Getting up the morning after the premiere was no easy task for any of us, let me tell you! But the excitement of things to come kept us going. Dangerous Dan, Quick Cut Krista and meself met up with Jansy and Gretchen in our hotel's restaurant for breakfast. We were greeted by Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, and Stitch - all there to entertain the families with little kids that were staying at the hotel. And quite a unique way for Dangerous Dan to start his birthday. It could only get better from there.

When our little family of three arrived at Pirates'n'Plunder, Jules and the others were already there in costume, with everything pretty much set up.



(Left to right) David Patykewich (Clubba), Lee Arenberg (Pintel), Maxie Santillan (Maximo), Vinnie Lozano (Jacoby), & Treva Etienne (Koehler) all showed up as promised, but we were getting worried about Marty. Then Julie got a call from him. He'd become seriously dehydrated being in the sun and the heat the previous day on the Red Carpet and ended up in the hospital, hooked to an IV! He felt really bad not being able to show up, but everyone was very understanding, not to mention relieved when we were assured, at the end of the day, that he was doing well, although understandably tired.

And what a crowd we had! Even before the event started at 1 pm we had a line that went all the way down the block!


Lots of people showed up in costume, many of them friends of the store owners, Mike and Bernice. Some even entertained the waiting masses with pirate music and shanties.








And not only were the crowds patient, but the guys were wonderful enough to stay way beyond the scheduled two hours – until past 7 pm if I recall correctly – making sure that everyone who wanted an autograph and/or picture not only got one, but had a chance to ask questions and chat as well.





And everyone pitched in. Quick Cut Krista and Gretchen manned the souvenir "booth", selling hand crafted swag and Marty's t-shirts (designed and distributed by Marty's friend Matt aka Sea Wolf) for the C.O.D.A. cause.





Elizabeth collected donations for the autographs.




Alyx collected raffle tickets and chatted with those waiting in line inside, keeping their spirits up.





Fiona and Windswept sold raffle tickets to the people in line outside, keeping THEIR spirits up, as well as helping Jules, Jans, and meself with general on-deck duties such as bringing the guys water, fetching t-shirts, periodical relieving the other wenches for breaks, etc.












Me thinks Jules is keeping guard over the rum here!





Okay, ladies, which pirate is the cutest? And Lady Writer, you can just keep quiet because we already know your answer!


And Jans is guarding the antique cannon.






Alyx joining the efforts to get the keys.

And Dangerous Dan was our official event photographer, seen here with our son, Ben.





And apparently he took it upon hisself to guard the ladies.



Or the other way around!


Of course, our hosts, the owners and staff of Pirates'n'Plunder were there to keep things running smoothly and efficiently. Mistress Beatrice Fox and Cutthroat Kate also came to show their support.

Oh, and extra credit must be given to Lee's girlfriend Katie who, despite being very pregnant, stuck it out for the duration. She was such a sweetie that our little group ended up sending her flowers to show her our appreciation. Speaking of which, Lee and Katie actually gave up the Cast and Crew AWE showing at the El Capitan to be with his fans. Now that's dedication!

The day was long and tiring but full of special moments and so worth every minute. Among the highlights:



A serviceman named Cliff came with his family (it was his daughter's birthday) and Julie made sure we all gave him a round of applause to show our appreciation for him and all our troops. He told us that the guys were grateful for our support, but asked that we also keep their families in our thoughts and prayers as it's tough on them being alone on the home front.

Our other daughter, Kelly, is a big fan of Lee Arenberg and was really disappointed she couldn't be with us to meet him. As luck would have it, she called her dad on his cell while we were there and seizing the opportune moment, I rushed the phone over to Lee and asked him to say "hi" to her. Well, he greeted her with a hardy, "'Ello, Poppet!" and a few more sentences in Pintel's voice. Then I heard him say, "Hello? Hello?" in his own voice. Seems it took him awhile to convince her it was really him! She told us later that she was sure it was her brother playing tricks on her!

And that gave everyone the idea to call our illustrious Admiral Laura (and wake her up – oops!) and let Lee and Treva talk at length with her. Gretchen also called Rum Tum Tugger (who had planned to come out with her, but sadly had to change her plans) and let her talk to the guys, too.

The editor of Easy Rider magazine (the one that featured an article on Marty's custom chopper with pics of him and Johnny) showed up along with a photographer. He's also one of the editors of the new Pirate magazine (being a full-fledged pirate hisself, complete with Jack Sparrow's tattoo and branded "P" on his arm), so we're thinking a nice article about Marty's event may just end up on the pages of said publication. One can only hope.

Best part, though (in my mind, at least) was that TERRY ROSSIO (along with his girlfriend and her mom) came!!!!!! We were all SO excited and grateful and of course Jansy and meself (being writers) tried to monopolize all his time, discussing the movie and heaping him with the homage that was his due his and Ted's imaginative genius (which he seemed rather surprised by – especially when I told him that they were responsible for creating a cultural icon in Captain Jack Sparrow).





We all got our pictures taken with him and, of course, autographs which he was very sweet to make sure they were personalized, spending several minutes asking questions about us before coming up with quips that would be special to each of us.









He also spent some time signing autographs for the fans along side the guys, then, all too soon, he and his family had to leave. Hopefully, that won't be our last encounter with him!


And of course, Treva once again held court with his captivating and captivated wenches.



Once the last fan had left happy, the staff locked the doors to the store and we were able to catch a little time with the guys, getting some group shots and signatures for ourselves and our families.





Windswept had left early to go prepare a lavish and delicious dinner to which we invited everyone to join us. Katie, of course, was very tired so she and Lee went home. Treva, Maxie, David, & Vinnie were delighted to follow us to Windswept's house and not only did we enjoy dinner together, but we were able to celebrate Dangerous Dan's birthday in the high style he deserved.


It was also great to hear the guys talk about life on the POTC set and fill us in on their prospects for the future.






Treva, especially, has got to be one of the most fascinating people to talk to and apparently the feeling is mutual, because he just couldn't get enough of our testimonies as to the intricacies of the numerous and momentous ways Jack Sparrow and the Pirate movies have affected us all.


The only thing that would have made the day absolutely perfect was if Marty were there, but we certainly couldn't begrudge him the recovery time he needed.

And so ended another eventful day…only the beginning of a wonderful week.