Hello again!
I'm going to go ahead and cover the photos I'm gonna use- I am trying to find and strike the balance between too much photo narration, and not enough photos.
It's been a very busy past couple of weeks; let's take you back to where I think we last left our intrepid adventurers:
To the best of my reckoning, the last journal left us in Florida after the wedding right? Wow, I have just figured-out that I need to keep the old journal entries so I can remember where I left off, unlike the public website (that I maintain) All we do is send our photos and words to the amazing Stephanie at artoforder.com and she loads everything up to the site.
Let's pretend though okay?
SO :
It's Thanksgiving Day, and the Twins have to fly from Florida, where they have just finished watching great friends Earl and Therese get married. There have been several days and five 'rounds' of partying. See Jef's journal for pics
We ran home, (Jef's place) grabbed our luggage and whatnot, played with the bubbles we got at the wedding 
  and had the lovely Tortuga-wife drive us to the airport.
Since we got to the Airport by the suggested two hours before flight time, and found the place amazingly deserted for Thanksgiving day - we did what any rock stars would do after five rounds of drinking and debauchery- started round six!
 Tortugas in a bar again!
We were all very tired, and ragged, 
 but that still didn't stop the ever gregarious Riki and Jef from "befriending" this adorable little fan 
 , when the Flight crew saw us snapping pictures they wanted to join in, who are we to argue?
 .
I don't remember the girl's name; I don't even remember if she was a fan or just some random cute girl, we didn't have that much conversation, she-and-I. I was stuck in a completely different seat and was by-and-large ignored (not that I'm bitter or anything)Â 
Princes Charming (Riki and Jef), somehow convinced the girlie, or had her offer, to buy us drinks at the bar in New Orleans airport� (Still round six, or six point five?) This was all well and good, except she had to get the money from her very patient, and very big boyfriend, Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do! 
Now it's been days of partying, and we have to work on the following morning, Friday, At the Louisiana Renaissance festival, so what do tired Tortugas do, full of Turkey and Alcohol? Do they go home and rest up? Or do they go to the massive and beautiful Harrah's Casino in the French Quarter to have a buffet and Gamble before hitting Bourbon street? What do you think?
After a lovely meal, and a romp in the quarter thankfully cut short by rain. The Twins tested fate, and "Jef-Luck" in the casino, here is the outcome.
 The house does win! even with Jef's legendary luck.
That weekend at the Louisiana show, we boys carried it off well enough, even with the exhaustion. Later in the week, a new friend I had made in North Carolina came out to visit, and work the show, As well as have me help her work on her promo CD (She is the newest touring musician on the renaissance festival circuit). Ironically, it was Jef who did all the work, more on that in a minute. Here is a picture of the lovely Sarah at work.
Sarah had never been to New Orleans, or it's amazing French Quarter before, so with:Â 
 (from l to r, top) Riki, Sarah, and Andy Blau, our Canadian geek magician friend. (Bottom) Magic Mike's wife, (who's name has slipped my memory) My great jouster friend Dave Schade, and his Lovely girlfriend Jenn it was time for drunkenness and debauchery New Orleans style. Sarah got to go to her first strip club, didn't get any beads (chicken!) Sarah had fun and made new friends though 
 and of course, just to keep him nervous I had to plant a big smooch on overly macho (he IS a jouster for Pete's sake!) Dave, he didn't enjoy it. 
These next photos
 
 show some of our secondary business concerns at the Louisiana show, If you notice, we did actually build some fairly nice games with the help of master sign painter and (coincidentally, our webmistress) Stephanie Dennis. She has also done some work over the years to assist in marketing my maze.
We also run the roses Biz there.
