December 2004

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote something down in my journal for you guys. I’ve traveled from Louisiana to North Carolina to Florida, and Saturday or Sunday I leave for the Charlotte area again. Not, however, before doing even more stuff here in Florida.

We closed out the Louisiana Renaissance Festival with a badda-boom and a bang! I had a great time this year (years past: not so much), and I truly enjoyed the people I ended up living with. Hauser Hotel, we now call it, is the domain of Jamie & Bob Haeuser and their two kids. They have opened their home to the likes of me and other rennies such as the Limey Birds, half of the Duelists, as well as a few out-of-town musicians and other not-so-loathsome riff-raff such as we. There were many nights of laughter, Trivial Pursuit, and fine Cajun cooking. I guar-aun-tee!

 

Fun with the new Tortuga Pirate Show

Jamie and Bob Haeuser - hosts extraordinaire

Me with my spiffy new Arrogant Worms hat - courtesy of Andy Blau

While in New Orleans I visited the D-Day Museum. It was awe-inspiring. There is good reason that we call our grandfathers "the greatest generation." There is so much more to the story than what we have seen in the movies. I highly recommend the museum if you are any kind of a modern history buff or if you are even mildly intrigued by the art of war. Suffice to say that a lot of people sacrificed their well being for the hope that mankind could live in relative peace. (Sounds soapboxy, I know, but that doesn’t make it any less true.)

 

Can anyone help me find the D-Day Museum?

My favorite colors

Me and Mickey love getting birthday presents

From Louisiana it was off to the Charlotte, North Carolina area. It plays host to the Carolina Renaissance Festival as well as home to quite a few very good friends of mine. While there I have been staying with the Dave & Suzi of a couple journal entries ago. They’ve recently bought a house together in Cornelius, North Carolina which is located about 25 miles north of Charlotte in the Lake Norman area.

While there I celebrated my 41^st birthday (can you believe it?) with my closest Carolina friends at the Galway Hooker. Just so you know, the Galway Hooker is an Irish pub/restaurant - sorry to disappoint. We had our own private room and everything! It was called the "Snug Room." This is the section of a pub where the women legally had to drink in Ireland in the olden days. Figures they’d stick a Tortuga there. In attendance were Dave & Suzi, Robbie & April Messer, and the newly married E.J. & Charity Beam. Gifts were exchanged (close to Christmas, don’cha know), drinks were drunk (I had Diet Coke), and laughter was...well, laughed. A good time was had by all and especially by me.

 

Filmwork is sooo glamorous

Anything for the shot!

Oh-so yummy Bond Girls

Soon after, I was off to sunny Florida - a very nice change from the soon to be snow-ridden North Carolina. While here I’ve traipsed all over the Tampa Bay area, spending time with friends and family at parties and social gatherings galore. More importantly, we’ve begun shooting forTortugapalooza 2: Spies! So far, we’ve shot for two days on one of Jef’s segments and another nailing down stuff for both Ronn’s and Jef’s segments. Mine’s already done - short but sweet... the video, I mean. The combo shoot was done in a trendy restaurant named Kahunaville and an attached upscale nightclub called Headliners. We had a blast with partygoers, extras, and "Bond girls," oh my! These shoots also offered us the opportunity to use our new Canon XL1 - sw-eet when it comes to shooting a digital film.

New Year’s Eve...what a party celebration! I drove all over the Tampa Bay area, partied for hours with friends akimbo, and never had a drop to drink. As you probably guessed, I was the designated driver for the evening. Although I must tell you, I had quite the intoxicating evening from the contact high I got from my drunk and disorderly friends. God bless ‘em, every one!

 

Man alive, it's 2005!

Fats Tortuga sinks another putt

...and Jef Hall as Bill the Cat

I believe that you should always do new things in your life. I believed that you should push yourself to learn those things that you’ve always wanted to do, but could never see yourself doing. Years ago, after watching that GAP commercial on TV, I learned a thing or two about swing dancing. It was a bit of a craze at the time, and I so loved that Brian Setzer Orchestra remake of Jump, Jive, and Wail.

Today, I crossed another milestone. My friend, Earl Perrin, coaches baseball for kids nine years old and up. He teaches a pitching clinic a few times a week, and I had asked him months earlier to give me a try. He said that he would, and I’ve finally taken him up on it. So here I sit, typing with a throbbing shoulder. I’m sore up and down my right arm, I smell all over, and I just can’t seem to wipe this silly grin off my face.

I apologize, because I don’t have any pictures to accompany something that is taking up close to a third of my journal. It’s just that this has been such a great experience. I was so sure that I would suck.... Not so much. Believe it or not, I did pretty well my first go. And, yes, I believe that I will do it again. We’ll see what happens then. Earl tells me that I’m gonna be one sore Tortuga come tomorrow. I can’t wait.

 

Riki and Jef with Pimp-Daddy Jimmie

I've got friends in low places

Another year of fun for the Dynamic Dudes

Well, kids, that’s all for now. Hope that you had a fabulous new year, and that it pans out to be the best one so far. Happy-happy and all that jazz, and I’ll see you somewhere out there during our 2005 season.