Sorely Missing Paradise

It's been nearly a month since a long weekend venture down to Key West for Pirates in Paradise (aka PiP), yet it still feels like it happened yesterday. As with many others who were there, the pang of loneliness (for fellow pyrates, the camp, the music, etc) is with me in full force, making it tough to return to the daily grind, but I continue to trudge ahead.

Some may ask...why join in on such an event in the first place? Well for me, I've always enjoyed the theming of renaissance faires, and wondered what a similar (or more serious) shindig of the pyrate variety would entail. I also have an interest in history, whether it be local or centered on distant lands. I figured if I was going to learn something (accurate or not) about a given group of people, this would be the place for it. And I live for learning new things...if you don't feed your mind you'll miss it later. ;-)

To recap, I will start from the beginning of the trip, and keep in mind this may read a little more like a journal (with some parts forgotten, or purposely omitted):

Thursday, December 4th: I began my drive at the butt crack of dawn, relying on my trusty GPS to guide me from Orlando down to Key West in one piece. It took me along the west side of the Florida peninsula, and eventually brought me through Miami and the Keys. I didn't have much of a view until I hit the Keys, and along that last stretch of a hundred or so miles I really wanted to take pictures and gaze at the landscape more than drive (grrr). The waters morphed into a dark translucent turquoise, and the shores along the road looked very inviting (where's my bikini and a towel?). I saw a particularly picturesque view of an abandoned home behind a chained wrought iron gate that was likely left after recent hurricanes. The afternoon sun poured through empty (i.e. non-shuttered) windows, bathing the home in pink and orange hues. I think it's just before mile marker 73, and I hope to take a picture of it the next time I'm down there. I remarked to my friend Mission later that evening (or the night after, I can't remember which) that I saw something similar in the movie Wild Orchid (I don't recommend it), which incited a grimace from him. Apart from that, after two stops for gas and/or food I finally got into the quaint downtown section of Key West, past the Truman Annex and into Fort Zachary Taylor.

I'd initially parked in the visitor's section and walked around in my mundane wear (jeans, t-shirt) to get the lay of the land, and I completely missed the innards of the Fort that evening (?!?). To paint a visual of the area for PiP, the Fort abuts a beach and relatively flat, open, grassy plain (near a cruise dock). Closer to the coastline and beach, the encampment area grounds are peppered with tall, leaning trees (pine I presume, and palm) and plenty of coral rock that I was warned about ahead of time as it tore up people's feet last year. After recognizing a few folks at the encampment from the online Pub, I moved my car over to the gravelly section for the reenactors. I changed my clothes to more appropriate (pyrate) attire in the local bathroom and began introducing myself to people who were working or hanging out at the camp. I recall the first few neighbors I met were Willie Wobble, Silkie, William and Doug, Mission, and Kate and Mickey.

Willie was busy making jerk pork for the group dinner under cover of his tent fly, hence no handshaking quite yet. Silkie headed up her spacious ordinary/Hide (the camp's restaurant and evening hangout) and gave me a pleasant welcome as I perused the area. Wicked William and Doug, privateers from Searle's Buccaneers, both kissed my hand in gentlemanly fashion at Willie's tent (and I blushed like a girly girl). Following their introductions my buddy Mission and I reunited for a hello after not seeing the likes of one another for a few years (he's the camp's surgeon-barbour). Kate and Mickey Souris (pronounced soo-ree, meaning 'mouse' in French) greeted me as well, and corrected me on their pseudo last name, though Mickey later said I could pronounce it sour-iss if I forgot.

