then Blue Heaven, BOs Fish Wagon, Turtle Kraals (you can be on the Turtles on Friday nights for money and prizes, too), Camille's and Two Friends. If you want terrific Cuban coffee and bread in the morn, head down to the Southernmost. Down the street next to the store is a great stand with Cuban bread and coffee for about $6. Very old Key West

If you want a nice dining experience, my two favorites would be Mangos and Kellys. The latter is owned by actress Kelly McGillis (Top Gun, Witness) and you can often find her there in the evenings seating guests.

On Fridays and Saturdays, you'll find Captain Tony of Captain Tony's over by the t-shirt stand. He tells hilarious stories - last time it was about just coming back from a concert by his bud Jimmy Buffett at Universal Orlando and Jimmy bought him a couple hookers.

Key Lime Shooters at Hog's Breath always a good thing.

Pizza by the slice on Duval, always handy when drinking heavily and a cheap, filling meal.

That's it off the top of my head.

-- Hurricane

[Cheeky Actress]

she keeps telling me that 30 days "is the time" to get tickets...... but heck....... I want th' grubby thing in me grubby fist.......

Hell of high water...... I'm going to be there........

Well Pat, the general rule is 14-21 days. Best bet....

[hurricane]

If you're flying to Key West, the window is longer, because there are only so many planes flying there in a day and none of them are large jets. So they fill up faster and the prices start to soar, especially when it's the outbound Monday leg as business people are trying to get to Miami that day.

Otherwise, booking Miami is easy and cheap most of the time. Lots of flights and choices. I think Pat was taking the bus from there so it should be no problem.

-- Hurricane

[Capt. Sterling]

Thank you Hurricane! First time out for the Far Better Half... must make it as pleasurable as possible!

[Patrick Hand]

SIDE TOPIC......

How many Pyrates are going to PiP with someone that isn't .... welll "that" Pyrate ....

My Boss is going..... but she dosen't play Pyrate (much)..... she wants to go because I keep talking about how much fun it is......

"What do you do ? "

Well we sit around and talk about Pyrates.... an we have this kinda battle......and drink rum... an go pub crawling.........

Trying to discribe how much fun it is dosen't do it justice.....

But are there any other Pyrates going to PiP with someone that "isn't that much" Pyrate.... but want to join in for some of the fun.... but also go shopping and such ?

[Iron Jon]

This will be my first PIP and I hope to get in on as many activities as possible but don't want to bore my girlfriend and make this my last event with her.

She is going along with me even though she really isn't that interested in the "pirate thing". I know she would rather spend her time at the beach or walking/shopping Duval Street. We spent over a month in Key West during Aug & Sept and we shopped almost every day. (Well, she went to shop and I went to the bars!)

She has gotten into the clothing part of it though. She has made several dresses for herself to use at PIP and made a bunch of clothes for me too. She even agreed to the primitive camping part so I was able to cancel my hotel reservations.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it works out ...

[Patrick Hand]

Awh man....... at $100 pluss per night..... I can't figue why my Boss wants to stay in a hotel....(well other than the clean sheets and warm showers....)

Think I kinda ansewered that one............

Me ......

I'm campin'...........

[Silkie McDonough]

Iron Jon,

She will be swept away in the fun of it all. Honestly, we are a nice bunch of people when it comes down to it all ...the location can't be beat either!

[Lily Alexander]

Well, as much as I would love to camp with you all, I'm really thankful to be staying in a hotel. I hurt my back again and am about to start steroid treatments, physical therapy, and am taking more pain meds than I can shake a stick at. Hopefully, this will resolve itself in a month. I swear if I have to crawl around Key West, I will. I'll be damned if I miss this.

[Captain Jim]

Dammit! I'm unemlployed.

Due to the fallout from the sub-prime lending debacle, lending is down, developers can't sell houses and the services of biologists to scope out new building sites has dried up. So I was laid off. 35 other folks from Mass to Orlando bought it too.

Will this stop me from going? Hell no. I might just come down for the weekend now, not the Tuesday-Monday that I had planned, but I will be there.

My kit rework will have to wait until next year, it seems. Still gonna see if I can work out new slops, though.

I hate looking for work.

Dammit!

[Silkie McDonough]

Jimmy lad, you will still be joining us will you not?

[Captain Jim]

That depends on the as-yet-to-be-named future employer. I will be there for the weekend at the very least, come hell or high water (knock on wood here.) I had rather planned on getting there on Tuesday and leaving Monday morn. Set a precident, as it were, and make this thing a weeklong event: Just hanging out swapping lies and tips, sewing and crafting, public relations and school visits until the Friday-Sunday public event. We shall see, it seems.

[Silkie McDonough]

I will write a note to your employer if you need it.

"Please excuse m'lad Jimmy frum workin b'cause he is needed fer plunderin schools n'villages, drikin rhum n'general pyratin

~Silkie~"

[Captain Jim]

That ought to do it. What employer could refuse that?

[Mary Diamond]

AHOY!

Just back from our favorite adopted Pirate Island (Literally ~ we just walked in the door about 40 minutes ago) ~ Key West ~

Met up with Barnacle Beau of Bone Island Buccaneers (who we met last year at PiP), and Nicki Wilson of the Fairvilla Megastore ~ they are supporting and REALLY EXCITED about PiP this year! Also saw and spoke with Tiger Lee ~ I think I caught him a bit off guard, as I approached and addressed him by name.

