July 28, 2008 Early Morning.. aboard Disney Wonder, somewhere between Florida and Cataway Cay in the Bahamas.
8 Days ago we got a phone call from Disney Cruise Lines. It seems that there is a two week gap between one duo leaving the ship and one duo coming aboard, so Disney called us to check our availability at such short notice. Being the middle of Summer, every day was booked and some were doubles. The possibility of playing for them seemed pretty grim, but Lynley immediately started calling people about cancelling contracts just to see if it was even remotely possible to make it happen. Keep in mind that The CalypsoNuts have never cancelled a contract for a better oportunity and rarely even because of something as severe as imminent hurricane damage, but this time was different and we were hoping that people would be as excited for us as we were for ourselves.
To make a long story short, all went well and we're aboard Disney Wonder with one night in the books already. The staff and crew are wonderful. the food is wonderful, the kids are all well behaved, the food is wonderful, and last night went great.
We played in the Promenade Lounge which is kind of an open area midship that most people at least walk through on the way to dinner, so the visibility factor is top notch. People stopped for a cocktail before or after dinner, some stayed the whole time, some had kids with them and some did not. The history of entertainment in that lounge allowed us to pull out stuff we haven't done in a long time. I forgot that we even knew Le Freak.
The audio/technical crew help us set up, tear down, and all the gear was already poolside waiting for us today. Needless to say, the staff here is amazing.
A little late dinner and a stroll around the deck last night, reminded us that the one thing that we hadn't had was sleep. So we wandered around below deck until we found our cabin, put in a movie and never saw past the opening credits. It was off to the land of the one letter alphabet. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
July 28th, 2008 late night.. aboard Disney Wonder sailing from Cataway Cay toward Nassau
Today started off like most days on a cruise ship for us. I slept in while Lynley went shopping and visited the spa. That's just the way things work out for us and we're both ok with that.
Top Deck today at the adult pool appropriately named Quiet Cove. This is the storybook cruise ship stage. To the right, Ocean. To the left, Ocean. In front of us, a pool and a bar. Behind us, who cares? The sets were space apart by at least an hour and in one instance, two. It makes for a long day, but the long breaks rock. Time enough for me to eat dinner and for Lynley to, well, shop.
We found out that the last break is as soon as the fireworks start. I did, I said fireworks. The shoot fireworks from the bow during the Pirates in the Caribbean party. The Disney cast in in full pirate regalia and it's a wonderland at sea. Crazy! Oh, I forgot to say... The Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean is moored at Castaway Cay where we were docked today. Crazy too.
A day off tomorrow, but the cruise director staff has asked to see us sometime during the day. I hope we didn't do anything wrong- we need a ride at least as far as the mainland.
July 29th, 2008 evening.. aboard Disney Wonder sailing toward stop 2 at Castaway Cay in The Bahamas.
A day off at sea is a good thing. Got a chance to see Mickey and Minnie taking pictures with kids. It's pretty cool to see the awe on a kid's face as she gets her turn to meet Minnie or Mickey in person and one on one.
Dinner tonight in the Animators Palette was great. The restaurant starts out in Black and White and ends up in brilliant color. it's not easy to explain, but it's fun to see.
Tonight was our first stop in the crew lounge. A lounge, pool and private bar just for staff and crew! Yay! It's all the way forward on deck 5 and you can't really get there unless you know where you're going. I guess the best thing about it is that crew can literally let there hair down and relax under the stars away from the hustle and bustle. Navigating the endless spaghetti of corridors and halls behind the scenes can be a daunting task filled with equal amounts of, "Uh, help, I'm lost" and "Excuse me sir, why are you back here". Nobody knows who we are and we look like guests who have wandered too far from the buffett.
Fun out here. The smiles from the crew get friendlier with each day as they get used to seeing us around the parts of the ship that is "Their World".
Missing friends, family and the furry kids, but not homesick yet, Manana, The Nuts
Hot and Humid today on Castaway Cay, but not only did the tech staff load all the gear onshore and set it up under the gazebo, but the gazebo had huge fans to keep the air moving so it felt like 80 and not 180. Trent (dj from australia) showed us the maze around the huts to get to the crew area for lunch and water stuff. Parasailing, Glass bottom boats, pedal big wheel boats, big balloon tired wheelchairs for folks who were a bit less physically able and needed a little assist to get to the beach and down to the perfectly greenish blue water.. Lunch on Castaway Cay was hotdogs, burgers, pork, and piles of fresh fruit and vegetables. Entertainment was Us "WITHOUT PANS". First time ever for us. Not only that,,,,this week we aren't even called The CalypsoNuts "World traveled entertainers extrordiniare and winner of numerous internationaly recognized awards". We're simply "Calypso Magic" and that's weirdly working for me.
A few hours of down time and then two sets tonight in the Promenade Lounge that went great. People who had only known us for 4 days were making sure to stop by for a last farewell. They get off in Port Canaveral and we continue on back to Nassau on leg 1 of cruise 2.
Started the cramped feeling tonight. The shows are going well, but there needs to be a place where we can run the night and find what made it work and what could be better. Right now that's in our 8x9 foot crew cabin. If all that was needed was a place to sleep and to get ready for work, then it would be easier, but we need a little more room to set up a few pieces of gear and not have to tear it down to use the bathroom. I'm not complaining, because this is the way it is for crew aboard a cruiseliner. We're considered Vendors, so we have full passenger status, but we stay in a crew cabin. Gone are the deluxe accomodations we're used to, but sailing right at the waterline is as smooth as smooth can be. Two big round Neon lights in the ceiling and a neon strip light above the bed, means shadows shadows everywhere and not an incandescent bulb anywhere. The bed is 41 inches wide. Guess who is 41 inches wide when he lays on his back? Let's just say I'm not laying on my back until we get home to the furry faced CEO's of CalypsoNuts international.
July 31th 2008 ..Back aboard Wonder and sailing toward Nassau on a 3 day.
For paperwork reasons and for customs, we had to disembark this morning and immediately embark again for this sailing. No biggie, just one of those things that have to be done.
