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October 26, 2007 - November 12, 2007 |
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| ......."And we'll kiss our
furry children and head off for another tropical adventure. This time,
Meeting of the Minds is flanked by even more engagements. Friday October 26, 2007 Day 1
Saturday October 27, 2007 3:48am Neptune Beach, FL Today was as smooth as you can get on the road with the exception of crazy rain until north Georgia. 620 miles started with a stop in Richmond to pick up more Tees from Sun Graphics. After a quick visit with Pedro at South Carolina's famous, and now kinda run down roadside tourist trap South of the Border, we really put the hammer down to get here to Neptune Beach before dawn. Tomorrow night we play at Cliff's at the Beach for Beaches A1A Parrot Head Club and their Pirate's Ball. This Days Inn is also the host hotel for all the college folks attending the game tomorrow between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs. Let's just say that we were greeted at the lobby door by two drunk girls running down the hall and a security guard who looked real tired. More tomorrow on what's already proving to be a good time..... Day 2
Sunday October 28, 2007 5:35am Neptune Beach, FL Well, what a treat tonight was. Beaches A1A Parrot Head Club and Cliff's did a great job setting the scene for The Pirate's Ball. EVERYBODY was dressed in their finest pirate duds. There was some serious costuming going on too. Long coats, wigs and swords for the gents; and pirate dresses, fishnets and boots for the ladies. All the Cliff's staff were dressed as well. Lots of Arrrrrs and Ayes and shiver me timbersessess tonight. We set up before they opened at 3 and hit the stage promptly at 9. Slowly the Florida / Georgia fans started to trickle in when they heard the ruckus. (hahaha, I said ruckus) The Parrot Heads were partying like the pros they are and the game fans were wasted. There was of course, the token drunken college girl dancing in front of the band with the top that didn't want to stay up. It did, but juuuuuuust barely. L and I had bets going as to when the wardrobe malfunction would occur. Wow, I remember my first beer. I forgot to mention that the Captain Morgan girls were here with bottles of Tattoo and in Florida, free shots are considered samples and are completely legal. Try that in the Commonwealth of VA! One bartender, Angela, is from Norfolk and tended bar at Greenie's in Ocean View. She and her boyfriend Adam, who is in the Navy now both live here and work at Cliff's together. A Parrot Head Couple were joined ceremoniously in marriage just before we started. While one is in good health, the other is very ill with cancer. Although it was not legal in the eyes of the great state of Florida, the Buffett lyrics laden ceremony was quite enough to ensure that in our eyes and theirs, they will be together for now and for ever. We're so proud to be Parrot Heads, and although our home club is the Parrot Head Club of Tidewater, clubs tend to encircle the two of us like members and family. You don't get that with the Rotary or Kiwanis. Three cheers to Timothy B. Schmidt for coining the phrase "Parrot Head" and three more to Jimmy Buffett for embracing our madness. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful night we won't soon forget. Now, news for tomorrow. Late checkout has been ok'd and with that and driving time, we should hit Key West by about 8. Just in time to check in and kiss the pavement on Duval at Petronia! It's hard to believe we're doing this again and we'd have it no other way. We're the luckiest people in the world. Más Mañana, Buenos Noche.....zzzzzzzzzzzz Day 3
Sunday October 28, 2007 11:48pm. Key West, FL Well, after a late start today, we're finally in Key West. The road from Neptune Beach to Florida City was pretty normal for a Sunday except for what looked like an hour and a half back up on 95S near Miami. I say "looked like", because Lynley used Gypsy (GPS) to re-route us and skirt the whole mess. Driving US1 through the keys is prettiest during the day, but the traffic tends to be slow going at times. Somes stretches of road are still 2 lanes and you always end up getting behind a 95 year old woman who can't quite see over the dash anymore. There's not much to see at night, but it's really nice to be the only vehicle heading southbound. We're here in the Holiday Inn until we check into the house at the southern end tomorrow. The skies are a bit cloudy, but it's 80°. A definite feeling of homecoming is in the air and we like that. Closing the eyes early tonight. The fun starts tomorrow! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Day 4
