Peek-a-Boo Mozart

Rescue Bird

Mozart is one smart bird, that be true enough.
A little ad-lib paid off a few days ago on our video shoot.

Savannah Pirate - Like me Page

Like My Page Out-takes 1

Mozart be a chatterbox...

Another bottle washed up...

So I wasn't really satisfied with the bottle work of a few days ago. I had fun doing it, took the girlishness out of it, and made one bad A piece of work... What I also did though was whet my appetite to do more. Well what could I do with all those artsy print versions out there... not a lot. But then something nice happened. I found myself at a store looking through their camping gear and found Camelbak "Bite-Sip-Go" bottles in a plain version. No artwork. Ah, a clean canvas to set my mechanizations upon. Only a little time and VIOLA! I had my flag proper on the formerly clean (and boringly plain... no wonder they started printing on them) Jug.

"Dread Pirate Robert" Custom Camelbak

As you can see the results are striking. No doubt it's going to be a lot of fun to use. Between this and the last, I ought to be set for the Summer months ahead. Hydrate mates, Hydrate or Die.

Water Totes

I was thinking about something yesterday when it came to me... nothing says Pirate like your own custom Camelbak drink bottle. To prove this I offer a comparison between your newly available Stainless steel 25oz
Camelbak "Bite-Sip-Go" and the super custom rare as hens' teeth Dread Pirate Robert limited edition frosted stainless version of the same...

Fly your colors mates, fly them proud.

And while you're at it, drink more water... it's not just for sailing in.
And carry some matches, and a light.

You never know when you might want to see something... and set it on fire.

Fair winds Y'all, More soon.

1850-1880's Brest

French Naval Port of Brest ca 1850-1880 -
One of the Oldest Surviving Photographs of the French Fleet in the Day of Sail 

A Blade for all Seasons

Well no one really appreciates the difficulties of being a pirate…

And no, I don’t mean the day to day problems; fleeing proper authority, maintaining the ship, managing to stay awake enough after a long night of drinking to set (sober) watches… I mean the big

things, the personal things… Does this shirt clash with those slops? Would Cap’n Flint be caught dead in that coat? Buckle shoes and a blunderbuss, or boots and a brace of pistols? The important choices… which axe for casual pillaging?

Well mates, today one of those categories just got added to… edged weapons. Prior to this date I haven’t ventured across a proper sword… Oh true it be that I have a massive knife near sword proportions, good guard, straight and sharp… But nothing with the reach of a good sword…

Fellows, today is the last that sets without a nice piece of long steel. Feast ‘yer eyes on the attached sketchings… Sure a dusty piece, but make no mistake, the fellow that used it before me needs it no longer... Now all sorts of curses and precautions have been taken to avoid the bad luck of used steel, especially this as she didn't fare her master to good fortunes...I look forward to her all the same, believe you me. 

I don't need to tell you she's french, and a naval cutlass as well... Let me get her in me hands proper... I'll share more soon.

You'd have to know me birds.

A guide to being a Pirate

I know this is a bit oversimplified, but it gave me a laugh when I came across it. Missing points, respect the brotherhood of 'yer crew. Raise no hand against a fellow crewmate... well, don't raise your good hand against another fellow anyways... Alternate leg cutting off between port & starboard sides if a large group is being converted to Pirate... That way a good pair of boots will go twice as far.

Fair Winds!

Buckets and buckets... Pistol buckets.

So back in the day, before we had kydex and various synthetics, wet molding and custom formed ways to carry firearms (hereto after referred to as holsters), man hadn't thought of how to carry his "fire arms". On the battlefield we had knights, archers, pikes-men, and the like but the average soldier was not so specialized... He carried a sword and a shield... When black powder and the various incantations of it entered warfare, we added Musketeers... and artillery... Given time and the weight of these new arms, Muskets moved to cavalry and the knight found himself more and more obsolete as his armor could be defeated by musket ball...

 Mobility and massed fire came to rule the day... muskets became musketoons and horse pistols...  In the axiom of carrying horse pistols on harness, various scabbards and pistol buckets came into being... The pistol bucket is the great great grandfather of today's holster... Generally they were leather affairs, well constructed (as most horse tack and harness should be) and suitable to the harshness of war... round and tapered to ... well carry a pistol, or two, or three... Strength in numbers, no? Well somewhere in the past few years, I came across a photograph of a cloth pistol bucket... Something for a pair of pistols... An elegantly simple affair with some rather ornate designs in the fabric it was made from... I decided to make myself such a bucket... an experiment to be sure... a proof of concept. When I was done it was a bit oversized, so I did what any self respecting pirate and sailmaker would... I started hacking and slashing... the result was a better fitting design, but now more experimental than originally planned... On a recent night on the town (the eve of the new year no less) I found myself in the awkward social situation of dealing with two souls armed with sword and pistol... While my freshly acquired Ketlands proved fine to the task, I found myself later wishing I'd had me boarding hatchet... So the past few evenings by candlelight I added the necessary canvas and brocade to form an ax loop... I'm most pleased with the results...

A new Voyageur...

So over the sacred Holidays the ladywife knit and felted a beautiful red Voyageur's Cap for 'yers truely... and 'Yers Truely after two days wearing and four days 'o possession promptly misplaced it... No bounty of scribbling here is going to let you know how terrible I feel about the sudden turn of events relating to this beautiful display of red woolen finery. Yes, finery. A fair amount of hours went into the handcrafting of this headgear and the mystical art felt placed apon it... my hope, i find it soon, or the rapscallion responsible (besides myself) for its wandering... if it wandered or pilfered after my completely innocent misplacement of it... is brought to swift justice... or the crabs.

Well, true to the kind and loving rumors about her... The amazing Monika knit and felted another... A masterpiece in its own right, I will place incantations and blessings, curses and chants as needed to protect  the result of her continued labors... Seen here, the ModII Voyageurs Cap... The Grey... Feast your eyes apon it but beware... There is a guard and password to approach within ten paces of it... Although I am sure for the right number of gold pieces... One could be crafted for you as well.

Never start a Voyage on a Saturday...

So this is a Sunday. It seems appropriate to be getting things in order here as the cooler months are upon us. Firstly the firsts.. Greetings are in order:

"Greetings," the burly figure said as you came through the door, "welcome to me logbook..."

This was said by me, your host... The Dread Pirate Robert.

Glad to have you looking at my musings and record of adventure.
Share when you feel like it.