George Baxter and the Seahorse

[onejacker]

George walked into our cabin carrying a plastic cup, and wearing a big grin.

"Look at what I caught, prodigy" he said as he set the cup on the breakfast counter. I walked over and peered in. It was a seahorse! A dang big one at that. Probably five inches tall, and it was alive!

Before that night, the only place I had seen a seahorse before was in the back of an Archie comic book, and that was just a picture in an ad. The ad promised if you sent in two bucks, they would send you your very own seahorses, alive and kicking, in a small glass aquarium. I never could save up two bucks all at once, so i never sent off for mine. I wasn't even sure if they existed, but now, by gosh, I had proof!

"Where did you catch it, George?", I asked as I marvelled at this magnificent little creature.
"Over in Pitman Creek. I had my little flounder net set over there on the left side, you know that spot I like, and I went out to check a few minutes ago. The hard crabs are bad over there, and I didn't want any flounder to get chewed up by them. As I pulled the net over the gunnel to get out a little flounder, this little fella fell into the bottom of the boat. I scooped him up, put him in the cup, and here he is". As George told me the events, he absently puffed on a cigarette, and thumped the ashes into his shirt pocket. George didn't require many conveniences in life, and an ashtray was not high on his list of needs.
"What are you gonna do with him, George?" I wondered out loud.I had visions of a seahorse farm galloping through my 11 year old head. "Throw him back in the creek", replied George, without giving it much thought, in my opinion.

Dad and George had a couple of drinks, and we all stood around the counter looking at the odd little animal for an hour or so. Eventually the grown-ups exhausted all of the conversation you can have about a seahorse in a plastic cup, and it was time to take it to the creek. George let me do the honors, and I stood in our Matthews bateau, and eased the seahorse into the water under the beam of my flashlight. It disappeared into the thick summer water, and took my dreams of a seahorse farm with it.

My Dad and George are long gone now, and some of my best memories came from that little cabin on the Lower Broad Creek, and the water and fields surrounding it. Hope I didn't bore anybody with this little memory. Just childish kid's stuff I suppose...

Pat

[scalez]

A great read and I, for one, want more ! We had some wonderful writers in W2MW !

[Crazy Eyes]

Great story and if I am correct Mr. George was husband of Mrs. Carolyn who still lives in the area. I will mention this story to her the next time I see her and guarantee it will put a big smile on her face.

Thank you for taking the time to share.

[Avenger]

To borrow kid-speak; That was a really neat story. Thanks for sharing.

[Flooringman]

great memory thanks for sharing.

[gottaflylee]

Great story Pat!!! I hope that when things slow down some more that I will have time to share some more "DaddyPop" stories...
Thanks for sharing.

[SeaBiscuit]

Fine story Pat, thank you.
Exceptional writing too. Please keep the memories coming.
SeaBiscuit

[Nauti Natured]

Loved it! Thanks for the memory. Put a well needed smile on my face tonight.

[Captain Fred Archer]

Pat,

Well done, sir. And a beautiful story, well told.

Thank You.

[onejacker]

I have tried to say thanks to you kind folks several times already, but I can't seem to do it in less than four thousand words.

I take each response as a compliment, and that alone is a wonderful thanks. To think that Crazy Eyes will tell Carol Baxter about this little story that included her husband George is wild.Knowing Capt Lee is going to continue DaddyPop memories is great news. One of the reasons i pecked it out was Nauti Natured's thread about his Dad's illness, and to bring a smile to his face, if only for a moment or two, is great!



Thank you all, very much,

Pat