Monday October 29, 2007 11:36pm Key West, FL Wow, why do we ever leave here? Old town Key West is just like we left it last year. Today was the kind of day that all others should be like. 80° and sunny with a nice breeze was the perfect way to welcome the first batch of friends and roommates. Amazing. If you can imagine the nicest guest house in the tropics, then you can imagine what this house is like. Big and airy with double showers and chandeliers. Plasma screen tv's everywhere and the backyard is the pool. We never want to leave. like, ever. No really, like ever. Somebody send us a lot of money and we'll stay here and hold the fort down. We spent some time at Hog's Breath tonight listening to Scott Kirby and ran into Dennis and Randy (Tropical Soul). The two of them are as amazed as the two of us when it comes to this whole extended Parrot Head family reunion that happens every year here on the rock. We agreed that #1 it's great fun, and #2 with all the tropical musicians and bands out there, it's an honor to be asked back again and again. They're playing the day shift at Hog's Breath the same time we're playing the day shift at Conch Republic, so hearing each other may be tough this trip. Conch Chowder and Grilled Grouper meant the best way home tonight was by cab. 15 bucks for 6 of us from the head of Duval all the way to the foot was a deal. Now home, and after quality time in the pool, some have settled in, some are on the front porch and I'm here blogging. Life is good. Crawdaddy and Gretchen just pulled in and their arrival means that we are just a Paul and a Kristie away from a houseful. A quick sidenote: Crawdaddy just ran his first full marathon. Congratulations Mike! The gigs start tomorrow. We never know what to expect, but magic happens down here. Day 5
Tuesday October 30, 2007 late night Key West, FL What's better than a day like today? Not much! Our first gig at Conch Republic was incredible. Saying it was windy would be an understatement though. Tropical Storm Noel was churning up Cuba, but his winds were screaming across Key West. Wind, schmind, the party was ON. The place was pretty much packed to the gills with Parrot Heads and Pirates from all over the country and even a few from Toronto. Our favorite ladies in pink, The Flamingo Queens, showed up and just took over tshirt sales. When all was said and done, they'd sold 27 shirts for us in about 15 minutes. Tim and Betsy popped in with Connor the chihuahua who was wearing a CalypsoNuts Band Manager shirt. Kinda surreal and Alice in Wonderlandy for a while today. Crowds like today make being an entertainer easy work. We left CRSC to catch a little quiet at Jose's Cantina over by the Cemetery. Jose's has been a stop of ours since 1998. Pollo Asada, Black beans, Yellow rice, plantains and home made sangria. Yuuuuu---meeee! With bellies full, we went to 801 Bourbon Bar for our favorite drag show in the world. Queen Diva "Sushi" was in the house tonight and gave Jimbo a little extra attention. The girls of 801 Bourbon put on two shows a night, EVERY NIGHT. They work as hard as any musician I know and THEY do it in make up and heels. GO GIRLS!! From drag show to trop rock in 4 short blocks! We got to Margaritaville in time to see the Boat Drunks from Champagne, IL. These guys are one of the best Buffett cover acts in the country as far as I'm concerned. I think you should be checking them out as soon as you can. Back at the house and Paul and Kristie are finally here after a little slow goin' through the keys. But, they're here and that's all that mattters. Great day! Off to sleep.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Day 6
Wednesday October 31, 2007 late night Halloween in Key West, FL It just get's better. Up early and off to the Conch Republic Seafood Co. for the 1-5 slot again. I'm not going to try to list the friends we saw today or the Parrot Head Clubs that were represented for huge fear of leaving someone out. Lots of folks were there for today's show. Jimbo joined us today on percussion and the crowd sucked him in like family. He's so cool. Also joining us for a couple were Tall Paul and later Crawdaddy. When you add Paul's voice to ours magic happens. When the crowd hears it they know that "Every little thing is gonna be alright". During Coast of Marseilles, I walked over to Crawddady and I just happened to have a wireless mic in my pocket. I handed him the mic, told him we were in G and TADA instant harp solo. cool. He also joined us for the old Fingers Taylor classic "Some White People Can Dance". Is this really happening, am I really here? Tonight, Duval was covered with costumed Halloweeners and Lynley was one of them. Lots of pirate wenches, but Lynley was the absolute hottest. A stop in Fat Tuesday for frozen drinks showed us that Kristie gets Brain freezes real bad. Now, after it's all said and done, it was very funny. The day is done. Most