Monday, February 23, 2009

Calvin Coolidge and his unusual boat name


Remember my new favorite old book that I have been using in some recent ATCs? They come from this wonderful treasure trove, The American Heritage Book of Fish Cookery (1980), full of black and white photos of fisherpeople with excellent captions and weird-sounding recipes. I see there's a used one on Amazon for 59 cents, if you fall in love with it from this post. How can I cut up a book, you ask? Well, if no one has checked it out from the library in 8 years, why not turn it into something people WILL look at?

For example, that lady above in her apron is brandishing a fish that is in the process of eating another fish. The caption calls her Granny Turner, of Bear Island, Ontario.
And here is our 30th president (1926-1929), Calvin Coolidge, described as "one of our most enthusiastic presidential anglers" by this source:
And here's a close-up of the name of his jaunty vessel:
(For those of you reading from outside the US, those two words have Other Connotations here. Did they have the same connotations back then? That would be interesting.)

And check out these hotties, described as "...the lean, hard men who put out after bluefish were notorious for being just as strong, wild and quick tempered as the fish they sought..." Yum.
We also have these lovely ladies in their hats, preparing a fish breakfast on the West Branch of the Penobscot, here in Maine in 1885:
Finally, here is Edward Llewellen with his 425 pound giant sea bass, caught off of Catalina Island in California in 1903:
Here is what it's like today, with snow blanketing our window screens:
The shoveling down to the chicken house was heavy and wet and up to Jonas's waist, he reports.

3 comments:

  1. Ahhh, the glamorous life of a Fisher-person.


    I don't know about that 450 lb. Sea Bass. That thing is too big for me to wrap my brain around.

    And speaking of fish, thanks for the Alewives Fabrics love!

    Keep spreading the good word...

    I just had a class with Joanie on Saturday. She has strict instructions to cajole you into joining the Craft Swap!

    See you soon, busy lady!

    XOXO

    Rhea

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  2. wow Iris that final photo is just gorgeous!

    you'll be pleased to know that the connotations of that boat name are preserved in other dialects of English too ..

    pa ha ha! a suitable boat for Bill Clinton to go angling in, I would have thought

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  3. Coolidge was President 1923-1929

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