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From baseball to retirement: Four short pieces in The Lane

My all-time favourite Slow Lanes are easily those ones where I use italics at the top of the column to denote something different about it, as I am doing here.

My all-time favourite Slow Lanes are easily those ones where I use italics at the top of the column to denote something different about it, as I am doing here. I feel almost chuffed at including italics at the top and suspect it somehow makes me feel more important.  At any rate, today italics are being utilized to inform you that this is not one continuous, connected column, but rather a series of four short pieces on various unrelated topics.  So, well, without further ado:


Bowen baseball begins sometime toward the end of April, so it is almost time.  In my experience, players and teams earnestly consider having a practice before the season starts, but the best laid plans of mice and island ball players often go awry.  Which is another way of saying that often the teams assemble for the first time on opening day.
Last year the Firemen got back to winning, that coming after the Shakers finally won a championship in 2012 and the Diggers in 2011.  I never won a championship in my seven seasons, though I got to the final once.  The final is fun to play in, lots of fans and a nice buzz to the park.  I remember I got a hit in the final, though don’t recall if it was off of Phil “Philbert” Wood or Mike ‘the Cannon’ Carachelo.
If you haven’t experienced it, Snug Cove Field is a great park to watch a game in.  Sitting in the sun with friends and neighbours and watching baseball while the kids shove one another about in their quest to be the first to get to a foul ball and earn 50 cents, is a fine way to spend an island evening.
It is coming again soon and for, I believe, the 28th consecutive season.
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I’ve always felt living in a smaller community should make some potentially contentious events be less so due to the greater likelihood of knowing one another.  You have a better idea of someone’s character after talking to them on the ferry umpteen times or at the Thanksgiving dinner, etc.
I sat next to Premier Christy Clark at one of my son’s hockey games. Her son, Hamish, is also a goalie and Keelan plays Hamish’s Kits team – but I don’t know her as I do local politicians.  Indeed, I can’t recall more than nodding hello and mostly all I remember is some of the mothers on our team continuing to cheer loudly when our West Van kids scored despite already being up by four goals. It felt kinda embarrassing, like we were rubbing it in.
Anyhow, the point is that on island we can get to know others easily, our politicians included.  So it is that I know Wolfgang Duntz and Daron Jennings a little and know them to be caring, honest humans.  I don’t care what business they’re involved with, or that they felt they should resign council to avoid the potential of a perceived conflict of interest.  I know they each have our best interests at heart and wouldn’t try and hoodwink islanders or in any way be duplicitous.
Period.
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I expect we most of us consider now and again how it is that we should behave in the world.  I do.  I might consider if I’m too loud, too nosey, do I tell overlong stories, pontificate too much or present opinions that could be categorized as foolish or, worse, objectionable.
Sometimes I’ll get on the ferry and think the following: “Let’s just have a quiet ride.”  If I’m lucky enough to be with the wife that trip, I’ll try to stick by her and simply smile nicely at folks who walk past and just say hi.  I’ll aim for a ride with no jokes, no kibitzing, no hungrily wandering about looking for the most fun group to spend the trip with.  Just be “normal” and sit and talk quietly, or even not talk at all.
I haven’t managed to do that yet but hey, it’s only been a decade of trying.
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I was unaware Louise, an excellent and long-serving ferry employee, retired in December.  One gets accustomed to ferry workers taking vacations and then by happenstance not being onboard during one of their shifts for a while and such, and so it that it took a while before I noticed her missing and asked.
Most of you will know her and join me in wishing her many happy and healthy years not serving us and of getting to be elsewhere.  If Lynne or Barb or anyone else on the ferry is in touch with her perhaps they will pass along this: all the best from Bowen Island and thankyou for the many years of cheerful service.
We all of us have but a limited amount of trips on the Bowen ferry.