September 2006

Okay... sitting in the Urgent Care waiting room in Burnsville, Minnesota.  Nothing too tragic that led me here - a potential case of Pink Eye.  A friend of mine - yes still - declared that he might have it early on in the weekend.  I thought I had dodged the bullet, but I awoke with crusty gunk threatening to seal my eye shut and pus-colored eye boogers.  Kinda gross?  Not too bad really, and I've had Pink Eye once before, so I'm not surprised.  Modern medication will turn a debilitating ailment into nothing more than a mild annoyance.

So, why bother with the mention?  To show that we Tortugas are human, too.  Mere mortals can become gods, yet with human ailments, if only you believe in yourself enough to try.  Is this my hubris speaking... or a big ego gone horribly awry?  I don't know... maybe, maybe not.  Try it on for yourself sometime - that whole believing in yourself enough to become something fantastic - and get back to me.  You can, you know.  Go ahead; I dare ya!!!

And speaking of gods in human form...

I got the chance to work with some wonderful people this past weekend.  Tortugapalooza 2: Spies tickled laughter from Minnesota hearts this last Friday evening.  On stage once again were three Tortugas (of course!), Johnny Phoenix, Yasmine and the Magic Hips Dancers, and theMinnesota Renaissance Festival's own Ten Seconds Of Harmony!

 

Camera Maestro Darren Cook and Blonde Heart-throb Scaramouche pose backstage

Although sick with the terrible cold that had been going around - Ronn and Jef had already passed through the worst of theirs - Johnny Phoenix stole the show yet again.  Thus proving himself the consummate professional actor that we know him to be.  Amazing - simply amazing, and a joy to watch time and time again.  As were his curvaceous, vivacious Dancing Minions of Doom played by Yasmine and the Magic Hips Dancers from Charlotte, North Carolina.  We were very pleased to work with these lovely ladies again - almost as happy as our audience was that we had hired them.

TSOH also blew in everyone's doors that evening, revisiting their rendition of Men In Black/Secret Servicemen.  They were onstage for only two out of three acts, and for only minutes at a time.  However, it was during the two intermissions that they really let their star power shine through.  Through no urging or direction from us, the TSOH boyz took stock "fluff" characters and turned them into entertainment gems.  At one point, they pulled fake "contraband" from audience pockets and purses, and took it to the stage for further examination.  They proceeded to get carried away with their "drug testing," and then acted out a psychedelic, mind-expanding moment that would have made even the late LSD guru Timothy Leary proud.

As I am sure that he will mention, Jef had his cousin Darren Cook in town from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  The last time I had seen Darren it was the late eighties, and the three of us were out looking for trouble in the "wilds" of Disney's Epcot in Orlando, Florida.

Just to put a qualifier on Darren - other than being Jef's cousin - he's the artistic genius that put together both Tortugapalooza DVD covers.  Pretty spiffy, huh?  Yes, we thought so, as well.  It appears as though Jef's family is rife with artistic talent.  Next thing he'll be telling us is that his family is so chock-full of artists, that his dad opened a talent agency or something.  Now wouldn't that be "ironic"?  Or should I say "the truth."

Palooza 2 wasn't the only thing he shot while visiting the Twin Cities.  Darren also lent his photographic eye to one of our festival days at the Minnesota Renaissance.  It was really nice having him there, because he was able to shoot at angles normally unavailable to friend and fan.  Because of his relation to us - yeah, sure, and Jef - we allowed him to walk all over the Crown Stage, shooting hither and yon as his heart desired.  They are great shots, too.

Darren was not the only illustrious visitor that we had attending the Palooza show and the subsequent weekend.  Tortuga Twins Fan Club President Sharyn Watson (Carolina Renaissance Festival) made a surprise visit - and we mean surprise, ‘cause none of us knew about it until she popped up.  Also there were Fan Club Chapter Heads Kay Kinsey (from Minneapolis and of Tortugaland.com fame), Linda Gould and her family (Great Lakes Medieval Faire), Cindy Gray and her family (Arizona Renaissance Festival), and Mary Egan & friend (Seattle, Washington).  It was a delight to see them all in one place, and someday we would like to find a way to get all our Fan Club Chapter Heads together.  Maybe even at the first ever Tortuga Twins Fan Club & Memorabilia Convention.

Oh my, how geeky am I!

Well, my Tortugaholics, this spells the end of yet another of my illustrious journals (it's my journal, so my opinion is the one that counts here, people).  I am currently sitting in Kansas City.  I am in the home of one of Heather's very good friends - a photographer by the name of Ann Brown - waiting for the Tortuga photo shoot to begin.  We're all looking forward to this, as she is very good at what she does.  Just look up www.annbrownphotography.com if you want to check her out for yourself.  You might even catch sight of a Tortuga wife-to-be, if you look close enough.

That's all for now, my darlings.  I hope your having a happy, fun-filled life.  I know I am.  I know I keep teasing you with this, but maybe one day I'll tell you all about some of the other projects I've been working on.  Until that day, you'll just have to bite your nails and wonder.

Ciao, bellos!!!