everybody, except the musicians have gone to sleep. Paul and Crawdaddy are running over a song by the pool for tomorrow, Lynley is checking email and here I am again doing this. I always thought these blogs were for you, but I've realized that they're really for me. Memories are precious and this helps me catalog them for later smiles. Nite..zzzzzzzzzzzz. Day 7 Day 8 Friday, November 2, 2007 late,,,very later. Key West, FL I guess starting at 9am is the same as starting at 9pm as long as the crowd is ready to go huh? PHIP (Parrot Heads in Paradise) hosts a breakfast meeting every year on the friday during MOTM. Two leaders from each club meet at 9am at The Conch Republic Seafood Company for a buffett breakfast, some chit chat, a business meeting, a little CalypsoNuts music, and a video message from Jimmy Buffett. A 9am start time means an 8am set up time and an 8am set up time means a 7am wake up time. We only play the first 2 hours of the party and then it's off to nap before moving the gear across the restaurant for a 3-6pm show. The noon-3pm slot at Conch was played by FINS from the St. Louis area. They sounded really nice, doing a lot of older Buffett songs and a few of their own as well. L and I took turns joining them on lead pan. After huge applause for FINS, they cleared the stage and we got in there for that 3pm start time. The place got busy and then it got busier and then it was packed. We brought out the big party guns for today. Game of Love, Mustang Sally, Hot Hot Hot, Pate Pate, and L sang RESPECT while dancing on the bar. Rather than ask permission, we were prepared to beg forgiveness, but Johnnie welcomed L onto the bar with open arms. Applause is beautiful, but the whole energy level goes crazy when a crowd that size screams! We felt the love today! Thank you for coming to the show today and thank you for lettig us entertain you into that scream. We love it! Howard Livingston and MM24 band took the night out from the main stage in the dock area. They're a well known band from the key and they can sure deliver the party atmosphere. It was nice to finally meet Howard and some of the guys in the band! Tired now, sleepy, Nite ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz Day 9 Day 10 Sunday November 4, 2007 late again Miami, FL Wow, what a trip so far. Lots of good times were had during our week in the keys. We had a chance to meet new friends and also to reconnect with friends we haven't seen in too long. Today was perfect. 80° and sunny with a slight breeze seems to be the norm in Key West right now. Being Sunday, the 1-5pm shift at the Conch Republic Seafood Co. was a little slower than the last few days, but that was ok with us. It's nice to slow down and relax every now and then. Pirates and Parrotheads were joined at the Conch today by cruisers from Disney Magic. The cruisers fit right in and some took home prizes because of their vast (avast! arr) knowledge of pirate trivia. You know you're in Key West when a boat docks behind the stage and offloads hundreds of pounds of stone crab claws and fresh red grouper and yellowtail snapper. All in all it was a very nice day at work and we'd have it no other way. What do you do when a rooster crows every time you mention Robert Lee's name over the mic? You make it part of the show. You talk to the chicken and mention the word Fricasee. Many thanks to Ali and all the crew at the Conch Republic Seafood Co. This great week of entertainment, would have been sadly less without the constant support that you offer. Thanks so much for hosting the CalypsoNuts year after glorious year. Thanks also to PHIP and the MOTM board of directors- your passion and intense energy don't go unnoticed. MOTM gets better every year and we're proud to be a part of it. We have to send a "shout out" to The Parrot Head Club of Tidewater. When the show gets rolling and the crowd gets loud, you're always there right in the middle of it all. Most of all, thanks to all the folks who attended MOTM 2007 Barefootin' the Keys. All the planning in the world would be just wasted time if no one came to the party. No energy was wasted on this week. Last but not least, thanks very much to our Key West room mates: T.C. and Chris, Rob and Ally, Jimbo and Linda, Crawdaddy and Gretchen, and Paul and Kristie. Our memories are just a little wackier because of you and we love that. It's actually 3am Monday and we're out of the keys and in Miami. We'll stay here tonight and board Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas tmorrow for a 4 day cruise with John and Shirley from Memorable Cruises and Vacations. Coco Cay, Nassau and Key West this time. More tomorrow from the ship. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Day 11