On the way back aboard we met Jonathon who actually made contact with Lynley first about booking these cruises. It was like laying eyes on an old friend you've never met. Just like the tech staff and the cruise director and her staff, Jonathon is an amazingly niceperson. The first things out of his mouth were "Is everything ok, Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable down below? He had originally offered us a passenger cabin, but the popularity of these sailing dates have the ship at 100% capacity. No Worries. He asked us about playing aboard Disney Magic from Aruba and around toward Port Canaveral where she'll make the turn toward Norfolk and some time in dry dock. Hopefully our schedules will be easier to move than this time.
We played tonight in the Promenade Lounge and it's wierd to see people doing the exact same things in the exact same way just with different faces and names. All new passengers except 25 or so who opted to stay aboard for another 3 days.
Had an hour and a half break between sets 1 and 2 so we went to Parrot Cay dinig room for dinner. Wow, sweet onion soup rocks. Grouper with baby prawns and mashed cauliflower is pretty awesome too.
1 is the lonliest number, but Z is awesome in groups of bunch zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Tomorrow we'll be back at Quiet Cove pool deck for the adults. It's a good gig, made better by the tireless tech staff. Andy, Mike, Emit, Franklin, and Chris all seem to pull shiftwork when it comes to getting our gear wherever it needs to go. Disney does it right.
August 1, 2008 Evening..Sailing aboard Disney Wonder
We just finished our first set on deck and had to run to the cabin and write in the blog. During the first set and just as the sun was setting, Lynley told me to look toward the horizon at about the same time the Captain came over the ship's intercom to tell us about 2 waterspouts on the port side of the ship. It was as if the Captain was chiming in to say "Lynley's right folks, those are waterspouts." Very cool.
Sunday, August 3, 2008 1:50am ..Aboard Disney Wonder, sailing toward Port Canaveral
Ok, it's taken a few days for things to sink in and for us to get things in perspective as to what's been going on during the last week or so. So what's all the hubbub? The hubbub is that all this started with a mouse. Walt Disney drew a mouse, animated it (Steamboat Willie), and all these years later not only is that mouse still around, but he's known all over the world by kids and adults alike. I mean, who doesn't know Mickey Mouse? This ship and its concepts are amazing. I'm sure Walt would approve.
Well, it's Sunday morning around 2am and we're off the Florida coast on our way back to Port Canaveral to end a cruise and start yet another. Sure, this is a vacation machine, but you should see the faces of these folks when the come aboard and right up until they walk across the gangway back towards home. Because this ship and its 3 and 4 day cruises is normally part of a vacation package offered by Disney, a large portion of the travellers have never stepped on a ship before, much less stayed aboard for 4 days and traveled to Nassau or Castaway Cay. It's crazy adventure for some of these folks who have never seen the other side of their own state or city.
We, The CalypsoNuts (Calypso Magic onboard), are really proud to be a part of their vacation memories. Some people dance, some do the walk-by boogie, some jump onstage and bang congas (a big no-no at home), but EVERYBODY smiles and says "You're good, thank you."
We'll pick up another 2700 people tomorrow and the Wonder will do her thing all over again. The well oiled, tip top shaped, vacationland at sea will once again create memories by the thousands for people who subscribe to the idea that Disney is not just for kids!
No matter what our future involvement is with Disney Wonder, we are proud to have spent this time aboard helping to make those memories.
Phlocking of the Phaithful, Put-in-Bay OHIO
Current mood: blissful
WOW.
I mean, really. Wow.
We had been "warned" about this event in Put-In-Bay, OH, but just wow.
We arrived home last night around 3:15am, having talked about the event for most of the 12 hours home. It's events like these that make us so grateful to be able to do this for a living. Pleasure and privelege rolled into one. Meeting GREAT, great people along the way. Hearing new music, new groups, smiling, being inspired, rushing here and there to catch everybody, feeling more tired than the body can stand but running around some more anyway,
Tom and Michelle from Latitude- we have really begun doing a lot of events together and it's SO about time. These two are awesome. Several times this weekend we got onstage together and it was magic. Called ourselves the "ABBA" of the Trop-Rock world, or as Robbie put it- - "well, we're backwards. More like the 'BAAB' of the Trop-Rock world." Whatever you call it, it was incredible. If you haven't been to their website yet, shame, shame!!! It's www.latitudemusic.net.
One act that simply blew us away was the Corned Beef and Curry Band, from the Pittsburgh area. These guys are just in a word amazing. They have energized us with their sheer talent and love of what they do on stage; if you ever are in the area they are a must-see. Their website is www.cornedbeefandcurryband.com.
We had time to spend and share with so many great people. Jim Hoehn, KD Moore, Jerry Diaz, Jack Mosley, Jim Morris... not to mention our fabulous roommates. Generally Robbie and I can be hermits when it comes to accomodations, but our four roomies made us feel perfectly at home and apparently didn't mind when I finished off the diet coke (yes, that was me). My only complaint is that they do that "bed making" thing that I have read about somewhere or another... definitely a sign of some kind of illness.
Have to gig tonight at the Ocean House, but my mind is still very far away on a small island in Lake Erie only accessible by ferry. Love to all friends, new, old, and rekindled.
Lynley
Currently
listening
:
When I Woke
By
Rusted Root
Release date: 1994-08-23
I always thought of John Whitehouse as the "Gentle Giant"… a lanky, laid back man with a huge heart and two hands designed to help anyone who needed it. I met him through the Parrot Head Club of Tidewater while John lived locally. In my life, I have attached several meanings to the word "Hero"- and John has provided me with several of those definitions.
We could always count on John for crowd calls. He supported Robbie and me any chance he could get. He always brought his brand of fun with him, and was never afraid to move gear or lend a hand, and usually before he was asked. I am honored that he appears on The CalypsoNuts' promotional video along with his daughter Jessika. For his positive presence in our lives and the smiles we had together, John is a hero.
A few years ago, John left Hampton Roads to move back to his home town of Biloxi, Mississippi. He decided to "stop by" Key West on the way to do some fishing. Well, two years later he finally made his move to Biloxi. For that I consider him the ultimate Parrot Head hero. What a free spirit… and how awesome that he went right ahead and lived the life that most of the rest of us just talk about.
In Biloxi, John continued living the life he wanted with his pottery studio. He created drums and other instruments; he was well respected as an artist and I am kicking myself that I do not have one of his pieces. It would truly be a treasure, as are all the remaining pieces of his art… portions of his soul breathed into each one. While running his studio, he cared for his elderly Granny and was by her side whenever she needed him. Hero again.
