Before we go any further, let me talk about my brothers.
First, I have stopped calling them my "Partners". When you look like I do, and act like I do - when you describe another man as your "Partner" folks always jump to the wrong conclusion. I sometimes refer to the boys as my "Business Partners" but it's just not inclusive enough. Riki and Jef are my Brothers, true fact. Without question I would KILL for either one of them (or Jef's wife Sharon for that matter). I would help them hide the bodies. I would die for them if I needed to. It's like a real family I can talk smack about them -but don't ever let me hear anyone else 'Dis' my family. These guys both have been there for me through thick-and-thin. And I could not be what I want to be, or have gotten this far without them. Hooking-up with The Tortuga Twins, both professionally, and far more importantly, personally, was one of the most significant turning points of my life. Jef and I are better "buddies" - You know Jef, of the three of us he's by far the most likeable, most approachable, and least complicated. (Followed by Riki, and then distantly followed by me). He's a great neighbor (we frequently park our trailers side-by-side while on tour.) has the same kind of business drive, and work ethic as I do. And he's just so damn nice and charming. But in many ways it's Riki who is more like me -okay, not many but in a few very important ways, there is no one in the world I can relate to like him. Riki is on this list also because he was my hero before I ever started this stuff. He's taught me a lot along the way, and picked my stupid ass-up, often with a boot, and dusted me off after many falls. He gave me my first chance to be a Tortuga. Riki and I are both mirror images and polar opposites - in many ways Yin and Yang (funny, ME copping that term, since he's the Taoist). Trust me on this; you don't really know either of us.
I suppose this brings us back to the more linear history right now.
I have covered my entry into the world of Renaissance festivals. Over the years between ages 16 and 23 a lot of stuff happened. Briefly; I graduated High School, (class of '83, I am going to miss my 20 year reunion this summer - I was voted Most Unique of my class). I joined the United States Navy, more on that later. I got married - I did exactly what you are supposed to do, I married my best friend and The best Lover I had ever had - at the time. But we both just grew out of each other.