Monday November 5, 2007 4:30 pm Aboard Majesty of the Seas Good stuff already with a bit of uncertainty looming. Muster is over and it's game on for the next 4 days. We've already had lunch and if it's any indication as to the deliciousness (is that a word) of dinner, I'm gonna have to hit the diet hard when I get home. Chilled pineapple soup, Tandoori chicken, Teriyaki Wahoo, Honey Roasted vegetables and a Piña Colada. The food selections at lunch were varied and broken down by type of food. International, Asian, Italian, American, Vegetarian, etc, etc, etc. This place is 100% smiles and at every turn there's another reason that RCCL is #1 in our book. Lynley's at the spa and I'm chillin' before dinner. Life is good and we're once again on the high seas thanks to John and Shirley Murphy, Memorable Cruises and Vacations and The Thirsty Parrots. Life's short, play hard and get as happy as you can as fast as you can! Peace, Robbie Day 11
Monday November 5, 2007 10:30pm Aboard Majesty of the Seas So, off we go to dinner wondeing what kind of caloric xanadu awaited us in the dining room. Dinner was awesome and the company was equally nice. We wandered around the ship for a while, stopped into the casino for our nightly donation and now we're back in the room, tired from the day and waiting for...shhhh.....room service. We'll have a little soup of the day and a salad, before figuring out if we're going out or calling it a night. Plenty going on on the ship tonight, but I think maybe the road has us just tired enough to turn in early. Gonna try to post copies of the menus if I can. Look for them on the slideshow page. zzzzzzzzzzzz ...happy...zzzzzzzzzzz...nite Day 12 Tuesday November 6, 2007 late night Sailing from Nassau toward Coco Cay The day in Nassau was right nice. Just shy of 80° and sunny continues to be the daily weather. Some people on cruisecritic.com say that they don't like Nassau. They say that it's dirty and that the local vendors are pushy. I didn't see dirty at all. It's not the Waldorf Astoria, but what island is? As far as the vendors, they have to be a bit pushy or they'll starve. If they don't hustle, the next guy will get the sale. If you don't like the hustles of island vacationing maybe you should go study the Fijords or the Ice shelf and leave these wonderful islands to those of us who love them. A horse and Buggy ride through downtown Nassau is a recommended, 20 dollar attraction. The buggies are torn up from the island elements, but that just adds to the charm. Our driver narrated the 25 minute trip, showing us the foliage and the different points of interest. Back to the ship in time for lunch and then some hard sleep for a few hours before dinner. Only on a cruise ship do you eat, sleep and wake up to eat again. Tonight we sailed from Nassau at 11pm on our way to Coco Cay. As we pulled away from the docks the cruise staff led an Island dance party on the top deck. Lynley danced and I perused the midnight buffet. Now back in our cabin/gear storage locker, L's asleep and I'm not far behind. All is well, home soon, Peace, BTW: Spoke with Justin from Audio tonight. He had no idea that we're scheduled to play tomorrow. More uncertainty just adds to the excitement I guess. Day 13 Wednesday November 7, 2007 late night again Sailing from Coco Cay toward Key West Today was incredible! We knew we'd be playing on the pool deck, but we had no idea we'd be on the main stage. Justin from Wisconsin and David from Trinidad, both with the audio department, were there to help us set up gear and to patch into the house P.A.. We hate to brag, but we brought the A game today. From 2-5 it was "All CalypsoNuts all the time". People danced, and shook their buts and smiled and caught rays and drank foo foo drinks and we helped them get to to their own little islandy place on the top deck. Making people smile and forget about life for while is our main objective when we play and everything fell perfectly into place today. Our Bose Cylindrical Radiators performed flawlessly, the house P.A. sounded great, the pans were in tune and singin', it was just the perfect day to be a CalypsoNut. Great stuff! We rocked 'em and it felt really good. Lots of nice words from fellow travelers and cruise staff. Thanks again to John and Shirley Murphy for opening this wonderful door that is sometimes hard to budge. Dinner was great again. Chilled Strawberry Bisque started it and it just got better from there and ended with Warm Chocolate Cake. What's not to love about RCCL? Lynley was asked to be Cindy Lauper in the ship's 80's party tonight. She was lip synchin' with the best of them. Look for video on you tube real soon. Midnight chocolate buffet tonight. Sweets everywhere you looked! Brought it back to the cabin and then ordered room service. It's not gluttony when you're on a cruise ship. BTW: I have absconded with the dinner