Boat Building & Poetry

In the Sunday editon of The Telegram there was a good article on older men (and women) on Fogo Island keeping their traditions alive, epecially the tradition of boat building.

I am not related (that I know of) to the Combdens named in the article, but I still feel a kinship to them, remembering my days as a young child visiting pop and nan in Barr'd Islands and other relatives in Joe Batt's Arm.

I think it is great the old are showing the young 'ways' of the past before it is too late. Each time I visit Fogo Island (and that's not enough) I see less and less punts floating in the little harbours. I hope the program at the local school is a success.

Here is a poem I wrote many years ago; a boy with his grandfather and his punt:

In The Harbour

old man
boy
in the boat
“It’s me punt”
rowing
about in the harbour
oars cutting water
slow
fluid motion

gulls
screaming overhead
diving
to the water
“d’ere eatin’ fish guts”
trying
to count them
but
too many

water
cold and black
“how deep is the water `ere pop?”
“over our heads me son, over our heads”
sees reflection
rippling
over the side

waves
rocking them side to side
“do ya want to row?”
small hands
ready
for instructions
fears
to let go

boy
old man
in the punt
“take yer time, you’ll git it me son”
punt
drifting in the harbour
oars
splashing
with the sound of their laughter

Turning 35

My knees are starting to ache more after hockey. My ankles are tender after hockey. A tendon in my wrist is inflamed...but I blame that on the keyboard.

I am getting older.

Thank god I still have my (sorta) youthful face. And hair. ha

Tomorrow I am 35. I am ok with it, because even though my body is getting older and hairier, I still feel young. I think it is due to my very prolonged youth and university "career." :)

As for my plans tomorrow, ball hockey is cancelled due to Mt. Pearl's Frosty Festival. So it will be the traditional dinner and a movie with my wife. Maybe she will even let me pick the flick this time!

Giant Killers & Sport Talk

I never watched football growing up. It was hockey, hockey, and hockey. Then a little basketball.

But since I lived in Manitoba for two years, I have started watching it (much to my wife's delight). But it is not the CFL that I watch, but the NFL.

I don't know why. Am I a sucker for the mammoth NFL machine? Probably. But I don't care. I just know it is now harder to get school work done on Sunday than it use to!

So last night was the games to end all games. The greatest team verus the greatest underdog. I wanted to see perfection happen. But I also have a history for supporting the underdog.

The Giants didn't get the respect they deserved. And Brady got the sh*t knocked out of him repeatedly. New England's defence let them down.

Was it a pretty game? No, but full of suspense. A blow-out would not have had the same drama. Glad to see you are out of your brother's shadow Eli.

On another note - I watched the Habs on Saturday. A very fast team. Then there is Ryder. I don't know if he is hurt or just not giving it 100%. I wasn't shocked to see himin the press box Sunday. At this rate, he will get traded for nothing more than a bag of pucks.