On January 23rd, John was hanging out at one of his favorite places, the Julep Room. His buddy, the bartender, was having trouble with some underage patrons that needed to leave. Of course- - John jumped up to help. The trouble makers were removed to the parking lot where they got in their car and attempted to run over the bartender. John pushed his friend out of the way of the oncoming car, and was struck. For this- the word "hero" is completely inadequate. There now isn't really a word for who John Whitehouse was. Count yourself lucky if Big John ever touched your life… he has surely touched mine and I'm grateful.
John would want you to raise a glass so please do so… Namaste, Big John.
A few days off usually means time to kick back and surf the net while eating too much food with horrible nutritional numbers. Not this time baby! L and I looked at the room rates for this week in Las Vegas and landed a deal at Circus Circus for $35.00 a night! Couple that with crazy cheap air fare and we're hangin' in Sin City for $200.00 a piece.
We're traveling with Your Pal Eddie Sal and his wife and best friend Ellen. Their first flight was delayed and ours was cancelled, but we're all here safe and have already burnt some of the proverbial midnight oil that always gets burnt in Vegas.
Our first stop tonight, "Bally's", brought an old memory bubbling to the surface. I played that casino in 1985 when I was with David Julian and the Playmates. It was called the MGM Grand at the time and the stage was on a raised, open lounge in the middle of the main casino. One gig in 1985 started like most. We loaded in, got set up and hit the first downbeat right on time just like the casino demanded. We were in our high waisted pants with gangster style coats and ribbon collar shirts. Everything was clean and pressed, and the band was sounding good. Halfway through the first set and in the middle of Hello by Lionel Ritchie, I looked at the drummer (Joe Bergeron) and said, "Cover me, I'm sick". I put my bass down in the middle of the song and made my way as fast as I could without running, to the nearest mens room. 60 feet from the door of the rest room, lunch decided to visit me through a reversal of sorts. Now, at a jog and not wanting to be sick in the beautiful casino, I caught lunch in my hands and on my chest. Quickly into the bathroom, I stripped off my jacket, shirt and tie and washed them in the sink. I dried them as best I could with the hand drier and was back onstage after just 2 songs. Ah,,,,memories!
The Dunes (gone), was our first gig out here. The Mint (gone too) was our gig downtown in the Freemont section. The Frontier gigs were my last before flying home to Virginia and tonight when we passed it, we saw that they're in the middle of tearing it down too. Time marches on and things change. Accept and embrace the changes or not, but these memories rock! Robbie: Ladieeeeeees and Gentlemen! The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino proudly presentsssssss,,, DAVID JULIAN AND THE PLAYMATES! 1,2,3, You ought to be havin' fun, Put your troubles on the ruuun, the best things in life are free!
Casino after casino after casino and it's all too much fun for this grown man to handle. Las Vegas is so much more than just casinos these days though. Although the gambling is still here, the casinos themselves are just as much of an attraction. The main lobby at The Venetian is absolutely stunning and The Bellagio is not to be missed. Paris is not only beautiful but the view from the over 500' tall Eiffel Tower is amazing. Old Vegas is disappearing but certain places still stand. The Riviera, The Mirage, Circus Circus, The Tropicana, and others are still here. They don't have the glitz of the new, mega casinos, but their "Old Vegas" charm brings people flocking to pull the handles and roll the dice. Hell, we even saw BIG Elvis performing in Bill's Gambling Hall at 3pm. He was awesome!!!
Lunch? Bellagio's buffet filled that ticket quite well. Display after display of antipasto, fresh fruits, soups and stew, braised baby squash, leg of lamb with mint jelly, glazed pork roast, soy marinated fillet of beef, etc etc etfrickincetera, and I'm not even gonna take up a bunch of space with the dessert that the 4 of us put away!
The shows are absolutely top notch out here and 4 tickets found us wandering into Bally's for one of the longest running and most traditional Vegas style shows, Jubillee. Singers, dancers, hard body guys flying over the crowd on silk wings, bolo wielding gauchos, asian contortionists , and topless beauties with feather head dresses were all on the bill. Rather than miserably fail at trying to describe the show, I'll only tell you that we were blown away by the costuming and the choreography, and the dancing, and the sets.
All the reasons we loved this show are just a few of the reasons for it's longevity. Three cheers to the over 120 person cast for a job perfectly done.
It's hard to grasp the fact that not only these shows, but the incredible hotel/casinos, and the whole Vegas concept, started with an idea. I have an idea and we learn a song. The Vegas show teams have a idea and BOOOOOM Cirque Du Soleil has another SRO show on the Strip. We've sees Cirque's Zumanity and can't wait for to catch their new show; Beatles Love.
Please do yourself a favor and plan a trip to this marvelous place that is Mecca to entertainers from all over the world. Lynley and I spent just a bit over 200 bucks each on airfare and 4 nights at Circus Circus. The airfare was typical and the room is so-so at this older property, but the prices have made it all ok.
Lynley and I are happy that Eddie and Ellen made the trip. We're all having a ton of fun and even though we're still here, we can't wait to plan the next trip to Las Vegas. In fact-Lynley is planning it as we speak. Ok, twist my arm, February's good.
It seems like everybody out here has an act and that includes cab and bus drivers. A Romanian cabby kept dropping F bombs the whole time he was trying to get us to go to a gentlemen's club with no cover and free drinks. A bus driver that was heckling passengers called me a stalker and told me to get off of his bus after I told him he rocked. An Ethiopian cabby couldn't read the engine warning light and he blew his engine during our ride back to Circus Circus last night. We walked the last 75 yards and left him cranking and cranking and cranking, wondering why "It no go". Wild.
The 4 of us went to Cirque De Soleil Mystere tonight and were blown away again. Lights and costuming and dancers, Oh My! It's Cirque De Soleil and it's Las Vegas, so you know you're seeing the absolute best in the world. Cirque has a bunch of shows playing in town and we really want to see every one.
During a late night stop in The Sahara, we met the restaurant manager who just so happens to book some of the entertainment there. Well, she has our card and Eddie's and she's waiting for promotional stuff from both of us after we get home. Wouldn't that be sweet? Walk into a casino restaurant and fall into a really cool gig. Only in Vegas!
