The Man Who Loved Boats
Some people just should not own boats16 total reviews
Comment from Tom Horonzy
I can imagine hearing this story as we sat about a campfire. Young eyes fully focused on every word you read. Some would likely never want a boat to own, like me, whose wood cabin cruiser went in the water without the stern plug. Near disaster but we were tied to the ramp.
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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I can imagine hearing this story as we sat about a campfire. Young eyes fully focused on every word you read. Some would likely never want a boat to own, like me, whose wood cabin cruiser went in the water without the stern plug. Near disaster but we were tied to the ramp.
Comment Written 28-May-2022
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Hi Tom,
I was out fishing in a boat owned by the farm. For reasons beyond me, it had a huge block of Styrofoam fiberglassed right in the center of the boat. We were fishing for flounders off of Graveyard Island. In the stern of the boat there was a gillnet for herring. I moved the net and it snagged the plug and pulled it out. Water was pouring in . Fortunately the engine started and we charged to the steep beach in front of town. The water drained out, we put the plug in and went on our merry way. Boats! Where would we be without them? Thanks so much for the outstanding review.
Have a blessed day.
Tom
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So, I stand not alone in my stupidity? Not saying what you did was anything but an accident.
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No, you're in good company. I'll do you one even better on the knucklehead scale. I once used my 14 foot fiberglass Hi-Laker skiff as an ice-breaker. Genius boy here didn't realize that even thin ice can cut through fiberglass when repeatedly used to push against ever thicker sheets of the cold stuff. When I looked down, I had water coming in both sides of the bow. Fortunately I was able to move the gas cans to the stern and steered from the back and lifted the bow out of the water. It was the second time I had to utilize that steep beach to salvage a boat I was in. Even God must have been shaking His head at that one. I've never claimed to have an abundance of common sense.
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Another commonality. I used a 14' aluminum row boat to crack open sufficient ice to make a throw or two on sleeping largemouths in late February in NJ.
Comment from Wendy G
I very much enjoyed your story. It was written with wit and humour about a number of funny situations concerning "Brother Gary"! I enjoy these stories about your time in the commune. Your stories are always well written.
Wendy
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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I very much enjoyed your story. It was written with wit and humour about a number of funny situations concerning "Brother Gary"! I enjoy these stories about your time in the commune. Your stories are always well written.
Wendy
Comment Written 28-May-2022
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Thanks so much Wendy for the great review and comments. I had a miserable time when I lived there, but it certainly provided me with a lot of fodder for conversation. At the time, I found very little of my situation humorous, but in retrospect, there were some funny things that happened. When the guys got together, there was no shortage of Brother Gary stories.
Have a blessed day gal.
Tom
Comment from Jay Squires
Tom, you are so good! This is the second or third piece I've read about the commune in which you lived in Alaska. You know what you've done, don't you? Of course, you do! You started out letting the reader know you didn't like Gary. And you, being the reliable narrator for the reader, the one we look for balance and direction through ... created a loveable, misunderstood, havoc-causing scamp we can not, NOT love. You, by default, become what literature calls an unreliable narrator. That's a good thing. It means you developed a character that is larger and more relatable than the narrator.
Dang it, Tom, why did you post this so late in the week. You caught me with my sixes down. This is worthy of one!
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Tom, you are so good! This is the second or third piece I've read about the commune in which you lived in Alaska. You know what you've done, don't you? Of course, you do! You started out letting the reader know you didn't like Gary. And you, being the reliable narrator for the reader, the one we look for balance and direction through ... created a loveable, misunderstood, havoc-causing scamp we can not, NOT love. You, by default, become what literature calls an unreliable narrator. That's a good thing. It means you developed a character that is larger and more relatable than the narrator.
Dang it, Tom, why did you post this so late in the week. You caught me with my sixes down. This is worthy of one!
Comment Written 28-May-2022
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Hello Jay,
Thanks so much for the outstanding review and comments. I'm honored. To be honest, I have this story in a book I wrote about the farm, although it's not exactly the same, the stories are still there. Gary used to infuriate me. He was a genuinely nice guy, and he always meant well and he certainly loved the Lord. He was a converted Jew. You may be old enough to remember a show on TV called Candid Camera, produced by Allan Funt. Gary worked in TV in his early years and he worked for Allan for a while. He said Allan wasn't a very nice guy.