 Here is this year's "rose-ho" Amanda a.k.a. "Loucifer"
Something bad has happened at the Louisiana show however; partly because we have sold so many "Beer Show" DVDs and partly due to the bad influence of our good friend's Todd and Ruth Thompson. Also, probably because we perform in a bar, another Beer show seems to have started. Ironically I had planned on NOT drinking that day, I had things to do, like helping young Sarah with her CD creation, But between running into a very old friend who,d brought four flasks of rum, this surprise Beer show, and the Post show roast by Christophe the Insulter where I was not only mercilessly insulted, (the video was shot for this site and will be released here later) but was forced to drink even more, I ended-up hammered! I was supposed to get dressed, (we had a dinner date at a nice restaurant later) and then help Sarah with her CD, This is how London and I ended-up: Me passed-out, he sound asleep in my lap, and I am holding her paw, aaaaaw,
Needless to say we never made it to dinner, and I awoke hours later to find that Jef had done all of the recording for Sarah.
Thank you Jef
Louisiana was fun; I did get to hangout with my Mommy, at her hospital.
She is finally supportive of what I do, (mostly); though I think she is still disappointed that I didn't stay in the Navy, and become an Admiral, or become a nurse (yeah right!). Whatever!
An uneventful trip saw me back in Florida, just in time for Riki's fortieth birthday party. I don't want you folks to think that all we do is party, party, party.
Mostly it is all we do, but occasionally we do some other stuff too, if I figure out just what; I'll let you know. Actually Riki's birthday was on the 21st of December, but since we had a gig in Minnesota, December 13th was the night. Before we cover the party, just a little catch-up, as always I am staying at the RV Park across from a lovely strip club I used to work at this may be the second to last time I stay there. Though I will quite likely stay a final time during the Largo, excuse me, The Bay area show at MOSI; since the place has been sold to new owners and will emplace new managers, I'm not sure I want to stay after this spring, besides, there is a girl in Phoenix, if things go well with her who knows where I will winter next year.So Riki's party started intimately enough, originally there were going to be more at the dinner, but in the end it was just Riki, and the immediate Tortuga family (Me, Jef, and Sharon, pictured here
 and here
 "Look, I'm making a big 4-O with my hands!
Jef and Sharon were cuddly and cute that night, 
 as things got more and more lively,
I thought about including photos from all of Riki's old and new friends who showed-up, but I already have 45 photos in the update; just take my word, great crowd.
Riki got kissed by the Girls, including Sharon,
 , had an amazing cake 
 .
Opened presents, 
 , some of the gifts were funny, 
and at least one was amazing.
Look at Riki's face as he realizes the gift he is opening from Jef and I, is a brand-new swanky notebook computer, do we love our little Riki or what? 
 .
The Crazy times continued in the suite rented by Riki for the weekend, here we see three of the babes at the party with an already drunk Riki who is on his way to even more drunk. Interesting note: The hot leggy blonde on the right is Michelle, beside being an old friend of mine, and quite a looker, she is watching my house and Devil Kitty while I am in Berlin. I told her she was mentioned in the Journal, she told me I'd better be nice, I think I succeeded 
Just about a week later, Riki had already departed to enjoy a second party in Minnesota, Jef and I are (again) in a bar at the airport, preparing to wing our way to Minneapolis, to perform at the Christmas party for PremiumnWear. 
 we were waited-on by a girl who to me at least, really resembled Jennifer Lopez.
A shot out the window as we prepare to fly away 
  Jef as always was instantly and completely asleep. He has an uncanny ability to do so on airplanes, flying with Jef is a lot like flying alone.
I am peculiar in ways most folks just don't get. As everyone else was looking around curiously at the other passengers boarding, or more likely ignoring their surroundings, I am checking out all of the passengers and options on the plane. If we crash in the Andes, (very unlikely on a flight to Minnesota) whom would I eat first? If our plane dropped through a time warp and ended up in an alternate reality, whom would I choose as my mate or mates to propagate the species? Which passenger is the spy? Which one is cheating on their spouse, and which is dying?
No crash or time warp befell us, so we were greeted by the bubbly Deb Bauer, 
  the contact point for this party. We stole the title "Larry Tate". We use this for the coordinator and/or corporate representative. The person who is temporarily our "boss". Deb was a wonderful Larry Tate. And she got us drunk as well. The gig went wonderfully, and the hall was decorated amazingly, down to the lovely tree 
Things got a little out of hand, or into hand- after a rocking rendition of Robin Hood; Jef really shone as the host of Let's Make a Deal. Here a woman at the party chose neither the gift, nor curtains 1, 2, or 3 Believe it or not this is our job!