Our favorite band this trip has been "Chaze" at the Stratosphere. 6 pieces playing dance, pop and rock tunes from 1960-90ish. Great sound, great look, and a great rapport with the crowd. Gonna look for them again when we come back.
Lynley hit for 35 to 1 on the Roulette table at Sahara. 0 was good to her and her winnings covered my non-winnings. I'm down a bit, so is Ellen, but the real loser this trip is Eddie. Luck wasn't on his side until he started to loudly channel the ghost of Elvis, but by then it was too late. The damage was done and his donations to casinos all along the strip are much appreciated I'm sure. Next time I think he needs to wear the jumpsuit. The gambling was a ton of fun, the food was stellar and the shows are memories that I hope stay in my head forever.
Get loose and get out here. Las Vegas is still a great vacation destination for adults who need to unwind and forget about life for a few days. Leave the kids at home and have all the fun for yourselves, you'll be glad you did.
Aboard RCCL Majesty of the Seas
Current mood: happy
By now, everyone knows that our friends John and Shirley Murphy from Memorable Cruises and Vacations books fun cruises for people like us. They have a way of putting people with like interests together and then they book The CalypsoNuts to play aboard the ship. Don't ask me how they do it, I have no idea. So far we've played aboard Costa Magica twice (Eastern and Western Caribbean), and once aboard RCCL Majesty of the Seas (Bahamas). Here's a one minute video blog of the show we did on the top deck of Majesty of the Seas in November 2007.
Where to next? We're working on the plans now for more fun times in the Caribbean. Think about joining us for the food, the fun, the sun, the breezes the frivolity and the absolutely relaxing atmosphere that cruising brings us. If not this time, when? Life's way too short to not have fun! Peace, Robbie and Lynley
Remembering road trips from long ago, we've come up with something from the era of the Mom and Pop style roadside motels. During the 60's and 70's, the diamond shaped keytag was seen on the room keys of many motels. Most were bright plastic and hard to mistake for anything else, and they were a bit large so they were hard to lose.
These became collectors items for many people who thought of them as a kind of cute, trashy passport stamp. My first was from "The Downtowner Motel" in downtown Vegas.
We're now proud to offer vintage style Calypso Nuts Motel key tags. Room numbers 1-1000. After all the keytags are gone, the hotel will be at full occupacy (In other words, when they're gone, they're gone).
Their debut in Key West during the Meeting of the Minds popular. The lowest and most "Frequently Requested" numbers are gone, so only random numbered rooms are available these days.
How much for these icons of holiday travel? These reminders of vacation at the Jersey Shore? These conjurors of the Florida Keys. These diamond shaped memory machines? Ok, I'll tell ya and Ron Popeill is not gonna like this.
They're free. These are on us. We've got lunch. No really, they're on the house. Just come to a scheduled CalypsoNuts gig and we'll give you your very own piece of CalypsoNuts Swag for FREE!
What's the catch? No catch. It's yours. You can drop us an email with your keytag and we'll keep you informed of keytag holder specials and send our monthly newsletter, but that part is optional, they're really free.
I almost forgot. 1 per person, you. No, sorry, I can't send some home for Aunt Sara and the triplets. No, you can't buy one, your money's no good here. You can of course send us an old keytag from when you clean out that attic next time. That would be cheery.
Now get out there and have some fun, this internet stuff is bad for your eyes.
Peace and Happy Thanksgiving, Robbie (tag no.2) and Lynley (tag no.1)
CalypsoNuts Road Journal to Key West and The Bahamas
Category: Travel and Places
October 26, 2007 - November 12, 2007 "Well it's not far down to Paradise, at least it's not for me"Sailing by Christopher Cross Another CalypsoNuts Road Journal
......."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.
First, a stop in Neptune Beach for a show at Cliff's at the Beach, and then on to" Barefootin' the Keys in Key West for Meeting of the Minds 2007. Scheduled next are shows aboard Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas bound for The Bahamas. After disembarkation, we'll spend two nights playing at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Beautiful Miami
Friday October 26, 2007 Ready,,,,GO!
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 Thursday November 1, 2007 late again Key West, FL There are reasons that most of these entries use the word "WOW" a lot, and that as the days go by the wows show up more and more. Today started with all the housemates sitting around discussing the day and evening plans. The day was sunny, 90° and breezy down on the beach stage at The Casa Marina. When we showed up at the beach stage, Jim Hoehn was singing one of his story songs about Elvis and Jesus resurrected on black velvet rugs. He's a funnnnnyy guy, twisted, but funny. The "lots of gear" jokes started as soon as he saw us coming across the courtyard with the first load. As is customary, we asked Andy Harrell what song we should start with and he hit a homerun with Party Time. The steel pans ringing aroung the area created that island atmosphere and everything just fell into place. ready? wow! Paul and Crawdaddy stopped in after their listserve show at Rick's on Duval Street. Paul came up for 3 little birds and Crawdaddy sang" White Folks". Sandy Kaiser worked the tshirt bucket today and handed out the new CALYPSO NUTS MOTEL keytags. The tags are numbered 1-1000 and when they're gone, they're gone. When you get a tag you should to email us with your name and tag so we can put you in the bucket for prizes every month. Turtle Kraals for Ceviche, Conch chowder, Seafood Enchiladas and Herradura Margaritas was a nice way to spend what energy was left in our tanks. L spotted Tim and Besty at Fat Tuesday and stopped to say hello. They're our favorite transplanted Gulf Coasters. Back at home and contemplating the fact that we have to set up at 8am for a 9am Club Leaders' Breakfast at Conch Republic Seafood Company. We'll play until 11am, pack it up and move it across the room for another setup and start at 3pm until 6pm. I asked Jim Morris today if he thought we (He and us) were gonna slow down anytime soon and we kinda simultaniously shook our heads and said, "naaah". Funny how we musicians love what we do. Here's some neat info: Ally from CRSC and her husband are expecting a baby. Jacob is due in February and all is going along just fine. Congrats to Mom and Dad to be. Ok, sleep now, 7 am comes soon and we need to "Bring It" tomorrow and make these Parrot Heads smile before noon. L just said goodnight and I'm right behind her. Smile, laugh, love, and know that we're thinking about you from Key West. