Saturday, July 5th   Wow, what a night at Paradiso.....thanks to all of you who came out for the big Fourth of July bash. We had 270 folks there, beautiful weather for this time of the year, and a good time was had by all. But the weekend ain't over yet. Sunday, July 6th you can catch me outdoors at San Carlos Marina (6:30PM), singing for the final day of the San Carlos Billfish Blowout. Open to the public! Click http://jonjencharters.com for all the info. And Wednesday you can catch me at La Palapa from 5:30-8:30PM. Don't head north just yet!

NEW "MULLIGAN'S ISLAND T-SHIRTS" And if you're up in the States, I did leave about a dozen of the navy blue sleeveless "Mulligan's Island" T-shirts up there, ready to send out and perfect for summer! In fact, they're a limited edition shirt and will be available only til August. Great looking color, and the $15 includes shipping! Email mexicomark@hotmail.com if you'd like to order one or more. Available in L or XL.

. CASTAWAY KIDS DONATIONS NOW TAX DEDUCTIBLE!   GREAT NEWS....Donations to Castaway Kids Inc. have now been approved by our friends at the IRS as tax deductible...and retroactively, meaning that many of you who have donated in the past or will donate in the future to the organization can now receive a deduction. This is a big development for us, and something that Castaway Kids Inc. President Susan Schauf has been working on for close to two years! Great job Susan....for more info, or to check out details regarding our next project (a community center/park in one of Guaymas's poorest neighborhoods) please click http://castawaykidsmx.org  And thanks for your support!

Speaking of the Castaway Kids, here's a shot of Marcos and Luis at a recent park dedication in Fatima, where volunteers converted a vacant piece of land into a small children's park!

And one more of Luis, having a great time playing in the park!

SOUTHERN CAL, AUG. 22-23  We've just posted the info for the house concert in Newbury Park, CA PLUS the big "Landsharks and Lions" event in Santa Barbara, where I'll be joined by my pals Gary Seiler and Kelly McGuire PLUS trop-rock favorites "Stars on the Water". You get a GREAT deal when you pre-register too....for only $35, you get an entire day (2-10PM of live entertainment from four live acts PLUS a delicious tri-tip dinner, drink ticket, AND "Landsharks and Lions" T-shirt too! With proceeds benefiting charities, including the Castaway Kids. Check http://markmulligan.net/schedule.htm for all the info!

BRING YOUR FLIP FLOPS! And join us at the Silver Gate Yacht Club on Saturday, October 4th in San Diego for the first ever Flip Flop Songwriter event, brought to you by my tropical compadre and musical brother Gary Seiler. GREAT lineup of bands, including Latitude from South Carolina... KD Moore from Tennessee, Ohio and Florida...one of my favorite songwriters in the world Rob Mehl from Oceanside CA....and of course Gary Seiler, joined by Ron Bell, from San Diego. East Coast, West Coast, and Sea of Cortez Trop-Rock music merge for the first time in San Diego...don't miss it! Tickets are $40 per person in advance, $50 day of the show....includes a cheeseburger dinner,  raffle prizes, entertainment, and more! For reservations, please email Gary at gary@garyseiler.com  Bring your flip flops and see you in San Diego!

ROCKY POINT AND PARROT MAFIA!  Heading back up for the coast  to beautiful Rocky Point for another weekend of fun (October 24-26) with Los Cuatro Amigos (Gary Seiler, Rob Mehl, and Kelly McGuire) It's "Parrot Mafia", brought to you by Seaside Reservations! And for this one, we'll be on the beach, enjoying gorgeous October evenings in Rocky Point, just 60 minutes south of the border and only a few hours from Phoenix and Tucson.  For all of you coming down for the event, Seaside Reservations has got the best lodging options in town and at special rates for the event. (Stay 2 nights, get a 3rd half price....or better yet, stay 3 nights and get a 4th FREE) Call toll free 1-888-258-7197 or email kathleen@rockypointexperts.com for all the info, and see you at Parrot Mafia!

BRENT BURNS TO PERFORM AT ISLANDFEST!      One of the top artists on the "trop-rock" circuit, Gulf Shores Alabama singer songwriter Brent Burns, will be joining us for this years edition of "Mulligan's IslandFest", scheduled for November 14-16th, 2008 at Paradiso Resort.  He'll join the incredible lineup of musicians, featuring Texas Academy of Music Awards winner Kelly McGuire and one of my favorite songwriters in the world, Southern California's Rob Mehl, in what's become an annual tradition in San Carlos. We're excited to have Brent on board for this year's event! He's been all over the airwaves lately, even appearing on MSNBC and CNN with his latest tune "Pain at the Pump". Find out more about this latest addition to IslandFest at http://brentburns.com  And make plans to join us in San Carlos for all the fun

Captain Tom and PJ continue in their search for the perfect rum....Read on!

   

RUMOLOGY   By Cap’n Tom    Volume3, Chapter 3     March, 2008 

In 1566 Francis Drake began making his first of several slave trade expeditions. Black slaves were purchased in Africa and brought to the New World fetching a handsome price. To keep his fleet in shape and motivated, some slaves were sold along the way in harbors throughout the Caribbean to pay for repairs and some were traded for barrels of rum. During one such voyage Drake landed in Hispaniola, which at 29,355 square miles, is the 22^nd largest island in the world. At the time, Hispaniola was a possession of Spain’s having first been discovered by Columbus.  

When war broke out between England and Spain, Queen Elizabeth gave Drake a royal ship. He led 2,300 Privateers to victory over Spain decimating its navy. While England and Spain were focused on the raging war, French buccaneers settled on Hispaniola’s western half. Over two centuries the French spread east until they controlled the whole island which they then named Saint Dominique. 

Eventually a slave revolt left most of the island and its sugar cane plantations in shambles. The French quickly became disenchanted with Saint Dominique and in 1804 the first black republic in the world was established and named Haiti. Five short years later Spain reclaimed its share of the island and the Dominican Republic became independent in 1844.        

How does all this connect and what does it have to do with our pursuit of fine rum? Well, there are only two islands in the Caribbean shared by more than one country, Hispaniola and St. Martin. One island Drake stopped at for repairs was St. Martin, the trade capital of the Caribbean, both then and today. Drake also stopped in Hispaniola, and I know why. They make some más fiña rum! In March 2006 I wrote of the fine rum there from the Brugal Distillery. Then I featured the standard Gold Label, but in St. Martin I could only find their Añejo. Apparently it’s all they export. Brugal Añejo is a dark rum, aged over three years and silky smooth with the right spices. We are preparing our ship to leave St. Martin for Antigua, where good rum is available, but more expensive. Normally I lean toward bottom shelf rum, which this is not. Available in the States, you’ll recognize it by its trailer-park-trashy-netted-stocking cover. I’m not sure what it will cost you there, but I bought a case of Brugal Añejo 750s for US$51. Good tasting, trashy looking and cheap! What else can one ask for? Only a good tasting, trashy looking, cheap recipe………… 

ISLANDER

3 oz. Brugal Añejo

½ oz. triple sec

Cranberry Juice

Club Soda

1 fresh lemon

1 Mark Mulligan Going Coastal cd

Start Mark’s vintage cd with There’s Always Mañana. In a highball glass, combine rum & triple sec. Fill with cranberry juice and top with Club Soda. Add a squeeze of lemon. 

This Parrot Head Webring Site is owned by Mark Mulligan. Click for the [Previous] [Random] [Next Site]  Go here for information .