I ran into many others as the evening wore on (forgive me, my memory may miss some names, so I'll move along from the list of who's who). I took a spot at Sealkie's Hide to wait for dinner, and as I did I got a warning about the "wacky neighbor's of Willie's" by a crewmate as I watched Willie finish up his cooking, stooped over the campfire. "They are something else," I heard, to which I replied "If they are who I'm thinking of I've already met 'em!" with a grin. Willie Wobble's meal that evening (pork with cabbage, peas 'n rice) was delicious, and the company was very entertaining. I'd guesstimate fifteen to twenty dining that night, covering alot of unique conversations. A few the tales I was engrossed in included stories of shenanigans with a poor emu, naked juice (an alcohol concoction, when drank, resulted in naked dancing 'round a fire at another reenactment), and filling in the details on character personas (manservant flagellation), occupations and home ports.

I was offered regular rum and "wobble juice", the latter being a coconut rum concoction that was very yummy. From there the evening became a blur of wandering from the Hide to another campfire on the beach (talking of Star Wars and a character I wasn't that familiar with), and then to Willie's for a little more chatting and eyeing the goods he was selling (spoons, wrapped bottles and other eating implements). As that took place, a couple (Callenish and Salty, with baby Hamish) who had offered me shelter pulled up from a long, unfortunately issue-ridden trip down from the northeast. After introductions and a brief retelling of their harrowing journey, I retreated back to chatting with neighbors while watching the "Taj Mahal of tents" rise up to touch the stars. Salty disappeared for a while with a few good semaritans as she had injured herself on the trip, but thankfully returned with news of no broken bones, just bruises.

Friday, December 5th: After a relatively short overnight sleep and move of my kit (pyratey stuff) and sleeping accoutraments to their proper place in the big tent, the morning started with breakfast at the Hide (oatmeal and dried cranberries...yum), assisting Silkie with cleaning up the area, and heading over to the Fort (finally) to check out vendors, activities and scenery. I bought a few items for my kit (haversack, wooden bowl for meals, pocket knife, fan and pyrate history book...all reasonably priced). Meandering on the grounds with Silkie for a while (I love her straw hat and parasol), I met more pyrates through her intros and my own and took pictures of the fort, the Pub's flag and Mission's skeleton bound in a gibbet, now know as Bucky (alas, the pic didn't turn out). I also took a little footage of a mock capture of Anne Bonny and Mary Read (ladies who posed as pirates long ago) which looked painful for both the ladies and their captors.

I headed back to the encampment as my feet were starting to retaliate (I wasn't in my period accurate shoes yet, but a pair of Nine West boots). In the afternoon, I fixed my reenactment latchet style shoes up (with ribbons in lieu of buckles) and they were ready to wear, thanks to Mary Diamond and the good Captain Sterling (and an idea from Kate). After that, I joined others on a walk to a path near the Fort. When it was time, we made our way onto the plains area across from it to watch and partake in a battle. We had the schooner Wolf behind us firing away, folks on the ground (where I was taking pictures) firing canons, muskets and flintlocks, and folks up on the fort wall firing back with their canons and various guns. The resonance of the shots were a little louder than the last concert I had been to, making me wish I had my earplugs on hand. But after that part of the battle was over the ground troops took to chasing each other in the brush by the fort's moat and things quieted down. I remember seeing the privateers "stake" the bad guys with their pikes. The groups then broke up and headed to other areas to celebrate their victory (I was told everybody won...alrighty then).

I ran into Mission and asked him about the dinner he hoped to put together that evening. Unfortunately he hadn't gotten goods yet to prepare and seemed to be worried, so he and I ventured over to Lady Constance and solicited her advice on the ideal recipe for salmagundi**. We got the list, headed over to the grocery store and got everything we needed, along with a few loaves of crusty french bread. Thankfully when I got back a few of the crew were eager to help with the meal prep and we got down to business. I'd dropped Mission off along the way to boil eggs, and he arrived and sliced them up alongside a few other gentlemen pyrates. About an hour later we had a friggin' HUGE bowl of salmagundi ready and the smell of toasting garlic bread filling the air.