menu every night and I'll scan them for the site. Look for them on a link at the end of this road journal. Key West in the morning, but sleep right now. zzzzzzzz good day good day good day! Oh, almost forgot, the wind blew my new tiki acoustic over today. Didn't even look at it, just put it in the case. I'll check it in Miami, today was just too good to ruin with possibly broken guitar stuff. zzzzzzzzzzz Day 14 Thursday November 8, 2007 late night Sailing again, this time from KW toward Miami The day in Key West was Very Deja Vu. Weren't we just here? Sunny and cool. Cool? If you consider 77° cool, then yes, cool. I think we're just spoiled from the last 10 days of warm, sunny weather. Stopped by Conch Republic Seafood Co. to see Ali and the crew and had lunch at B.O.s Fishwagon over by the market. Lots of comments today from fellow passengers. It's really nice when people go out of their way to give us a compliment. Our show on the pool deck must have been as good as it felt. Took a little time to stroll the ship one last time before disembarking tomorrow morning. We'll hit the dock and customs at 8am and then we'll have to figure out the whole "Where's the gear" situation. It's never goes exactly as planned, but I guess that's part of the excitement. All in all, the cruise was great. We met a lot of nice people from all over the globe, made some smile, made some dance, made some shake it island style. The food was top notch and so was the service. The staff always had smiles on and nothing was impossible. This ship is their home and their pride and joy shows. I'm sure there are problems with everyday shipboard life, but the passengers never see it. Lynley and I raise our glasses to all the staff and crew who made this cruise our best yet. Nite everybody, 2 more gigs and then home. Day 15 Friday November 9, 2007 11am Miami, FL Ok, up at 7 and off the ship by 8 isn't our idea of fun. Can't we just sleep in, catch a late breakfast, wander back to our cabin and sail again? Please? Candlewood Suites checked us in early, but we had a couple hours to waste before they were ready for us. The only place open for breakfast was Burger King. The girl behind the counter was rude, was barehanding our hashbrowns after playing with her hair and face, and she was dropping F bombs in the dining room area. Wow, good to be home. Where's my ship? Cheeseburger in Paradise Miami tonight. It's new territory for us, so wish us luck. More later. Day 15 Friday November 9, 2007 late night Miami, FL Miami Cheeseburger in Paradise is unlike the others we've played. This Cheeseburger is smaller and in a "Town Center" type outdoor mall. The garage doors open onto the mall, so people are constantly strolling by. It's very nice and so is the staff. Tonight was a bit slow because of the weather. Locals call 70° cold. All is well. One more night at Cheeseburger and then we'll hit the road toward home. Day 16 Saturday November 10, 2007 late again Miami, FL The Miami Parrot Head Club was out tonight. John and Brenda and the crew were up front and center all night long. The weather was nice and people were out walking on the mall and that meant for nice table turnover when break times came. With the restaurant being so cool and in such a pretty location, it's a wonder this place isn't packed all day, everyday. Ah, the fickle restaurant business. Management was happy with how we fit the room and how we were received by the crowd. Yay, this makes 6 Cheeseburger in Paradise locations for us. Sleep, sleep, sleep, drive, drive, drive, home, home, home, kiss the cats and sleep, sleep, sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz nite all Day17 Sunday November 11, 2007 HOME !!! Wow, made it! This has been a long one. We left Miami around noon and just now (5am) pulled in. It would have been 4 am but when a South Carolina policeman with his hand on his gun says "You have a headlight out", your very next stop is Wal Mart for a bulb. What's the first thing we saw when we pulled into the driveway? Our breath, no fun. Anyway,,, the road was long. We're home. The cats missed us. Many thanks to everyone who made this whirlwind craziness possible. The list is too long, but special thanks to: PHCoT for your unending support, Beaches A1A Parrot head club for hosting a great Pirate Ball, the MOTM committee for believing in us once again, Memorable Cruises and Vacations for opening yet another cruise line door for us, the Miami Parrot Head Club for bringing the party to Cheeseburger in Paradise, to all our friends who we got to see and room with in KW, and of course to Jimbo for just being the best kinda friend two people can have. Thanks for letting us do what we love to do! We can't wait until the next adventure. Smile and get as happy as you can as fast as you can, Lynley and Robbie |