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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 Saturday, November 3, 2007 11pm Key West, FL The Second Annual Rum Barrel gig was the kind all others are compared to. The rooftop bar has stage and a great, Key West view and it's the perfect place to throw a Saturday afternoon party. The word got out about how fun last year's Tall Daddy/CalypsoNuts show was and people came out of the woodwork today. Sunny and bright with a nice breeze, the day couldn't have been nicer weather-wize for what turned out to be a really good time. Charlie De Cosa joined us on bass. Charlie has played with virtually everybody on the sunburn circuit. He's not only a granite solid bass player, you'll also never meet a nicer guy. Jimi Pappas brought his Toaster Oven (Electronic drum pads). Jimi was with us last year and we're so glad he came back to join us. He's a great player, is game to try anything and has the coolest hats. T.C. Mitchell had some time and popped into the show with his tenor sax. We've all heard him through the big speakers on Buffett's stage, but hearing him close up and in person is even nicer. Magic happened again today and it's hard to believe that we have just one more show before we leave Key West for a while. It seems to go by way too fast. With the gear stowed, it was time to head to the south end of the island to hear Jimmy and The Parrots at The Casa Marina. OH MY GOD! Paul had told me that the energy level at a Jimmy and The Parrots show was through the roof, but I had no idea. This guy is certifiable! Buffett tunes, island classics, Motown, R&B, Bluegrass, Funk. You name it, they do it. They jump and dance and run and spin and it's pretty incredible. When I grow up I want to be Jimmy Mareventano. Paul and Crawdaddy joined them for a few and of course the Lolas jumped up with red feather boas in hand. After dinner, Lynley and Kristie grabbed Paul and I and their red boas and hit the road toward Margaritaville to hear The Boat Drunks. When these two girls show up, look out, there WILL be dancing and all eyes WILL be on them! Boat Drunks? Nice guys, great players, great sound, and highly resected by all the other MOTM bands. A must see on my list. We got a chance to talk with the guys from Radio Jimmy Dreams for a while outside on Duval and ran into T.C. Mitchell, and John Patti as well. John flew in to play with Jimmy Mareventano before leaving aboard a Holland America ship for 34 day cruises around Hawaii. The Boat Drunks all hit Duval after they finished for a little bit of fresh air. It's nice to have time to just hang with Howie and the guys and catch each other up on the lastest news and gossip. After the stroll back home, we sat around the table, quietly remembering the day and the trip so far. We also talked about the upcoming Costa Rica trip and about maybe finding a way to do some USO type shows for our deployed troops. The house is quiet and asleep except for me and Paul, I'm blogging and Paul is wandering the street with his digital SLR. oooops, wait, The Rob Taylor is wandering the streets too, but it's because he's been drinking and he's lost again. A great day. Fabulous! I can't believe I get paid to have this much fun with all these incredible people. I never use this term, but I do feel like I'm blessed. Night everybody, More tomorrow....zzzzz....missing you a bunch by now.
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.
What do you do when a chihuahua on your table asks for a bite of your conch fritter? You gladly offer him a bite. Key West is a very different kind of place. People here tend to get along much better than people on the mainland.
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. We're onboard and so is our gear, but we don't really know where it's going to end up. RCCL has said it may have to be stored in our cabin. Seen a cruise ship cabin lately? It's more like a glorified closet and if we put the gear in here we're sleeping ondeck. Scratch that, the uncertainty is over. A knock at the door was the porter delivering THE GEAR. Some gear is in here and some is in John and Shirley's cabin, but it's all here. RCCL is being very nice about a strange situation. Guest performers usually show up with a guitar and a mic, we showed up with The CalypsoNuts show. P.A., pans, guitars, we brought it all. More on that later. 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
The Spirit of Norfolk and 106.9 The Fox teamed up once again for 2007's Parrot Head cruise. July 26 arrived, and so did the Parrot Heads from far and wide. There were crazy hats, lei's everywhere, and enough Hawaiian print fabric to completely wrap the Spirit top to bottom.
The cruise started innocently enough... Buffett tunes new and old played while everyone got their fill of the buffet (t?). The weather couldn't be more helpful as the Elizabeth river became a floating home to Sons of sons of sons of sailors.
We took the stage around 7:30, not sure what to expect. From tune 1, we found that these people know how to PARTY! The dance floor soon filled and it stayed that way.
The highlight of the night? A seriously crazy limbo contest. It began in "traditional" fashion, but mid- competition the rules changed. Style ranked higher than actual technique, with the crowd picking the winners. The Fox graciously donated several Buffett survival packs containing CD's, DVD's and T-shirts to the winners.
All in all, I think a week's worth of partying was done in a short 3 hours... Thanks to 106.9 the Fox, and the Spirit of Norfolk for a GREAT time on the Elizabeth River!
"So drink it up this one's for you It's been a lovely cruise..."
Currently
listening
:
Hot Water
By
Jimmy Buffett
Release date: 25 October, 1990
When the Deep Blue Sea Calls, We Say YES everytime! March 2007
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Journal for Eastern Caribbean Cruise aboard Costa Magica
March 1, 2007 2pm...Norfolk, VA. Here we go folks! Another whirlwind adventure with The CalypsoNuts and Memorable Cruises and Vacations. Once again we'll be aboard Costa Magica and this time we bound for the Eastern Caribbean. As we push back from the gate, (the driveway) we're alerted to weather cells in the southern states that may bring us some rain between home and Miami. We'll meet Jimbo, Linda, Brad and Mandy in Miami for a pre-cruise party Saturday night and then up to Fort Lauderdale to board the ship on Sunday. Weeeeeeeeeee, hang on !
March 1, 2007 11pm... Walterboro, S.C. 400 miles down and the weather says stop. Rainy and very windy on I95 South through the Carolinas. News reports of Tornados in Alabama and that they're headed this way, so time to chill until it's calm. The plan is to make Miami by tomorrow evening, chill and meet up with the crew on Saturday before the party. For tonight, it's a Microtel on I95 South somewhere in South Carolina. Nite everybody!
