[Public-List] Every 20 minute job...

[Gordon Laco]

I’ll never forget one January when I brought Charlie to my parents place as a guest… I’d negotiated space for the historic site we both worked for where Charlie would work displaying his traditional boatbuilding skills and our marine museum, during the run of the Toronto International Boat Show.

He was very well behaved at dinner, although he commented he couldn’t recall the last time he’d sat at a formal table in his life…and that he hadn’t seen Toronto since the 1950’s, although he lived just 90 minutes north of the city (I’m jest plain amazed Gordy, lookit all them lit up towers!)   After dinner, my Dad offered him a glass of scotch.   Charlies’s eyes literally sparkled and as he reached for it, he made a deep hissing sound that came from inside his chest.   He winked at me, then sipped politely.  After he finished it he confided ‘I knows Gordy there’s no way weese gunna slip out fer a real belt, so I’ll jest bide my time, don’t you worry.’

Ah, Charlie.



Gordon Laco
www.gordonlaco.com




> On Jan 19, 2021, at 3:38 PM, Winslow Ayer <135sleddinghill at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Amen to that!
> 
> Winslow
> 
>> On Jan 19, 2021, at 2:42 PM, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net> wrote:
>> 
>> I heard a boatbuilder-client yell at one of his younger colleagues “Ya don’t think y’ve got da time ta do it right da foist time?  DO YA HAVE TOIME TO DO IT TWICE?!’
>> 
>> Same guy another time: “TAKE FOUR HOURS TA JOIN DOSE FRAMES ON YER OWN TOIME NOT MINE…  DA MAN’S WAITIN’ FER HIS F*CK'N BOAT… GIT ‘ER DONE! ”
>> 
>> Charlie Allen started boatbuilding at the legendary Ditchburn yard in the 1930’s… built Orville Wright’s ‘Kitty Hawk’ mahogany motor launch which is still around here… lofted corvettes during the war; told me that in those days the work was so hard, escaping the shipyard in 1940 to join the Canadian Army and doing a week of Basic before being discovered and sent back to his war-service essential job was a relief.    
>> 
>> He could barely read nor write, would disappear on drinking benders every once in a while, but naval architects learned to trust and respect his judgment and knowledge.   I learned a lot from him.
>> 
>> Gordon Laco
>> www.gordonlaco.com <http://www.gordonlaco.com/>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jan 19, 2021, at 2:19 PM, Winslow Ayer via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org <mailto:public-list at lists.alberg30.org>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Ain’t that the truth...frustratingly so.
>>> 
>>> Winslow
>>> 
>>>> On Jan 19, 2021, at 2:12 PM, George Dinwiddie via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org <mailto:public-list at lists.alberg30.org>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Overheard:
>>>> 
>>>> Every twenty minute job is one broken bolt away from becoming a three-day ordeal.
>>>> 
>>>> - George
>>>> 
>>>> -- 
>>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
>>>> I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org <mailto:gdinwiddie at alberg30.org>
>>>> So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org <http://www.alberg30.org/>
>>>> So many I love were not yet born.                          also see:
>>>>              'The Middle' by Ogden Nash     http://idiacomputing.com <http://idiacomputing.com/>
>>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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