Dear Neil -

Thank you for the invitation to come here you sing. I remember you having a wonderful presence. I rarely travel out of my little town never mind out of Rhode Island. If I made it to Portsmouth and you were playing, I definitely would check it out. I'm glad that you got so much out of your encounters with Jody. Your account made me LOL... thanks.

I wish I remembered the incident you described above. Fact is I've forgotten much of my own life due to 23 years of neurological Lyme disease. There are big chunks missing -others are crystal clear. It's very strange.

I do remember that the maiden voyage of the HMS rose from Nova Scotia (Lunenberg) was glorious. I remember we were singing the song "Wooden Ships" from the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album as we sailed past the beaches in Newport, RI. where people were lined up by the thousands to see the lovely sight of a square rigged, three masted frigate under full sail. Noone had see anything like that around these parts for a long time. The last time I saw the H.M.S. Rose she had been horribly altered for the movie, "Master and Commander". I had heard that the original plan was to blow the ship up for the film. I believe there were enough folks speaking out about that plan that the ship is now once again a museum someplace. I'm sure a google search would turn up her current whereabouts.

I lived my 16th summer on Rosie. Dad was the botswain, I was the cook. That was until the poor crew organized an intervention in the kitchen where I was cooking up yet another box of macaroni and cheese. I'll never forget how grateful those guys looked as they were munching away on fried chicken provided by the second mate who had been a real ship's cook in the Navy.

I may not have been good with the vittles but I sure could climb the rigging and unfurl the penants from up in the crows' nest. Hadn't thought about that in a while. Good thing I learned how to cook since then. That's nespotism for ya. RRRRRRRR.....

I'm still singing. I have a spot at www.myspace.com/joycekatzberg

Hope to run into you someplace, somewhere.

Thanks again for helping to fill in the gaps -
the chanteyman's daughter,
Joyce