March 2, 2007 11pm... Miami, Florida Tada! Made it to Miami! The night air is filled with warmth and music from a mexican club next to the hotel. Aye Aye Aye, Arrrrriba Holmes! Found a place in S.C. on I95 that warranted a picture. The Squat and Gobble! What a name. Stopped at Wal-Mart for a few last minute, "Oh my God guess what I forgot" items and saw a car in the parking lot with a Parrot Head on Board sticker in the back window. While the folks were in the store we put a CalypsoNuts CD under their windshield wiper in a random act of Parrot Head. Hope they found it. Sushi dinner at an off the path place in Ormond Beach gave us the energy to push the last few hundred miles. Anyway, Miami is warm at 11pm and we're happy to be off the road and in the hotel. The rest of the crew shows up tomorrow and we play at Frankie's Hideaway tomorrow night with the Miami Parrot Head Club. Things are falling together quite nicely. Hugs from South Florida! Nite.
March 3, 2007 11:45pm... Poolside with Miami PHC and The Thirsty Parrot Cruisers Craziness always follows us and our friends. Everybody got here, but most of their luggage did not. Randy Ackley has never been to San Juan, but as of today his luggage has. All was not lost though, I guess, hmm, must be a silver cloud somewhere. Ahhhhh, American airlines offered a $25 per day clothing allowance. Whoooopty-frickin-doo, what can you do with 25 bucks? Not much, not even in Tijuana these days. Anyway, troubles pushed to the backs of their minds and looking forward to a party with Miami's Parrot Heads, The Thirsty Parrot Cruisers ordered and drank and ordered again. Woo hoo! Frankie (owner of Frankie's) was a little more than nervous when we hauled load after load of gear through his bar into the pool area. "Don't worry Frankie, we have this much gear so we can turn it down, you see?". His nervous smile changed to a grin when the party got rolling and hotel patrons came down and joined in instead of complaining. Jimbo and Brad broke it down to sax and percussion in the middle of Banana Republics. It was working beautifully so we let them go for a while until finally we built it up for a nice finale. Painting a musical picture is an incredibly powerful artform that is sometimes hard to pull off, but man, it worked tonight. Lynley's pan work on Postcard and One Particular Harbor was perfect, she's really found out exactly how aggressively you can play these drums without hurting them. Tomorrow we board the ship and set sail for the Eastern Caribbean with tons of friends. I really hope it doesn't sound cliché, but I wish you were all here with us, it's starting out to be a big bunch of fun and we love to share the fun. If we play on the ship like we played tonight, it's gonna be another big time aboard the Magica. Many thanks to the following folks for making this party happen: Brenda and John and the rest of the Maimi Parrot Head Club members who came out; Frankie, the owner; The Hampton Inn and Suites for being very cool; John and Shirley Murphy for making the calls and doing the legwork for all of us; and The Thisty Parrot Cruisers for getting their party on after such a trying day dealing with airlines and their substandard customer satisfaction representatives. Victoria from Carnival was at the party and is already talking to John and Shirley Murphy from Memorable Cruises and Vacations about an 8 day cruise to the Southern Caribbean soon. That's St. Kitts, Arruba, etc.. Count me in, and try your best to count you in. Nite y'all, happy to be here, sad that you aren't. Brad is snoring light, while Lynley and Mandy float on a tropical sleep cloud. I'm next, Miss ya, Nite. hope to dream of a round of video game golf with a hottie dressed in red.
March 4, 2007 11:45pm... Aboard Costa Magica Cloudy skies were the theme of the day in Ft. Lauderdale, but all is well and we're underway, pointed toward the warmth of the Caribbean. The cabin is actually comfortable and the balcony overlooks our whole cruise. Same great top deck Calypso band as last cruise and Max (Cruise Director) is still here. Light-moderate seas tonight made dinner an adventure. Not bad really, just enough to remind us that terra firma is nowhere nearby and that we're at the mercy of Mother Nature and the ship's Captain. The gear is locked up in the hold somewhere, but we've been assured that it'll be at the stage area tomorrow by noon for a 1pm showtime. Still no luggage for some of our group and the word is that they won't see it until we get to San Juan on TUESDAY! Stopped in the buffet for a late salad tonight and ran into Gustavo. Gustavo was our head waiter on the last cruise aboard Magica and he recognized us after he took 10 seconds to figure out who was calling him by name on day 1 of the cruise. Although this is just our second trip aboard this ship, the familiarity of her makes it feel like a strange kind of homecoming. It's nice to be back onboard Magica and nice to feel welcomed by her crew. The motion brings back that sleepiness that you can only feel at sea. Nite everybody, more tomorrow. zzzzzzzzzzzz
March 6, 2007 2am... The day was perfect, The night was too... It's hard to remember all the events of such a good day. The gear was delivered to the aft pool like clockwork, by noon, but the 1 o'clock start time was pushed back by just a hair because of light rain. The hydraulic roof was closed and the gig went great. People were dancing, swimming, drinking, eating, and a few were semi-comotose of chaise lounges in the back. Dollar Wine was a hit, but Linda Kiraly needs a lesson or 2 when it comes time to "raise the tempoooh",, love her. Lynley's big solo thing was once again Mambo Italiano. With Magica being an Italian ship she tore the house down. Jimbo's was the back half of Black Magic Woman where percussion was the word of the day. Brad? We're Not Here For a Long Time, We're Here For a Good Time was saxophone city. We all got a little solo time during our Reggae Breakdown and when it became Bob Marley's "Is This Love", the staff boogied right along with us. Qusetions: Playing tomorrow? Got cd's for sale? Why don't you stay onboard? Can I buy you a drink? Are you married? Answers: Nope, but we would.. Nope, but we should. We'd love to but the cats need their humans.Yes, please, 2 Captain and diets, 1 Corona, and a Limoncello straight up please. The cute one is married to the blonde girl, the sax guy's girlfriend is onboard cruising with us and Jimbo's Lovely wife is also here to help us Pullll Bacccckk. Dinner? Awesome! It started with escargots and ended with Marscapone Mousse. Everything in the middle is a wonderful gastronomic blur. And, ahhhhhhhhhhh, no tab,we're all very happy. It was 70's night in the Capri Lounge and Lynley & Gwen came in second in the twist contest. A late night stop at Jimbo and Linda's cabin for rrrrrrrrrrrum crrrrrrrrrrrrream over gelato was just the nightcap that was needed for what will be another good night's sleep out here on the big blue ocean. And another word or 2 about this man we call Jimbo. 8 years have gone by since we met him during a party gig at Outback Steakhouse where he an L chatted about the percussion that she was playing at the time. The chat resulted in Jim sitting in for a tune or 2 and then a gig or two.. A lot has happened in 8 years and Jimbo's been there for most of it. Love that guy. Ciao Y'all, time for some sleep.
