The Bilge Pumps - Past Landings: Dickens on the Strand 2012

Galveston, TX December 1 - 2, 2012

For the first time in years, the weather held out perfect in Galveston and the ghosts of Charles Dickens rolled in and out of town with a load of fanfare and lots of fun all the way around. The scheduling snafu with the programs being handed out at the gates caused a bit of a ruckus as we had to keep reminding people that our shows were in different stages and times than were listed, but all-in-all, the streets were so crowded, we could have done a show anywhere. With the Elissa in dry dock and the Bounty sinking before she made berth, there were no shows on Pier 21, so we stayed in the Strand and made fun of Scrooge and glues coins to the ground for the urchins to find. Good times...

The Bilge Pumps descend on Dickens with a show at the Windsor Castle stage, performing to the steampunkers present and all... uh... steamy.	The band debuts a new sales person for the show... Adele the Ship's Toy. We're not sure how well she'll work out though. We're too lazy to keep winding her up.	The band moves over to the Westminster Abbey stage to get in the full Christmas spirit, surrounded by gingerbread houses. The temptation was very great.
Dickens means parades and the Bilge Pumps strutted through the parade like a bunch of handicapped peacocks.	Maroon the Shantyman handed out treasure coins to the kids along the route, eliciting smiles and dropped jaws all around. That only lasted until they realized it wasn't chocolate.	We also kept an eye on our own Natty the Navigator dressed up as a living christmas tree and made sure she didn't crash into the rest of her orchard.
Harvey grabs some experienced pumpettes to help him with his interpretive dance during "Johnny Jump Up"	Meanwhile, on the Leister Square Stage, the band gets set up to crank out a night time show.	The pirates wails can be heard all along the Strand as the Bilge Pumps songs bring out the ghosts of Christmas present.
Harvey the Corpsman and Splice the Rigger seem strangely demanding and compelling when they sing.	Harvey once again finds the sexiest of the sexy to join him on stage for "Cape Cod Girls"	The migrating Sparrows must all be lured in by the dulcet sounds of pirate music in Galveston.
On Sunday, the sun begins to set on the band's weekend, by shining directly in their eyes.	Ah, the old tea drinking dance during "Sailors Horpipe". Nothing's more piratey than that, I tell ya.	If anyone's ever wondered how exciting it must be to be married to one of the Bilge Pumps... wonder no longer.