Pirates in Paradise 2008 - Key West, Fl
Chapter 11th - Of mead and what resulted. If someone were to write in the style of an abstract painting, it would probably share some facets with this chapter.
(Photo: Mission)
12-7/8-08 Evening/Morning, Chaos Ensuing, Coming back from depositing my
bone saw in the Callahan's tent (see end of the previous chapter), I ran into Stynky
and the following conversation took place:
"Where's the rest of the mead?"
"Uh...I gave it to Jessi."
"What?!"
"Sorry, Stynky, if there's a choice between Jessi and you, she's going to get
the bottle every time." (I took a healthy part myself, but I managed to forgot this.)
Stynky and I went back to the pub to get more, but everyone was outside cheering the actors. (I missed my 5 seconds of fame.) So Stynky went behind the bar and took a bottle of mead and brought it over. "You're going to pay for that right?" I asked naively. People began to filter in. Stynky realized that the bottle was corked, so he went back behind the bar to find a corkscrew. The people at the bar started offering him money for drinks. (I am shocked that he didn't actually take it.) We then resumed our discussion confusing those at the bar.
By then everyone was pouring into the pub for the closing bit with short congratulatory announcements and singing inside the main area of the pub. (We were planted near the doorway, out of sight from the pub gathering area proper.) We could hear stuff, but being outside the main area, we couldn't see it. Besides...we had mead! So we continued our discussion and missed the bulk of the closing. I'm sure it was quite heartwarming. I think it was so heartwarming that our discussion was interrupting it because Spike came out and yelled at everyone in the bar area to quiet down.
Several Mercury crew members and Diosa found us at the table drinking mead and decided to join us. Stynky continually attempted to con people to buy mead for us by saying. "Hey, do you want some mead?" The drunken patron would assent. "Do you have $20?" Several of these confused patrons then wound up buying a bottle and giving it to Stynky who poured them some and kept the rest for us. I don't know quite how many bottles he got that way, but it was more than one.
Below left: "Hey Jack, want some mead? Got $20?" Below center: Mission (me) with Diosa and Harry. I was quite proud until I realized I was standing on Diosa's wounded foot.
(Photo: Mission)
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(Photo: Mission)
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(Photo: Mission)
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(Photo: Mission)
(Photo: Mickey & Kate Souris)
Stynky then initiated a game wherein everyone switched
hats, probably in another attempt to steal mine. By this point, I had had
quite a bit of mead. Stynky seemed hell bent on keeping my tankard filled to
the top. He's one of those guys who notices you taking a drink and then
completely fills your mug. I'd like to think this is altruistic of him,
making sure his pals are well provided for, but I think it's actually an
attempt to get them good and soused so he can see what kind of fool
you'll make of yourself.
Above left: Diosa and Stynky (wearing M.A. d'Dogge's hat) in an embrace. Apparently the mead helped her foot after I stepped on it. At least until the next morning. Above right: Since Stynky (or someone) had his hat, M.A. d'Dogge borrowed Silkie McDonough's hat.
(Photo: Kate Bagley)
Things began to get a bit fuzzy and I knew I
had to leave the room. (You know how the world starts to spin and then you
feel your stomach churning and...? Yeah.) Stynky tried to call me back…to ply
me with more mead, I expect, but I was determined. On the way out, I felt
like someone in a surrealist painting staggering through tents, seeing
people in large dice fighting and Bucky grinning like an idiot in the
moonlight. I must have been somewhat cogent, because I took several
very strange pictures.
Right: Sunday night, almost exactly the way I remember it at this point...
Below: A pair of nuts. Or a couple of dice. Somewhere there's a joke in there. Spike and Chrispy fighting in the costume ball style which I don't at all remember snapping a photo of. Somehow Stynky got in there...
(Photo: Mission)
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(Photo: Mission)
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(Photo: Jessi)
Eventually, I staggered back to the campsite and plopped down in Deadeye's
tent. We talked about life philosophies, a practice I seem to enjoy
indulging in when I am plaster-assed drunk. Deadeye gave me
several bottles of water during the course of our conversation, for which
I will love him forever. He came from San Diego to Key West several years ago.
(For some reason, I forget how many.) In fact, he said a lot
of things I kept reminding myself to remember for when I wrote this, even
though I knew I would forget them. Just as I have. I do know
that he has a very karmic view of things. Sometime into our long, rambling
discussion, Edward O'Keefe found me in Deadeye's tent (I guess people had
wondered what happened to me. Sniff. It touches the heart, it does.) He
asked if he could come in and then disappeared, which made Deadeye think
our conversation had somehow offended him.
Above left: Deadeye in his ashram, the site of my sobering. ( Well, somewhat.) This is, of course, not an actual photo of the event since none exist that I've found. Fortunately, Captain Sterling, using his startlingly, amazingly bad computer drawing skills recreated the scene - quite incorrectly, I might add - as seen below left. Below right is a completely gratuitous filler picture of the lovely Robin, my fellow vegetarian.
(Photo: Captain Sterling's Photorealistic Court Sketching Service)
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(Photo: Callahan Digital Art)
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(Photo: Mission Collection)
I'm not quite sure where Edward went, but he came
back, possibly with rum in hand and offered it around. I think. It's hazy.
I refused as I knew where that would get me. The karmic spell was broken,
however.
Several other people arrived (or at least they claim to have done so in the original Surgeon's Journal.) We all decided to head for the Sealkie's Hide where not only was everyone in the camp sitting around, they appeared to have imported some hitherto unknown people to help pack the place. I sat next to Jessi. Still being pretty loopy, I noticed the moon setting on the water. It was a huge, deep yellow and the reflection was fascinating, so we went over and sat on a conveniently located bench to watch it. We talked at length about geishas, one of her many fascinating interests. She sees them as being an example of independence in the very communal Japanese society.
I had to go to the rest room in an alarming way which I knew would ruin the mood. We agreed not to let it, but of course it did and we went back to the Hide to join the carousing. All sorts of strange activities were going on there, many of which I almost remember...
(Photo: Lily and Edward)
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(Photo: Lily and Edward)
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(Photo: Mission Collection)
(Photo: Lily and Edward)
The mystery of the belt solved!
At left: Stynky is wearing a belt which he did not recognize.
Wondering where it came from, archeologists unearthed the photo at right showing Jessi removing her belt. But How did she ever get it back?
Below left: Why's the rum gone? Time to go home... Below right: Mmmmmm. Scrambled eggs.
(Photo: Mission Collection)
(Photo: someone we'll hopefully never meet.)
Jessi's knee and back started to bother her and I sobered enough to discover
it was 4am. This jolted me back to reality. So I clambered onto my bike, leaving a
rowdy group in the Hide. Several people told me they planned to leave
early in the morning on Monday, something I seriously doubt will prove to
be true in fact, even if it sounded good in theory. Thus endeth another
fine PiP. I must go. Sitting here typing has given me a seriously intense
need for some coffee and scrambled eggs.