We stayed at the Radisson on Key West for 2 nights (a quick jaunt down from Tampa after Hubby's work conference) ~ the Radisson Management are Willing to Hand out Flyers for PiP!

Also very Exciting (though a bit Saddening, as well) was the discovery of a HOME DEPOT on US-1, just before the split, in Key West, as well as an Ace Hardware, for anyone in a materials or tools pinch.

We also took the opportunity to visit Pat Croce's Pirate Soul Museum and Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum ~ I enjoyed both (if you visit, it shouldn't take more than 3 hours to visit both, reading every placard).

I think there was more I wanted to share ~ but my travel-addled brain is distracted by the smell of fresh hot pizza from the oven, and the sounds of the Dread Pirate Roberts and Princess Bride drifting upstairs ~

mmmm, must go. More later, if anything surfaces ~

[hurricane]

Great trip, lass! The two museums are definite must-do's if you haven't been before. The Wrecker's Museum is also a good one. It's part re-enactment but also has tons of artifacts from one of the ships the wreckers salvaged off the keys. A good look into later history and "pirates". It's by the aquarium.

The part of the pdf with the schedule is the best for handing out since it actually has the schedule for all the events, not just the one at the fort. Let me know if you need that separately. Julie and Harry pretty much have the festival schedule locked now so it shouldn't change.

If any of you want to participate in the National Walk the Plank Championships, email me. I am the point person for it since our crewe sponsors it. This year it's right at the end of Truman Street next to the Mohawk near the fort. That would be just outside the fort gate and to your left. You'll be forced at sword point off the WOLF.

-- Hurricane

[Fayma Callahan]

We have had some changes to our crewe, but we are now finally CONFIRMED!! We are confirming the following for the Callahan Sacred Heart Crewe:

Capt. James Callahan

Quartermaster Fayma Callahan

Michael "Manaver" Mucklebones

Katherine "Kelpy" Puddles

Theobald "Toby" Burke

Nicole Andreyko

Nigel Sade

Zocko

Eric

Guinne

We are sooo excited to have a great crewe. We will be camping modern, but would like to put in to eat with the careening camp, if that is possible, please let us know how to put in funds and pitch in with the cooking details etc. Posters are coming along well, should have a bunch of really piratical poster people! We are selecting 20 individuals for the honor, and the posters will be all over, so look for them when you get there! Gotta get back to the Captain, he be a hollerin for me...

See you soon, only 32 more days!

[Iron Jon]

Has anything been decided on the cooking and food issue yet? I haven't seen any more talk about the cooking details in quite a while here.

I remember Callenish Gunnar saying that he'd be bringing some cooking gear along with him, how about anyone else? Are we going to chip in on some meals together or is it going to be everyone on their own?

I have some big cast iron pans and a large 12 qt dutch oven with a tripod that I'll bring with me if needed. I recall someone saying it wouldn't be period and we should have a large copper pot though.

I can make pork with pineapple and yucca in the dutch oven, along with rice. It would feed quite a few people and would be appropriate for the location...

[Jack Roberts]

My parents have bought an open fire cooking kit out iron. She is planning on bringing some chicken 'n dumpings, and beef stew. We probably won't have enough for everyone, that would be alot of people. Still we will plan on bringing what you mentioned. It would always be appreciated.

[William Brand]

We will be doing a few group meals at the event in the Careening Camp. I'll ask about and we'll get an idea of those who are doing what meals when.

[William Brand]

Robb (Hurricane) sent me an email suggesting that we have all of our registration forms filled out prior to PIP to make the paperwork that much easier on Harry, and it is a good idea. I mentioned it to Captain Sterling, and Sterling has agreed to collect the registration forms for the crew of the Archangel. Anyone else who is heading a crew, please collect the registration forms for your people ahead of time and submit them to the fort.

All of you pirates stationed in the careening camp, please send your forms directly to Harry.

[Fayma Callahan]

I have the forms for the Sacred Heart Crewe, will send to Harry promptly.

29 more days!

[Patrick Hand]

All of you pirates stationed in the careening camp, please send your forms directly to Harry.

wORKIN' ON THAT,,,,,,,

dang..... stupid cap lock.....

but you get me drift.............

[Lily Alexander]

Keith and I sent our forms in a couple of weeks ago, so we're good to go.

[William Brand]

In order to save a little money I was planning on using my skymiles to soften the expense of my trip to Key West. My wife and I traveled to the Middle East in June and earned enough miles between us for me to fly for about $160 bucks, the cost and fees for transferring a few thousand sky miles.

Begin long road of disappointment.

I go to get my ticket, only to discover that we have no credited miles for our trip in June. None. Zip. Zero. I have spent the last three days making nothing but phone calls. I have called some departments enough that I have the number memorized. I now know more about the skymiles program than I ever thought possible. All bad. To add insult to injury, three different agents told me I had the sufficient miles to go, but when I finally got everything fixed, they doubled the miles required. Why? No reason which makes sense. Now If I want to fly out I have to fly out on the 29th and lose the first two whole days of the festival and return three days after it's over, or wait for a seat to open up.

The only alternative. Buy a regular ticket for over $500. So, I play the lottery for $160, or pay $350+ for a new ticket after three days of work that was Delta's fault to start with.

I'm in a mood.