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Pete Pete staggers to the hammock. Another trying day with ungrateful tars and scallywags. Two small sloops bound from Jamaica and all the rum you could swally was all she wrote. Rum punched one and all they blather on about not enough coin jingling the trouser as the pillage turned glum. He remembers the days in old Main Brook. A welcome sight after weeks at sea and the hearty and hale at Fred's Lounge, a place before it's time. Plunder a plenty back then but the scarce times came fast as kings and queens fell and no privateer knew who to trust. At anchor in Spirity Cove, h...
So I have four short stories completed now. There is no name for the small project but eventually they will be left in the woods, on their own. Maybe some wandering soul, lost or knowing may stumble upon them, have a read and leave them be. With the three previous projects I have left them and either they disintegrate due to weather or there were taken down by people wanting to take them home. Fair enough I guess as for the most part they were on or near trails. This time, I will venture further off trail and maybe, just maybe they will stay up a little longer! People ask why, why leave them out there? I am not sure. At first, with the Newfoundland Literary Repatriation Project (yes a few beers came up with that !), I had the idea of giving culture back to the woods by putting a collection of books from all disciplines up around Leamy's brook and Freshwater bay long before they put up a parking lot so to speak---read-- a trail that goes all the way around. Back then you would have...
Just another old note found! There are times when ,as a cook, you just have to let it go, and others, pull back. Today was a day when I was looking forward to wing night. Not that wings are something special in this day and age but `wing nite` meant a chance to relax , put my feet up, enjoy some wings and a movie. A kind of tradition that breaks my usual routine after supper. This morning as I was getting my ducks in a row ( desserts, cookies, etc) I saw that the chief cook had gotten the wings out for the night and was about to marinate them in chicken powder base and Italian dressing(!!!!!!!). It was one such time to let it go and ask him if I could just take some plain and cook them after the supper rush. It was no problem of course but you see, he would marinate them and then bread them! For a wing lover, for putting my feet up, relaxing with a movie I had to get in there and get my plain wings. On that note, the day(my end of day) was saved. Things I have learned that I ...
Not sure if this has been anywhere before...an early group email I think from say 2005! So, I drove across the island with quite a bit of anticipation (even though my ass was dunch by grand falls) at seeing the small town I spent many a weekend in. Bellburns nestles near the shore past Daniels' harbour. As we drove, racing to catch the last ferry crossing at St. Barbe to Blanc Sablon, I was quite excited approaching the town and to see if our cabin was still upright. What a letdown as I did not realize after all these years that the highway no longer went through town but behind it skirting the old main road and crossing the brook at one of my old fishing holes. This hole is still a fine memory. Big rock out in the middle of Bellburns brook behind aunt maggie and uncle sam's house and farm. That trout would tease me, sticking out it's head or tail and then scurry back under the rock as my shadow cast down. I still wonder if anyone caught it. As the day wore o...
The Hareema Shit Show. What a crazy year huh? Often it takes me a while to get things down. I reflect while walking, or sitting watching the juncos fight at the feeder. While we had many challenges this past year, I want to write about a trip at sea that I had looked forward to but would eventually be one of the most arduous trips of my life. So here goes. I received an email back in late 2019 from an employer asking if I was willing to do a training course in order to secure employment later in 2020. Of course, the winter being a slower time for me, I said yes. The course was basic survival training (bst) which I had only completed in pieces over the years but this would be a full week, straight on. A little nervous due to the helicopter drop and roll training (capsized, rolled over, escape in a pool), firefighting and other marine emergency duties. I got up at 530 each day, took two buses and walked to get this done. So that alone was something. I then waited as...