The Pirate in all of us:

The average man will bristle if you say his father was dishonest, but he will brag a little if he discovers that his great-grandfather was a pirate.

Coming from up North, not a lot was said or seen about the Pirates of old, only every other year when the Boston Red Sox play that team from Pittsburgh do we even reference such. Now you want to talk about the pilgrims and the mayflower?, I am your man.

So on a recent trip to St. George Island, right on the Gulf of Mexico, the Pirate theme was front and center-and on my mind .

This trip got me to thinking that there is a pirate in all of us. I don’t mean the nasty kind that would kill you for a gold doubloon…..

………..I mean the kind of pirate that is a little more civil, but can show a tendency to be a little wild at times. I bet if you go back and reflect a little on your life, you will find a time or two, or three that you acted a little “piratee”. Any time you go against the grain, I think you can fly the Jolly Roger in your mind. It’s what I call doing the bad little things or not really bad, but against popular thinking: Not for spite, but to stoke that little rebel that’s in all of us. You know, things like:

*Going against the grain- in anything you do - Arrrrr
*Having just one more drink than usual-Arrrrr
*Pinching your little sister or brother when you were a child-Arrr
*Going against the norm in a work staff meeting-Arrrrr
*Calling in sick to work/school, when you are not-Arrrrr
*lying about your age-Arrrrrr
*Smoking a cigar on the beach (me yesterday)Arrrr
*Putting a magnifying glass on ants Arrrrrr

There are tons more, I am sure you can help me think of them :-)

Let us contrast with a real Pirate:

Jean Lafitte (ca. 1776 – ca. 1823) was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte," and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States including for places named for him.

Lafitte is believed to have been born either in France or the French colony of Saint-Domingue. By 1805, he operated a warehouse in New Orleans to help disperse the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre Lafitte.

After the United States government passed the Embargo Act of 1807, the Lafittes moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay. By 1810, their new port was very successful; the Lafittes pursued a successful smuggling operation and also started to engage in piracy.

Though Lafitte tried to warn of a British attack, the American authorities invaded Barataria in 1814 and captured most of Lafitte's fleet. In return for a pardon, Lafitte helped General Andrew Jackson defend New Orleans against the British in 1815. The Lafittes then became spies for the Spanish and moved to Galveston Island where they developed the colony there.
Lafitte continued pirating around Central American ports until he died trying to capture Spanish vessels in 1823. Speculation around his death and life continue amongst historians.

Now..thats a Pirate !!

Me? Well I was showing my pirate flag with pride this day

Arrrr,

This pirate thing is a little out of character for me, but this day, I wanted to fly the flag and tell the world (well, the beach goers anyway) that I am a rebel at heart. It felt good. I really am a rebel at heart, in a nice way. I am always looking to do things a little "off center" slightly against the grain most times, big time against the grain every now and then.Can you relate?

You can take this pirate thing a little too far and try to speak in Pirate talk while on the beach. This may annoy some, but if you must, here are some basic Pirate phrases and meanings:

Ahoy! - "Hello!"

Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"

Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."

Aye aye! - "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over."

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

I have learned what NOT to say to your wife on the beach: Things like: "Avast! me beauty, fetch me the grog. I be thirstin'!" This little line, did not go over too well.

The beach is the place that brings out the Pirate soul, it’s the pirates relationship with the bodies of water that keeps the flame a burning.

Humans are not the only species with Pirate tendencies:

The beach wildlife for instance, pelicans, seagulls, sand crabs, alike all have the pirate blood in them. Take this little fella.

He robbed us of our peanut butter crackers and ran back to his hole…arrrrrr !

His eyes never losing contact with ours. Watching this sand crab fascinated me to no end. They "skittle" across the sand very quickly, feet moving a mile a second, all the while doing this sideways (a very piratee move)

Even the pelicans show pirate tendencies as they cruise for pray…….

They do have a huge mouth to gather fast amounts of bounty

Seagulls too………….

this little fella above has a patch on the other eye.

Sand pipers….

Sand pipers roam the vast shoreline searching for their doubloon in the form of worms, mollusks, crustaceans, insects, and spiders. They are hyper little birds and would make a fine crew for Jean Lafitte!

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

Besides my wild imagination about all things pirates and such. Me and the TOWMBO (The one who must be obeyed) had a fantasic time at the beach: I need to post some not so piratee photo's as well!