** Salmagundi can likely include many things, but what it essentially is is a layered salad. We used chopped romaine and baby spinach for ours, along with a variety of veggies (mushrooms, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, radish) as well as cheese (cheddar's always good) and critter (steak and chicken). Constance made a vinaigrette dressing to top it all off.

After dinner a few of the guys in the group (Greg, Jim, and Mark) played guitar and fiddle, and they sang various folk songs (Buffet, Taylor, Denver, Loggins). Silkie sang a beautiful song solo (The Maid on the Shore), and in the middle of another song someone else yelled "FIRE!" Poor Willie Wobble (and poor Willie's table)! A lantern with plastic "windows" had caught fire via a tipped candle, and he knocked the fireball away from his area, burning his hand slightly and leaving his table marred with a large blackened splotch. A while after first aid was covered and revelry at the Hide ensued, a few folks running the event showed up to ensure we all had fire safety covered (yes, we do now). After a brief return to the Hide and to Willie's for more juice, I bid folks goodnight and retired for the evening.

Saturday, December 6th: That morning I think our cook was hijacked by the Fort, and I may have had a muffin to tide me over. I do remember reading my new book (Under the Black Flag, by Don Seitz) at the Hide and being greeted and complimented by the privateers (startling me a little whilest reading, but that's alright). I talked with Silas Thatcher (Constance's husband) about the finer points of digital photography and how our cameras were working out on the trip (surprisingly, mine did well). Late morning and early afternoon included more walking within the fort and pictures (Anne and Mary's trial, Mission accompanied me), followed by a brief siesta in the Tent Mahal. In the early evening we had a wonderful dinner of minestrone soup and bread and we stuffed of Diosa's cleavage with dollars for charity and the meal.

After dinner, I remember walking back to my car to grab a few things and seeing William sitting in his buddy Doug's vehicle, listening intently to the Gators game (and they won...huzzah!). I said hi and "enjoy the game", and ventured back to the group where I was informed of a parade taking place shortly in the downtown area that we could join in on. Willie, Doug and I were prepared to hoof it to the location, but ran into a van full of others (Kate and Mickey, sisters Mae and Brig, and Mad Dogge I think) who offered us a ride. After a few minutes of circling the streets, a parking spot was found and the group piled out, garnering attention of regulars from the get go.

We made our way to the street that the parade was on and managed to slip ourselves into the pyrates section after a short wait. Willie gave us all overflowing handfuls of beaded necklaces to throw ala Mardi Gras, and we tossed/handed those out to people as we made our way down the parade route. Doug had a sea shell that he took great pleasure in blowing on as he sauntered down the street with a wild gleam in his eye (yeah, he was having fun). He had heavy iron shackles too, and used them in jest on a few ladies along the way. I remember catching crewmates in revelry along the parade, grinning and mucking it up for the crowd while throwing beads. A few of them hung onto complete strangers and yet they still shared in the euphoric atmosphere. That was my first time in a parade, and I found it all so surreal and hilarious at times, being on the other side for once.

When the parade concluded, some of us made our way through several bars (one was VERY interesting and not for the prudish...lol). We imbibed on a little brew here and there, and did an awkward sort of coin toss at a tavern called Tony's. Try to throw a quarter into the fishie's mouth while standing under the sign, I dare yah. I ended up on a pleasant and humorous stroll back to the Fort with privateer William (who I spotted near the end of the parade), and spent much of the late evening and early morning engrossed in a fascinating conversation under the star and moonlight sky, covering favorite movies, food, and music to name a few topics. (A very cool, down to earth guy, he is.) We headed back to the Hide to greet the group, and then I wobbled back to my tent where William bid me goodnight. :)

Sunday, December 7th: Sleeping during the wee hours of the morning was tough, as we'd had a touch of rain the morning before. The moisture seemed to settle into the tent (and my sleeping bag), chilling me to the bone and giving me the shakes. I couldn't sleep and chatter my teeth the rest of the morn, so I headed to my car, grabbed a blanket and passed out until sunrise. When I woke up a mere few hours later, I decided to wash my hair at an outdoor shower near the bathrooms. In the throes of drying my hair while I sat near the beach, the sky decided to open up. Ah, such perfect timing. I wandered back to my tent and got myself ready while the rain cleared up. Breakfast nearly didn't happen because of the weather, but thanks to Constance a good lot of us (including her kiddos) had pancakes to eat.