March 7, 2007 2:17am... Good Night San Juan Wow, pretty incredible. Lynley's day started with a massage, a dip in the hot tub and a Piña Colada bought for her by crazy Spanish men vacationing on their bosses dime. Wopah! Later in the day, Memorable Cruises and Vacations along with Costa Magica hosted a cocktail party. Free drinks are rare on a cruise ship, so an hour and a half's worth is not to be missed. Jimbo described and delivered prizes as we called off the winning tickets. He's more fun than a gecko in your shorts. Afterward, Lynley and I jumped ship with Brad and Mandy for San Juan. A stop in Señor Frogs ended up with Lynley and Mandy winning a shot of Tequila for their participation in crazy stage games. And oh by the way... it was Mandy's 1st shot of tequila ever. She did fine. Nachos and other appetizers at a local restaurant fueled us for shopping where we stumbled across a Starbucks. Mandy is a Starbucks Barista in Virginia Beach so we had to stop in to see what was shakin'. She wanted to get behind the counter because they were doing it all wrong all wrong all wrong. Linda and Jimbo decided to stay on the ship, have dinner and knock back a cocktail or two. A light attendance in the dining room offered the opportunity for them to hang out with our waiter, Elmer. The stories about the small world of ship life are pretty interesting. These folks are out here for 6-7 months at a time. Some leave families at home and they all look forward to finishing up their contracts and going home on vacation. Elmer left a wife and a daughter (Angel). Last time, we met a guy named Richard. He was going home for 2 months after that cruise. Well, Richard's back aboard and ironically after this cruise, he goes home again. Good for you man, you've been here 7 months, time for a break. Back onboard we ran across the ship's only sax player, Guiseppe. He and Brad chatted about sax player stuff. Mouthpiece this and reed that, I think it was all some type of strange code, but it was nice to see an American and an Italian whose common ground is music. Lynley and a bunch of the girls hit the top deck for caribbean night line dancing and the limbo contest. Lynley, Winnie and Jessica danced non-stop for about 45 minutes. (Yes, there's video). Then Lynley joined the Limbo contest and was one of 4 winners out of 200 contestants! (Yes, there's video) Lynley is perfect. Smooooooooch baby! ahem, where was I? Back underway and with San Juan growing more distant at our stern, we're thankful for the day we had and look forward to tomorrow in St. Thomas. Buenos Noches y Adios, San Juan, we hope to held again by your beauty.
March 8, 2007 2:14am... Paradise, St. Thomas Style If we walked one block today, we walked 9 miles. The cab dropped us off downtown and then we walked from store to store to store. Great shops and great prices if you haggle. The sun was hot, so I think we burnt off some of the calories we took in earlier in the week. After what seemed like all day we came back to the ship to find we'd only been gone 3 hours. St. Thomas gets 2 thumbs up; it's a beautiful, sunny and an affordable stop for cruisers like us. Tonight was Italian night onboard Magica. Dinner was interrupted by: That's Amoré, Volaré, and that unknown Italian Favorite that everybody conga lines to. The napkins were spinning above our heads and the whole place got up to dance and to watch the choreographed waiters dance Volaré. Well done Costa, you've made us smile again. Dinner led us right into the casino for a few minutes where I lost 40, Brad lost 40, Jimbo and Linda lost 40, Lynley lost 40 and Shawn won 400. Directly after the casino deposits, the Tarantella lessons began. Mandy grabbed Brad for the lessons and Jimbo grabbed Lynley. Brad and Mandy kept it straight and paid attention while Lynley and Jimbo (who had tilted a few before dinner) turned it into The Marx Brothers become Italian. (Yes, there's video). Little conversation time in the Grand Bar Salento and a few dances shared by Lynley and Luigi before we ditched for a late night green salad at 11:30pm. The best part was finishing the salad and walking right into the midnight buffet outside Grand Bar Salento. Polenta, Pastas to order, traditional Italian cookies, Canolli, and fresh fruit. Yes, we ate. (No there's no video.) Back in the cabin, it looks like sleep's gonna come very easily tonight. A funny thing happened on the way to the forum is on TV and the motion of the ship is light and constant. With only 37 nautical miles between shore stops, we're cruising in low and enjoying the slow roll of the sea. All in all, it was another perfect day in paradise. Ask us about how to do it when we get home. Really! Ask us! All of a sudden Lynley and I have the hot tips and direct connections to beat even the internet prices. You tell us where you wanna go and we'll do the work. With us in your camp and with you being our friends it's even easier to make time for a vacation and save while doing it. The weather's been nice with just a sprinkle or two to take the edge off the heat. Miss all our friends at home but we'd rather you come her than us go there. I have to cook at home and it's warmer here. Tomorrow Dominican Republic, tonight lala land. miss ya, sleep well! More news tomorrow. nite ya'll. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
March 8, 10:38pm... Rolling away from the Dominican Republic Today was nice. We woke up docked in The Dominican Republic. Started the day by jumping ship and heading to downtown to La Romana. What a place. Vendors were E V E R Y W H E R E! Hello mi amigo! Come in and check it oooooouuuutttt! You're my brotha! She's my sista! I'll give you the family price. Don't smoke? Start today! Cigars have vitamins! The favorite method of transportation in La Romana seems to be the motorcycle. Not Harleys or crotch rockets, but old school Honda and Yamaha 125s and 350s. It was crazy, but more than once we saw 4 people on 1 motorcycle. Dad driving, kid#1 on the handlebars and Mom riding side saddle with the baby in her arms. Wild. Dinner? Awesome! Avocado salad with seafood, Pineapple boat with baked banana and pink coconut, Linguini with clams and garlic, Grilled Swordfish with olives and roasted tomatoes, Sirlion with Garlic Butter, Rack of Lamb with Mint Jelly. Dessert? Awesome! Crepe Suzette, White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce, Cannoli with candied fruit, Cheesecake. Stop with the food already!! Tonight the ship is rolling a bit and folks are weaving around like drunks. You can tell who is crew and staff because they're the only ones walking in a straight line. While the ships rocks and rolls, Linda hit a slot machine for $350 and Randy hit one for $1500! You don't see that every day on a cruise ship. Tomorrow we dock in Grand Turk for some of the clearest water around. Night everybody, hopefully we won't get tossed out of the bed tonight.
