our fearless cap'n
This year is harder than last year in many ways because we've almost gotten used to him being gone and whammmo! We do the Toad raising and he's not there to growl at people or holler about things not getting done right.
Rodney and Ben wrote a song about him called, "Red Ribbons in his Beard" which tells the story of Captain Redlegs and his journey to become the chief of the kingdom of Penland.
The last chorus goes like this:
Our fearless captain sailed the seven seas; when he wasn't ticklin' Fricasee
To his crew he was beloved, his memory we'll covet
Wearin' ribbons in his plaited beard. He wore red ribbons in his beard.
I can't get through that song YET without choking up. Carol (Fricasee Frolic), his widow, has only heard the first verse & chorus. There will not be a dry eye in the place when we perform the whole thing for her for the first time.
Aiyeeee... I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it!
P.S. I have this picture on my desktop at work. It makes me both sad & happy. Sad because I miss him but happy because Paul symbolizes what faire means to me.... pirates and frivolity and gaiety and song (oh my!)