It was snowy that night, and I am sure the boys will include embarrassing photos of me falling into the snow, and our snowball fight, I was not really capable of handling a camera just then , sorry!
The Next morning saw a distinctly non-Florida scene out of the hotel windows 
 
We were ready to go back to the Sunshine State As Jef slept (again) I watched the color of the earth below change from white 
 until I saw the welcome vista of the Tampa Bay below 
I actually had all of my shopping done early, if Riki and Jef don't mention what I got them in their journals, I'll set you guys up in the next journal, this is another Christmas photo for you crazy fans. 
Our very good and wonderful friend Howard and his lovely wife Bert hosted the Christmas Eve party, Here's Howie as secret Santa 
And Riki playing pool on Howie and Bert's new pool table. Ordered, but not arrived yet, Howie made this adorable working model as a placeholder. Hehehe! 
Riki opening gifts, 
 ,
Jef pooped, and relaxed (too much good food, Christmas cheer, and Bombay Sapphire)Â 
Howie's Christmas spirit slipping a little, "unwrap your gift" he seemed to say. 
Wow!
Finally, one of the members wrote me a frantic e-mail, and demanded that I include photos from Scuba trip and Berlin I guess I am the action Tortuga, so I will include in this note some photos from the Scuba trip, and in the future travel photos, and excerpts from my journal, and when I go skydiving, you too will be there.
I wasn't really ready that morning; I can get up early, if I have too, I just don't like it. I had to be at the Dunedin Marina at 7am. I was a little late, and damned cold. But I made it aboard. Here you see the marina fading into the early morning light at our stern. 
Our captain, Dianne, 
 was personable, and had obviously done this dozens of times before. Notice her cap? To everyone else in the world, you mention Scuba and tropical beaches; hot sun, Beer, margarita and Jimmy Buffet all come to mind. Well, I had Jimmy Buffet, but to me, so far, Scuba involves freezing my ass off in frigid water. The dives went mostly well. I screwed-up and surfaced too fast on my first dive, scary, but not deadly After some adjustments to how I was weighted, and a period of nasty seasickness, I was ready to go down for Dive two. I was ostensibly supposed to be Spear fishing on the second trip, but I didn't even bring the gun. To me this trip was really about re-acquainting myself with dive procedures, and acquainting myself with all the gear I had just bought.
Water was just as cold the second dive, and visibility was worse as we dove a sunken barge still I did everything right this time, became much more familiar with my amazing new Dive Rite computer. And though I was ready to go home and get warm, I was already planning my next trips (to WARM PLACES DAMNIT!!!) 
 Here's me wet, but re-dressed after the dive, on the way home. I'll get photos of me in gear next trip, and perhaps even underwater.
Well, I guess that wraps-up the December entry. I leave tomorrow (as I type this) for Berlin wow! I don't know what I am doing there, though I do know that I am spending the 31st in a medieval castle. I will be checking my mail some while I am there, and taking lots of photos for you loyal fans. Mostly I will be having a great time.
I hope your Christmas was wonderful, mind was, and your New Year will be fruitful and fun. I will keep a journal while I am over there, I am leaving my phone and my Computer at home when I get back I'll probably just scan the journal directly into the site.
In other News, we have finalized most of the show for TortugaPalooza, I'll be thinking about it while I am there, but here's an interesting teaser: In the entire three-hour production, we do not once appear onstage in our Codpiece costumes or maybe only for one song. Titillated?
And one final thought, there is a social trend out there that is just now getting a label, Metrosexual, men who have an obsession with pampering themselves, and improving their looks to the same degree that women, in salons and spas have for years. Zoinks! I moisturize every day, we all work out to varying degrees, I diet like a supermodel, and when I can pin her down, have a high-dollar stylist friend do my hair. Right down to this nonsense 
 Jef with his ears freshly waxed don't laugh, you should se what I shave!
See ya next year