March 9, 4:30pm... Grand Turk, BWI The plan recently has been; get up get out, hit the island and be. Today was different. Docking at Grand Turk in perfect. When you get off the ship you don't have to take a bus to the beach, it's right there, you're docked 75 yards off the beach in crystal clear waters. Of course the pier leads you first to shopping, but that's ok too, we know how to say "No Thanks". Bought a shirt anyway! Lots of above average rums, tequilas and Whiskeys to choose from at nice prices. Off to Margaritaville, Grand Turk for a libation with friends. A strange game called back to back was played by the DJ and Lynley was the winner! What a competitor! a swim up bar and a stage? Sounds like a nice place for a CalypsoNuts engagement. A walk down the beach yielded some cool coral pieces that'll become pendants. The water was perfect, not cold and not bathwater. You know? That kind of perfect! Back on the ship, tired, tanned, ready for dinner. More later.
March 10, 1:48am... Grand Turk in our rear view mirror Dinner was nice tonight. 5:30 seating and 6:00 sailing made for a beautiful view of the tiny islands that make up Turks and Caicos. Lynley ate my Beef Tenderloin and I ate her King Crab. Being the last formal nightwe had Baked Alaska for desert. Brad's slice was nothing but Merengue, so Michael brought him another piece and he atew both. A little time in the casinos yielded nothing at all, so Lynley dashed off to Solento Grand Bar to dance with Luigi. A rhumba and a cha cha later it was time for the midnight buffet and trip through the galley. Awesome, but it left us with a empty spot.. Mandy, and ideas? "How about pizza and softserve in the Bellagio Buffet on deck 9? Folks,we left a buffet just to go to another buffet. Tonight is done. Legs are tired from walking the beach, Lynley's crashed hard and I'm right behind her. Tomorrow is a sea day and that means The CalypsoNuts play a the adult pool from 1-4pm.. Life is good, Food is good, Diets suck. We're bringing the "A" game tomorrow I hope, Life is good, Life is good, Life is good. Night friends, see ya soon. much calmer tonight, perfect for sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
March 10, 2007... Now that was a day! THE SHOW:: Today started really bad! Seasickness is no joke, just ask Lynley. Imagine feeling ill on a rollercoaster and not being able to get off. It hit her this morning before the show and for a while it looked like we weren't going to go on. Dramamine and Bonine and this and that and finally wrist bands with knobs for pressure points. One of them eventually worked and we hit the stage at 1:06, just 6 minutes late. The show was very cool! The back, adult pool deck is a perfect place for The CalypsoNuts, large enough to get a lot of people in, but small enough that it's still intimate. It rained early in the day, but as we started they drew back the roof and the sun streamed in. Beautiful! Anthony and the bartender's staff were back and the party was on. Can't believ how well received we were. It's easy to play a good gig, but great gigs only come along when we're really on and the crowd is really receptive. Today was great! Jimbo was dead-on! Good feel, good tone and all with a genuine "Glad to be here" smile. Brad was a big hit! His playing was a great accompaniment and has become an intergal part of our show. My playing was at its best today. What they got from me was all I had to give. Lynley was the big trooper. Her pan parts and singing was spot-free and perfect and the crowd never knew that she was dealing with motion problems. Looks like I owe her jewelry for her oscar winning performance and I'm OK with that. THE TOGA TACO PARTY:: Toga cocktail party before dinner and then dinner and the Roman Show starring Julius Caesar and the cruise entertainers. Affordable Cruises and Vacations along with Costa Magica, sponsored yet another cocktail party for our group. This time it was Coronas, Margaritas, and Rum Punch. A taco bar was brought in so we could eat 30 minutes before we went to dinner! Sheeeeeesh! NO MORE FOOD! Jimbo and I, in fine toga form took control of the delivering of the presents. Corona Hats, CalypsoNuts t-shirts Stihl Drink coozies,Nelson Enterprises' various goodies, CalypsoNuts ink pens, stress ball, paperclip seperators, you name it, we gave it away. Last party's grand prize winner, Carol was offered her choice of a lt of Mango Rum or a lt of Orange Rum. Her pick was Mango so the Orange Rum went to the other big prize winner, WiinieFried Rabbio. We (Jimbo and I), say that we're always ROPED into doing the giveaways, but truthfully we really enjoy it. Off to the dining room and yet more food!. DISEMBARKATION GALA DINNER:: Dinner was Awesome again; Tuna Carrpaccio with Chinese spicy relishglazed Virginia Ham, Roasted Chicken, Sirlion with Mushroom Sauce, 2 pastas, 3 soups, 2 salads, and DESSERT! Dessert tonight was: Cheesecake, Black Forrest Cake, Rhum Baba (Rum Spongecake), Tirimisu, Fruit and cheese. All this food was eaten by wild people in toags and variations of togas. 6 of our group had spiky blue wigs with their togas, making it appear as if the came from the set of TheFlintstones, Jim and Lynley added white gated togas garments and gold lamé to their togas this year. Lynley, Standard hottie toga, just add spikey spikey heels. I wore a purple-Romanish robe with my laurel leaf covered pith helmet and black dress shoes with dress socks. Great time, funny stuff, incomparable comaradery.
March 11, 2007... 1:31am...Down for the night until the 7:30am ejection. Back at the room after a great show put on by the cruise staff and GLADIATORED by cruisers. Some folks sang, some danced, two people actaully played acoustic Guitar, Harmonica and sang Jambalya in English and French. The Gladiators did their thing and then the crowd decided if they were to go to the midnight buffet or to be eaten by the lions. The lions went hungry tonight. The contestants did pretty good and the lions weren't necessary. Stopped into the 9th deck pizza buffet for a slice, and then went to the 3rd deck for ice cream and peaches boiling in syrup, just before we went back to the 9th floor buffet for soft-serve one last time. Buffet to buffet to buffet, man it's getting bad. Get me off this ship before I ask Lynley for a soft serve machine for Christmas. The gear is in the hold and just when you think you have it figured out, they change procedure on you. Not Costa, US Customs! Instead of all 40 pieces of our gear staying in their cages and being forklifted to our van, now, all the
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When the Deep Blue Sea Calls, We Say YES everytime!