Chris Spollen - Telling Stories In Wood

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Telling Stories In Wood

posted:February 2, 2011

This was my first car a nineteen forty nine-dodge businessman’s coupe, it was a dream come true for a boy who just turned seventeen. When pressed this machine could barely do sixty miles and hour and she burned oil like an old chimney, but she was mine. She soon had three horns front and rear speakers, eco reverb and eventually an FM converter amazing. But the most amazing feature was an after market hot water fan driven large front heater. Originally owned by a little old lady this after market heater could cook a complete meal on it. This auto consumed little if and fuel needless to say this car could idle for hours, permitting a young man to come of age in style.

Many a Saturday morning I would drive over to the local dock to watch men with pipes and lunch boxes with plaid coffee thermos working on there boats getting it ready for a summer launch. I realize now that even though some of these boats never made it into the water the captain’s local merchants and blue-collar men were enjoying the process of being one with the outdoors, the paint, and the seaside. This was a simpler time a slower pace, where one family member could work and support the entire family. This is all gone now replaced with mass-produced enormous fiberglass boats, and captains on cell phones who know very little of anything about the sea

Who does not like a Cola truck

SS Tompkinsville Sea Trials off New York Harbor 1902 The Tompkinsville conducting sea trials in New York Harbor 1902 She was a coal burning workboat moored on the north shore of Staten Island. This inter harbor work thug was captained buy a John Hammond a man with a will of iron, and an ardent crew of loyal and stoic sailors. She remained in service for some thirty years, only to be lost at sea when hit by a north Easter, sinking off Roma Shoals.