I've never heard of an unreliable narrator, but if you say it's good, I believe you.
I'm truly grateful for the wonderful review. Thanks so much.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
Comment from dellsworthpoet
An interesting story. An homage to a person who just never quite got it. The language is warm and conversational and Gary comes off as a lovable problem person.
The flow is good. The images are crisp. It is so slapstick as to be amusing.
Thanks for a good read.
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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An interesting story. An homage to a person who just never quite got it. The language is warm and conversational and Gary comes off as a lovable problem person.
The flow is good. The images are crisp. It is so slapstick as to be amusing.
Thanks for a good read.
Comment Written 28-May-2022
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Thanks so much for the great review Dellsworth. I would have hated to have to pay Gary's insurance bill, if he ever carried insurance at all. I never rode in a vehicle or a boat with him, I wanted to live.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
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You are welcome.
Comment from lyenochka
Thank you for yet another humorous story from your part of the country, Tom! I think they need to make a TV series of Tom's town and the colorful people there like Brother Gary.
By the way, we have a mutual acquaintance. I'll message you!
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reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Thank you for yet another humorous story from your part of the country, Tom! I think they need to make a TV series of Tom's town and the colorful people there like Brother Gary.
By the way, we have a mutual acquaintance. I'll message you!
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The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 28-May-2022
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Hello Helen, thanks for the great review and comments. Boy did we ever have colorful people! I had to go on nightwatch, which was basically staying up all night and making sure no cabins caught on fire, with this bonehead who was a baby food salesman before he moved to the farm. Good Lord we almost set the camp on fire one night when we were trying to fill up our hot Coleman lantern with Blazo fuel from a 55 gallon drum. I honestly don't know how I survived.
Have a blessed evening my friend.
Tom
Comment from Theodore McDowell
A very entertaining and extremely well-crafted story of your relationship with a real character. It sounds like you were involved in communal living at one time. That interests me.
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reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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A very entertaining and extremely well-crafted story of your relationship with a real character. It sounds like you were involved in communal living at one time. That interests me.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 27-May-2022
reply by the author on 28-May-2022
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Hi Theodore,
Thanks for the great review and comments. Yes, from 1976 to 1987 I lived on a Christian community in Southeast Alaska. It and others like it were established as "end-time" farms. The belief at the time was that money was going to be no good and that God was providing a place for His people. We were supposed to be self-sufficient, but that's hard to do in a rain forest. We built our own homes from lumber that we cut down and milled in our sawmill and grew crops, such as would grow there. Eventually we ended up with cows and goats and chickens. For the first five years there was no electricity, and we never were allowed to have a TV or radio. It was a very difficult time with lots of hardships. When I left I wrote a book titled Wilderness Blues, A Tale of Outhouses, Rutabagas, and Other Unsavory Subjects. It was therapudic writing it. The farm is still there, although with only a few families, one of which has been there from the start. Anyway, that's my story, or part of it anyway.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
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How fascinating, Tom. Is your book still available? Does it express how you felt about the end times concept after you left?
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Hi Theodore,
Yes I have a number of copies here for sale. They are $14.95 plus shipping, about $3.25 media mail.
I documented various situations that occurred on the farm. For the most part I was miserable there, at least for the first five or six years. Gradually things got better. Of course we still had to use outhouses, and the food was somewhat better, but the eldership still controlled most of what happened on the farm.
As far as the end times, as things have continued to spiral out of control in this country, I've thought that perhaps the elders had it right, more or less, its just that they started a little too soon. There is no place on earth to hide. I think that we need to practice common sense and prepare the best we can for whatever is coming our way. Get out of debt, stock up on what groceries you can, look out for your neighbor and help those in need. The best thing we can do is have a relationship with Jesus. It's a win-win situation.
I tried to put a humorous spin on most of my experiences, but I did spend a good bit of my time on the farm either angry or depressed or both. On the one hand I wish that I had avoided going there, but on the other, it helped to shape who I am. Thanks so much for your interest.
Have a blessed night.
Tom
