If you played football in Hawaii, you played barefoot. Sure, if you played football at the University of Hawaii, the manager issued you shoes with cleats. But because the weather rarely gets colder than 80 degrees, because there’s not many who could afford football shoes, and because everybody grows up walking and running barefoot, why would a Hawaiian parent buy expensive football shoes? The better to put your toe into an extra-point attempt, you might
Month: April 2018
Alex’s Courtroom
My long-time school and sailing friend, and political opposite, was Alex Eastus, Esquire. Alex’s favorite lawyer story happened in the Abilene Texas, Taylor County courtroom. The case concerned a vehicular accident at the intersection across the road from where Old Mose had sat in his front porch rocking chair. In the courtroom, Mose used his walking cane to help him take the witness chair. Blinked often. Rubbed his eyes. “I seen it all…” Mose testified.
A Fine Coach
He was a fine coach, although I don’t think he ever played football. Mr. Jeffries was a fresh graduate out of a nearby Abilene college. He studied to become a teacher, and Mr. Jeffries taught us well in the fifth grade. I still remember he told us to ask for a free Texas road map at a Hamlin service station, draw lines as he suggested, and make cards for Texas industries. The classroom game was
Bosun Mate, the cat
Our sea-going cat was named Bosun Mate. Boatswain Mate is correct spelling for the Navy rank, but our Bosun Mate wasn’t always correct. When Bosun was a kitten, we took him aboard the Makaleka, our 36-foot Pearson sloop. Bosun shared the boat with Captain Jack, our 85-pound golden retriever, who also sailed the North Carolina waterways with us. Bosun must have thought he was a dog. We found that out on his first summer voyage