Willie, William, Doug and I headed out to the Fort after that and got an impromptu tour of its inner workings courtesy of Diosa and Hurricane. They showed us a few areas that would be highlighted in evening ghost tours, and a few other spots in renovation that we peeked in on for a moment. Then we headed into the Pub/Tavern where we met and chatted with various mundanes and pyrates (I listened more than chatted...observation mode I guess) and enjoyed shanties belted out by a few of the Bone Island Buccaneers (BiB). We made our way back to the encampment where the gents along with a fellow named Deadeye decided to do a spur of the moment raid (Spanish Conquistador style) on the Fort's pyrates. Spike, the leader of the BiB crew would be their target, guilty of "pilfering treasure". Their goal of cornering him in the Pub was dashed when his crew came to his aid near the vendors (I have this on video) and caused the Conquistadors a bit of grief with swordplay, hostage taking and wrestling (erm...more like dog piling). All ended well though, with each side agreeing to back away and Spike agreeing to give up the treasure (actually planted on him..whoops!).

Sunday evening ended with the entire crew (from Fort and Encampment) eating at a pig roast, taking in more shanties at the Pub and watching a slide show of some of the pictures taken by the event's photographer. I sat with Silkie and Willie and we attempted to watch the slide show. Instead we were reduced to giggle fits as Doug turned on his "manservant role" and proceeded to weird us out one at a time. I recall I also hung out with the gents (including William and a few others I met earlier in the day) up on the roof of the fort, but don't remember where that fits in. I blame the beer. And the rum. I walked back after that with the giggle crew, said my goodnights and got a hug or two, and passed out back at the tent.

Monday, December 8th: It was a hard day to wake up to, as I had to make my way out mid morning if I wanted to make it home at a decent time. I cleared out my stuff, packing it back up into my car, and said my goodbyes to those who weren't busy doing the same thing. I proclaimed "shirtless hug" to Doug (who was indeed topless at the moment), and he proceeded to hug me and pull up the back of my shirt. I 'eeked', and he responded with "What? Shirtless hug!". Guess I walked right into that one.

I drove home along the east coast, filled with elation over the weekend's activities and looking forward to 2009's event (kit and character updates too). At the same time I was filled with sadness as I was leaving what I'd call the Pyrate's version of Disneyland (only better, and that means a lot coming from me). Several weeks have past, and I keep telling myself that I can't be too sad that the event is over. Before I know it, December will be here once again and I'll get to hang with a fun, creative group of people once more. And I've been invited to a few other events like this in the near future (Living History, and a reenactment or two focused on an earlier time). I'll have the pleasure of learning and roleplaying along fellow PiP folk and with people I haven't met yet from the Searles Buccaneers and I'm looking forward to it.

I guess that's it for now. I'm sure I've missed a few details (apple pie drink, pics at sunset, weddings next to camp), but that's okay. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can cover details on what I add to my kit for the next few shindigs I go to. Aside from this recap, a few links to videos and pictures I took at Pirates in Paradise are listed below. As always, questions via email are always welcome. :)

Two videos via youtube - my nickname there is trinsghost in case the links don't work:

Anne Bonny and Mary Read being drug into the fort for their trial for
acts of Pyracy on Friday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYhl7TuvEu8

Spanish Conquistadors invade the Fort on Sunday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC0T3p6uxRs

A hundred and something pictures:

http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/trinsghost/PiP2008/

Two videos are also noted on the Photobucket page (see the section on the left titled 'PiP 2008 Vids').