The osprey is a hunting hawk, and when my Dad built his boat, that is what he named it. He used his boat to travel to the bay to harvest all kinds of seafood to feed his large family. If the fishing was good, he would often stay out longer than he planned, and Mom became anxious and sent the Sheriff's Patrol boat out to check on him. Dad used to tease her about that, saying "You were worried about me, honey?"

Once in the wintertime, he took my brother Jay with him and went out to get some oysters. They loaded several sacks of them, and when they were ready to head for home, the boat's engine conked out. That Red Wing motor just owuldn't cooperate! Dad waited a few hours, hoping the Sheriff's Patrol boat would come to see about them. When that did not happen, they realized they would have to pole the boat all the way back home. Two days later, they ran out of groceries, and when they got hungry enough, they began to open oysters to eat.

Well, they poled all along the coastline, finally making it back to harbor, and eating oysters whenever they got hungry.

When they walked into the house, Dad ask Mom, "Why didn't you send the Sheriff's Patrol boat out to get us?" With a grin, Mom said, "I wasn't worried, honey."

I don't think Jay ever ate another oyster!
 

MizMo
26 October 2010