A day in the life of a pirate

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER, Times Staff Writer
Published January 27, 2008

Pair O' Dice Krewe member Cathy Readinger laughs as Lynda Coyle downs a jello shot before they load the buses and drive to their float in the Gasparilla parade.
	[Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT Gasparilla 2008 Bay area turns out to party hearty High and dry above Gasparilla Photos: The parade Photos: The invasion [Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times] The Pair of Dice Krewe float rest on Bayshore Boulevard in line with the more than one hundred floats. The double-decker float, with a bar up top and a bathroom below, is filled with 33,000 strings of beads. [Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times] Pair O' Dice Krewe member Jason Bramlett, 32, enjoys a cigar during his first Gasparilla parade. [Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times] Yvonne Painton of Dover, center, is one of the krewe's founders. She's on her second Bawls and Crown, which apparently allows her to dance for a few hours straight without tiring. [Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times] Pair O' Dice Krewe member Paul Newman, 46, flirts and tosses beads to the thousands that attended the Gasparilla parade on Saturday evening. [Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times] Christine Coyle, 26, applies her lipstick while her husband Dan Coyle, 24, watches during the bus ride to BayShore Boulevard where they will board their float.

The first Jell-O shots are served as members wait to board the bus that will take them to their float. Linda Coyle made the shots but is struggling to enjoy them. "I can't get the Jell-O out!" she tells fellow krewe member Cathy Readinger. "I need a spoon and fork. I'm a lady!" Indeed.

* * *

The Krewe of Pair O'Dice, 13 years and 85 gamblers strong, spends much of the year volunteering for charitable causes that help homeless families and pets in need of shelter.

But on Gasparilla Day, all bets are off. As their motto goes: Life's a gamble ... Roll with it!

They sure rolled on Saturday! The liquor flowed, the beads flew, the music blared. The gamblin' men lit up cigars, and more than a few of the saloon girls hiked up their skirts.

* * *

This is the first Gasparilla parade for Jason Bramlett, 32, but he's got the look of a seasoned gamblin' man. More important, he has mastered the art of smoking a cigar while holding a drink in one hand and strings of beads in the other.

* * *

The parade is really moving now, and so is Yvonne Painton of Dover, center. She's on her second Bawls and Crown, which apparently allows her to dance for a few hours straight without tiring. "You get the best buzz and never get tired," says Painton, one of the krewe's founders.

* * *

This guy's name fits. Paul Newman, 46, of Tampa, is the Romeo of this krewe. He's tall, lean, handsome, with rhythm in his feet and plenty of beads to bestow on beautiful maidens. The red and pink lipstick stains all over his face suggest the maidens think he's pretty hot, too.

* * *

Clouds roll in, but the Dice Krewe is ready. The double-decker float, with a bar up top and a bathroom below, is filled with 33,000 strings of beads. The krewe members boast of their signature drink: Bawls and Crown. That's Bawls, a high-caffeine guarana drink, plus Crown Royal.

* * *

As the bus taking krewe members to their "Riverboat" float rolls out of downtown Tampa toward Bayshore Boulevard, Christine Coyle applies lipstick. Coyle, 26, is a nursing student at the University of Tampa when she's not carousing with the Dice Krewe. Her husband Dan Coyle, 24, watches.

* * *

There are now more than 50 krewes in the Gasparilla Parade, and many have a adopted mottoes, some even have two. These slogans may offer a glimpse of the spirit of these organizations. Here's a sample, along with their membership numbers:

Bonney-Read Krewe 60+

"Women of spirit and wit."

Buffalo Soldiers 49

"We Can. We Will." and "Ready and Forward."

Gaucho Association of Tampa 150

"His knife, his horse, his woman."

Krewe of Mambi 110

"Radical then, Radical now!"

Unsinkable Krewe of Molly Brown 70

"Strong of heart, passionate for life."

Krewe of Venus 120

"Where enduring friendships begin."

Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla 760 closed with a waiting list

"To provide a venue to promote tourism and a family environment."

Source: Eventmakers Corp.

[Last modified January 27, 2008, 00:55:57]